Adjusting as we go and grow

We are settled into school routines and little by little I am seeing my students grow in independence. 2nd grade is truly a year filled with growth as students develop as learners. As the year goes on, expectations change and what students can do independently grows as well. 

October was a very busy month filled with field trips, special assemblies and events, and the excitement of Halloween. All of these things were part of learning and for the most part were fun, but they also threw off our routines. Missing Math or not having Reading Groups changes the feel of a school day. I found that this impacted my students' autonomy, particularly for independent work. 

During our Reading block, student rotate through independent activities and working with me in a small group. Some of my students, I have seen, need some more support, while others need a greater challenge. Last week I introduced some new Work Work activities to provide an opportunity to challenge and support all of my students. You can check these Daily Work Work activities out here on my TPT store. 

Some students are ready for a little more challenge when practicing our phonics patterns. Here is one example of a student's independent work. Throughout the week, there are some activities where they use color to differentiate between consonants and vowels and also use some creative ways to write the words. My goal is to provide a little more creative expression and engagement, while practicing.  

I also found that several of my students don't have the stamina to copy 10 words and then do an activity with them. Each day I have a modified activity that I provide which allows them to trace the words. Not only does this ensure the correct spelling (several struggle with that), but also fewer words and more space. These modifications provide more support for several of my students while still are working to build independence. 

I try to keep the activities the same for 1-3 months to build in predictability and independence. Once students seem to master these and are ready for a challenge, I will make up a new set. Much of education is straddling the line between providing support and opportunities to develop independence. I want my students to grow and develop pride in their own work, while supporting them and also giving them some space for trial and error, learning through mistakes and struggle. This is the essence of learning.