Building Our 90 Minute

Reading Block
Westside Elementary
Maria Randle, Reading Coach

mrandle@509j.net
First Year Schedule

Each class stayed self-contained

Each class had 60 minutes of whole
group instruction
Flood in model with 2 Instructional
Assistants per class to provide 30
minutes of small group instruction.
Double dose in the afternoon for
intensive kids
Second Year Schedule

Walk to Read model

All students in core
1st-2nd had three classrooms each
Students were grouped according to DIBELS
instructional placement for the 90 minute block
(i.e. class for intensive needs, class for strategic
needs, and class for benchmark needs)
3rd grade was divided into 2 groups; intensive
and low strategic needs and high strategic and
benchmark needs
Second Year Continued
60 minute whole group and 30 minute flood in
for small group instruction.
Whole group instruction included Opening Routines (K-
1), Teacher Read Aloud, High Frequency and
Phonics/Structural Analysis activities, Comprehension
Strategies
Small group instruction included phonics, word work,
and fluency practice. Extra Support and ELL handbook
used to preteach or reteach skills.
Instructional Assistants were placed according to
class size to keep groups at 5-6 students
identified with intensive or strategic needs.
30 minute double dose in afternoon for intensive
kids
Second Year K Schedule

Kindergarten self contained for 90 minute

block using core program at varying levels
Whole group instruction 20 minutes Opening
routines
55 minute small group time with teacher and
two instructional assistants Phonics, Word
Work activities and fluency practice.
15 minute whole group instruction time
Teacher Read Aloud, Big Book activities.
Second Year K Schedule

Kindergarten walk to read in afternoon

Students identified with intensive needs
were in intervention program
Strategic and Benchmark students
Fluency Practice
Rode to the Code
Second Year Transitions

In January, we started supplanting the core

for our intensive 3rd graders.
We used the intervention for 30 minutes in the
90 minutes small group instruction and again in
the afternoon.
These students got two lessons of intervention a
day. This was to accelerate their learning.
We saw significant gains for 3 of the 5 students.
By March, we started this at 1st and 2nd as well.
2005-06 Schedule
Whole Group
Instruction
Classroom Teacher
45 minutes
Core Program Literature
(Teacher Read Aloud and
Anthology Selections)
Focus on Comprehension and
Vocabulary Work
K-1 Daily Phonemic
Awareness, Phonics, High
Frequency Skills
Small Group
Instruction
45 minutes
Classroom teacher, specialist,
instructional assistant
Core program, supplemental
program or intervention
program depending on grade
and instructional
recommendation (i.e.
intensive, strategic,
benchmark)
Focus will be determined by
need (i.e. PA, Phonics,
Fluency)
Kindergarten Block
45 minute Whole 45 minute Small Group
Instruction
Group Instruction Additional Practice on Letter
Opening Routines Recognition, Phonemic
Teacher Read Aloud/Big Blending and Segmenting,
Book for Comprehension Letter/ Sound Review, Reading
High Frequency Words,
and Vocabulary
Reading for fluency
Phonemic Awareness
High Frequency Words 30 minute afternoon
Oral Language double-dose
Fluency Practice Intervention for intensive
needs
Supplemental for strategic
and benchmark
First - Third Grade Block
45 minute Whole 45 minute Small Group
Group Instruction Instruction
Opening Routines Benchmark receive core
PA Review
Teacher Read

Phonics
Aloud/Anthology focus on
High Frequency Words
Comprehension and
Oral Language
Vocabulary Fluency Practice
Strategic receive core and/or
supplemental
Intensive kids in intervention
program

30 minute Double dose in afternoon

- Benchmark and Strategic students
practice fluency
- Intensive kids in intervention