Back to School: How to Prepare for In-Person or Virtual Reading Intervention This Year
Hey there!
It’s that time of year again - back to school. In the weeks that are usually filled with fresh school supplies, neatly organized classrooms/offices, excitement, and butterflies, this year seems off.
Whether you are returning to school in person, students are returning in a hybrid model, or you are seeing students completely virtually, for many, this back-to-school season has been nothing short of confusing and frustrating.
To make your transition into this school year a bit less overwhelming, we wanted to share 3 secrets that will help you be prepared for whatever this year throws your way.
Secret #1 - Use a program that is systematic and cumulative
If you have been following our blogs for a while, you know that we always recommend following a systematic and cumulative scope and sequence. This allows you, your students, and your families to know where you are starting, where you are going, and how you are going to get there. Without a program that follows a clear scope and sequence, you have no road map to give you direction. It’s like getting in the car and starting to drive with no destination in mind or directions to get you there.
Having a clear plan ahead of time will allow you, your students, and your families to move forward together. You can plan ahead for your lessons which allows you to be more effective with less planning time. Should you need to transition from one setting to another, having your lessons planned out and in order ahead of time will help you stay organized during that process.
Secret #2 - Use a program that can do both
Whether you are in person, in a hybrid model, or virtual this year, you must have lesson materials that will allow you to quickly transition from one model to another. We encourage you to have your print lessons accessible online (at the very least scanned in - if your program allows this - so students can see them) so you can transition from in-person teaching to online teaching at a moment’s notice. This way, if you have to make a transition, you are prepared ahead of time instead of trying to recreate everything (or search for something new!) overnight.
Bonus tip - PowerPoints work great in online lessons, especially if you can give students “screen control” to allow them to move pieces. Look through your video conferencing platform (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) to see if this is possible.
Secret #3 - Multisensory Instruction Isn’t Restricted to In-Person Lessons
It’s no secret that multisensory instruction is a large component of effective reading intervention. Luckily, it isn’t restricted to in-person lessons. If you are seeing students online, you can use PowerPoint slides (or Google Slides) to allow them to move pieces like they would colored chips or blocks for phonological awareness tasks. You can have them “sky write” or trace their sight words in the air with their arm while saying the letters out loud. There are plenty of ways you can have students engage multiple senses online, even if they don’t have all of the tactile manipulatives with them that we would provide in person. Movable pieces are also a great way to keep students engaged during online sessions.
Bonus Tip: Carpet writing (tracing words on the carpet with your finger) is a great substitute for glitter paper/using grids.
You’ve got this…
While this year looks different than years past, know that you’ve got this. Regardless of the setting, you are going to make such an incredibly positive impact for students this year and they are so lucky to have you in their corner. Remember to stay flexible and take it one day at a time. We are here for questions when they pop up!
If you are looking for resources…
If you are looking for virtual and print-compatible resources, we’d love for you to check out our lessons on Teachers Pay Teachers. We have purposefully included both print and digital versions of the student workbooks, instructor’s manuals, print and digital versions of the games, and more to hopefully make this year easier for you & your students, while also being your most effective year yet. >> Click here << to head to our Teachers Pay Teachers Store to grab individual lessons. If you are looking for ALL of our lessons, check out our Delivering SMARTER Intervention program >>here.<<
If you’re looking for materials to use in the classroom and/or in your intervention setting, then check out the fun and engaging games using the button below!