Each school year I have approximately 25 first-grade students, each with different reading needs. At the beginning of the year, some are non-readers, many are emerging readers, and a few read fluently. Some have narrowly-focused tastes, willing to read only stories about frogs, say, or butterflies, while others are open to anything. Some could probably tackle War and Peace!

I meet each day with a couple of small groups to teach individualized lessons while the rest of the students work at stations (reading, spelling, or word-wall work). Managing the independent group's behaviors can be a real challenge, since I can't focus my attention in several places at once. I want everyone, including those not meeting with me at any given moment, to be engaged learners.

Scaffolding is a must
Last year, I carefully scaffolded independent learning experiences for my students. I used the Responsive Classroom (RC) practice Guided Discovery, which introduces classroom materials in a way that stimulates creative thinking and generates excitement about learning, to introduce the safe and proper use of supplies at each work station, and I used Interactive Modeling for demonstrating how to make a choice, to complete each literacy option, and to assess and reflect afterward.

Getting ready for choices
In September and early October, the only choice available to students was to work alone. In mid-October, I began adding options that could be done in pairs. Once we had developed and implemented both individual and partner choices, I tried to offer three of each every day. In November, I added activities for groups of three or four.

I led Guided Discoveries on markers, whiteboards, scissors, dominoes, dice, and more. I made sure everything was modeled and students had adequate discovery time before the activity became something students could choose-for example, pattern blocks, hangman, and unscramble. I tried to do a guided discovery for each activity right before we modeled and practiced the activity itself, so students would have greater success.

Clear expectations, familiar routines
With plenty of modeling and practicing, we established a daily routine for students to make their learning choices. First, we gather in a group on the carpet to go over the day's options, and I announce which small group will be working with me. I make sure to restate my expectations for their behavior at each station, or I use a reminding question and have a student restate them. Reflecting on last year, I now realize that my expectations weren't always as clear as they need to be.

Next, each student approaches our choice board (a pocket chart in which the day's choices are listed) and moves his or her name card to the pocket next to the choice s/he wants. They move quickly and quietly to their chosen stations and get started while I work with my group. As we near the end of choice time, I give a two-minute warning, a one-minute warning, and a 5-4-3-2-1-0 countdown. After the countdown, we make a smooth class transition to our next learning activity.

Reflection
At the end of the day, we clean up and reorganize the room, and then we gather to reflect. Often the entire group reflects together nonverbally, using thumbs as indicators. For example, I'll ask, "How well did you use your time today?" and students will show either thumbs up, sideways, or down. We hold it for a moment so everyone can look around the room and see how their classmates did.

Results
I interviewed five students in November about how they were feeling about choice time. I learned that they liked having freedom to choose how they were going to spend their time.

Once each in September, October, and November, I tallied the results of an informal survey regarding how the room looked, sounded, and felt during literacy block. Over the three months, students felt more positive about the look, sound, and feel of the room. (The only exception was October's "sound" assessment, but that was on a day when students were doing paired or buddy reading.) The response to the "look" of the room, for instance, went from 18 positive in September to 22 in October, and 25 in November. "Sound" went from 20 to 15 to 24, and "feel" went from 20 to 20 to 25.

As usual, my group had a hard time keeping their voices appropriately low, but, to be honest, this didn't bother me. What I really care about is, "Are they engaged?" and "Is their enthusiasm bothering anyone else?" While their voices were a little loud, no one seemed upset by the noise.

Now my students are learning more and enjoying what they are doing as they learn. I find it much easier to plan choice time because I have all these activities ready to go. And, more importantly, now that I understand how to create a menu of choices, I can apply this same concept to other content areas. I'm currently beginning to do so in math!

Amy Larson teaches first graders at Congdon Park School in Duluth, Minnesota.

This article first appeared in Origins: A Newsletter for Elementary Educators, Fall 2011