"Changing our teaching": first grade reading instruction and before and during COVID-19.

By April 2020 public schools throughout the country closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the brink of these turbulent times, we concluded a larger survey study describing first grade literacy instruction in February 2020. Having documented a year of pre-pandemic literacy instruction, we then reached out to the same participants to report on their experiences teaching first grade during the 2020-2021 academic year impacted by COVID-19. In this exploratory study we surveyed first grade teachers (n = 36) to better understand the context, the amount of time allocated, and the materials and resources used by teachers for and during literacy instruction and how these variables differed before and during the COVID 19 pandemic. Our data indicated teachers had increased responsibility as they had reduced access to collaborative planning (t35 = - 2.092, p = .004, d = - 0.507), and the support of paraprofessionals (t35 = - 2.256, p = .030, d = 0.457). This increase in responsibility was amplified by the challenges of virtual and hybrid instruction, and the changes in instructional formats experienced by teachers. Concurrently, students experienced less instructional time (Z35 = - 3.704, p < .001, r = - 0.437), particularly in the areas of writing, vocabulary, and fluency. The consequences of these tumultuous experiences for teachers and students are likely to be long-lasting and complex to reconcile.

Zooming Into Summer: Key Takeaways From a Virtual Summer Reading Intervention

The aim of this teaching tip is to share four key takeaways from virtual implementation of a reading intervention in a four‐week summer reading camp (SRC) for rising second‐ and third‐grade students in need of foundational skills support. The SRC, which was a partnership between a university and school district, pivoted to a virtual format for summer 2020 as a result of the COVID‐19 global pandemic. Through information collected during SRC observations and a series of semistructured focus group interviews with SRC teachers, staff, and participating families, the authors found: (a) connecting with families is fundamental, (b) creating a positive virtual learning space is essential, (c) methods and materials for virtual learning matter, and (d) the learning curve for virtual teaching needs ongoing support. Details and ideas are shared for each takeaway with the goal of supporting educators with virtual implementation of reading intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Reading Teacher is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)