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Do you have an instructional playbook for new learning about decodable books and other teaching techniques?



Part of being an educator is ongoing learning, which often includes revisions of our existing techniques or additional techniques that we add to our teacher playbooks. One way to process what you or your team have learned through out the year is through an instructional playbook.


Wanna try it? Make a copy of this doc, and try the steps. (You can delete or keep my example!)


Step 1: Give the thing you learned a name.

It can be helpful to give the thing you learned a brief name. Maybe you’ve been learning about using decodable books in small group instruction and so you name the thing you learned “Decodable text small group,” or maybe you’ve been learning about the value of inclusive and diverse books and you name it “Representation in books.”


Step 2: Name what’s important.

Next, expand. Basically, describe what the thing is. For example, you might say “Utilizing decodable texts in small groups that are tied to students’ instructional needs in phonics.” or “Selecting texts that are inclusive and diverse by selecting books that will both provide experiences and people individuals and groups of students will relate to and those that will help individuals and groups of students learn about and value differences.”


Step 3: Name why it’s important.

Now answer the question why. Why do this thing? Why do it instead of something else? In the case of teaching small groups using decodable texts, you might say, “There’s more evidence for skill-based grouping,” and “Decodable texts allow students to practice the phonics they are learning rather than guessing.” If you were writing about representation in books, you might say “It’s important that students have the opportunities to see their identities affirmed in books. It’s also important that students learn about and value the experiences and identities of others.”


Step 4: Determine when it’s important.

Now think about when this is important. Is it something you need to do every day during a certain subject? Is it something that you need to think about when you plan a unit? Is it something that ties into particular routines that you set up at the  beginning of the year? In the example of decodable text small groups, the when might be “when I form my groups and select texts.” In the case of diverse and inclusive texts/representation it might be “when I select texts to read aloud and prepare for a unit” or “when I purchase new texts for my classroom.”


Step 5: Think about how you’ll remember.

How will you remember to do this new-ish thing? Will you set reminders on your calendar? Put an artifact in your plan book? Make a change to your lesson planning template? Modify an instructional chart in your classroom that you look at all the time? If you’re like me, even if you’ve made a new tool or learned something important, it can be super-easy to forget once the new school year comes around. 


Step 6: Link to any notes/documents that relate.

Here’s where you can link to where you learned about this new-ish thing, any notes you’ve taken, etc. Now everything is one nice place.


You can use this instructional playbook over the summer as you think back on the last school year. But you can also use it as you move through the next school year as well. Perhaps you attend a great webinar, read a great book, take part in a professional development session—add to your instructional playbook!


Happy reflecting —Lizzie & The Daffodil Hill Press Team

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