Odyssey Reading

As a teacher, I am always searching for strategies that are impactful and help students learn. What is effective for one student, may not be as helpful for another student. There are many strategies being used every day in class.

We begin in with the weekly objectives and the standard, what every fourth grade student should be able to successfully apply by the end of the school year.

weekly objectives

the standard (in "kid friendly" terms)

The specific learning goal is written on the board.

Then I teach the "core" lesson, the main strategy for the day. We break apart the steps to using this goal (left side, in black, on the board). We model each step in class.

Mr. Greninger's Homeroom

Ms. Leom's Homeroom.

You will notice that the text and the clues of the texts were the same for both classes, but the classes themselves came up with different inferences. This is why "sending homework home before a known absence" is difficult and unrealistic. Much of our learning; although thoughtfully planned and organized, is developed from student engagement, participation, questions, and learning needs. What I anticipate one class needing is often not exactly applied to another classroom. Flexibility and being able to make educational decisions on the spot are necessary.


There is a gradual release of the learning. We call this the "I do. We do. You do." model. In the beginning of the week, Ms. Leom does. She models. Gradually, throughout the week, she does less of the "work", and the students begin to take responsibility for the learning. During this "release" of learning, Ms. Leom is still very involved, monitoring, giving feedback, and "coaching" students toward independence.

Students work on these strategies in their Reading Flex as well. 

This week, Ms. Leom is adding Compass Odyssey to the core class. Previously, she has had Compass Odyssey as an activity for students who finish early, need learning enrichment opportunities, or need more practice. This week I assigned each student the standards learning for grade four, making inferences. Students have a direct lesson. They have instruction, practice, and quizzes. Students need achieve 80% or better to move forward in their inference learning.

As you view the pictures, taken from class, you can see the screens are not the same. Students work at their own pace, and the program adjusts for the individual errors and learning needs of each student. 

The lessons, activities, and quizzes are engaging, filled with music, characters, and often text that is interesting to students. This learning program does not begin to replace a licensed teacher. Ms. Leom is very involved in walking around the classroom as Odyssey is being used. She makes sure students are engaged in this app and participating. It is just another tool being used in our classrooms to individualize and support the learning of ALL of our students.