Popcorn Reading

Popcorn reading

1. The reading is one that you have been preparing them to read by circling vocab, asking/telling stories, PQA, etc.

2. Arrange desks so that  partners are facing each other.  I created three rows in my classroom of two desks facing each other. There were 6 pairs in each row, hence 36 chairs arranged this way.

3. Partners sit facing each other.  They each have the reading in front of them.  One partners reads the first line of the reading to an endpoint of punctuation (which may bleed over onto the next line).  The second partners then gives the meaning of that line.  Then, the one who just translated reads the next whole line to end punctuation.  The first one gives translation.  They continue this way taking turns as reader and then translator for two minutes.  They can help each other with pronunciaiton and with translation.  If they get stuck, they raise their hands for your help.

4. At the end of two minutes, you call time and ask one side of each row to get up and move down one seat so that now everyone in the room has a new partners.  Partners check in with each other about how far each got in the story.  They always begin with the place that was farthest back in the story so that no one misses anything and so that there is plenty of overlap (aka repetitions).  Then, you start them up again for two more minutes.

5. You as teacher run around and offer help where partners cannot help each other.  They raise their hands and you move around to them.  This gives you a VERY good sense of sticking points which you can design a CI lesson for on the next day.

6. Continue this way for as many two minute rotations as you want.  I did 20 minute rotations and that seemed very good.  At the end, I asked for feedback about what was happening–a little metacognition about how they are learning.  If there is time for a little comprehension quiz, all the better.

Variation:  If space allows, the same thing can be accomplished with students standing in concentric circles with the inner circle facing out and the outer circle facing in.  When “change” is sounded, students on the inside simply move one person to the right.  If you have an uneven number, the inner circle should have the extra person and there will always be one person who reads along at each change.


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