Getting ready for 2021: Modelling books

I consider modelling books to be one of the most important things to use to assist my teaching in guided teaching time. Modelling books (if used correctly) can be an amazing way to enhance, help and extend learning than simply explaining something. 

I know many beginning teachers are like whhhaaatttt? Because this came up seven times in the suggestion box for next blog posts. Someone even asked "do they have to use them?". Of course you don't. Each school and teacher is different. You will have ways that work for you and ways that don't. For me, modelling books are part of my teaching and something I find hugely beneficial for my students. When I first started teaching in 2012, I was at school that had a HUGE list of non-negotiables with modelling books. They have to have a whole list of things in them, and were basically a teacher driven book - the students got nothing out of them. After moving on from that school I was able to fine tune the way I wanted to use them, see their true potential with my students and repurpose them (in my mind) for how they truely should be. 

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Now before you start using them, check with other teachers at your school on if there are guidelines or expectations. Usually there aren't, but it is something to consider. 
When getting start, there are some questions you might want to think about. How will you use them or set them up? One per group? Whole class? 
What type of learning will you have in it or use them for? Will it be only explicit instruction or explaining? Or for student involved examples and explaining? 

These will affect how you use them and the value they hold with you as a teacher. Now as I have said, I find and hold modelling books to be an important part of my teaching. That is because I use them explicitly in my guided teaching sessions. They hold the learning intentions students are working on, have formative and/or summative assessment gathering with the learning we are completing in the sessions and  ​the content of the learning to support my direct teaching. I have my modelling books open constantly and use these in the beginning, middle and end of the teaching sessions. 

Like I said, modelling books are not compulsory and something you MUST have. You might not have even heard about modelling books until today. But if you have used them before, I wonder if they hold the same value to you as they do to me? 
When I am back into my classroom and are set up, I want to create a video explaining my modelling books further so I can share exactly how I set them up and answer any questions you might have. Until then, if you have any question please email me [email protected].