HOW IT LOOKS... There are three components to daily reading instruction in my classroom.
Whole Class Instruction. The first thing we do is meet as a whole group and discuss the goal for that day. Throughout the year, all students study fiction, non-fiction, poetry and the work of children's authors . For example, all children learn about the different features of non-fiction text, such as how to use a glossary or index. All children learn how to retell the plot of a fiction story, or read a poem and look for metaphor and simile. As a class, we meet at the beginning of reading for the lesson and at the end of the reading period to wrap-up our learning.
Group Instruction: Children are divided into groups based on their individual reading ability and particular reading needs. Each day, I work with groups of 4-6 children at a time. In those groups, I can target my instruction to their abilitnies and needs. One group might be practicing how to sound out words with long vowels, while another is working on recognizing different genres of fiction. Individual Practice: While I am meeting with groups and individual readers, your child may be doing some of these activities :
Whole Class Instruction. The first thing we do is meet as a whole group and discuss the goal for that day. Throughout the year, all students study fiction, non-fiction, poetry and the work of children's authors . For example, all children learn about the different features of non-fiction text, such as how to use a glossary or index. All children learn how to retell the plot of a fiction story, or read a poem and look for metaphor and simile. As a class, we meet at the beginning of reading for the lesson and at the end of the reading period to wrap-up our learning.
Group Instruction: Children are divided into groups based on their individual reading ability and particular reading needs. Each day, I work with groups of 4-6 children at a time. In those groups, I can target my instruction to their abilitnies and needs. One group might be practicing how to sound out words with long vowels, while another is working on recognizing different genres of fiction. Individual Practice: While I am meeting with groups and individual readers, your child may be doing some of these activities :
- listening to books - at their reading level - on tape.
- sorting word cards - also at their reading/writing level - by spelling pattern and meaning.
- reading books on their own at their reading level.
- taking short comprehension tests about the books they've read on their own via our Accelerated Reading program.
- doing written work to practice skills they need to become a better reader.
- completing a special project to show what they've learned. This could be anything from a traditional book report or presentation to a short dramatization.
- Phonics and Phonemic Awareness. This is learning how to sound out - or "decode" words - basied on an understanding of the principles of the English language.
- Vocabulary. This is understanding the meanings of words and the nuances among them.
- Fluency: This is being able to "read like you talk" with expression and appropriate speed and pauses.
- Comprehension: Most important of all, this is understanding text as a whole and being able to analyze it. Students learn strategies for doing this, such as asking questions as they read, making mental images and using their background knowledge to connect what they already know to what they're learning.