Vocabulary: 3 words from a read-aloud

In chapter 6 in our text a specific activity is described in how to teach 3 specific new words from a read-aloud.  I thought this was a very easy to understand way to teach new vocabulary by connecting the learning to a specific book. Students can first experience the word in the context of the book. Then the activity is extended to activities to get the students to begin to look for those words in other contexts and the ultimate goal is to get the students using the word in their speaking and writing. I appreciated the description of how to pick which words to teach as "Goldilocks" words or words that were just right. Vocabulary words are described in three tiers in this chapter as well as the Lane and Allen article in which tier 2 words should be selected because they are words students do not likely know but will need to know. Tier 2 words can usually be linked to concepts that are already familiar to students. Tier 1 words are words most students already know and Tier 3 word are usually more obscure and technical.

Velcro Theory and Comprehension

The Kindergarten article describes using connections to stick new knowledge to prior knowledge like velcro. I have heard this learning theory a million times but this new description used for these very young students will "stick" to my prior knowledge very well. The teacher in the article did not only know and apply this principle in her teaching but explicitly taught it to her Kindergartners. This entire article was a great summary of how kids make meaning.

Wide reading

Wide reading is encouraging fluency by reading a wide variety of genres. For instance, a student who only reads nonfiction about reptiles will be missing out on an array of vocabulary and fluency from other genres. For our weekly plan Jennifer and I have designed a weekly book review club. In order to channel students towards reading new and different genres the teacher will compile a list of several books per genre. Students will read their books independently during the week. On Friday students will take the role of a book reviewer and present their book to their small group. Students can choose any way that they would like to convey their book to their group. Book review options may include, but is not limited to, written review, oral, picture, act it out, poem, song. Teacher will need to provide examples of what a book review includes and how it looks to prevent students from simply saying, " I liked this book." following the book review, students will get to post a 1-5 star review about their book. The poster with the stars will be displayed in the classroom all year long.

Fluency practice

The point that has stood out to me in the text and the Rosinsiki article is to achieve fluency rereading practice is essential. I had previously thought that kids should always try to read new things slightly above their reading level so that they would be challenged. Fluency practice actually looks like something most kids would enjoy doing. I really liked the idea of using dramatic readings such as poetry or stories that can be read as plays. Also a great way to engage different levels of readers without embarrassment. What fun!

Ten Words

Really enjoyed the Yopp article which outlined a very specific way to teach vocabulary. Every step of this activity seems valuable from the picking out of the important words to the plus activities that can be added at the end. The potential for the variety of activities makes this activity easily adaptable for the different level students in the class. One point that stood out was to make your classroom a place that gets excited about words. Enthusiasm is contagious! Could not resist making a wordle with words from the article.

Learning to read should be fun

The overarching theme of the Yopp article seemed to be the importance of an attitude of playfulness in learning phonemic awareness in the early grades. I think play is extremely important for young students learning. Most of the activities given as examples seemed very doable and fun. I especially like the idea of connecting these phonemic activities to math(counting) and classroom management. Getting kids to count syllables is something that can be done at many times of the day. The example they gave was during roll call to clap the syllables in their names and dismissal time listening for a certain number of claps which match their names. I also thought the "Teacher May I" game was an especially good example because it integrated large motor movement, phonemic awareness and counting. It made me think that I should be on the look out for times to integrate this important concept through out the day.  I also thought the Clark article was very practical for giving me an idea of coaching kids in word recognition. However, the author stated that you should not emphasize the use of phonics rules. Much of the coaching seemed centered around phonics rules. I am not really sure the difference between using phonics rules and phonics cues.

I AM a reader!

We talked yesterday about how becoming literate is a journey that all students have already started before they come to school. They are all at different points on that journey. The new thought in the In the Letting go article for me was the whole concept of helping young students understand that they are already readers and writers no matter where they are on the journey. It connected to my Science Ed class where I am also learning that it is important to help children understand that they can "do" science and they are scientists. Explicitly teaching them what good scientists do(question, observe, record, analyze etc.) is empowering for them. The Letting go article talks about explicitly teaching the students that they are readers and teaching  them the strategies that good readers use. I do think it will be challenging to do this successfully with the potential 5 year ability spread mentioned in the IRA/NAEYC article.



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Worksheet Worries

In the Effective Reading Instruction article the point was made that many teachers assign a worksheets. Only children who already know the correct responses can do the worksheets. And they do not need the practice. Why do teachers keep defaulting to worksheets? This article and Chapter 2 in the text outlined many characteristics of effective teachers. Nowhere did it say that effective teachers choose and use the best or most worksheets. Fast forward a little over a year to my first year teaching. Will I find myself in the work room copying worksheets for the week? Scary thoughts...