Chapter Six
Work on writing and word work
In helping students tune ears-and mouths and eyes, even their fingertips, their nerve endings-to the glorious range of ways they can string words together, we need to encourage them to fool around, to experiment, to break rules even before they know all the rules. Whoever knows all the rules, anyway?
Judith Rowe Michaels
Working on writing provides students with time to spend on writing that really matters to them:
- Persuasive writing, convincing to read a favourite book.
- Friendly letters to a classmate or pen pail.
- Recount of a lost tooth or the loss of a beloved pet.
- Reports on topics of current interest.
- Poetry
- Narrative about a sport game.
Focus lessons for work on writing
- Model what to do when writing words they can’t spell (underline and go on).
- Brainstorm what materials to use during writing. For example, notebook, pen, pencil, drawing
- What to write about> make a list of topics, make a list of forms.
Word Work
Creating and maintaining a time during each literacy block to focus on words is critical to developing readers, writers and communicators. Word study takes up a portion of the literacy block, allowing time for the following:
- Experimenting with words for learning and practicing spelling patterns.
- Memorising high frequency words.
- Generalising spelling patterns.
- Adding to our knowledge and curiosity of unique and interesting words.
Materials to practice spelling
- Whiteboards
- Magnetic letters
- Wiki sticks
- Clay
- Letter stamps
- Coloured markers
Day 1- Focus lessons for word work
- Introduce optional materials and their location to students.
- Brainstorm
- Model finding the materials, materials placement in the room and setup materials.
- Brainstorm chart of how to clean up.
- Model material placement in the room.
Day 2
- Model and practice materials set up and placement.
- Brainstorm how to use materials.
- Model and practice student behaviours of how to use materials.
- Continue building stamina of working with materials adding one to two minutes each day.
Other Focus lessons
- Word sorts
- Adding words to their collection.
- Add words to their word study notebooks.
- Practicing basic words most often misspelled.
- List words that belong to a pattern and add to notebook.
- Set up notebook.
Some questions to think about:
This year I found that with Kindy we do a lot of word work with them in our literacy centres, however I have found that at the beginning of the year the students do not know any words except for their names to make with magnetic letters and lego boards and because of this they just sit there un-engaged.
How could word work be done with Kindy in term one and two when they have little knowledge of words?
How do we go about placing materials for writing and word work when we have limited amounts of shelving in the classrooms?
Fay
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 – Read to someone and listen to reading
“We need a definite purpose, a specific reason for listening, otherwise we don’t pay attention and don’t really hear or understand.” - Robert Montgomery.
Read to someone
Reading with someone helps students read independently and grow as readers; it helps them become more self-sufficient and less reliant on teachers for assistance. It has also been noted to increase (p60):
-
- The volume of reading
- The level of attention to reading
- Reading motivation
- Fluency
- Reading rate
- Word attack skills
- The love of reading
Introducing read to someone
Focus Lesson Day 1:
EEKK
Introduce the concept of EEKK to the students, explaining that when we read we need to sit ‘elbow to elbow, knee to knee’ and model this with a student. The sisters use a story about a spider as a fun way to introduce this on p63.
Voice
“The loudest voice in the room is the one that regulates the noise level.” P64. A very soft voice is purposefully modeled when showing children how to read to someone. This is example is also modeled by the teacher throughout the term – the teacher should not be the loudest voice in the room!
Check for understanding
One student in the pair holds a check mark (tick) as a visual cue to remind them to check for understanding after their partner has read. Model with a student: have them read a page/paragraph to you, then summarise what they read (who, what, where) i.e. check for understanding, then switch roles. First model correct understanding, then model language to be used if their summary/understanding was incorrect (see p65 for detailed example), then model student re reading the page and their partner re checking their understanding.
I-chart, modeling, practice, and check-in
After modeling create an I-chart: Read to someone. Ask students if a visitor walked into our classroom while we were doing read to a partner, what would they see?
1 -3 sets of partners are then asked to come to the front and model the correct behaviours of read to someone, firstly the undesirable behaviours than desirable behaviours. The teacher then gives students a partner and a place in the room and they practice for 3-4 minutes. After practicing, students refer back to the I-chart and reflect on each aspect and set goals for next practice.
Focus Lesson Day 2:
I Read, You read
Begin by reviewing Day 1. Refer to new anchor chart title ‘Ways to Read to Someone’, review strategy from lesson 1 ‘Check for understanding’ and add to chart. Introduce ‘I read, You read’ - one person reads a page or paragraph than the other person reads the same page/paragraph, and add to the I chart. Model how to sit, select who reads first (most fluent person), then have students discuss how this improves their reading. Finally add ‘Read two different books’ to the I chart and review all three strategies.
Students then practice, repeat modeling, and check in to build stamina as per lesson 1.
Focus Lesson Day 3:
How to choose books
Review lesson 1 and 2. Discuss strategies for how to choose a book such as ‘Make a deal’, ‘Two different books’, or Scissors, Paper, Rock.
Focus Lesson Day 4:
Choosing your own classroom spot
Review the I chart for ‘read to someone’. Teacher still selects partners, then students move off in pairs and independently select their spot within the classroom and the way in which they will read to a partner. Add another 1-2 minutes to previous days time.
Focus Lesson Day 5:
How to choose a partner
Review I-chart. Discuss strategies for selecting a partner without yelling across the room, discuss who makes a good partner and reinforce that it’s not always your closest friend.
Focus Lesson Day 6:
Coaching or time
This is one of my favourite aspects of the ‘read to someone’ instruction process! Students discuss the role of a coach on sports team and relate this to being a reading coach for their partner. Create a new chart with the title “Reading Coach”; discuss with students what happens when they get stuck on a word when reading with a partner, and what the partner should do. Students are then taught to count silently to 3 before asking their partner if they need ‘time or coaching’. If their partner asks for time they must wait patiently while they try to work out the word, if the partner asks for coaching they refer to the coaching sheet (p74) and recommend the best strategy for that word.
Listen to Reading
Children come with varying backgrounds and experiences of being read to; listening to reading in class helps bolster these home experiences and improve students reading abilities.
Day 1
- Brainstorm chart of expected behavious
- Model and practice material set of CD, audio book, ipod
- Model and practice listening and following along with the words or pictures
Day 2
- Review I chart
- Model and practice putting materials away neatly
Day 3
- Review I chart
- Model and practice listening to a short story, finishing it, and starting a new story
- Model and practice what to do if work time is up before the story is finished
Day 4
- Review I chart
- Discuss the number of listening devices available
- Decide on a way that allows all to participate (who is first, second, third etc).
The students in my class love listening to audio versions of books and it is great to see them truly excited to follow along with a story. I have also found that they built up stamina with the reading to partner quite well, although I hadn’t introduced the ‘time, coaching’ concept as yet which I love! I will definitely be introducing that this term!
I am loving incorporating the daily 5 into my literacy block and have had positive feedback from parents and students, so hope to do so even further this term. The one minor dilemma I’m having at the moment is where do you display all these I-charts? Do you ‘publish’ them, or put them up as is (I know in the excitement of recording all the students responses I can lose sometimes focus on neatness!)?
Amy
“We need a definite purpose, a specific reason for listening, otherwise we don’t pay attention and don’t really hear or understand.” - Robert Montgomery.
Read to someone
Reading with someone helps students read independently and grow as readers; it helps them become more self-sufficient and less reliant on teachers for assistance. It has also been noted to increase (p60):
-
- The volume of reading
- The level of attention to reading
- Reading motivation
- Fluency
- Reading rate
- Word attack skills
- The love of reading
Introducing read to someone
Focus Lesson Day 1:
EEKK
Introduce the concept of EEKK to the students, explaining that when we read we need to sit ‘elbow to elbow, knee to knee’ and model this with a student. The sisters use a story about a spider as a fun way to introduce this on p63.
Voice
“The loudest voice in the room is the one that regulates the noise level.” P64. A very soft voice is purposefully modeled when showing children how to read to someone. This is example is also modeled by the teacher throughout the term – the teacher should not be the loudest voice in the room!
Check for understanding
One student in the pair holds a check mark (tick) as a visual cue to remind them to check for understanding after their partner has read. Model with a student: have them read a page/paragraph to you, then summarise what they read (who, what, where) i.e. check for understanding, then switch roles. First model correct understanding, then model language to be used if their summary/understanding was incorrect (see p65 for detailed example), then model student re reading the page and their partner re checking their understanding.
I-chart, modeling, practice, and check-in
After modeling create an I-chart: Read to someone. Ask students if a visitor walked into our classroom while we were doing read to a partner, what would they see?
1 -3 sets of partners are then asked to come to the front and model the correct behaviours of read to someone, firstly the undesirable behaviours than desirable behaviours. The teacher then gives students a partner and a place in the room and they practice for 3-4 minutes. After practicing, students refer back to the I-chart and reflect on each aspect and set goals for next practice.
Focus Lesson Day 2:
I Read, You read
Begin by reviewing Day 1. Refer to new anchor chart title ‘Ways to Read to Someone’, review strategy from lesson 1 ‘Check for understanding’ and add to chart. Introduce ‘I read, You read’ - one person reads a page or paragraph than the other person reads the same page/paragraph, and add to the I chart. Model how to sit, select who reads first (most fluent person), then have students discuss how this improves their reading. Finally add ‘Read two different books’ to the I chart and review all three strategies.
Students then practice, repeat modeling, and check in to build stamina as per lesson 1.
Focus Lesson Day 3:
How to choose books
Review lesson 1 and 2. Discuss strategies for how to choose a book such as ‘Make a deal’, ‘Two different books’, or Scissors, Paper, Rock.
Focus Lesson Day 4:
Choosing your own classroom spot
Review the I chart for ‘read to someone’. Teacher still selects partners, then students move off in pairs and independently select their spot within the classroom and the way in which they will read to a partner. Add another 1-2 minutes to previous days time.
Focus Lesson Day 5:
How to choose a partner
Review I-chart. Discuss strategies for selecting a partner without yelling across the room, discuss who makes a good partner and reinforce that it’s not always your closest friend.
Focus Lesson Day 6:
Coaching or time
This is one of my favourite aspects of the ‘read to someone’ instruction process! Students discuss the role of a coach on sports team and relate this to being a reading coach for their partner. Create a new chart with the title “Reading Coach”; discuss with students what happens when they get stuck on a word when reading with a partner, and what the partner should do. Students are then taught to count silently to 3 before asking their partner if they need ‘time or coaching’. If their partner asks for time they must wait patiently while they try to work out the word, if the partner asks for coaching they refer to the coaching sheet (p74) and recommend the best strategy for that word.
Listen to Reading
Children come with varying backgrounds and experiences of being read to; listening to reading in class helps bolster these home experiences and improve students reading abilities.
Day 1
- Brainstorm chart of expected behavious
- Model and practice material set of CD, audio book, ipod
- Model and practice listening and following along with the words or pictures
Day 2
- Review I chart
- Model and practice putting materials away neatly
Day 3
- Review I chart
- Model and practice listening to a short story, finishing it, and starting a new story
- Model and practice what to do if work time is up before the story is finished
Day 4
- Review I chart
- Discuss the number of listening devices available
- Decide on a way that allows all to participate (who is first, second, third etc).
The students in my class love listening to audio versions of books and it is great to see them truly excited to follow along with a story. I have also found that they built up stamina with the reading to partner quite well, although I hadn’t introduced the ‘time, coaching’ concept as yet which I love! I will definitely be introducing that this term!
I am loving incorporating the daily 5 into my literacy block and have had positive feedback from parents and students, so hope to do so even further this term. The one minor dilemma I’m having at the moment is where do you display all these I-charts? Do you ‘publish’ them, or put them up as is (I know in the excitement of recording all the students responses I can lose sometimes focus on neatness!)?
Amy
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