Three goals I believe that Judah and I should set are:
1.
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and
analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
2.
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in
a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings,
and explain how specific word choices shape meaning and tone.
3.
Read complex texts independently, proficiently,
and fluently, sustaining concentration, monitoring comprehension, and when
useful, re-reading.
I also believe, from what I have read in That’s a Great Answer, that a good book
choice for her might be Dear Mother, Dear
Daughter by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple. This book is listed as one choice
for readers grades three and older (p. 290). I also like the questions the
questions that the Bibliography of Objectives has to offer at the end of That’s a Great Answer (p. 330). Some
example questions listed are: “Using
information in the story, write a brief description of how_____felt when_____. “
and “Can this part of the story be described as: a definition, a description, an explanation a
conversation, an opinion, an argument, or a comparison? How do you know?”
I think these questions are good for comprehension, which is
something Judah and I will soon be working on. When I did the other course
activities, I just had Judah tell me about her reading habits and read a small
section of text for me. We did not get into the comprehension of the text. So,
I feel like we will need to go back to the Winnie the Pooh book, briefly, just
to be sure she understands what she is reading. What we concentrated on for the
purposes of the Running Record were individual words and groups of words that
she may have struggled with, but we did not go over the meaning of the entire
text.
In reading the “9
Components of Effective Reading Instruction” I think what we need to
concentrate on next is the “Fluent, automatic reading of text.” This step
acknowledges that children who read with fluency, comprehend the text
simultaneously. This step also deals with independent reading levels, which is
one step I wish for Judah and I to focus on. I would like us to also work
on the text comprehension step, as we did not focus on that before, and I want
to be sure Judah is aware of what the text means and can comprehend small details
as well as overall themes. I think this will happen with some follow-up
questions once we re-read the Winnie the Pooh excerpt. I also have That’s a Great Answer to refer back to
for some other comprehension question ideas.
So, far, I believe Judah is a competent reader who struggles
mostly with individual words, but is not afraid to ask for help. I think this
characteristic of her reading is very important to her comprehension of the
texts that will be given to her for future assignments. I was not able to get
with Judah this week to re-read Winnie the Pooh, but will work on that in the
next few days so that we can assess where she needs to grow in the
comprehension realm.
Shannon,
ReplyDeleteMy WOW moment was when you were discussing how you wanted to work with Judah on fluent, automatic reading of text because children who read with fluency, comprehend the text simultaneously. You went on to say that "This step also deals with independent reading levels, which is one step I wish for Judah and I to focus on." This made me think of an article I recently read called "What is Leveled Reading" on Scholastic.com. It said that "Using leveled reading instruction, you can help students become good readers who not only can read but do read." It further explained how to choose leveled books for your classroom and offers strategies to help you provide readers with the right level of support and challenge, which were suggested by a reading expert Gay Su Pinnell. (Here's the link if your interested http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-leveled-reading) I WONDER if Judah's struggle with individual words will cause issues with her comprehension?
Shannon, I am WOWed that Judah isn't afraid to ask for help. I also think that will help her in the future with comprehension. The little girl that I tutor doesn't like to ask for help because she thinks I will be disappointed and she said it makes her feel stupid. I have to reassure her that we all have to ask questions and that it doesn't make her stupid, it is the only way to learn. I wonder how Judah will do with comprehension. I thinks she will do quite well, she seems like such a proficient reader.
ReplyDeleteWOW- As a secondary teacher, I love all of these goals. I feel like a lot of students come to be as ninth, tenth, and even eleventh graders and cannot accomplish these goals. Re-reading is definitely a great one. I have very few students that think it is okay to re-read something. They think that if they don't get it the first time, they aren't going to. The first time I told my students, "This text is a little difficult. I even have to re-read it sometimes," they were in complete awe that I had to re-read something. They asked thinks like, "Aren't you, like, the best reader ever, though?" I just laughed at explained that even good readers re-read. I WONDER how she will do with words and how they create tone and meaning. It's something that my students sometimes struggle with because it can seem so abstract.
ReplyDeleteShannon, my WOW is also the statements you made about fluent, automatic reading of text and also the statement about independent reading levels. Our county uses the Reading Street series. A few weeks ago the second grade class was reading George Washington Carver. The teacher came to me frantic that the students couldn't read the story, not even the top students. I opened the text and thought 'what in the world'. Looked it up, it was a fourth grade level text. Of course they can't read it. It needs read to them in order for them to comprehend it. This is why I get so frustrated with Reading Series type instruction. So much time is spent focusing on the story of the week and the corresponding 'activities' there is little time left over for students to PRACTICE reading on THEIR level which is what they need the most in the lower grades. I WONDER how much better reading scores would be if districts would abandon Reading Series and truly allow teachers to focus on the individual reading abilities of students.
ReplyDelete