Next year, you will be teaching in a school where the vast majority of students did not meet standard on your state's criterion-referenced test and where more than 75% of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. What are some specific universal literacy strategies you may implement to ensure students success? Include both in-class examples and things you could do outside the classroom.
I would start with reading aloud to my students through a teacher read-aloud. Then I would use either the same book I read in a shared reading format or something that relates to their background knowledge for the students to read with me and their peers with the ability to see the words. Then I would move my students into the guided reading format with students not only grouped by ability some times but grouped by interest level. I want those students to find reading fun and successful, so bringing forth familiar topics should help move the students toward literacy success. Next I would give the students the option to choose a book for their sustained reading time. This allows students to choose topics that may or may not be familiar to them, but it is something of interest for the student. To make sure my students are comprehending their sustained reads I would incorporate journal writing with question prompts to help guide their own instrcution and to give me the ability to monitor their understanding. These are all strategies I would implement in my classroom.
Next to take this to outside the classroom, I would give my students what their lexile level is so they are able to find something that is on their reading ability from the library. Next I would make sure that the topic they have chosen to read about is age-appropriate. I would have a composition notebook that is designated for homework/journal time for when they aren't at home. I want my students to get in the habit of reading every night at home and this doesn't have to be burden on their parents wallets. The books would be approved by me from the library (FREE) and I would provide the notebook to be used at home. I would give my students a list of topics or questions that they could refer to when journal writing at home. I think I would give students prompts every few days on what topic to write about but allow for choice the rest of the time. That way students are reading and writing every day at home and at school to help strive for literacy success! I also think it's important to stress to parents the importance of reading at home. Whether it's a note I staple into their agenda's or something I speak about at orientation. From personal experience, last year we only had 5 parents in the whole grade attend curriculum/orientation night so for me it would be something I would need to send home. Reading and writing EVERYDAY is SO important to literacy success.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteYou have some great ideas about literacy practices inside and outside of the classroom. I love reading aloud to children. I probably would make a great Story-time person at the local library. Creating reading experiences that are fun and help students be successful is part of the enjoyment of teaching, and literacy instruction can really empower students. Your idea of allowing free text choice during sustained reading gives students autonomy, which is not found in too many classrooms. I am curious about how you would rate topics as age-level appropriate. Would you begin with a list of texts and materials located in your school library and go from there? The idea of incorporating reading and writing inside and outside of the classroom is a great strategy, especially since literacy practice is and should be an every day practice.
Lisa – I also would share numerous read-aloud texts so we could focus on startegies and skills that needed to be reviewed or extended. I think these students would benefit from shared reading because they could follow along with you. Guided reading or strategy groups are beneficial for all students to gain success with reading skills. You can meet your students’ individual needs during small group work or individual conferences. I agree that it is essential that you portray reading to be fun so the students become motivated and engaged. I love using reading journals and the students also enjoy this tool. They complete “stop and jots” where they stop their independent reading text and write a connection, question, inference, prediction, etc. This helps me see their thinking process and what strategies are strengths/weaknesses. I also agree that every child should be in the habit of reading nightly at home. I strongly suggest all of my students setting up a public library account since it is free at the beginning and end of each year. I like your idea of giving students prompts to answer at home while reading. This allows the parents to be involved with their child’s reading and writing. I cannot believe you only had 5 show up for orientation night! That saddens me! I would put something in their agenda or parent packet. Parents need to be involved with their children’s education!
ReplyDeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteI really like your specific suggestions for in-class strategies and your out-of-class ones as well. In particular, your suggestion of journaling is a great point. Journaling gives kids a great opportunity to express themselves in writing without the pressure of major writing assignments, as we often focus too much on in high school. Journaling allows students to improve their writing skills and also learn more about themselves through introspection and reflection. I was talking to a pre-service teacher the other day and she asked me how much time we allot for journaling and creative writing at the high school level. It was a depressing moment for me when, upon thinking how to answer her question, I realized that we don't really ever give students chances to express themselves creatively in writing. However, this needs to change, and I will make an effort to incorporate journaling into the classroom. Thank you for your suggestion.
Lisa, read alouds are great ways in which the readers can get involved in the reading process. Not only are we modeling appropriate reading strategies, but we are also exposing our students to a broad range of reading materials. We can introduce books they may not normally go after. While reading aloud we can focus on appropriate expression, create background knowledge, expand upon new concepts and allow for students to make multiple connections. Soon our emerging readers will begin to practice these skills on their own. You can even see this demonstrated during sustained reading. Students become aware of the reading process and soon take control of their own learning.
ReplyDeleteJournal is a great way to see what the students are actually comprehending after reading. They are able to write and make connections in their journals. It is a way for students to share their feelings of the book while participating in a reading response. The teacher can then see where the readers are, and what strategies may need to be improved. The strategies you provide would be a great asset to any classroom.