Reading
These are the main programs and instructional approaches that I will be using to help students develop their reading skills this year:
Comprehensive Literacy
Components:
Read Aloud (teacher reads a text aloud to the whole class, models fluent reading, initiates discussions and models comprehension by thinking aloud)
Shared Reading (teacher reads a text together with students, modelling good reading strategies for solving words, practicing fluency, group discussion, repetition)
Guided Reading (teacher reads a text together with a small group of students who are working at a similar reading level, focusing more on individual student needs)
Independent Reading (students choose books that are "JUST RIGHT" for them and read silently on their own, students deepen their understanding by writing letters back and forth with their teacher about their reading using a Reader's Notebook)
We will focus on eight reading comprehension strategies:
Does this make sense?
Where does it tell me that?
What happened after that?
What does this remind me of?
What will happen next?
Why do I think that happened?
Why do I like this book?
What did I learn from reading this book?
self-monitor
investigate
sequence
connect
predict
infer
evaluate
synthesize
Word Work
In the junior grades, students need to continue to learn about phonics, spelling, and vocabulary. Instruction will focus more on word etymology, Greek and Latin roots, and deeper content area vocabulary. Developing vocabulary is especially important because as students move through the upper grades, many can decode accurately when reading but struggle to move forward in their reading level due to limited comprehension. Besides vocabulary activities, students will work on individualized phonics and spelling work according to their needs. With those who need it, I will help them develop their phonological awareness to help them improve their reading fluency and comprehension.
Independent Reading
Regular self-selected reading is critically important for the educational development of children. Students will be encouraged and given opportunities to read every day at school. Students will learn how to select books that are just right for them - not too easy or too difficult, and a topic that is of interest to them. Students will also be asked to expand their horizons as they read so that they try different genres and types of books they might not have picked up otherwise. They will also learn that good readers abandon books too - and why it is sometimes appropriate.
Students may bring a book from home if they wish.
Students may "check out" a book from our class library.
Students may read individualized reading assignments on Raz Kids, or Readworks.
Our class will visit the school library every 2 weeks to check out and renew books.
20+ Minutes of Reading Homework
It is very important for all students to practice reading for at least 20 minutes every evening. This could be reading a book together with a parent or sibling, reading individually or with Raz-Kids online. Daily reading is considered homework.
Raz-Kids is a motivating and engaging online reading program that allows the teacher to provide differentiated reading instruction with hundreds of animated leveled books.
Students can:
Listen to books for modeled fluency
Read books with pronunciation and vocabulary support
Record their reading
Take quizzes and earn Raz Rocket points
Complete special teacher assigned tasks to earn extra points
Teachers and Parents can:
Log in to see student progress in visual reports
Watch how Raz-Kids helps to build reading independence and confidence
ReadWorks
ReadWorks.org is an online resource that allows me to assign reading passages to students to help them practice their reading fluency and comprehension. I am able to differentiate the passages for each student according to their reading level and needs. Students are also able to use Google Read and Write (extension) to help them both listen to the text and questions aloud and answer the short answer questions with word prediction or speech to text software. Students log in using their Google Accounts and they can see their progress as their work is graded online.
Ongoing Assessment:
Throughout the school year, I will be constantly monitoring student progress in reading through observation, group discussions, classroom activities, assignments, guided reading sessions, and individual reading assessments. At key times during the year, I will be doing a standardized benchmark reading assessment to determine a student's independent and instructional reading levels. Students are assessed for both reading comprehension and fluency. I will communicate with you when your child moves ahead to the next reading level and/or when I have concerns for their reading progress. Reading assessments are used to diagnose student strengths and learning needs related to the Ontario reading expectations and achievement chart categories and to inform planning and instruction for the individual student, small group, and whole class.