5 Key ideas to remember for next year:
1.At home reading program: “the quantity of children’s
reading experience is related directly to their achievement.” I usually have a
good chunk or our reading time for independent reading. What many of my
students lack is reading at home. I want to create some sort of
incentive/parent program and really implement it with fidelity. We have PAKRAT
but I don’t promote it and check so I want to make something that is easy to
check and hold the students accountable.
2.Use word work differentiation. Include phonic skills for
lower students and vocabulary development for higher students daily/weekly. Include 10-15 minutes of daily word work activities for students at all levels.
3. Provide opportunities for a variety of different text. I
usually let the students choose their own books but I want to keep better track
of what they are reading and encourage them to read a variety of different
text. Set up a program like star club
where the students have to finish 4-5 assignments each month which include book
responses and writing projects. The students do it on their own and the teacher
conferences with them throughout the month.
4. Daily/every other day response. I want to set up more
time for students to share with others what they are reading about. If I set up the sharing topic of the day then
they have a directive and can prepare during independent time. It will also be
easier to see who is finishing books.
5. Model/teacher read aloud. Create mini-lessons where the
teacher reads and models how to think out loud and model behavior of what a
good reader looks like. Also provide opportunities for students to practice
what the teacher has modeled and reflect on it.
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of a daily/every other day reading response journal. One of my goals was to have students share with others about what they are reading during read to self time. I find that readers response journals are difficult to motivate my students but if they were able to share them, maybe this would be more motivating? Maybe once a week I could pick a few students who get to share about their book? This does hold them accountable for their independent reading. I have seen where students write a summary and rating of the book on recipes cards about his/her book and file it so others can read it and see if they want to read the book. Thank you for sharing this idea!! Best wishes with the last few days of school!
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteIn reading your thoughts for next year, I thought I'd recommend reading the '40 book challenge'. While I didn't do a 100% fantastic job implementing it this year, I think that, if done well, it could be a great way to promote independent reading at school and at home in addition to encouraging students to read from a variety of genres. The challenge comes from the book "The Book Whisperer" http://www.bookwhisperer.com/ .
Betsey-Minneapolis Blended 2
Betsey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting that suggestion! I've heard a lot of great things about that book but haven't had time to read it! I think there can never be enough "incentives" to get students to enjoy and develop the love of reading. While I don't want to bribe my students to read, some need a little push to see why reading is so great! I'm anxious to get my hands on the book and read about this challenge!
Thanks for the resource! I know the Book Whisperer is great so I'm sure this is too!
ReplyDelete