Thursday, April 7, 2016
Sunday, April 3, 2016
I don't remember how I learned to read....
Think back to when you were in elementary school...kindergarten, first grade, second grade...
Do you remember how you learned to read?
Personally, I was in elementary school in the 80s and learned my letters, formation, and sounds in kindergarten. In first grade, I was pulled to a reading group that I know was the "low" group. I figured out what the words said, but I always struggled with comprehension. I don't ever remember picking up a book for fun or out of curiosity. My standard test scores were below average, and I spent hours at a learning center. When a reading assignment was given, I counted the pages and broke it up evenly so I would finish on time. I don't remember how I decoded (sounded out) words or used any reading strategies. I don't even remember being taught how useful strategies could be to unlock meaning.
With that being said, I turned out alright. Actually, better than alright. My passion to teach reading sparked many many years before I even knew it. I wanted to help children systematically decode and encode a word. I needed to help children extrapolate information from texts, then think critically about everything they read. Long story a bit shorter....this is why I am a reading specialist. I have neglected this blog for too long. It is time to show you all how children can learn to read and read to learn. Stay Tuned!
Monday, June 1, 2015
Reading Like a Detective
What does it mean to read like a detective?
Our students are asked to do this on a daily basis. We want to develop critical thinkers through analyzing and responding to text.
Reading like a detective means...
Our students are asked to do this on a daily basis. We want to develop critical thinkers through analyzing and responding to text.
Reading like a detective means...
- Finding evidence in the text to support your answers
- Prove your answer by using text support
- Cite text by using quotation marks and then explain the author's message in your own words
Encourage your child to use the terms below to discuss texts. Model for your child and engage them in conversation.
Evidence Based Terms
The
author wrote…
The
author stated…
According
to the text…
The
text stated…
In
the text, it stated
One
example from the text is…
From
the reading, I know that…
Based
on what I read…
On
page __, it said…
On
page __, I noticed…
For
instance…
For
example…
This
made me think of…
This
made me realize…
Based
on this, I can infer…
This
reminded me of…
I
can relate to this because…
I
could visualize…
I
now understand….
It
says on page __, “__________” so now I know…
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Phrased Reading & Helpful Home Connections
Being a parent of a Kindergarten, I am so pleased when power points, websites, and apps are sent home. Tonight I searched for some helpful sites to educate you on fluency and provide some meaningful practice for your child or student. Ironically, the first website I came across was "Mrs. Warner's 4th grade class". If you read my profile, I spent 7 years teaching fourth grade. No, this is not my website but it's worth visiting. I believe that my experience in fourth grade fueled my desire to go back to school to focus on literacy development.
http://mrswarnerarlington.weebly.com/fluency-practice.html
http://www.corwin.com/upm-data/18979_McEwan_Fluency_4_8_Pgs_74_75.pdf?WT.svl=webdesc
What research says...Fluency is only worth teaching if it fosters comprehension...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBWgWlrrDPE
Practice phrases at home by listening and echoing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45GXhP8MB_M
This is what scooping phrases looks like...At the end of each scoop, pause.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Fluency Part 1
"Read like you talk"
"Read smoothly"
What does this mean to a 7 year old? Don't read like a robot, but we still want you to use your strategies to figure out the words, stop and think, and be able to comprehend what you are reading.
Wow...overwhelming, especially for a struggling reader. I am dedicating my October-November posts to fluency. I will never put comprehension on the back burner, because it is the most important part of the reading process. I will discuss fluency hand in hand with comprehension, just as I would teach it in the classroom.
What is Fluency?
The ability to read smoothly and automatically, with expression and attention to punctuation.
What is Pace?
The speed or rate in which you read
What is Phrasing?
Chunking (scooping) the owrds together into meaninful phrases
What is intonation?
Expression, reading with feeling in your voice
What does punctuation have to do with fluency?
stopping at periods..taking breaths at commas,,, making your voice go up for question marks??? showing excitement for exclamation points!!! using "Quotation marks" to change voice for characters
Below is an engaging website to work with your 2nd-5th grade child or student.
Remember...the best practice for a child is hearing someone else read to them with fluency.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
It's July and your child will be entering Kindergarten in September!!!
Happy Summer! Happy Birthday to America! I feel blessed to be an educator in our country that brave men and women defend every day.
As the second week of July approaches, thoughts of letter sounds and sight words enter my mind and the mind of my 5 year old daughter. Here are some tips to all those parents, teachers, and families that want to help prepare their kindergartner the best they can for September.
1. Refer to your child or student as a reader. This is imperative in developing confidence and a sense of ownership of the actions they take turning pages, looking at pictures, and making up stories.
2. Talk about the cover and title of the book. Point out that the title page is after the cover.
3. Read the author's and illustrator's name. Talk about the difference between their roles.
4. As you read to them, use expression and excitement. Verbalize your thinking such as..."Wow look at that boy's sad face! He must be feeling disappointed because his ice cream cone fell on the ground".
5. Pair your think aloud with a question to elicit confersation. "What do you think he's going to do now? What would you do?"
6. Just read without interrupting. Enjoy the story. Not every story needs to be dissected.
7. Reading aloud is the single most important thing you can do for your child to develop literacy. Pair this with meaningful conversations that challenge your child or student to make connections, ask questions, and read between the lines (make inferences).
Stay tuned for my next blog about sight words and level A books!
Feel free to email me with any questions or comments.
jwarner@somervilleschools.org
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Decoding, Encoding, Comprehending….
Decoding, Encoding, Reading Fluently,
and Comprehending Text
Decoding is the ability to read a word with accuracy.
Encoding is spelling and writing a text with accuracy.
Reading Fluently is the ability to read a text smoothly with
phrasing and intonation. Fluency aids in
comprehension but does not ensure comprehension.
Comprehending a text refers to the understanding of a text,
and the ability to express ones understanding using multiple reading
strategies.
Important points to consider:
·
A student may be able to decode and read with
fluency but have limited comprehension.
This child needs purely comprehension instruction using explicit reading
instruction focusing on reading strategies such as: main idea and details,
sequence of events, cause and effect, inferring, drawing conclusions,
summarizing, synthesizing, and evaluating.
It is not productive for a child to be pushed to read more challenging
texts, just because they can say words correctly. If anything, the child should start at a
lower level to build the basics of comprehension.
·
A poor decoder and encoder who struggle with
fluency may have strong comprehension.
In this case a systematic approach to teaching phonics and fluency is
the approach to take.
Understanding what is read is by
far the most important goal of reading; therefore discussing texts with your
student or child is imperative. Students
who struggle with decoding and fluency need to take part in the pleasure of
reading. In order for them to feel
ownership over the process, they need to develop a love of reading. At home, reading needs to be associated with
a relaxing, pleasurable time.
My favorite quote this week…
“Children are made readers on the laps of their
parents” –Emilie Buchwald
Recommended Websitehttp://www.readingrockets.org/teaching
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