Book Clubs?
Book Pass?
Literature Circles?
How could you use any or all of these in your content area?
How did you feel about having reading time in class?
Are you enjoying your young adult book?
What do you think about the Richard Allington article? What are the implications for having kids read more?
Please post your comments for our November 13 class and reading assignments here.
7 comments:
I agree with Jenny that the article is tedious, and I really, really disagreed with the notion that students should be on task within a minute of class starting. These are human beings, not robots. So much of a high school student's life centers on emotions, and this was just so far off base in that regard. I also had issues with bus drivers (et al.) taking attendance. I just wonder how many kids would make it to school?! I completely agree that more reading is the key and that students definitely need to be on task more, but the expectations here were so unrealistic, in my opinion. It was very interesting about the gains that come from silent reading. I will definitely take that into consideration.
In my class we did the book review it went very well. We are going today to start a contest on which groups can read, summarize, act out, and encourage others to choose the book selection. The group with the most books read will win points for their over all accomphlishment, the group with the best summary will also win points for overall group and act out also will be given points. Every group has a chance to win in each category giving different point value for every place. The first fifteen to twenty minutes of class is the time limit this is going to be for the remainer of this semester. We will see how it goes.......
posted by BCDIVA @ 8:32 AM 3 comments
THIS IS MARYSUSAN'S POST!!!!
marysusan said...
I had the students complete a reading survey this morning in keyboarding/introduction to computers. We are going to take the information and conduct a book pass later this week. From that point on, students will have an opportunity to read silently everyday for about 20 minutes for the remainder of the semester.
I am excited as to how this may work out and if it goes well...staring much earlier in the semester!
Monday, November 27, 2006
THIS IS BONNIE TUCKER'S POST!!!!Bonnie Tucker said...
This article suggested an idea that I plan to use in my classroom: small oral reading groups. I think that this activity would be very beneficial to students as they are learning the pronunciation of new words.
After reading this article, I plan to incorporate more individual reading time. It was interesting to read that the workbook activities do not improve reading achievement. Workbooks are a resource that I use on a daily basis. So, I think that I will reduce the emphasis on workbooks. They are good for content reinforcement, but not for reading practice. I will try small groups with reading passages that they must comprehend. It was also interesting to read about the connection between direct reading and reading growth. I would like to be able to see the growth in students' reading.
Monday, November 27, 2006
THIS IS LENDY'S POST!!!
Lendy said...
November 26, 2006
What Really Matters: Kids Need to Read a Lot
This article was a preaching to the choir type of article. I mean who doesn’t know that the more students read the better they become at reading? Guthrie suggests that students will only become better readers if they put a strong concentration in reading like a professional ball player or performer. I agree that the concentration needs to be there, but unlike professional sports or musicians, the concentration needs to start very early in a child’s life. That is why as educators in South Carolina we need to be advocates for early childhood programs. Four-year-old kindergarten should be a must, not an option only for the children not ready for kindergarten. Children are like little sponges at three, four and five years old. I get really really irritated when I see a three-year-old who can play video games like a pro but can’t write his name, or can do all the latest dances at four but can’t tell you his full name and address. I think the New York curriculum standards have the right idea about twenty-five books per year being read. I know it is a pain to enforce since when we can’t even get high schoolers to read one summer reading book! I bet the New York public libraries help the students to attain that twenty-five minimum by providing all kinds of story hours and special programs.
I wish I had an actual copy of the study done by Leinhardt, Zigmond and Cooley because the statement “we assumed that how teachers structured the learning environment would make a difference in how their students spent their time” intrigues me. Teachers spend an awful lot of time creating inviting classrooms that most of the time only get noticed by the evaluator who is told to score it on a rubric from 1 to 5. I want to know more in this regard. But again this study is probably null and void because it was conducted in 1981 before the computer age.
The 1988 study by Wilkinson found that “oral reading time had a greater impact on achievement” than silent reading. I am not much on stats but I believe that any reading whether silent, aloud, and even listening to someone read while following along in a book will greatly improve achievement. Our greatest challenge as educators is to find the time for students to read amidst all of the other curriculum changes that have occurred in recent years like character education, health and wellness to include sexually transmitted diseases, drug awareness, gang awareness, and how to stay safe on computers. We either need a longer school day with more staff to help teach these courses or year-round school with re-freshed summer school teachers who only teach in the summer!
Monday, November 27, 2006
I appreciate the “How More Effective Teachers Structure an Hour of Reading Lesson Time” on page 45 of this article. Arlington spends much time exalting the merits of increased time for reading and volume of reading, but in this box, he also brings in the structure of that reading time. For struggling readers/students, it’s not about lack of time or lack of books; it’s about lack of motivation and lack of other necessary skills for reading (at least in school or in the classroom. At BCHS, from what my students tell me, most all teachers in all content areas require some type of in-class independent reading time.). Arlington uses the example of world-class professional musicians, athletes, etc.; yes, they do practice for hours a day, but they also work with other professionals (colleagues and teachers) and they have the desire and drive to do this. Struggling readers/learners, as I have experienced, often have neither the desire, drive, nor skills. So, does more time or more books equal more reading? Not necessarily. If I have hours and hours to practice basketball but I don’t know how to play and I don’t want to play, that would be a very frustrating block of time. And that’s what I see in class with my lowest students during independent reading. So, this is a point that I believe we should take to heart: more reading and more books must be coupled with purposeful instruction.
I agree with Bobbie on a few counts. Each day, when my students enter the room, they get their folders and begin silent reading time. This time starts from the minute they walk in the class. While I agree students should have some time to adjust and get settled, I’ve found that many of my students take advantage of this routine. Without asking, they get their folder and begin to read…some students come in long before the final bell (reading the whole time). I find this encouraging!
Also, I’ve found that choice (not just in material read) in location is important. Giving my students the option to move around the room—against the wall, sitting in the corner, lying down in the back of the room—while reading has been very beneficial. [As long as you keep an eye on them and make sure quality reading is taking place!]
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