I read the jigsaw article about capturing the benefits of reading aloud experiences for young children. I can personally say that this is a very important thing in childrens literacy. From tutoring in our 301 class, when I would have my student retell the story she had a hard time. But if we read it aloud and or with voices and actions she got a better sense of the story. Reading the story aloud and trying to get meaning and sense from it for a student is much harder than it seems. When I read aloud for the first time in my placement I was shocked to see how hard it actually was. You need to engage the students. There are so many different components when choosing a book to read aloud, and whether to question the author or do text talks. I think when I become a teacher I want to try out the methods anad see which one works best for my kids and which I like the best myself. Therefore I will be able to properly engage my students and hopefully better their education. Have either of you encountered a situation where it was difficult to handle whild reading in the classroom? Or learned anything from your experiences the best way to approach read alouds.
Literature is included in the literacy curriculum in my classroom during most of the day. The students use centers at least once a day in the classroom in my school. The students do read alouds, read with a partner, and read to self. To incorporate more literature into the curriculum you can include it in not only langugage arts subjects, but all subjects throughout the day to make sure it is practiced over and over again.
Similar to Kelsey's class, my students also do centers at least once a day in the classroom. This is a very important time and I would have to say my mentor teacher sets more time aside for centers then any other activity/subject done throughout the day. One difference I noticed about Kelsey and I's centers is that my teacher has given the students audio books to use. She has SEVERAL books for them to choose from and I have noticed several of the students are drawn to these books. Since the same students are usually drawn to the same activity in the centers (such as the audio books) my mentor teacher makes them change up frequently throughout the week. One day they will do about 2-3 centers, the next they do the other 2-3, and the next day and so on. Therefore they are getting a variety and are not just choosing what they want to do. I realized as a child, I too would have been drawn to these audio books simply because I get no joy out of reading word for word on a page, even if the book intrigues me. So this is why I think the audio books are a great idea and I am happy to see them involved in our centers. I will certainly be sure to have them in my classroom!
ReplyDeleteMy third grade classroom uses centers as well on a daily basis. The centers consist of various different subjects, however the majority of them are literacy based. For instance, my mentor teacher will test students either one-on-one at her own center or a few students at once on how they read aloud. She checks for fluency, pronunciation and other factors that play into becoming a good reader. Another center focusing on literacy is either having the students read to each other in pairs or even play different games where they have to define new vocabulary words. I also really admire how my mentor teacher incorporates reading throughout the entire day like Kelsey and Taylor’s teachers do. Whenever a student finishes a project, handout or assignment early and does not have anything else to work on, my mentor teacher has them find a book and read silently or aloud with a partner. The classroom has four bookshelves to choose from with a magnitude of books so the students can pick ones based on their reading levels. Sometimes, I will go around and listen to the students read with their partners or a student will want to read aloud to me. The students are always excited to read aloud and will try to read quickly to impress me. However, I make sure that they pronounce each word correctly and will ask the student what a word or sentence means if I do not think he or she understands it.
ReplyDeleteI have not come across any problems that I can think of with read alouds in the classroom. My students will race to the bookshelves to get their favorite books or they will be excited to read because my teacher allows them to bring in books from home if they want to. I understand what Kelsey is referring to though about how students do not always like read alouds or find them difficult. My student in TE 301 last year was in kindergarten and did not like to read to me. He was at a really low reading level so he was too shy to read in front of me and also did not know how to say the words half the time. I think that the read alouds in my classroom are so successful and ultimately beneficial, because the students are in the third grade. They have become more comfortable with reading and already have favorite genres or favorite book series. I think incorporating literature as much as possible in the classroom is a must!