There is no question that fluency improves comprehension and therefore increases what students learn in the content being taught. But how do we increase fluency and help our students better understand?
I will share a few simple strategies that can have a huge impact:
*Vocabulary - Your students are never too old to learn vocabulary. Now, I don't recommend telling them a word and having them write a definition. Students need to really connect with the vocabulary that will help them in their content readings. Give the students a few words and take the time to truly study them. Students won't be able to learn by reading words they don't understand. Check out this blog for some great visuals for teaching vocabulary.
Vocabulary Strategies
*High Frequency Words - Take the time to make sure students know these words. They are simple words but they are used very frequently, hence their name. If students are having to take time to try and sound these words out, meaningful learning time is being lost.
*Read Aloud - Students need to hear what fluency is to know what they are working towards. Reading aloud, either by yourself as the teacher or with the whole class (choral reading), is a great way for students to hear phrasing, tone, pace, etc.
*Independent Levels - Students will need to practice their reading fluency, by reading in their own independent levels. These are texts that they can read on their own with very few to no errors. This will build confidence and increase fluency at the same time.
Taking the time to focus on these strategies will help students read faster and with more accuracy, leading to an increase in comprehension. Skipping over them will lead to frustration all around.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Reading Strategies
There are so many great reading strategies to use and to also teach to your students. Some of the most effective ones might just be the ones you use yourself without even realizing it.
When reading on my own, I typically whisper read to myself, especially when I come to a confusing part in a text. Hearing it aloud brings the words alive and, with them, a deeper meaning. I also find myself rereading and using internal conversation. I will ask myself questions, make connections, and try to search for further understanding.
My top 3 reading strategies to use with my students:
*Think aloud - I use this a great deal during read aloud as a way to model this strategy. I think aloud and then I usually ask a question or two to get the students thinking and allow a few to share.
*Book Marks/Post It Notes - These are a fairly quick way for students to jot down specific things while they are reading. Maybe it is a word they don't quite understand or a question that they have. These tools can help further comprehension without the student getting stuck on a certain part of what they are reading.
*Rereading - This is probably the most common one that people use but many kids don't want to take the time to do it. They want to fly through the reading. Posing questions that the students have to use their reading to answer is a great way to get them rereading. It will be a skill that they carry on into adulthood, so it is worth taking the extra time to teach it well.
We all use strategies when we read. Most of them are done without much thought, but to a struggling reader, these strategies are lifelines.
When reading on my own, I typically whisper read to myself, especially when I come to a confusing part in a text. Hearing it aloud brings the words alive and, with them, a deeper meaning. I also find myself rereading and using internal conversation. I will ask myself questions, make connections, and try to search for further understanding.
My top 3 reading strategies to use with my students:
*Think aloud - I use this a great deal during read aloud as a way to model this strategy. I think aloud and then I usually ask a question or two to get the students thinking and allow a few to share.
*Book Marks/Post It Notes - These are a fairly quick way for students to jot down specific things while they are reading. Maybe it is a word they don't quite understand or a question that they have. These tools can help further comprehension without the student getting stuck on a certain part of what they are reading.
*Rereading - This is probably the most common one that people use but many kids don't want to take the time to do it. They want to fly through the reading. Posing questions that the students have to use their reading to answer is a great way to get them rereading. It will be a skill that they carry on into adulthood, so it is worth taking the extra time to teach it well.
We all use strategies when we read. Most of them are done without much thought, but to a struggling reader, these strategies are lifelines.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Inferencing - The Bag Activity
A---The Bag Activity
Purpose: To teach inferencing by giving clues from a bag and having students figure out who the bag belongs to.
The teacher shows the students a bag with miscellaneous contents inside. Then, one by one, they start to look at the items in the bag. She makes sure that the students know what each item is and they brainstorm what the items could be used for or what types of people use such items. After all the items have been seen, the teacher sends the students back to their desks to write about who the bag belongs to.
In this particular activity, the bag was found outside of the school and is an orange Columbia College bag that looked more like a purse. Inside we found: coffee, a granola bar, glasses, a notebook/journal, a seashell, colored clicker ink pens, and a rock.
B---My inference is that the bag belongs to a female teacher, one that might teach Science, possibly Earth Science. She could be found squinting, since her glasses are in the bag.
C---This would be a great activity for writing, having the students go back to their desks to write their inference. I could see this activity also being used for making a book come "alive". Maybe a pre-activity that you could do to introduce the book and the the students would have to figure out what the story is about and maybe even come up with what they think the title will be based on what they found in the bag. I also think you could use it for many different subjects; introducing lessons, using the five senses or learning more about historical figures and places.
This is a great activity to have in your teacher tool box and it is sure to be a hit with the students as well!
Purpose: To teach inferencing by giving clues from a bag and having students figure out who the bag belongs to.
The teacher shows the students a bag with miscellaneous contents inside. Then, one by one, they start to look at the items in the bag. She makes sure that the students know what each item is and they brainstorm what the items could be used for or what types of people use such items. After all the items have been seen, the teacher sends the students back to their desks to write about who the bag belongs to.
In this particular activity, the bag was found outside of the school and is an orange Columbia College bag that looked more like a purse. Inside we found: coffee, a granola bar, glasses, a notebook/journal, a seashell, colored clicker ink pens, and a rock.
B---My inference is that the bag belongs to a female teacher, one that might teach Science, possibly Earth Science. She could be found squinting, since her glasses are in the bag.
C---This would be a great activity for writing, having the students go back to their desks to write their inference. I could see this activity also being used for making a book come "alive". Maybe a pre-activity that you could do to introduce the book and the the students would have to figure out what the story is about and maybe even come up with what they think the title will be based on what they found in the bag. I also think you could use it for many different subjects; introducing lessons, using the five senses or learning more about historical figures and places.
This is a great activity to have in your teacher tool box and it is sure to be a hit with the students as well!
Monday, September 5, 2016
The Cans and The Cannots
I have a confession. I have been the teacher that simply hid behind the following empty statements; "These kids can't read." and "These students are simply really good readers". While both statements were true, by themselves they hold little value.
Students that can't read, have specific areas that they struggle with. They have certain actions that don't come naturally. It is up to the teacher to decipher those areas of weakness and create plans to help the student overcome those challenges. I don't know how to fix, "I can't read" but I can help a student that I see struggling with larger words or simple frequency words.
On the flip side, those students that have no issue reading anything they pick up, also have specific things that they do to be successful with reading. Most of these are unseen and typically unrealized by both the teacher and the reader. Being able to share those specific ways that make the successful readers successful, can give the struggling reader hope of learning to do those same things. I have never thought to do this until reading about What Good Readers Do in Kylene Beers' book When Kids Can't Read. I honestly never put much thought into the successful readers, they were simply good readers. End of story. I am so thankful for this enlightenment. It is possible to teach those successful reading strategies that go beyond simple word decoding and recognition. It is no longer the Cans and the Cannots. It is deeper. It is more specific.
Students that can't read, have specific areas that they struggle with. They have certain actions that don't come naturally. It is up to the teacher to decipher those areas of weakness and create plans to help the student overcome those challenges. I don't know how to fix, "I can't read" but I can help a student that I see struggling with larger words or simple frequency words.
On the flip side, those students that have no issue reading anything they pick up, also have specific things that they do to be successful with reading. Most of these are unseen and typically unrealized by both the teacher and the reader. Being able to share those specific ways that make the successful readers successful, can give the struggling reader hope of learning to do those same things. I have never thought to do this until reading about What Good Readers Do in Kylene Beers' book When Kids Can't Read. I honestly never put much thought into the successful readers, they were simply good readers. End of story. I am so thankful for this enlightenment. It is possible to teach those successful reading strategies that go beyond simple word decoding and recognition. It is no longer the Cans and the Cannots. It is deeper. It is more specific.
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