READING IN ALL FORMS
Studies show that people of all ages benefit from not only reading the printed word, but from hearing it read by fluent readers with intonation and emotion.
Across my English Language Arts classes, it is important that I strike a balance between students doing the “WORK” of reading and students experiencing the “JOY” of reading. Unfortunately, for many of our students, we know that the “work” and “joy” often do not intersect as students contend with various learning differences that can impair their abilities to take in the written word smoothly and fluently. One way I strike a balance is to read aloud novels to students outside of the regular curriculum on which we work. The students’ only responsibility is to step through the sliding door and relax into a world that is not their own. This month, I am reading Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo.
READING
Cloze passages to help assess comprehension.
WRITING
One sentence to 5- paragraph writing prompts to assess writing skills.
WORD PLAY
Dailey exercises in phonemic awareness and vocabulary expansion.
“If the only thing a teacher shares is from a textbook, how are you going to get students excited about reading?” Jim Trelease, journalist and author of the Read- Aloud Handbook
Jim Trelease, journalist and author of the Read- Aloud Handbook
This week, we returned to our regular routines of studying words and how they are made and then lessons that are designed to help students read, visualize what they are reading, and communicate their own creative ideas and/or information about what they have read through writing. Each class period begins with what I refer to as Word Play which is a great practice that I learned from my esteemed colleague, Marian Morris, speech-language pathologist. We used to co-teach a writing class together and she got me in the habit of working on morphology with students on a regular basis regardless of reading level and ability. By having a prefix, suffix, or root we focus on each day, students are able to see how words are constructed, work on their spelling skills, and practice complex sentence writing on a daily basis.
At the end of the week, students take a quiz to demonstrate their understanding of the word parts’ definitions and the way to use words made of these building blocks in novel sentences. Depending on the class the students are in, they have begun to start a novel study, an excerpt study, a short story unit, or a short writing activity from which we can jump into the next stage of our learning. These readings coupled with the writing extension activities and our read aloud, gives each student multiple ways to access the mirrors, windows, and sliding doors that make up the literature and reading experience.
Depending on the class the students are in, they have begun to start a novel study, an excerpt study, a short story unit, or a short writing activity from which we can jump into the next stage of our learning. These readings coupled with the writing extension activities and our read aloud, gives each student multiple ways to access the mirrors, windows, and sliding doors that make up the literature and reading experience.
If you would like to read more about how reading how reading aloud to high school students supports language acquisition, higher order comprehension and can develop a life-long love of storytelling go to this link: https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-heres-way-teachers-can-helpbreak- equity-barriers-high-school-reading-aloud-students/
WEEK IN REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 12-19 - USE THESE TO ASK YOUR KIDS WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING!
- Junior High English-Word Play (a-/ab-, pan-, -able, auto-); Guardians of Ga’Hoole: The Capture novel introduction; Character Chart Creation; Mapreading activity for the Kingdom of Tyto; Chapter 1 Reading and Discussion
- Language Arts-Word Play (a-/ab-, pan-, -able, auto-); School Supply Escape and Rubric Activity; Tuck Everlasting Excerpt Study; About the Author: Natalie Babbit; Anticipation Reflection Writing for Tuck Everlasting
- Literary Strategies- Word Play (a-/ab-, pan-, -able, auto-); Snake Eyes Writing and Rubric Activity; Tuck Everlasting Excerpt Study; Dragon, Dragon Reading CommonLit.org practice passage and discussion
- Creative Writing-Idiom Word Play (fighting tooth and nail, down the hatch, rub the wrong way, under the weather); School Supply Escape Story and Rubric Activity; Rambling Autobiography; Dessert in the Desert Word Activity; Write and Roll Story Writing
- Modern Literature- Word Play (a-/ab-, pan-, -able, auto-); Snake Eyes Writing and Rubric Activity; Scary Stories and Things Narrative Reading; Scary Stories and Things Writing Prompt: The Man in the Churchyard; Get Ready, Do, Done
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