Chapter 13 Response
This chapter discusses the importance of reading aloud to your students as an Elementary school teacher. Reading aloud can be the way that children fall in love with books and reading in general. I have been taught by one of my professors who suggested incorporating a fun short book with every lesson taught, no matter what the subject, especially for science and math. This fits in with what the text says perfectly. As stated in the text "it is a passion and enthusiasm for reading that separates effective from ineffective teachers". Our own personal memories and current research support the effectiveness of reading aloud to students. The benefits of reading aloud include increased motivation, language and literacy development, conventions of print, vocabulary development and listening comprehension, decoding and reading comprehension, and literacy understanding.
When to read aloud is also discussed in this chapter. Examples of appropriate times to read aloud include an introduction to a lesson, when discussing current events or social studies objectives, and just for fun too!
I think it is very important to include reading aloud in the classroom frequently and to make sure the content being read is appropriate for a lesson and the age and reading level of the students.
I found the section that went into detail about how to read aloud to be helpful and interesting. For example, finding the book's voice. This is done by understanding the tone of the book and interpreting the mood, rhythm, characters, setting, use of language, etc.
Think Alouds are something that I am not completely familiar with, though after reading this chapter I understand the importance and how to do it. It provides a model for students to think through literature when they are reading on their own by listening to the teacher voice their thoughts that come up while reading aloud. Some prompts for thinking aloud include: "I'm thinking...", "I'm picturing in my mind..." and "I think this character is...".
Writing aloud is also something I was not familiar with. As stated by the text: "The teacher vocalizes her thoughts as she composes text, inviting the children to contribute at selected points". This allows students to see that the writing process includes editing and revising.
Shared reading is something that I had learned prior to reading this chapter of the text, but my understanding of its importance was solidified. Research shows that shared reading produces significant positive impacts on all aspects of reading proficiency. Shared reading is something that should be included in the classroom daily.
Shared writing plays off of shared reading and writing aloud. The teacher acts as a scribe and the students collaborate to construct text. The teacher can paraphrase and model good writing practices while being the scribe.
Guided reading focuses on small groups reading a shared text simultaneously and receiving support from the teacher. The groups should read a new text each time they meet. The texts should be just slightly challenging for the students in the group, but within their zone of proximal development and instructional level. This is why creating the groups carefully is so important.
Overall this chapter provided a good overview and explanation of the techniques used to read aloud to and with children as well as directing their writing and individual reading.
The strategies and activities discussed in this chapter are important aspects of classroom literacy instruction, and I have personally seen them used successfully in the classroom.
My personal experiences with reading aloud have been great! As a child I loved having anyone read me a story. I can fondly remember my grandma reading aloud with me explaining that when there was a comma in a sentence I should take a short pause and that when there was a question mark or exclamation point that I should change the way my voice sounded (inflection). In school I do remember being read aloud to some, but not as much as it is suggested in the text.
Things to remember about reading aloud:
1. Do it often.
2. Find the books "voice" before sharing with the class to enhance the reading experience.
3. Find books that correspond with as many lessons as possible.
4. Think aloud while reading aloud to students, it will help them process the text and become a better reader.
Be sure to check the sidebar for my links relating to reading aloud in chapter 13.
I think it is very important to include reading aloud in the classroom frequently and to make sure the content being read is appropriate for a lesson and the age and reading level of the students.
I found the section that went into detail about how to read aloud to be helpful and interesting. For example, finding the book's voice. This is done by understanding the tone of the book and interpreting the mood, rhythm, characters, setting, use of language, etc.
Think Alouds are something that I am not completely familiar with, though after reading this chapter I understand the importance and how to do it. It provides a model for students to think through literature when they are reading on their own by listening to the teacher voice their thoughts that come up while reading aloud. Some prompts for thinking aloud include: "I'm thinking...", "I'm picturing in my mind..." and "I think this character is...".
Writing aloud is also something I was not familiar with. As stated by the text: "The teacher vocalizes her thoughts as she composes text, inviting the children to contribute at selected points". This allows students to see that the writing process includes editing and revising.
Shared reading is something that I had learned prior to reading this chapter of the text, but my understanding of its importance was solidified. Research shows that shared reading produces significant positive impacts on all aspects of reading proficiency. Shared reading is something that should be included in the classroom daily.
Shared writing plays off of shared reading and writing aloud. The teacher acts as a scribe and the students collaborate to construct text. The teacher can paraphrase and model good writing practices while being the scribe.
Guided reading focuses on small groups reading a shared text simultaneously and receiving support from the teacher. The groups should read a new text each time they meet. The texts should be just slightly challenging for the students in the group, but within their zone of proximal development and instructional level. This is why creating the groups carefully is so important.
Overall this chapter provided a good overview and explanation of the techniques used to read aloud to and with children as well as directing their writing and individual reading.
The strategies and activities discussed in this chapter are important aspects of classroom literacy instruction, and I have personally seen them used successfully in the classroom.
My personal experiences with reading aloud have been great! As a child I loved having anyone read me a story. I can fondly remember my grandma reading aloud with me explaining that when there was a comma in a sentence I should take a short pause and that when there was a question mark or exclamation point that I should change the way my voice sounded (inflection). In school I do remember being read aloud to some, but not as much as it is suggested in the text.
Things to remember about reading aloud:
1. Do it often.
2. Find the books "voice" before sharing with the class to enhance the reading experience.
3. Find books that correspond with as many lessons as possible.
4. Think aloud while reading aloud to students, it will help them process the text and become a better reader.
Be sure to check the sidebar for my links relating to reading aloud in chapter 13.
Good evening Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI loved this chapter and how you touched on how well detailed this chapter was in how to read aloud to students. I personally found this chapter to be excellent from a parental point of view and an upcoming teacher. While I'm sure we each took something different away from this chapter, i was able to relate with you on remembering being read to by my grandma. Enjoyed reading your response, thanks for sharing :)