Main ideas and thoughts for:Classrooms That Work, Chapter 5 and What can I say besides "sound it out"?
Chapter 5: Classrooms That Work
This chapter was filled with activities that a teacher could use in a classroom for phonics. Some of the activities seemed too lengthy for the younger grades but may work in grades 4-6. One activity that I would use in the classroom was called Using Words You Know.
The teacher would introduces 3 to 5 words the children already know.In the book, the teacher used
ways of transportation. Bike, car, train, and van were the words used in this example. After the teacher placed them in their category, she introduced new words similar to the 4 already there. To the right, there is a picture of the 4 categories after several words have been added. This activity is great because children can make a phonemic connection between words they do know and words they don't know.
What I can say besides sound it out?
This article discussed how teachers "coach" children through words they come across that are unfamiliar. Several teachers and parents tell their children to "sound it out" when they come to a word. However, there are other strategies to help children when they are struggling with new words.
Here are some questions and statements that I found helpful from the article to replace "sound it out" :
Is there a chunk you know? (th, ch, pr, etc.)
Look and think what you need to do.
Can you take something off?
If it is a compound word, what is the first word? Second word?
What do you think that e sounds like?
QUESTION: Why do you think it is beneficial to the child to have us "coach" them through a word instead of saying "sound it out"?
Main Ideas and Thoughts:Letting Go of "Letter of The Week", Supporting phonemic awareness development in the classroom, and Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children.
Letting Go of "Letter of The Week"
1. Literacy Dig: "Dig" for literacy in the world around you and you will notice that it is everywhere! Children come in to kindergarten believing that they cannot read when they have actually been reading for awhile. Discuss that symbols, road signs, traffic lights, etc are actually reading with the children on the first day of school and they will be amazed that they can already read.
2. Connecting words: This article discussed a great strategy for helping children to read and write. The author discussed that when a child came across an unfamiliar word, she would talk out loud with them and get them to relate words they already knew to the unfamiliar word. Example: Pedro came across the word water. He struggled to say the word out loud but the teacher asked who's name starts like that word? Pedro was able to connect a classmate's name to the word water and sounded it out.
Supporting phonemic awareness development in the classroom
This article listed several activities to develop phonemic awareness. One of the activities that I really enjoyed reading about was a spin off from the song "Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands". Children often enjoy singing and this is a great way for them to use their energy and learn at the same time. I found a video on YouTube that is similar to the original version of this song.
Here are the lyrics: Here is the YouTube video:
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Clap your hands together.
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Clap your hands together.
Snap, Snap, snap your fingers,
Snap your fingers together.
Snap, Snap, snap your fingers,
Snap your fingers together.
Say, say, say these parts,
Say these parts together.
Teacher: moun (pause) tain (children respond, "mountain")
Teacher: love (pause) ly (children respond, "lovely")
Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children:
Something about this article that I really liked was that it broke down strategies for literacy by different ages. Here are some key ideas for each age that I believe are valuable to use as a future teacher and parent.
1. Infants and Toddlers: Talk and sing to babies, read and share cardboard books, and maintain frequent eye contact.
2. Preschool years: Have nurturing and positive relationships with the children you are around so they learn to trust, engage in literacy play such as grocery lists, expose the children to a variety of vocabulary.
3. Kindergarten & Primary Grades: incorporate literacy in all aspects of the classroom, encourage formal and informal writing, and provide challenging curriculum that helps expand their knowledge.
Question: Do you think it will be hard to incorporate fun activities in the classroom while still accomplishing everything that is demanded of a teacher? If so, what are some ways you think you can do both?
Main Ideas & Thoughts for Chapter 3 (Classrooms that Work) & The Jones Family's Culture of Literacy
One of the best things about the Classrooms that Work book is how many ideas and activities it provides! I was able to highlight ideas and activities in the book that I will possibly use in a future classroom. Something that was discussed frequently in this chapter was phonemic awareness. The book defines phonemic awareness as the ability to recognize that words are made up of a discrete set of sound and to manipulate those sounds (pg. 32).
Activities I loved from chapter 3:
1. Provide a variety of things to write with and on in the classroom: I thought this was really cool because each child is different and they need to be able to have options. This makes writing fun and provides a variety in the classroom for the children. One way I have seen this done is by stamping the words!
2. Letter actions: Children are super active and contain a large amount of energy. This activity encourages their energy by having a letter of the alphabet paired with an action. For example, the children would hop when you picked the letter H.
3. Children as the alphabet: Each child would get a letter on a laminated card. They would then slowly line up in order as the class sang the alphabet song!
Main ideas from The Jones Family's Culture of Literacy:
Leaving a legacy for literacy is extremely important for the generations to come.
Teachers need to be aware of their children's background and how literacy is viewed in that child's home.
Using literacy in different ways can broaden a child's view of reading.
The eight ways the Jones family used literacy were international, instrumental, news-related, environmental, financial, spiritual, recreational, and education.
Questions for you!
1. Have you observed a "fun" way to integrate reading activities into the classroom? If so, what was special about the activity that captured the children's attention?
2. It was stated that there were eight observed ways that the Jones family used literacy. When you were young, were any of these eight ways also used in your home?
Main Ideas and Thoughts for Chapter 1&2 (Classrooms That Work)
First off, I am really enjoying this book by Cunningham and Allington! I have found some extremely valuable information and I have highlighted several key points. For this blog post, I will share some main points from chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1:
1. Integrating reading and writing across content areas. (pg. 3 & 9)
This was brought up throughout several parts in chapter one.
It is clear that integrating reading and writing into other subjects is great for the children and helps with reading comprehension and writing skills. Reading and writing is really stressed in the lower elementary grades and often times science, social studies, and math get put to the side. When you are able to integrate these subjects into reading and writing, you are setting up an environment for a child to broaden their knowledge about the world around them.
2. High-level comprehension questions. (pg. 2, 5, & 9)
Something else that was brought to my attention throughout chapter one was the conversations you should have with children about their reading. Instead of asking yes or no questions such as, "Did Sally go to the store?", ask a more in depth questions such a, "Why did Sally need to go to the store?" This way children are thinking more about the text instead of just repeating it back to the teacher. 3. Environment is KEY! (pg 3, 4, & 10)
This point may be the most important thing I learned from this book so far. If you do not have good classroom management, then it is going to be hard to do just about anything. Since reading is critical, you must first have the classroom under control and working together in order to see student success. Once the classroom is well managed, a teacher is able to plan several different activities and proceed throughout the day.
Chapter 2:
1. Using self-report. (pg. 13&14)
One thing that is extremely critical to install in to a child is self report. Whether it is with a sport, a chore, or reading, checking yourself is important to make progress. This chapter had some fabulous ideas for self reports including a "Reading and Me" exercise. This activity included a piece of paper with some questions about reading. The teacher had the students fill this out at several different times during the year and then they were asked to write about their progress or other important news when it came to reading. How awesome is that!
2. Variety of reading materials (pg. 15-17)
In this chapter, I learned that having a variety of reading materials in the classroom can allow your students to get more excited about reading. Some children may enjoy reading fiction, others non-fiction. Some may enjoy children's magazines and some may like large chapter books. As a teacher, it is important to have these materials so each one of your children can find something they enjoy reading about. "Reading books you want to read motivates you to read more" (pg. 24).
3. Conferences with the children to talk about reading. (pg. 22 & 23)
I loved this idea! This allows for one on one time with the teacher and student to talk about their reading. In the book, it talked about how to prepare a student for a conference and then how to carry it out. It listed conversation starters for the teacher and then how the teacher could track what happened during the conferences. There are several things I like about this activity. First, children need attention and this is an awesome way to give each child one on one attention. Second, the children are learning how to be responsible with what they are reading. Third, it allows the teacher to see who needs more help. What an awesome activity!
