Reading Comprehension with a little help from trusty old sticky notes. (Comprehension)

Dear Diary,
 In the article, What Every Teacher Needs to Know about Comprehension, Laura S. Pardo defines comprehension as "a process in which readers construct meaning by interacting with text through the combination of prior knowledge and previous experience, information in the text, and the stance the reader takes in relationship to the text" (Pardo 272). Thus, reading comprehension encompasses the relationship between the reader and text. 

 Pardo further reveals several ways that teachers can support their student readers. The following steps encourage reading comprehension.  
- Teach decoding skills.
- Help students build fluency.
- Build background knowledge.
- Teach vocabulary words.
- Motivate students. 
- Engage them in personal responses to text.

 We have already discussed some of these in class and each of these steps is vital in building students' reading comprehension. The last step, however, is extremely important if students are to comprehend what it is that they are reading.  

 As children begin to read, frequently they are so focused on reading words that they are not concerned with comprehension. Thus, the students merely read words, that when put together hold no meaning. If students cannot comprehend what they are reading then they will never fully enjoy reading!

 I have always loved sticky notes. I love the vast variety of colors, sizes, shapes, and themes that sticky notes come in. They are extremely useful in so many ways, yet I never thought they could be used in something like reading comprehension to engage students in personal responses to text. Scholastic.com provides a neat way to incorporate sticky notes in developing comprehension.

 Follow these steps:
-  Assign a job to each sticky note color.
- For example, pink notes show excitement, yellow notes show a question, and green notes show something completely understood. 
- Every few pages read, have students check in and post a sticky note.

 This activity provides a focus for children and allows them to actively participate in their own comprehension one sticky note at a time!

 A question to think about:
1. Can you think of any other ways that sticky notes might be used in developing students' reading comprehension?

 'Readingly' yours,
Juliet

http://www.pinterest.com/snowinlove/comprehension/ 
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/what-to-do-when-your-child-cant-remember-what-he-reads

Help develop students' literacy by implementing theatrical elements in the classroom. (Fluency)

Dear Diary, 

www.monroecommunityplayers.org

In the article, Creating Fluent Readers, Timothy Rasinski reveals that, "A growing body of evidence points to reading fluency as an important factor in student reading success" (Rasinski 46). He further reveals that assisted and repeated readings are methods which help develop reading fluency.

 You can encourage fluency by assisted readings (Rasinski 48).
- While reading aloud to students, ask them to follow along with you (silently, then aloud as a group).
- Have students read a passage with a partner who is on the same reading level as they are.
- Have more fluent readers read with less fluent readers.
- Have students read while listening to a fluent reading of a passage (audiotapes).

 Other ways to encourage fluency are by repeated readings (Rasinski 48).
Repeated readings include:
- Poetry
- Scripts
- Speeches
- Monologues
- Dialogues
- Jokes
- Riddles

 This is an example of how theatre in the classroom becomes engaging and useful. I am a Theatre major, minoring in Elementary Education. I strongly believe that elements of theatre can be used in the classroom to facilitate an active learning environment in which students are energetically involved with material. Readers Theatre is a wonderful way to engage students with the text. By reading the text repeatedly, they develop reading fluency. 

 Scholastic.com reveals some benefits to Readers Theatre. They include:
- Development of fluency through consistent exposure to text.
- An increase in comprehension.
- Integration of reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
- Fully engages students.
- Increases reading motivation.
- Promotes confidence in reading abilities.
- Provides a purpose for reading.
- Stimulates a cooperative learning environment. 

 Scholastic.com provides tips for implementing Readers Theatre into the classroom as well as selecting texts for Readers Theatre and creating your own scripts. 
http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/programs/whatisrt.htm

 Reading A-Z is another great source for more information on utilizing Readers Theatre in the classroom.
http://www.readinga-z.com/newfiles/strat/theater_strat.html

 Some questions to think about?
1. Can you see any benefits of Readers Theatre?
2. Do you think you might use Readers Theatre to help develop your future students' fluency?

 'Readingly' yours,
Juliet

Making Words! (Word Study)

Dear Diary,

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/364791638537037867/

 In the article, Making Words: Enhancing the invented spelling-decoding connection, Patricia M. and James W. Cunningham promote the Making Words strategy. Making Words allows children to create words with individual letters as well as groups of letters. In my blog post last week I discussed word families. Making Words uses word families (–at, –ick, –aw, – op, and many more) to help children create larger words. This strategy supports beginning readers, allowing them to determine and recognize relationships between letters and sounds as well as word patterns. The most important discovery made when engaging in this strategy is that “changing one letter or even the sequence of the letters changes the whole word” (Cunningham 108). This knowledge is extremely important and allows beginning readers to understand that they can create complex words by using smaller combinations of letters. 

 Reading has never been a challenge for me, however, spelling was extremely difficult for me as child. I continue to struggle with spelling and use the dictionary whenever I need to verify the proper spelling of a word. While I do not remember my teachers specifically using the Making Words strategy in their classrooms, all of my teachers taught word families. I still use the patterns that I learned many years ago to help me spell today. 

 On the website, Read Write and Think, I found a game that allows children to practice making words. This game combines letters with the click of a mouse to make words on a list. It is very useful and lots of fun, even for a senior in college. So, give it a try and create some words.

 http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/construct/

 Some questions to think about:
1. As future teachers, it is not possible to insure that all of our students’ parents will reinforce what we teach in our classrooms. Do you think educational games on a website, such as the one I mentioned above, might be beneficial to students who do not receive help from their parents at home?
2. Do websites such as Read Write and Think allow students to be more independent with their studies?
3. How would you help those students who don’t have computer access at home?    

'Readingly' yours, 
Juliet