Monday, October 4, 2010
Seminar 4 Post- Kendall Philip
The ideas discussed in Book Club Plus! about talk in the classroom and managing our literacy program are very similar to what I see in my own classroom. Our literacy program consists of literacy block, where students are given time to independently read and write. Within the literacy block, we practice writer’s and reader’s workshop structure. So far, we have spent that time working mostly on independent reading and writing. Sometimes, students are writing a response to a question and other times they are free writing or generating lists/ideas in their writer’s notebook. Similar to what is mentioned in Book Club Plus! regarding literacy block, my CT uses literacy block as a time to explore and learn through literacy in a variety of ways. Thus far, I have seen independent reading and writing, shared reading, and one on one conferencing. In the future, my CT said we will get into doing literature circles and Book Club. We have also been working on Read-Aloud Literature, as discussed on page 148. My CT and I have the same basic philosophy that the authors of the books have: "When you read aloud, you create a common literacy context for the whole class" (p. 148). Both my CT and I believe read-aloud is an important time for the class to come together, regardless of reading level, and get to participate in similar literacy activities such as: comprehending, predicting, recalling events, retelling, discussing story elements. I also like how BCP talks about the importance of modeling fluency during read-aloud. I think it is just as important for students to be read to and to practice the literacy of listening, as it is for them to actually be reading. The more they are able to hear fluent sentences, with inflection and phrasing, the more familiar the reading process becomes.
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Kendall,
ReplyDeleteI think you brought up some interesting points in your post. First of all, I like how you mentioned bringing the class together through a “common literacy context” during read aloud time. I think this is great because the whole class is reading/hearing the same story, so this time could be used to guide students through multiple reading comprehension strategies. You could model these strategies as you read, and hopefully the students will pick up on them and use them on their own time when they are independent reading. I also really liked how you mentioned modeling fluency for the kids. This must have been something I missed when I read the chapters because I do not remember this part. I love this point. It’s one thing for students to be able to read out loud, but it’s another for them to be able to read with inflection and emphasis. This is a typically a skill we see in more developed readers, but it’s never too early to start modeling where you want them to end up (I forget what grade you are in, sorry!).
I also think it’s a good thing that you and your CT are on the same page with this. I’m sure you are learning a lot about these things by watching her! Have you decided what you are going to focus on for your literacy unit? Perhaps you could incorporate some of Book Club Plus! into it (actually, I think it would be hard NOT to include BCP, since it includes so much stuff). Maybe a better idea would be to really use the read aloud strategy, since your kids will have already had practice. Good ideas!
Amy