Hello again! I will say that this week was filled with a lot more information but I learned some new things about choosing reading practices in the 21st century.
Different Reading Programs
I thought it was interesting to look through the different reading programs that often used in various schools/classrooms. I am most familiar with Accelerated Reader (AR) since I took AR tests on many books that I read throughout school. The PowerPoint about the Basal program: Open Court was interesting. I had never heard of it before so it was nice to learn what it’s all about. I think it seems like a great tool to use in the classroom to help students develop skills in phonics. I had never heard about the Achieve 3000 program either but I can see how the use of technology through computers would allow students to become engaged in the learning process and come to comprehend what they read. I like how the program allows teachers to set the pace for which students complete assignments. It seems like the process in which the program is set up (Set a Schema, Read for Information, Demonstrate Mastery, Construct Meaning, and Form an Opinion (slides 10-15) would help students develop different comprehension skills. The comprehensive Four Blocks Reading Program is also new to me. As I read through the PowerPoint, a lot of the components reminded me of The Daily 5 program because both programs encourage reading to self, reading to others, word work, and writing. The last type of reading program I learned about here was called the Literacy Collaborative program that aims to help children improve in reading, writing, and language skills (slide 2). I like how it requires the presence of a literacy coordinator at the school (slide 5). I think it covers a lot of the important things children need exposure to (phonemic awareness instruction, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension instruction (slide 7-13). I like how the program comes equipped with different types of assessment and ideas for support (slide 15-16).
Basal Reading Program—Teacher’s Edition
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to look at an actual basal reading program book but reading over the different ones I learned about in this module, I’m sure that they provide helpful information and guides.
SRA Reading Mastery
The video I watched under this section and answered the following questions presented:
What is the role of the teacher? –The role of the teacher is to call out different words for students to listen to and pick out the words with different sounds. She asks them questions about what sounds are different. She uses a script to guide instruction.
What is the role of the student?—The role of the student is to listen for the different sounds in the words the teacher calls out and answer the questions she asks.
Direct Instruction for reading and mathematics are taught in a similar way. What do you think the developers of this program believe about learning?—I can tell that the developers of this program think that students learn better when they are focused on the teacher and have full attention on her.
What type of differentiation do you observe? As claims are made, do you think all children will benefit from this approach?—I don’t see much differentiation in this type of instruction because they are all doing the same thing and giving the same responses.
A head teacher is quoted as saying, “Direct Instruction has been probably the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to the teaching profession.” Would you agree?—Honestly, I would not agree with this statement. This kind of program may work for some teachers while it may not work for others. I don’t think it’s the best thing to happen to the teaching profession but it may have changed some things for some teachers. I think it just depends on the needs and abilities of the students in the class.
What ownership for learning do children have in direct instruction?—They own responsibility for listening to the teacher.
Approaches to Teaching ReadingThis short document was interesting to read because it was a nice summary of how to use the different reading programs I learned about in the classroom.
Best Practices
The article I read in this section was great to read because it helped me see what types of things I need to do to ensure that I am using the best practices when it comes to teaching and talks about what is and what is not considered a balanced curriculum. Integration of curriculum was a big focus in this document as well. It addressed the different benefits for integrated teaching. I noticed that differentiated instruction is another important aspect of teaching because there will be many different types of students in the classroom. It even mentioned that active learning is another thing to incorporate into your teaching. These are all really great ideas I know that I will want to remember.
What is Inquiry?Although we have talked about the Inquiry teaching method in past modules, it was still helpful to read up on what it is and the benefits it has in the classroom. I have mentioned before that I prefer the Inquiry method over others but it doesn’t mean that the others don’t work.
Cambourne’s Conditions
I can tell that the conditions that Cambourne presents in this article are very important for teachers and other educators. He makes a lot of great points and gives great examples of what to do in order to create a constructivist classroom. I know that it will be important to follow the conditions of: immersion, demonstration, engagement, expectation, responsibility, employment, approximation, and response (pg. 5). This was a great read!
Common Core ELA Standards
I know that being familiar with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts is essential. I have looked through the different standards across the grades K-6 and understand that it is important to know the standards! The Jing Video Dr. Powell posted in this section explained different things about the Standards. She mentioned that the Standards are subject to change from year to year. This just happened during the 2012-2013 school year.
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