This past week the majority of the class finished up their first book clubs of the new school year. Groups read titles such as The Tale of Despereaux, Jigsaw Jones, Clementine, Bunnicula, Heartbeat, and Andy Shane is NOT in Love. The kids chose these books from a collection of about twenty titles. We will return to book clubs in a few weeks.
Speaking of reading, this week we will focus on building reading fluency. We'll pay close attention to the rhythm of reading and talk about role punctuation plays in helping us to determine what the text might sound like. We will also work this week to set reading goals for ourselves. I may ask the kids to come home and discuss possible goals with you. Ideas are:
start and finish each book, stick to just one book at a time, mixing in more chapter books, trying a new author or genre, etc.
As I look ahead to the year that lies ahead I anticipate a great deal of growth in our readers. Third grade is such a transitional year for so many. I thought of this as I read Mr. O's newsletter a few days ago. In his letter he eloquently laid out all the ways he invites his kids into literacy. I couldn't help but nod in agreement as I saw our own classroom reflected by the work his kids do. I'm going to attach it here in hopes his voice will help communicate the beliefs and structures that fuel the work we do around literacy here at CFI.
Enjoy...
Reading aloud – I love
sharing my favorite books with children. When I read aloud I do as much as I
can to convey how special stories are; how brilliantly written books can change
us and help us grow and understand the world more clearly. Reading aloud means
I can get children to enjoy characters and vocabulary that they might not be
able to tackle on their own… yet. Reading aloud is an invitation for young ones
to grow in their love of story and characters. It is a dare to develop into
confident readers who can dive into more complicated reading material.
"Reading aloud with children is
known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and
skills they will eventually require for learning to read." ~Marilyn Jager
Adams
*Getting children in touch with the reading process –
Often teachers provide exercises and practice, worksheets and comprehension
questions; we follow a prescripted set of activities which are supposed to work
for everyone. We treat reading as if it is a magical process that will
automatically occur if we simply follow the formula. What we often neglect is inviting
children into the process. I believe firmly that children should understand
what reading is, how it is that we read, and what strategies are most
effective. So, as a reader, I share my own reading strategies and urge our
children to share
what they do while reading. We will share strategies after independent reading
and I will guide the children through exercises to help us explore effective
reading strategies.
*Providing regular
opportunities to read – I heard a sad statistic a few years back at a
reading conference. In the average elementary classroom on an average day,
children are provided with less than 10 minutes of reading time. (I think the
average was 7-8 minutes!). How can we expect children to learn to love books
when we don’t provide them with the very most basic ingredient – TIME? If we
give children worksheets and exercises, if we give them unit tests and drills,
if we give them dots to fill in and blank spaces to complete and we don’t give
them the time to read for pleasure… then we are sending a terribly mixed
message. If children only read what I ask them to, how will they find what genres
they are interested in, which authors are their favorites, and which characters
to fall in love with? Real reading should part of the children’s lives. Every
day. Whether or not there is a reading log or an assigned reading.
I have other ways to help children
develop as readers, but I’ll discuss those in future letters. However, I can’t
stop until I mention the very most important aspect of helping our young
children to develop as readers. Here it is… Wait for it… It’s you. As parents,
you have a far greater influence than I could ever have. Here are some
questions to consider: Do you read to your children? *Do you listen to your
children read? *Are books important to your family? *Is reading as important as
watching TV in your home? *Do you share favorite books from your childhood with
your children? *Are you a reader? *Do you talk about what you read with your
children? *Is there a quiet time and place in your house for reading when no
one is watching TV? *Are books given as gifts and treated as prized
possessions? *Do you take trips to the library?
I don’t think we could ever
overstate the gift that reading is or how essential it is to a successful and
healthy life. The example that you set, and the power that you give to books,
is critical to developing a love of reading in your children.
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