|
_________________________
"To read efficiently, students must apply letter-sound
correspondences, blend sounds together to read words, and recognize that some
words are irregular. In addition, they
must learn that when they do not understand something they are reading, they
can use comprehension and vocabulary strategies to construct meaning from the
text. That is a big undertaking for
both students and teachers."
Sharon Vaughn and Sylvia
Linan-Thompson, Research-Based Methods of Reading Instruction: Grades K-3,
2004
____________________
_____________________
Upcoming
Events
March 6~
Maine Reading First Informational Session on DIBELS, Portland
March 7~
Maine Reading First Informational Session on DIBELS, Bangor
March 10~
Maine Reading First Sub-Grant Applications Due
_____________________
_________________________
"The books that help you the most are those which make you
think the most."
Theodore Parker
____________________
____________________
"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket."
Chinese Proverb
|
Spotlight on.
Interactive Read
Aloud
Read alouds are one of the most valuable and powerful
components of a comprehensive literacy framework. Reading
aloud to students is an experience to be treasured and not to be missed if
time runs short. Transforming a read
aloud into an interactive read aloud by engaging the students further
promotes students' comprehension and experience with the read aloud. A read aloud becomes interactive when the
teacher:
·
becomes animated and expressive,
·
invites student participation, and
·
engages students in conversations about the book.
There
are multiple benefits of interactive read alouds. They:
·
promote enthusiasm and enjoyment of literature and reading,
·
expose students to books they would be unable to read independently,
·
build students' oral language, vocabulary, and comprehension,
·
expose students to a variety of genres, authors, illustrators,
themes, writing styles, text structure, and literary language, and
·
provide students with a model of fluent reading.
A
successful interactive read aloud takes time and planning. The following is a list of hints for
success:
·
Carefully select the text and establish a clear purpose.
·
Preview and practice the text before reading it to students.
·
Be enthusiastic while reading.
·
Make connections between the text and students' independent reading
and writing.
·
Make the text available for students after the interactive read
aloud.
________________________________________________________
Description of Instructional Idea.
Getting the Gist
Getting the gist is a
comprehension activity which teaches students how to identify the main idea
(or gist) while reading a text. The
'gist' or main idea involves combining the following information into a
brief, yet complete, sentence:
·
who or what the text is mostly about
·
the most important information about the who or what
This
lesson should begin with teacher explanation and modeling. When introducing the 'getting the gist'
strategy, teachers should use a short piece of text and focus on one
paragraph (or section) at a time.
After explaining the strategy and reading the portion of text aloud,
the teacher asks the students to identify the subject of the text. This information is then recorded on an overhead
transparency or chart. Next, the
teacher asks the students to identify the most important information about
the subject. This information is also
recorded on the transparency or chart for students to see. The teacher then models how to combine both
of these pieces of information into a brief statement of the main idea.
The explanation and modeling section of this lesson
should be followed by opportunities for guided practice where students
practice identifying the main idea with teacher support and feedback. Finally, students should have the chance to
independently apply the process of 'getting the gist' while reading.
______________________________________________________________
Summary of Professional Literacy Text.
Research-Based
Methods of Reading Instruction: Grades K-3
Two reading experts, Sharon Vaughn and Sylvia
Linan-Thompson, co-authored this practical resource book for teachers. Each of the five essential elements of
reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension)
is covered in-depth within separate chapters of this book. Each chapter on the essential elements
includes a definition and description of the research behind it. The majority of each chapter includes many
easy-to-implement instructional activities focusing on the essential
element. The activity descriptions are
clearly explained with objectives, materials, and sequence for
implementation. Each chapter ends with
an annotated bibliography and list of related websites.
Research-Based Methods of Reading Instruction: Grades K-3 was published in 2004 by the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the ISBN is
0871209462.
________________________________________________________
Children's Literature Title.
Thanks to the
Animals
written by Allen Sockabasin and
illustrated by Rebekah Raye
A Passamaquoddy storyteller from
Maine, Alan
Sockabasin, writes a touching story of how animals come to the rescue of a
young boy who is accidentally abandoned in the woods. On the winter migration from the coast to
the woods, baby Zoo Sap falls off his family's bobsled. The forest animals come together to protect
and keep Zoo Sap safe until his father returns for him. The verso page of this book includes
details about the Passamaquoddy language including the Passamaquoddy names of
the forest animals who helped Zoo Sap.
Thanks to the Animals was published in 2005 by Tilbury House
Publishers and the ISBN is 0884482707.
______________________________________________________________
News from Maine
Reading First.
There are still openings.
for the two informational sessions
on the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment
tool which Maine Reading First will host next week. On March 6, a session will be held at
Keeley the Katerer in Portland from 9-12 p.m.
and a session will be held at the Spectacular
Events Center
in Bangor on
March 7, also from 9-12 p.m. More information and the registration
form for these sessions are attached to this edition of Literacy Links.
Save
the date.
The
Maine Reading First Summer Institute is scheduled for June 26 and 27 at the Augusta Civic Center. Stay tuned to upcoming editions of Literacy Links for more details about
this event.
Check it out.
The Pacific Resources for Education
and Learning (PREL) is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission
is "Building Capacity Through Education".
This organization aims to bridge the gap between research and
practice. Numerous publications are
available for download on the PREL website.
PREL has developed a "Research-Based Practices in Early Reading
Series" which includes the following documents:
·
A Focus on Fluency
·
A Focus on Vocabulary
·
A Focus on Comprehension
·
A Focus on Professional Development
·
Assessing Reading
Fluency
PREL
has recently created the "Early Literacy and Assessment for Learning (K-3)
Series" which includes the following publications:
·
Assessment for Learning: A
Teacher's Story
·
Letter Knowledge: A Teacher's Story
·
Print Literacy: A Teacher's Story
·
Word Identification: A Teacher's Story
·
Exploring Comprehension through Retelling: A Teacher's Story
This is
a very limited list of the publications available through PREL. To access their complete list of products,
visit the main website http://www.prel.org/index.asp
and then click products, topic, and reading/language.
Newsletter
Archives
There are several earlier
editions of Literacy Links
available at http://www.maine.gov/education/rf/homepage.htm
|
Edition
|
Spotlight Topic
|
|
March,
2005
|
Maine Reading First
|
|
April,
2005
|
Maine Reading First Course
|
|
May,
2005
|
Reading
Fluency
|
|
June,
2005
|
Vocabulary
|
|
September,
2005
|
Phonemic
Awareness
|
|
October,
2005
|
Phonics
|
|
November,
2005
|
Comprehension
|
|
December,
2005/January, 2006
|
DIBELS
|
|
February,
2006
|
Literacy
Centers
|
|
