IWhich strategies are used in the classroom to teach reading? Our classroom literacy instruction consists of speaking, listening, viewing activities, word study, and workshops for reading and writing. On a given day, you might observe one or more of the following strategies in action. In first grade, the use of interactive activities help to reinforce concepts being taught.
Word Study
We have daily oral and written practice with letters and letter sounds, instruction and practice of phonics, spelling, grammar, and handwriting during this time.
Readers' Workshop
~ Reading instruction takes place with the whole class, small groups, partners, and individual students.
~ Development of reading strategies is the focus of this time.
~ Guided reading in small groups or with individual students utilizes leveled books.
~ During the independent reading portion of the workshop, students read just right books - books they select that can be read without help. Our classroom has a wide variety of books and poems for shared reading, posters, magazines, computer activities, and a teacher who loves reading to children and teaching them about reading!
Structure of our Readers' Workshop
Mini-lesson - i instruct the whole class on a skill, strategy, or habit that students need to learn and use during independent reading. A mini-lesson connects to a previous lesson, ongoing unit of study, student work or student experience. The teaching point is stated clearly and demonstrated or modeled. Students are actively engaged in trying out the skill or strategy, watching a demonstration, or planning work out loud.
Independent Reading- students independently read just-right or good fit books they have previously chosen from the classroom library. A portion of the time also may be for partners to read together and/or discuss their reading. Either i, or an assistant teacher/parent, has brief instructional conferences with a few individual students and guided reading with small group(s).
Wrap up/share - this important time is used as a mini-lesson reinforcement, add-on, or to preview a coming lesson. A few students may share a strategy they used in their reading.
Shared Reading
Shared reading allows students to participate in reading material that may be beyond their reading levels. I model a reading strategy to the whole class using enlarged text (ex. Big books, basal anthology story, morning message on chart paper, smart board message). Students all have access to and can interact with the text.
Read Alouds
I read a selection to the class from a book, magazine, poem or other print material for a specific purpose. It's an opportunity for me to model reading fluency and reading/writing strategies. This can be done at any part of the school day:
~ to begin/end the day - intended for enjoyment
~ during a reading mini lesson - to model thinking aloud
~ during a writing mini lesson - to study an author's craft
~ during other content area subjects to support the content area, teach unique features of expository texts, teach children how to apply comprehension strategies when reading in the content areas.
~ during a genre study - read many examples of the genre being studied
~ to introduce an author study - read variety of books by same author
~ to encourage rich conversations about books - whole group share, turn and tell or think/pair/share.
Guided Reading
Guided reading is designed to help students learn how to problem solve increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.
Both assistant teachers or trained reading buddies work with small groups of students reading at similar levels, selects and introduces texts to readers, supports individual students as they read instructional level texts and engages the readers in a discussion after reading.
Students are grouped and regrouped according to ongoing observation and assessment. The amount of support given varies with the reading skill of students in a group. Each child is responsible for problem solving the entire text (or portion of it if reading a longer book) with support as needed.
Reading Conferences
While the children are reading independently, I provide direct instruction to a group of students (guided reading) or to individual students (conferences). These conferences have a certain structure to be effective.
A typical reading conference my look like this:
-I sit by the child, review notes of previous conference, and observe the child as he/she reads.
~ The conference begins with a comment about an observed strength the child shows - a compliment.
~ A skill or strategy that's needed to help improve the child's reading is taught.
~ the needed skill is demonstrated and then the child is given an opportunity to try it on his/her own.
~At the close of the conference, the student is complimented for his/her effort and the teaching point is restated as a goal for the child to work on.
Word Study
We have daily oral and written practice with letters and letter sounds, instruction and practice of phonics, spelling, grammar, and handwriting during this time.
Readers' Workshop
~ Reading instruction takes place with the whole class, small groups, partners, and individual students.
~ Development of reading strategies is the focus of this time.
~ Guided reading in small groups or with individual students utilizes leveled books.
~ During the independent reading portion of the workshop, students read just right books - books they select that can be read without help. Our classroom has a wide variety of books and poems for shared reading, posters, magazines, computer activities, and a teacher who loves reading to children and teaching them about reading!
Structure of our Readers' Workshop
Mini-lesson - i instruct the whole class on a skill, strategy, or habit that students need to learn and use during independent reading. A mini-lesson connects to a previous lesson, ongoing unit of study, student work or student experience. The teaching point is stated clearly and demonstrated or modeled. Students are actively engaged in trying out the skill or strategy, watching a demonstration, or planning work out loud.
Independent Reading- students independently read just-right or good fit books they have previously chosen from the classroom library. A portion of the time also may be for partners to read together and/or discuss their reading. Either i, or an assistant teacher/parent, has brief instructional conferences with a few individual students and guided reading with small group(s).
Wrap up/share - this important time is used as a mini-lesson reinforcement, add-on, or to preview a coming lesson. A few students may share a strategy they used in their reading.
Shared Reading
Shared reading allows students to participate in reading material that may be beyond their reading levels. I model a reading strategy to the whole class using enlarged text (ex. Big books, basal anthology story, morning message on chart paper, smart board message). Students all have access to and can interact with the text.
Read Alouds
I read a selection to the class from a book, magazine, poem or other print material for a specific purpose. It's an opportunity for me to model reading fluency and reading/writing strategies. This can be done at any part of the school day:
~ to begin/end the day - intended for enjoyment
~ during a reading mini lesson - to model thinking aloud
~ during a writing mini lesson - to study an author's craft
~ during other content area subjects to support the content area, teach unique features of expository texts, teach children how to apply comprehension strategies when reading in the content areas.
~ during a genre study - read many examples of the genre being studied
~ to introduce an author study - read variety of books by same author
~ to encourage rich conversations about books - whole group share, turn and tell or think/pair/share.
Guided Reading
Guided reading is designed to help students learn how to problem solve increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.
Both assistant teachers or trained reading buddies work with small groups of students reading at similar levels, selects and introduces texts to readers, supports individual students as they read instructional level texts and engages the readers in a discussion after reading.
Students are grouped and regrouped according to ongoing observation and assessment. The amount of support given varies with the reading skill of students in a group. Each child is responsible for problem solving the entire text (or portion of it if reading a longer book) with support as needed.
Reading Conferences
While the children are reading independently, I provide direct instruction to a group of students (guided reading) or to individual students (conferences). These conferences have a certain structure to be effective.
A typical reading conference my look like this:
-I sit by the child, review notes of previous conference, and observe the child as he/she reads.
~ The conference begins with a comment about an observed strength the child shows - a compliment.
~ A skill or strategy that's needed to help improve the child's reading is taught.
~ the needed skill is demonstrated and then the child is given an opportunity to try it on his/her own.
~At the close of the conference, the student is complimented for his/her effort and the teaching point is restated as a goal for the child to work on.