Fluency

Our readings on fluency this week really helped me to understand how useless reading is without the ability to comprehend the words and phrases a reader is taking in. Without fluency  can we even call them readers, considering how essential comprehension is? Without fluency they are unable to read with accuracy, rate or speed, prosody, or comprehension. We as educators must integrate literature and activities that will foster fluency growth in our students. This can be done through reading books that are easier than their individual reading level in order to allow them to grow the comfortability and confidence in coding the words that they may then be able to practice and develop the skills that make up fluency. 

Below are some more activities to enhance fluency development that educators have posted online:

1.Fluency Quilt

These quilts are made with gallon size Ziploc bags and Color Duct tape.  I use the bags without any writing on it. When I teach reading to my First Graders, I want them to recognize the phonics skills and vocabulary in sentence form.  I found that teaching words by themselves can make it hard for some students to apply it to their reading. Instead of putting just spelling words or vocabulary words in my quilt, I use those words in sentences. 

This is a Tic –Tac- Toe game in my Word Work center.  The colored circles you can cut out using construction paper.  Since I have 4 students per center, it is designed for partner teams who can help each other and take turns.  I filled it with sentences using spelling words with short a, i, and o as well as the HFW/vocabulary words we have learned so far.

2. Broken Hearts

3. Fluency Activity Bag

Directions:   Click here (Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file, 199 KB) to download the fluency activities. Print them on cardstock.  Place them in a gift bag and let children select one.  Use that style for rereading big books, charts, poems, etc.   According to research, it is important to reread the same selection three or four times.  With these cards, it will be exciting to “change voices” and do repeated readings.

Hint!:

• Children could also use these when they do buddy reading.

• Place a mirror in your classroom library so children can look at themselves as they reread.  A phonics phone made out of PVC pipe or a tape recorder can also be used to improve fluency

Literacy: A Shared Responsibility

Within the joint position statement article IRA and NAEYC shared that they believe that, "achieving high standards of literacy for every child in the United States is a shared responsibility of schools, early childhood programs, families, and communities." I found this to be an encouraging statement due to our class's previous discussion about who the responsibility to teach children to read fell on left me feeling confused. I had personally placed more responsibility on the family because I hold the belief that the family is meant to be the foundation for the child's growth and development. However, I realize many families are unable or simply chose not to contribute to the educational advancement of the children they are responsible for. This is why the schools, early childhood programs, and communities are needed to step in and share that responsibility. Directly after the previous statement is made, we read "teachers of young children, whether employed in preschools, child care programs, or elementary schools, have a unique responsibility to promote children's literacy development." As I am working towards my goal to becoming a teacher I expect to have this unique responsibility placed on me, however, I doubt I will lose my expectation for families to support their children's development in reading in some way or form, even if that is only possible through encouragement.

In the clip above the Principal shares a method used at his school for involving the families and communities in the development of children within the school. They even share their information in English and Spanish in order to bridge the gap formed by diversity.

I found a great website full of grounded support in sharing the responsibility of the child's development with families and helpful methods for how to do so: http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/family-engagement-a-shared-responsibility

The Importance of Developmentally Appropriate Practices

In our reading this week the main theme that stuck out to me was how important it is to not only follow developmentally appropriate practices in the classroom, but specificallly while developing reading and writing skills in children. When teachers fail to seek out information on these appropriate practices or apply them to their classroom they are failing to give their students the education and support they deserve. Plenty of research has been done to determine what the is developmentally appropriate for various ages and this information is easily accessabile to all teachers. The website: http://www.naeyc.org/DAP  is full of information on these practices and where training can be found. Our article discussing the joint position tied in how important it is for teachers to remember to apply developmentally appropriate practices to growth in reading and writing. I completely agree with what the article mentioned about the need for this position due to the rising standards of literacy. When teachers hold tight to outdated view they often neglect to using appropriate practices and in turn fail to offer the appropriate scaffolding need for children to reach these high standards.
Although these high standards must be kept in mind, the article regarding letting go of "letter of the week" shares with us the risks there are in over focusing on the standardized testings and not the individual growth and capabilities. I was very impressed with the teacher's awareness of Pedro's abilities while she conducted the district assessment. Although Pedro struggled in naming the letters he demonstarated an understanding of letter-sound relationships using the names of his classmates. This tesacher used devolomentaly appropriate practices by expecting and embracing the diversity of her classroom and taking into account the intial range in abilities, experiences, interests, and personalities of individual children.

The articles also discuss teachers that still hold tight to a maturationist view of young children rather than embracing how important an early foundation in literature is to the overall development of the child. The chapter in our book really hit on the crucial understandings essential to building the foundation for success. These early experiences can teach children there is a purpose and joy to reading and writing.