Week 7

: Assignment #1- Fluency
Fluency Questions:

*I do not teach now. This is based on personal experience or observations, or what I would do if I were to be teaching.

1.       Text and Materials: Readers (literature books), short books, workbooks, worksheets, words games, songs, poems, short stories.

2.       Vocabulary is selected by appropriate grade level (or slightly above grade level words). In subjects other than ELA, words a chosen based on the topic and lesson they will be learning at that point.

3.       Word Study: I’m not sure exactly-not a lot of time for independent study.  Most of the studying time should be done at home. Obviously, they will practice with these words in school, using word games, flash cards, songs,etc.

4.       Word Study Routines: sight words, songs

5.       Differentiate Instruction: different reading groups, one on one help, modified tests.

Fluency Chart: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-8l5rhQSbMINkJseDlVaWlXQ0E/view?usp=sharing

Assignment 2: Video Segment #1

• How can you ensure that your struggling readers have access to texts they can easily read?

Use books that are familiar to the student. Classroom should have libraries get different books instead all of the same-so many books on diff topics. Make sure that the students’ books are on their own level

• How can you foster a learning environment in which students have many opportunities to practice reading?

Reading groups. One on one coaching.

• Describe ways in which you can model fluent reading in your classroom throughout the day.

Teachers shouldn’t interrupt poor readers during a sentence-otherwise they get used to stopping after every word while they read. After a while, the teacher can discuss the mistake- this trains student to self regulate.

Teacher should read aloud to model fluent reading. – teachers should comment on their reading habits so that students will learn. 

Assignment #3 Video Segment #2

• Explain the three levels of words and how you can use word levels to decide which words to teach

1.     Easy words

2.     Word that are a little bit tricky but appear in every day language.

3.     Words that are learned in chemistry, biology, history,etc.

The first category is easy and the students know. The third category is for the subject teachers to teach. The 2^nd level is what we want to work on.

• How do you teach your students to "chunk" words as a strategy for decoding unfamiliar words? When do you provide this instruction?

First say each part of the word and see if you know what that is and if it can give you a clue to what it is. After a while of doing this, the student can use his 2 thumbs to cover 2 parts of the word and see if they know the uncovered part. If they don’t know that, they can slide their thumbs to uncover a different part.After they get used to that, they will do it in their minds.

• Based on Professor Allington's comments and the classroom examples, what are some ways you might foster word study in your classroom?

You can discuss words that come up in class- whether in a book, a science class or history class. The teacher can teach the students strategies on how to figure out the words themselves, both by reading further and looking at the context, or, chunking the word.