Chapter+14


 * #1 The role of shared reading **// The end of this chapter focused on specific purposes and strategies to teach within shared reading to closely study words together. What were your thoughts on shared reading specifically? What did you read that confirmed the value of this structure in a classroom? What caught your attention regarding the interplay between what print work could be taught in the reading workshop unit and what could be orchestrated during shared reading? (see shared reading examples on p. 301 and beyond) What do you still wonder about shared reading? //

Shared reading can be used to help children think about and explore text. This activity could be a spring board for children to be mentored in how you tackle the print world on their own. During this time you will demonstrate how to get meaning using pictures if a word(s) are challenging. This can be used for a fluency lesson. Also using punctuation. This activity can be replicated by my children. Therefore this can be used throughout the day in different situations. The shared reading would be theme related. Another way to make connections with "other" print.

Margaret Fox

Shared reading has been a mainstay in my classroom because I feel that it is important for children to hear and enjoy quality stories. Up until last year, these stories were read for mainly enjoyment purposes. Last year I started to focus on some aspects of word work while reading. Usually it was a follow-up of work we had done previously in reader’s workshop. I like the idea of giving more focus to some word skills within the bounds of shared reading. I can see myself reading a text to students for pure enjoyment on Monday and using it for a few days to complete some of the activities described on pages 302-303. Two of my favorites are covering a word with a sticky note and having students determine the missing word, later doing so on their own copy, and highlighting words students can add to their growing repertoire of words they can spell correctly. These two ideas sound simple enough to replicate and can have a great impact on both reading and writing.I would love the titles of any first grade appropriate shared reading books to use this year, especially at the start of the year. Stephanie CooperShared reading is also what we do when we read poems. I have several big books of poems that go along with each alphabet letter we are learning. I would usually read it to the class first and then we would read it several times together after that. I would point to the words with a pointer or my finger as we read. I did not go into any of the extra activites, as described at the end of the chapter. However, I am excited to try the post-it note method.As for questions about shared reading, when is it going to be too repetitive? I have such a wide variety of students in my class. I can see that my students on the more emergent end of the spectrum would really benefit from going over it many times. But what about the students who can already read well? Will they get tired of it?Kari Bonnema

Chapter 14 from Bobbi Friend #1 – Shared reading through poetry and songs can be used in classrooms of any level! I have successfully used shared reading with third graders for many years. Typically, the shared reading has consisted of poems and songs that relate to a topic in science or social studies, and are used to teach new concepts and understanding in those curricular areas. Using shared reading has improved my students reading as well. Due to the repetition, the availability of the print and the connections made when words have rhythm and rhyme, I have seen fluency improve in some of my struggling readers. I think that shared reading in the lower grades should be used mainly as a reading strategy, but we need to be certain that we tap into the amazing power of shared reading at any level. The shared reading in our classroom is usually for informational purposes (ie. learning how to have a relationship with the opposite sex, reading a recipe card, managing money, working with time scenarios, social skills lessons, and current news from [|www.news-2-You.com]. Our readings are picture supported, powerpoint presentations, or with minimal picture support. We usually use the simplified version of the text. At the end of news-2-you, there is a writing piece that will ask a question and then my students write a response below that. I will underline the words in the question that they must use in there answer and give an example. I have used the post-it note method before and our students really have fun with it. I also use the strategy of looking at a word, saying it, and then clap spelling it 3 times. I have lots of fun with ELA's which makes it fun for my students. One thing we like to do with our new vocabulary is make up a funny/ridiculous story or a really long sentence. I used to use a lot of rhymes, poems, and songs with my younger group of students and sometimes revert back to those strategies with my older students. I really think shared reading helps students feel like they can be a part of reading even if they are a struggling reader. M.J.

The only shared reading that has ever taken place in my room has been basal related. We would do shared reading where we choral read that week's basal story, and then we would talk about the story in mostly a question/response form. I would work on skills such as main idea, setting, characters, etc. Comprehension would be a constant underlying theme. We would do turn and talks when we were discussing the Response to Reading Questions. The type of teaching that is described starting on page 301, would be done in small reading groups. Then, last year, I did most of the explicit teaching of reading strategies and word work within the text during my conferring, which was primarily one-to-one. I will have to revisit this chapter and see how shared reading as it is described will look in my classroom now that I'm making all these changes. Keri Cooper

I implemented shared reading with much more focus this year and saw the results. My students were engaged in the different lessons each day. Often times, they would receive a copy of the shared text (either a poem, song, or Scholastic News magazine) for buddy or independent reading. Kari B., I have also had that concern about my more proficient readers becoming bored with a text. Since my focus was different everyday of the week with the text, I felt that kept them engaged. Like you Stephanie, I would typically read the text for enjoyment and understanding on Monday. Throughout the week I’d focus on print work, fluency, text features (such as with the non-fiction magazines) and dramatizing/retelling with that same piece. I liked the tip that Calkins gave on page 303 where partners take turns covering a word from the poem while the other matches “the now familiar words with the actual print on the page.” Though I’ve used this strategy of covering words, I haven’t tried that with partners. Stephanie, in the beginning of the year I use Big Books and many familiar nursery rhymes and songs written on sentence strips in a pocket chart (or on chart paper – laminated for future use and to use with dry erase markers). I give each child a copy of the poem / song to put in a 3-ring binder. They read from this binder all year and take it home at the end of the school year. It serves as a great tool for word work and fluency. Sara Sabourin

I try to do a lot of shared reading throughout the day in my classroom. As Bobbi said, a lot of my shared reading may be in relationship to science and social studies topics. We read poetry, do reader's theatre, and do pocket chart activities. I like the ideas shared on pages 302 and 303. When we do shared reading I love to hear the connections that the kids make with the text. They find rhyming words, alliteration, facts, opinions, and word families to name a few. I have an "I CAN READ" folder for each student and we add poems, readers theatre tongue twisters and anything else we practice reading together to it all year. At the end of the year they get to take this home in hopes that they will continue reading it over the summer and beyond. -- Jodee Tuttle

I think I do a lot of shared reading in a whole class setting but I also use it effectively in small groups. I feel it is very important to look together at the same copy of the text when possible and pause and respond at parts that are interesting. I typically have a large copy of a text...a big book, a chart, a poster, or an overhead projection. I usually have the class read in unison, chorally, while I point underneath the words or at the start of the line to keep the class together. My students benefit from hearing the other readers and/or me around them reading while they read. This connects to fluency and expression while reading. With the specific skills taught during this time helps to teach them about words and print, new strategies and revisited strategies. Ronda

// . // // Assuring strategy ownership is an area I don't think we spend enough time on. That's why I'm part of this study. I have been pushed to reevaluate my deliverance of strategies. Being more aware of my students needs through a variety of teaching techniques using the Reading Workshop architecture will be my driving force. Giving students time during different times of the day to practice the strategies taught that day. Then I can assess their ownership. // // Margaret Fox﻿ // //﻿// Chapter 14 from Bobbi Friend #2 – When students are beginning readers, they need to have strategies to use when they attend to print. Teachers demonstrate these strategies through a variety of teaching techniques that are used as needed for individual students. Teachers can use mini-lessons, shared reading, conferences, guided reading sessions, and strategy lessons. The typical mini-lesson is used as a whole class instructional strategy that all students will need to be successful readers. Shared reading is another whole group teaching technique that can be used for teaching a variety of skills. The conference is used to meet the needs of individual students, partners, small groups, or tables. The conference can take many forms from a compliment conference to a strategy conference. Guided reading sessions occur with a small group of readers who are joined together for a specific purpose. Strategy lessons are usually taught to a small group of readers as well. Teachers need to use the structure for teaching students as individuals in order to support their use of new strategies. By choosing the appropriate strategies to teach our students as well as the best way to present these strategies, we can scaffold each of our readers as individuals, improving their reading skills and confidence.
 * #2 Assuring strategy ownership **// Reflect on the ways Kathy Collins worked to assure that the proficient reader strategies she taught actually became a part of each child’s repertoire. “Children can watch us deliberately demonstrate the strategies proficient readers use to deal with the difficulties we encounter when we read, but this alone isn’t enough. The important thing is that children need to begin using these strategies themselves to get over the bumps in their reading.” //// Comment on specific ways Kathy scaffolded the strategies she taught into each student’s individually owned bank of strategies. Please also feel free to add any ways you bolster student ownership and application of print strategies //

It’s essential that we teachers observe kids closely to find out what strategies they come up with on their own or are using after a conference or mini-lesson. These observations serve as great teaching points. Whenever I can highlight the smart work a child did as Kathy did on pages 295-298, the more meaningful it is. That experience is an anchor for students’ learning. I’ve also written strategies down like Kathy did on page 298. However, I’d write them on large index cards with an illustration if possible and the child who I noticed doing this. I could then tack the cards to the bulletin board. As certain strategies were no longer the focus of our work, I could remove the card and add others. If we needed to revisit a lesson, I could easily bring the card back out to refer to.

Sara Sabourin

Based on the idea of ownership, the examples encourage ownership. The list of popular reading strategies that honor the offerees is helpful. An assessment that has students site other students strengths. This celebrates their ideas and spreads the good ideas to others. I used a similar technical—when students under my gacilation came up with a Reading Rubric for Individual Reading. KDN

It is very important as a teacher to decide how much support to give each child when they are practicing. The teacher needs to coach them at their level. Kathy uses picturing the story in their mind, post-its and partner talks to help individuals move towards more indendent readers. I eventually want each child to use strategies successfully without much prompting. Children should take these strategies and use them on other books until they develop proficiency. Ronda

I loved how practical all the advice was in this chapter. A few helpful tips I will use are as follows:- p. 292-293 - Having pre-filled bags of books, all of a certain level, for kids to pick from a bin. This seems to be a great idea for several reasons. 1) Once you have determined what level a child is at, you can help them continue their progress, but yet still give them a variety of books to read2) Also, for simplicity, the kids know what level to return their book bag to, once they have read them ** Another interesting note, it said on the top of p. 293, that the classroom library should have at least 100 books for each of the first 3 groups of books. Wow! That's a lot of books! **** - p. 294 and following- Discussing ways to stategize and figure out words- I found the section on "up hill, down hill, and flat road" books to be a good analogy. I also want to make a big copy of the chart of p. 298 to hang in my classroom. It will be similar but I will also put little pictures up on it. **** Kari Bonnema **
 * #3 Helpful specifics? **// This chapter provided multiple specifics regarding explicit print work in reading workshop (and beyond) in the form of: //// a.) suggested steps to move through in certain weeks of the beginning of the year (p. 288-298) //// b.) previews of what different readers may need based on categories of experience (p. 290-29`) //// c.) ways to structure reading workshop when you have a mix of emergent and conventional readers and the organizational challenges that may arise during this transitional time (p. 291-293) //// d.) and the specific strategies to teach when students begin attending to print (p. 294 +) //// How did these specifics help you envision the practical ways to “keep the plates spinning” when working with early readers? What stood out to you as a sensible progression or a helpful tip? Did you find assurance in these pages that it can be done and done well for each reader as they transition into conventional early reading? What do you want to know more about regarding teaching the print work of early reading? //

I am encouraged by this section of the book (page 294) because it offers helpful strategies for teachers in a specific area to better serve our ermerging readers. (i.e. "Readers, we know we look at pictures and they help us think about the story. We think, 'What could it say? What would make sense?" "Are there rhyming words? Is there a pattern? Is it a list book?" "When we point at a word, we look at the first letter and get our mouths ready to make that sound." Matching students with books, shared reading, conferring, guided reading sessions, and strategy lessons are so very important when teaching reading. I will be more cognizant of these factors before, during, and after our reading time. M.J.

// Here is a place to post other ideas and burning questions from chapter fourteen, if any. (Remember, a high-quality comment in this bottom section does still count toward your total comments. So anytime the posts for a certain chapter don't speak to you and your thinking, feel free to share your own ideas from the text here...) // **

As I'm reading and re-reading this chapter, I'm trying to find ways to incorporate the shared reading into my day. I'm also concerned with the fact that I don't do enough poetry in my classroom. I'm wondering if I can combine the shared reading and poetry aspect? I am a second grade teacher. Is second grade, too high of a grade level to add nursery rhymes, songs, poems, etc.? I like the idea of giving each child a copy of the shared reading to have in a folder or binder. Does it have to be an entire story? Could it be a favorite paragraph or two of a read aloud story? Hmmmm??? Does anyone have any thoughts on the questions I've posed. Would love to hear them. Thank you! Keri Cooper

Keri C., I give my students a 3-ring binder in which they place poems and songs and sometimes short passages (such as a silly story we create based on a spelling pattern we’ve studied). This is often times our shared reading. They reread these for fun, fluency, and print work. I learned about this idea from the second grade teacher with whom I student taught. I don’t remember if she used nursery rhymes in second grade, but I do in first. It is good to use those especially in the beginning of the year to build kids’ confidence. I like your idea of copying a page or paragraph of a favorite story. I know it’s a great collection my students take home at the end of the year and hopefully go back to reread over the summer J.

Sara Sabourin

Helpful insights fro me were found of P288-289. Bulleted points help me quickly be quickly be reminded of important points. Again p298 is where reading students lay out strategies. I have found this to be more powerful than most reteaching by the teacher. P 300-301 has 2 other examples by students and a teaching chart. I like the example of how the principal aided the staff in their work—that is so rare in my experience. KDN