"Is there Enough Time?" This is a question I ask myself every day. I have one of those cute ideas from pinterest or another teacher...but do I have enough time to complete it with my students today? I love how this chapter starts out by discussing how we use our time in the classroom. I think a lot of times we don't realize the wasted time.
Although my students cannot benefit from independent reading in the way the text describes, some of my afternoon students get a little excited when I tell them to go read a book for 5 or 10 minutes until it's time to go. They love when I have books out that we have recently read as a group. Now, I know they are not reading words. However, they are learning to manipulate books appropriately and showing each other pictures.
In this age group and ability level, it is more beneficial for me to expose my students to books read aloud. Following read alouds, I ask questions about the story events and characters. It is a priority of mine to find time every day to read at least one story to my students as a whole group.
I agree with your comments that at this age, students are going to benefit most from our time during read aloud. I do though, try to give my students some form of IR in the classroom during interest areas/centers. I think that it is important to expose them to as many books as possible and to at least have them familiar with the concepts of print and be reading for reading when they get to Kindergarten next year.
ReplyDeleteI love how you make it a priority to read a least one book a day with your class Melissa! I try to do the same. I also agree with how important it is to not only read students books, but to have them reading and manipulating books too. These are the beginning stages for the young learners. Reading is a vital part of their learning and the possibilities are endless when we read! Time management is a difficult thing to master as a teacher, but it's all about prioritizing. We have to make sure that we are maximizing our instructional time and making the most of every minute that we have with the children. I also appreciate how much knowledge you have on your students age group and ability level. With this knowledge you can accommodate your students appropriately.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely--they are describing independent reading with an older population, so it might not look the same in younger classrooms--but it can still happen! Like you said, your students might not be decoding words independently yet, but they are still engaging with books in important ways that will lead to vital literacy development. :-)
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