Team
Rationale: When children start
reading fluently, it is important to make sure they are comprehending
what they
read as well. Strategies can be learned and practiced to improve
reading
comprehension. The goal of this reading lesson is to teach
comprehension
strategies to fluent readers, by focusing on reading "jobs" while
working in
reading teams. Group discussion about what they read, will help the
comprehension process.
Materials: Posters that describe the
jobs (Discussion Director, Passage Master, Word Wizard, and the
Connector), dry
erase board, dry erase markers, pen and paper for each group to take
notes,
dictionary, different age appropriate novel for each reading team (The Boxcar Children, by Gertrude
Chandler Warner or Goosebumps by R.L. Stein).
Procedure:
1)
First,
the teacher should
review silent reading strategies with the entire group. "Boys and
girls, tell
me some important things to remember when reading silently. What is
important
about reading silently? That is right, you can read at your own pace
and use
your imagination. Today we are going to practice some strategies you
can use to
read silently and comprehend what you are reading at the same time!"
2)
Next,
show the students the
posters with the different job descriptions, and explain what each
person will
do in the reading team.
3)
It
might be beneficial to
put a paragraph on the board and model the different jobs to the
students.
4)
The
discussion director will
ask the group questions about the chapter and lead a group discussion
about
what they read silently. The passage master will pick a few of his or
her
favorite parts in the chapter, and explain to the group why he or she
particularly liked that part of the chapter. They can ask questions to
the group
such as, "Do you like that part too or is there a part you like
better?" The
Word Wizard is in charge of finding words that they may not know or
have seen
before and explaining their meaning to the group. The Connector will
choose
different parts of the chapter and explain how those parts relate to
his or her
life.
5)
Ask
if there are any
questions before they break into groups. After they are answered, break
the
class into groups of four of similar reading levels. The group's book
should be
assigned according to their reading level and abilities. The teacher
can assign
jobs within each reading team or have each student draw from a jar. The
teacher
will specify what chapter they want the group to read from their
particular
book.
6)
After
they read silently,
they will do their jobs in the group and discuss the book. This is a
great way
to practice comprehension in a fun way.
7)
For
assessment, I will go
around and listen to the group discussion to assure comprehension.
After they
do this one time, I will assign another chapter and have them draw for
a
different job. Each time they do a different job they will write their
thoughts
and the things they brought up for discussion on a loose leaf paper and
turn
them in so that the teacher can see that they are participating and
comprehending the text.
References:
Reading
Genie Website. Lindsay Moseley. Reading
Comprehension Jobs.
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/breakthroughs/moselevrl.html