My
Reading
Journey
By: Susan Grimes
Rationale: In order for
students to become better readers,
they must be able to read fluently and independently.
To be independent readers, students should be
encouraged to read voluntarily. This lesson will promote voluntary
reading by
showing children how to choose books on their own, integrating student
discussion groups into class time, and providing silent reading time in
the
classroom.
Materials:
*List
of
books to present to students. The
following are five suggestions:
Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, by Cynthia Rylant; If You Give A Mouse a
Cookie, by Laura Joffe
Numeroff; Diego
Saves the Tree Frogs,
by Sarah Willso; Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, by Erica
Silverman; and I
Don’t Like to Read!
By Nancy Carlson.
*Scheduled
trip to the library and talk with librarian.
*Copies
of
Reading Journey Passport for each
child. (This is their personal reading
log to be completed over a specified amount of time.)
*Di
And
The Mice and Pen Pals.
Published by Educational Insights.
Procedures:
1. Introduction- We
all want
to become independent readers, but to be independent, we have to like
to read
on our own. This also means you have to
learn how to read on your own. Today we
are going to learn how to choose a book to read on our own, as well as
learn
how to discuss our reading with our classmates, so we can share what we
are
reading and learning.
2. Review
cross-checking- "First,
let’s review how to make sure we are reading what the text actually
says." Using Di and the
Mice,
I will
read the first sentence, "Di likes to run her bike."
"Run her bike? That doesn’t sound
right. Let me read that again. "Di like to ride her bike."
"Yes, that makes much more sense."
3. Discuss choosing
a book
appropriate for each child’s reading ability.
"The first part of beginning to read on our own is choosing a
book. Everyone will not like to same
books, that is why it is important to learn how to choose a book you
think you
will like and be able to read. If you
have a book that is too difficult, you may not enjoy reading as much. We will use the "Two-Finger Rule"
to choose a book.
We are going to read the first page of a book and put up one
finger each
time we come to a word we do not know.
If you have two fingers in the air after you are at the end of
the page,
that book is too hard." I will
model this technique using Di and the Mice.
I demonstrate reading haltingly and stumbling
over three words, raising three fingers.
This book seems too hard. Now I
will try to read "Pen Pals".
I read this slowly and with only 1 error,
raising only one finger. "This book
is better for me to try now because I had less than two fingers in the
air."
4. Discuss content
of the
possible choice. "Not only do we
want to make sure that the book we choose is within our reading
ability, but we
want to make sure we are going to enjoy what we are reading. Sometimes books have a summary on the back
cover. This tells some of what the story
will be about. Other times, we should
think about the topic of the book".
I will show "If You Give A Mouse a
Cookie" and say, "If I am
not
interested in a mouse eating a cookie, I should probably choose a
different
book. Do not only look at the pictures,
remember to read the first page and check the "Two-Finger Rule". I would now do a book talk on the books in
the materials list to spark their interest.
5. I would then
take the class
to the library. I would introduce the
librarian
and allow her to make them comfortable and excited to be there. They will directed to the section where
appropriate books for this class is located.
Arrange for students to come often.
6. During class, I
will
provide time in the schedule for students to have silent reading time
each
day. I will also read during this
time. Students will be paired weekly to
discuss with their classmates about the stories they are reading. This way they can share their excitement with
multiple classmates, perhaps sparking their interest in the book. I will also take time to share a little of my
own readings.
Assessment: The
Reading Journey Passport will serve as the
assessment instrument for this lesson (see attached sheet). Parents will be asked to sign each entry,
thus keeping them up to date with their child’s reading and to provide
some
accountability for the student.
References:
Lesson
referenced: "I Can Read On My Own! By Erin Rice. Breakthroughs, May,
2001. http://www/auburn/edu/academic/education/reading_genie/breakthroughs/rice
Wilson,
P. (1992). Among Non-Readers: Voluntary Reading, Reading Achievement, and
the Development of Reading Habits.
In C. Temple and P. Collins (Eds.) Stories and Readers: New Perspectives on literature int he
elementary school classroom (pp. 157-169).
Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon.
Di and the Mice and Pen
Pals; by Educational Insights.