Shared Readings: Modeling Comprehension, Vocabulary, Text Structures, and Text Features for Older Readers
“Shared reading is a generic term many teachers use to describe a range of classroom activities, including echo reading
(students echoing the words aloud after the teacher reads), choral reading (students reading aloud while the teacher reads aloud), or cloze reading (teacher reads aloud and pauses periodically for students to fill in the missing word”
This article was a great tool for understanding ways to better students’ reading. I related a lot of the things we do in class to some of the strategies I read. Dr. Frye uses modeling frequently during class, especially during our poetry unit. Modeling something can give students a “how-to” for the lesson or activity as well as an example of what the teacher expects. Shared reading can focus on a number of things. It can model the way students should be thinking as they read, can focus on comprehension questions, formulate predictions, as well as other important tasks while reading. Children really need to realize that speed reading isn’t as important as they think. If they slow down and actually think about what they’re reading, their comprehension and reading skills could improve. I am really glad we’ve learned about this. I hope to practice these in student teaching and become an expert by the time I start my career.
Integrating Instructional-Level Social Studies Trade Books for Struggling Readers in Upper Elementary Grades
This article really caught my interest because I am currently interning in a 5th grade classroom, while the students are reading Sign of the Beaver. Just like the opening scenario of this article, some of the students in my classroom are not on grade level like others are. My teacher actually has groups of students reading different books because of their diverse levels. I think this is an excellent idea! It doesn’t single anyone out nor does it embarrass anyone because they are all in groups working on their assigned book as a team. It doesn’t make any sense to force students who aren’t at a certain level to read the same books everyone else reads. I agree that teachers can find related books on different levels for his/her students. “As educators, we need to challenge these negative factors by appropriately pacing low
readers through instructional-level material of high literary quality”. This quote caught my eye the most from the article. There are tons of ways to keep students “caught-up” with the same material, but on different reading levels.
Poetry readings
I absolutely LOVED Love That Dog by Sharon Creech! I felt very connected to the boy, the narrator, because one of my dogs also died a few months ago 
. I loved that you could follow his emotions and writing improvements. It was also hysterical during some places. For example, when he writes a letter to Walter Dean Myers and he keeps saying how clean his school was. The teacher in this book was also a strong character, although she did not have any dialogue. Jack would mainly speak to her in his journal writings and respond to what she would ask him. His teacher seemed to understand how children will learn to love poetry and writing o their own if they are given positive environments.
All the small poems and fourteen more by Valerie Worth is a great read for kids beginning a poetry unit. I remember reading the “Sidewalk” poems in elementary school which were simple, and fun poems about random things. This reminded me a lot of those. The poems in this book are easy to read and understand, a great way NOT to scare kids with poetry!Very inspiring for children.
Brown Angels by Walter Dean Myers is a very interesting and unique book. The photographs give the poetry another dimension that might not have been grasped otherwise. I really loved how the photos match perfectly with the poems. The feelings sync the two together very nicely. WDM was very clever to do this and I think children would really like reading these sweet and simple poems.
2 important things…
Flowers bring a smile to my face no matter what. I’m not the best at growing them…but I try.
Earrings are my secret addiction. Nothing completes a wardrobe like a fancy pair of earrings. Diamonds and crystals are the best because they sparkle.
History of “Nicole”
My name is pronounced “ni-KOL”…or if you are french, its pronounced “nee-KOL” which seems to make it a little more fancy! Its origin is french and greek. It is a feminine form of Nicolas, which is from the Greek Nikolaos, a compound name composed of the elements nikē (victory) and laos (the people): hence, “victory of the people.”It was ranked #8 in popularity in the year 1987 (when I was born). My name was most popular through the 1970-90′s. Before then, ‘Nicole’ was very uncommon.
Here are some famous Nicoles…. :Nicole Kidman-actress, Nicole Richie- “famous for being famous”, Nicole Parker- actress, Nicholle Tom-actress, Nikki Reed-actress.
Some nickmames include: Nicki, Nika, Nic, Cole, Coli, Colie, ColiBear, NikkiNikkiNiNi, Nickster, Nicoli, Nickaaaaay…. I have gone by “Nicki” for almost my whole life…I think Nicole sounds a little more mature and professional so I’m trying to make the switch.
HOT Blogging
Allowing students to post their work on an internet blog can be beneficial for the classroom as a whole. The four types of questions that a teacher can give to students really allows for higher levels of thinking for assignments or readings. Asking or clarifying questions, writing about first impressions, summaries, and connections can make for great topics of discussion as well as allowing the students to truly engage in their schoolwork. Giving the students freedom to write what they believe to be important is also vital in keeping their attention. Using a class blog should also give students flexibility to “hot blog” their interests or write about things in their lives. This teaches creative writing and can also work on their fluency skills. When students write about topics of their choice, it can allow them to create opinions of real world issues. I believe this is a great idea and I cannot wait to use it in my classroom.
Notebook Know How
I really believe that the idea of a notebook is a great way to encourage writing in the classroom. I remember having one in grade school and it felt like a very personal way for me to write. I have never been a great writer, but there is something special about having a notebook. It’s like having a personalized journal that can keep track of your writing and the progress you’ve made. Aimee Buckner seems to really explain how these notebooks can be fun for students and can be an everyday escape from the mundane tests and assignments. I am really excited to learn more about writing workshops and how to implement them in the classroom. I am also pretty excited about having a writing notebook of my own!
