Week 7
Assignment #2

1. To ensure that struggling readers have access to texts they can easily read, teach should have a wide range of books in the classroom. They should include different genras like poetry, fiction, non-fiction, etc. and there should be books on many different topics available for the students like books on science or history. For struggling readers, what also makes it easier for them besides for books that interest them that was discussed until now by providing such a large variety which include all types of literature, when a child knows the background of the books, it makes it easier for them to read.

2. Teachers can foster a learning environment with many different opportunities for reading by having different reading activates going on. Some examples mentioned in the video were independent reading, partner/coach reading, and read aloud. All these activities give students the opportunity to practice reading in different ways.

3. A teacher can model fluent reading for the class in two ways: having the students read and read aloud by the teacher. When students read, a teacher should not interrupt them after each word they read incorrectly; rather the teacher should wait until the student finishes the sentence and then ask them if what they read makes sense to them. In short, the most effective way for a student to read with fluency is for the student to self-monitor him/herself. The other way a teacher can model fluent reading is through their read aloud to the class. Teachers must be careful not to interrupt themselves while reading because the students will model that and stop when they read. Therefore, it is very important that when the teacher reads to the class they model how to read the way they want their students to read. They should read smoothly, accurately, and with expression. They should have the students recognize how they read so that they learn to read that way as well.

Assignment #3

 

 

1. The three levels of words are familiar words like run, bed, and look, the second are words that appear often bit are more difficult like hurricane, and the third level of words are highly tactual words. Most teachers do not need to teach the first level because they are familiar to the students. The second level of words must be taught by the teacher so students can learn these words. The third level of words do no need to be taught by the reading teacher, but they should be taught by the teacher of the subject that the word is related to. For example, if students come across a highly tactual science word in their reading, the science teacher should teach them what it means.

2. A teacher should provide the “chunking” word strategy when students are faced with unfamiliar words, yet they can make out parts of the word. The way that “chunking” is taught is as follows. A student sees an unfamiliar word. Ask the student to identify the part of the word that they can read. Then, students should read the letters before and after the part that they know. Finally, the students takes all the “chunks” of the word, puts them together, and reads the word as a whole.

3. Professor Allington explained in the video that teachers do not have to make a separate word study lesson as part of the class curriculum. He said that the way to implement word study in the class is from readings and things like that which the teacher is already teaching the class. If in the process of giving over a lesson, words come up, that is the time to throw word study into the lesson. Every little word study lesson derived from other topics of the class curriculum builds up to be many lessons on word study.