Parental Involvement

Parental involvement is extremely important in a child's reading growth. Children need as much practice as they can get reading. School time is just not enough to teach reading. Each child needs hours of individual help with reading. At the beginning and throughout the school year I will send parents newsletters and e-mails stressing to them the importance of reading with their children. I will also have students and parents complete an at-home reading log. Parents will also be invited to read in class.

Independent Reading

Independent reading is the kind of reading that students do on their own. It is not assigned nor assessed by the teacher. Independent reading is done to gain information or for enjoyment. I believe that it has a great impact on learning and school achievement. Students will be encouraged to visit the library often as well as bring books from home (with my approval). There is a direct correlation between the amount of reading that is not school-related and a child's academic performance. The amount of free reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to growth in vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and general information.

Guided Reading/Small Groups

Guided reading/small group lessons occur when the teacher works with a small group of students to help improve reading. The teacher guides them in reading a particular text. These lessons allow the teacher to work more personally with the students. From doing this lesson, I learned how working with small groups can make a big difference in a child's understanding of text.

Reading Street – Unit 2, Week 5, Day 1

Objectives:
• The students will activate background knowledge about our country, President, and the White House.
• The students will learn vocabulary relevant to “Welcome to Washington.”
Evaluation: Tell how you will evaluate each objective.
• I will examine background knowledge by watching students complete the K of a KWL chart.
• I will observe students complete fill-in-the-blank on powerpoint.

Materials:

• Smart Board
• KWL Chart
• Reading Street Books.

Whole Group Instruction:
1. As a class, we will complete a concept web on the U.S. Government using the Smart Board.
2. I will then allow students to complete the K and W of a KWL chart about the White House and share as a class.
3. We will then examine a power point with the vocabulary words and their meaning.

Independent Activities:
1. Students will do pages 93 and 94 in their Reading Street workbooks.
2. They will then complete the Write to Read activity on page 240.
3. Students will then write a narrative on how they would create their own dream government.


Small Group Plans for Day 1.

Group 1
Title of Text: ”Meet the United States Government”_
Author: Joshua Nissenbaum

Level: on-level

Strategy/Skill Focus:
Developing Concept Vocabulary

Vocabulary(Word Work Focus):
Howling, humble, politics, responisibility, solemnly, vain, Constititution


Extension Activity:
I will have the students create a three column chart with the headings Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. I will then allow students to fill out facts that they have learned about each branch of government.

Group 2
Title of Text: ”A Trip to the Capitol”
Author: Sharon Franklin

Level: Below -Level

Strategy/Skill Focus:
Reinforcing Concepts

Vocabulary(Word Work Focus):
Constitution, howling, humble, politics, responsibility, solemnly, vain

Extension Activity:
I will assign pairs of students do a flow chart about the three branches of government, how they work, and who works in each branch.

Group 3
Title of Text: “The Power of Our People”
Author: Ellen Sutherland

Level: Advanced

Strategy/Skill Focus:
Extending vocabulary

Vocabulary(Word Work Focus):
Amendments, Bi-cameral, compromised, confederation, politics, ratified, representatives, responsibilities, sovereignty, unanimously


Extension Activity:
Students will then work on the “Now Try This” Activity on pages 22-23 of their book.

Small Group Plans for Day 2

Group 3
Title of Text: “The Power of Our People”
Author: _Ellen Sutherland Text Level: Advanced
Group: On-Level

Strategy/Skill Focus:
Extending vocabulary

Vocabulary(Word Work Focus):
Amendments, Bi-cameral, compromised, confederation, politics, ratified, representatives, responsibilities, sovereignty, unanimously

Extension Activity:
Students will then work on the “Now Try This” Activity on pages 22-23 of their book.

Using Reading Programs Effectively

Although certain reading programs are required, such as Reading Street and Accelerated Reader, I plan on using them effectively. This means that I will do as much as possible to make reading a joy for my students. This includes constantly exposing my students to all kinds of different books. Highly effective reading teachers are excellent classroom managers and know how to adopt instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. In my classroom, I will ensure that there is a climate necessary to foster the environment necessary for learning how to read. According to Howard Garner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, there are a variety of intelligences in which individuals excel. Everybody has all intelligences, but to a different degree. It is necessary to have a room that reflects those intelligences. In my reading block, I will allocate time for small group activities, individual reading, one-on-one, read-alouds, and literature stations. The room will be properly structured to make the transition through these stations neat and almost effortless.

Shared Reading

Shared reading is the most interactive reading experience. Student participation is more prevalent here than when doing a read-aloud. I learned from doing this particular lesson that reading lessons can be integrated with English concepts to teach students new things.

I. Subject/Content Area

• Reading/Language Arts

II. Alabama Course of Study

• 4.2-Demonstrate reading vocabulary knowledge, including recognition of a variety of synonyms and antonyms.
• Using context clues
• Reading multiple-meaning words
• Increasing number of sight words

III. Concepts

• Synonyms-different words that have similar meaning.
• Antonyms-different words that have the opposite meaning.
• Homonym-a word that has the same pronunciation and spelling as another word, but a different meaning.
• Homophones-words that are pronounced the same but differ in spelling and meaning.

IV. Behavioral Objectives

• TSW recall what synonyms and antonyms are and give examples of each.
• TSW learn the meaning of homonyms.

V. Evaluation

• I will observe students to see if they are capable of giving the definition of the words ‘synonym’ and ‘antonym’ and see if they are able to give the appropriate synonyms or antonyms in response to the words I give them on the Smart Board.
• I will observe each student to see if they are able to distinguish between homonyms and homophones in the poem.

VI. Materials

• Poem “Dear Dear: A Story of Homonyms and Homophones”
• Smart Board

VII. Teaching/Learning Procedures

1. Motivation

• Ask the students, “Can anyone remember what synonyms are?” Wait for the correct response. “That’s right. Synonyms are different words that have similar meaning.” Write words on the Smart board such as: happy, sad, good, bad, etc. Draw straws and allow students to give you the synonym of the word.
• Ask them, “Can anyone remember what antonyms are?” Wait for the correct response. “That’s right. Antonyms are different words that have the exact opposite meaning.” Write words on the Smart board such as: up, clean, bright, pretty, etc. Draw straws and allow students to give the antonym of the word.
• Today we are going to learn even more about different word relationships. Today we will be discovering homonyms and homophones.

2. Instructional Procedures

• Tell the students what homonyms are by definition.
• Write words on the Smart board that have homonyms such as: bear, bail, etc. Allow students to discuss the different meanings of those words and see if they can think of anymore.
• Tell the students what homophones are by definition.
• Write words on the Smart board that are homophones such as: acts/ax, foul, fowl, pore/pour, etc. Allow students to tell the different meanings of those words and see if they can think of any more.
• Read “Dear Deer: A Story of Homonyms and Homophones”. Allow students to create a list of all homonyms and homophones they see within the poem.

3. Closure

• Review all of the homonyms and homophones in the poem as a class.
• So today not only do we know a lot about synonyms and antonyms, but we also know about homonyms and homophones. What are homonyms? (allow for response) What are homophones? (allow for response)

VIII. Supplemental Activities

• This will be done as a whole group activity so there will be no early finishers.
• Students who desire enrichment will be allowed to draw pictures representing the homonyms and homophones within the poem.
• Students who need remediation will be allowed to work in small groups and given an opportunity to read more about homonyms and homophones within the text.

Read Aloud

A read aloud lesson is a planned oral reading the teacher does before the students. Teachers must keep the children engaged throughout the reading of the text. It is the teacher's responsibility to help the students think bigger than what is obvious in the text. I learned from doing this lesson that students love to make connections with the text. It keeps them engaged and motivated to hear more. When teachers do a good read aloud, students will feel motivated to read the book or story for themselves.

I. Subject/Content Area

· English Language Arts

II. Alabama Course of Study

· ALCOS 2007: Grade 4: Standard 3: Use a wide range of strategies, including distinguishing fiction from nonfiction and making inferences, to comprehend fourth-grade recreational reading materials in a variety of genres.
· Comparing and contrasting to extend meaning.

III. Concepts

· Text-to-Self Connections: connections made between the readers personal experiences and the text.
· Comparing: determining how two or more things are alike.
· Contrasting: determining how two or more things are different.

IV. Behavioral Objectives

· The students will make personal connections with the text by comparing and contrasting the fictional childhood experiences of America’s founding fathers with that of their own childhoods.

V. Evaluation

· I will evaluate their ability to make personal connections with the text by examining their completion of a Text-to-Self Connections T-Chart.

VI. Materials

· John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith
· Reading Journal
· Text-to-Self Connections T-Chart

VII. Teaching/Learning Procedures

A. Motivation

· I want everyone to think about a person you have never met before. That person can be someone who is living or no longer living. It can be your favorite athlete, singer or movie star. It can be the President, any other world leader, or any other famous person; as long as you have never met them before.
· Now I want you to write that person’s name in your journal. Now write one way you and that person are alike. Now write one way you and that person are different. (I will then allow some students to share).
· So now you guys can see how we can be alike and be different from people that we have never met before! Today we are going to read a fictional story (based on some facts) about America’s founding fathers. The name of this book is John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith. In this book we find out how our founding fathers may have behaved when they were children.
· Now I’m going to give you all a Making Text-to-Self Connection T-Chart because we are going to pause during different parts of the story to compare and contrast how we can relate to that character. (Pass out sheets).

B. Instructional Procedures

· Remember guys that we will be comparing and contrasting. To compare means to tell how two or more things are alike. To contrast means to tell how they are different.
· (I will then read about John (Hancock) and allow students to fill in a section of their chart.) How can you compare and contrast his experiences to your own experiences? (I will then share my own personal connections and allow some students to share their own.)
· (I will then read about George (Washington) and allow students to fill in a section of their chart.) How can you compare and contrast his experiences to your own experiences? (I will then share my own personal connections and allow some students to share their own.)
· (I will then read about Ben (Franklin) and allow students to fill in a section of their chart.) How can you compare and contrast his experiences to your own experiences? (I will then share my own personal connections and allow some students to share their own.)
· (I will then read about Tom (Jefferson) and allow students to fill in a section of their chart.) How can you compare and contrast his experiences to your own experiences? (I will then share my own personal connections and allow some students to share their own.)
· I will finish reading the last few pages of the book.
· I will then allow students to use dictionaries or history text books to define vocabulary words and put them into a sentence. (vocabulary listed above)

C. Closure

· So today we learned that we can compare and contrast ourselves with people who we have never met. This is a great tool to use when reading to help us relate to characters within the text.
· What does it mean to compare? (Allow for response and provide feedback.)
· What does it mean to contrast? (Allow for response and provide feedback.)

VIII. Supplemental Activities (Early Finishers, Enrichment, Remediation)

· There will be no early finishers because this is a whole-group lesson.
· Students who desire enrichment will be allowed to complete a Text-to-text connection T-Chart or Text-to-world T-chart with the text.
· Students who need remediation will be allowed to read a book of their choice and do the text-to-self T-Chart.

5 Essential Components

Phonemic awareness is the understanding or insight that a word is made up of a series of discrete (separate) sounds (Blevins, 2006). Phonemic awareness is important to reading success because it helps students learn how to distinguish individual sounds, or phonemes, within words. In my classroom, I will model and teach phonemic awareness using chips, sand boxes, and other methods. I will assess phonemic awareness through my students’ writings. When children write, they produce many of the skills important to reading.

Phonics is the understanding that sounds and letters have a relationship. It is the link between what we say and what we can read and write (Palapiano, 2010). I will teach phonics through my ‘working with words’ segment during the day. This will last approximately 30 minutes of the class time. On Day 1, I will introduce the words and explain how each word works using segmenting, blending, and other methods. I will then enter the words in a word chart. On Day 2, I will use a white board and magnetic tiles to build the phonics pattern words. On Day 3, I will do a word sort to get children to visually analyze the words. When they see the part, they say the part. On Day 4, we will build and write high frequency words using white boards and markers. On Day 5, I will then see if students can apply what I have been teaching. I will assess then using a total of 10 spelling words, 5 of which will be sight words and 5 other words that follow the same pattern.

According to learningrx.com, reading fluency is the power to read quickly and accurately. The more fluent a reader, the more he or she automatically groups and recognizes words. Fluent readers are accomplished at oral reading, which is displayed by smooth and natural expression. Reading fluency is important because it provides a connection between word recognition and reading comprehension. Since fluent readers don’t have to concentrate on decoding the actual words, they can focus their attention on what the text actually means. I will model and teach reading fluency by reading to my students daily. I will provide them with a diverse variety of reading selections. I will assess fluency by using rubrics, times passages, and teacher monitored independent reading.

Phonological awareness is a term that is associated with and includes phonemic awareness, phonics, phonemes, and phonetics (Reutzel and Cooter, 2005). Phonological awareness is important because it lays the foundation for reading. My activities would involve work with rhymes, words, syllables, onsets, and rimes. In my class, I will implement music, singing, and poetry to make teaching this subject fun and enjoyable. Phonological awareness assessment will taken individually and frequently throughout the year. Students can be assessed by seeing if they recognize rhymes, phonemic blends, phonemic segmentation, beginning sounds, and ending sounds. Flashcards, chips, and smartboards could be used for these assessments in place of worksheets.

The alphabetic principle is the knowledge that a specific letter or letter combinations represent each of the speech sounds, or phonemes (Blevins, 2006). In my classroom, I will teach the alphabetic principle using chips, the smartboard, environmental print, and other print. I will assess the alphabetic principle by using flash cards and by allowing students to match letters and sounds. I will say the letter or sound and ask the student to identify the sound it makes and vice versa.