Last summer, I attended a week-long training which expanded my notion of teaching reading. The main focus was teaching reading through highly engaging books that captivate the imagination. I would like to add these big books to my classroom collection.
I teach twenty-two students in an urban school where there is a high level of linguistic, academic, and cultural diversity as well as an overall eagerness to learn.
Most of my students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. They see school as a safe place where they can rely on predictable routines and a lot of exciting learning. Their hard work motivates me to seek out the very best for them.
My Project
There are many different components included in a first grade reading program. I read books aloud to the students, they read independently, they read with older buddies, and they listen to books on CD, among other strategies. Reading big books together is yet another kind of reading called shared reading. The books are familiar favorites- oldies but goodies that the students have heard over and over again and can recite. I hold a pointer and we all read the words together. This helps them learn sight words, and build confidence and fluency. I would like to expand my puny collection of big books and incorporate them into my reading instruction more effectively.
Students love to hear familiar books, especially at the beginning of the year.
In addition to me reading the books aloud and the students reciting the books with me, we can use the books as a book center where partners can go to read and discuss their favorite parts. I look forward to these big books being used for years to come by many classes of students. Thank you for supporting my teaching, our classroom, and public education!
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