I envision a classroom of engaged, active readers who discover new thoughts and perspectives through books with characters to whom they can relate. I hope to provide opportunities to uncover the pleasure that well-crafted language brings as literacy emerges.
I teach special education at a large high school in southern Oregon.
My students are primarily freshmen and sophomore teenagers who have learning disabilities in the area of reading and writing. Because reading is difficult, pleasure reading is a foreign concept. Approximately half of the student population at my school is living below poverty level and their families struggle financially. Books are a luxury when homelessness and food scarcity are realities, so many of my students missed the early exposure to print that is so critical to the developmental growth periods related to achieving literacy. Despite the learning and behavioral challenges, I have discovered that my students like to read aloud and listen to others read aloud. When we read aloud from descriptive, well written stories, my students become engaged learners and within our discussions they demonstrate the critical thinking skills that are so paramount in the common core learning targets.
My Project
I plan to incorporate regular periods of reading aloud in my English classroom for the purpose of giving my special education students access to stories that will inspire them to become better readers and to build general background knowledge. The books I have chosen are beautifully written, revolve around characters that wrestle with issues to which my students relate, and they include elements of literature that reflect common core learning targets. The language is accessible to low level readers, but the content is interesting for all levels of readers. This allows me to scaffold the lessons in such a way that all students can participate fully in the reading, the discussion, and the follow up activities.
In a educational climate that is charged with increasing demands for high achievement, students with disabilities often focus on their deficits, rather than their strengths.
Meaningful, individualized instruction is essential to the opening of their minds. Through reading aloud, my students broaden their world views and the visions for their futures.
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