Teaching Children How to Read - Report Example

Literacy Project: Teaching Children How To Read Student name Course name Institution Date of submission Student Number Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Cycle 1 3 Identification: 3 Reflection 4 Planning 4 Acting 4 Analysis 4 Cycle 2 5 Identification 5 Reflection 5 Planning: 6 Acting 6 Analysis 6 Cycle 3 7 Identification 7 Reflection 7 Planning 8 Acting 8 Analysis 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Balanced literacy projects consists of the reading, speaking, writing, listening, visually and viewing skills in a manner that increases student’s proper skill development (Keefe & Copeland, 2011; Frey et al., 2005). This project aimed to develop recognition and phonics skills along with the day-to-day writing, in addition to the quality of reading. Such strategies and skills necessary for effective reading have to be developed in proper content areas (Williams, 2007). Accordingly, children acquired skills in range of ways that enable them to respond to text, through visual representation of their experiences and writing. An underlying goal of such projects is to make sure that there is no single dimension of reading that is emphasized at the detriment of the other. Indeed, according to Pollard et al. (2006), the literacy projects in classrooms should be balanced to ensure effective reading of common texts, acquisition of key reading strategies, assisted reading and literature circles, as well as reading independent reading. The rationale for this project is to promote student’s literacy development in English as a second language (ESL). The student is called Peter (not his real name). He is Chinese boy aged 17 years old. While his literally skills are satisfactory, he is a second language learner and faces problems with his vocabulary. Cycle 1 Identification: I relied on the book called “Mao’s Last Dancer” to identify his literacy skills. While reading the book, Peter had difficulty assimilating and processing vocabularies. I talked to the student regarding his difficulties in reading. He consented to be assisted in improving his literacy skills. Reflection In my opinion, Peter appeared to be uninterested in reading English texts. In fact, he let me read the texts, as he was scared of the vocabularies. In fact, his mind appeared to wander off most of the time. As I also read, he remained quiet and unmoved. From the outset, I believed that he was not motivated to read. Planning Since the student appeared to be interesting in dancing and pop culture, my observation was that selecting a book with some association with pop culture would move her. I selected the book "Mao's Last Dancer." The cultural aspects of the book were also a factor. I believed that since the book had some Chinese cultural aspects, it would motivate the student to indulge himself in reading mechanically. Acting The reading session took place in a classroom. The interaction was on a one-on-one basis. After making sure that he was comfortably seated at my side, I read the first three paragraphs in the first chapter. I then asked him to carry on. My role was to be an observer. Analysis The balanced programme can help examine how the student reads to get meaning, command of words, writing, and lastly fluency drill (Iaquinta, 2006). When the student was in the process of attempting to complete his last paragraph, I re-started reading aloud to him for nearly 15 minutes. Reading aloud was specifically interesting to the student. For instance, it appeared to have taken pressure from him, as he appeared to hate reading although he was eager to read the book. I observed that he was not a perfect reader and that he did make several mistakes and even stumbled while reading. At any rate, reading aloud appeared to have motivated him to read independently. The book “Mao’s Last Dancer” appeared to be uninteresting to the reader. After the read aloud session, I initiated shared reading. Using this strategy, I read to the student but it appeared that he was not following along. The next session entailed comprehension activities. The student read aloud while I asked him questions as we discussed the story and some characters in the book. The student was able to describe the events in the story. This showed that he had been following. Cycle 2 Identification As evident from Cycle 1 results, the student has several challenges. I observed that he had some success in reading passages. However, he had extreme difficulty in vocabulary identification. He also lacked confidence with his reading. His independent reading was unsatisfactory. He made efforts to sound out words, by uttering letter for letter, which made her to stagger in his reading. Reflection Consistent with the challenges Peter faces in reading, I believe that the right strategies (teaching sight vocabulary and Dr Kaye Lowe’s paired reading strategies) would improve his reading skills. Generally, I noticed that he loves reading, although he is a slow learner. While the words were quire basic, he was good in the comprehension. For these reasons, I believe she does not necessarily have learning difficulties in English. However, he has problems with vocabularies. In fact, I believe he may just not be engaged. It appears that the student (Peter) is good in reading but has problems in assimilating and processing vocabularies. Planning: I carefully planned my session with the student. Since Peter appears to be good in English, I decided to use a book written in English called “Mao’s Last Dancer.” However, since he had earlier showed indifference to the book. I took him to the library and presented him with an opportunity to select high interest books. The intent of the book is to assist him to enhance his literacy skills outside the classroom. The strategies used included one-on-one reading, organising for reading programmes at the library, organising for guided reading sessions and home reading programs, organising for writing workbooks, setting up time for customised reading programs and lastly, setting up time for reading pre- and post-assessments. I also developed and organised for language tools. Acting The paired reading session was conducted within an empty classroom setting. Analysis By struggling to read vocabularies, Peter experiences phonological processing difficulty. He, therefore, had limited access to visual patterns or a stock of words whenever he reads. Hence, use of frequency words would be appropriate. As the National Educational Psychological Service (n.d.) explains, high frequency words consist of words occurring frequently inside a text. For the case of Peter, the focus will be on the frequently occurring vocabularies. The significance of these words is that they assist learners to enhance their fluency, leverage context clues, as well as to focus more on comprehending the vocabularies rather than concentrate on decoding (Alberta Education, 2008). The high frequency vocabularies are likely to have irregular spelling patterns. For Peter, when he sounds out these words, it may appear futile, as well as frustrating. This is since as a struggling reader, he reads relatively less. He also has minimal exposure to print and spends much of his time playing computer games. Therefore, he has inadequate sight of vocabularies. Roekel (2008) explains that the more student with vocabulary problem reads, the greater the prospects of the student recognising the occurring vocabularies much frequently and, therefore, automatically. Hence, high frequency vocabularies should be taught to Peter to the level of automaticity. Cycle 3 Identification Peter does not necessarily have learning difficulties in English. Rather, he has problems with vocabularies. He is also not engaged. Peter is good in reading but has problems in assimilating and processing vocabularies. He also poorly comprehends what he reads and seems to be reading to finish and please me rather than understand. Reflection In my views, to increase Peter’s reading skills (vocabulary and comprehension), he would have to be motivated first to read frequently, as this will help him gain self-confidence and engagement. I believe that a five-day intervention with Peter in a small group of four students, as well as individually for a 30-minute time block would be effective. I believe that Tovani’s Fix-up strategies can improve his comprehension level. Planning I supplied the models that facilitate thinking aloud and talking aloud. I also set up time for undisturbed silent reading. Afterwards, I arranged for reading partners, for partnered reading or guided reading in small groups. I believe that teaching sight vocabulary and Dr Kaye Lowe’s paired reading strategies would be appropriate for his situation. This would be supplemented with Tovani’s Fix-up strategies. Acting I involved Peter in a five-day intervention with the assistance of small group of four students, as well as on individual basis for a 30-minute time block. The instruction consisted of directed reading, recognition of vocabularies and thinking strategies to increased Peter’s fluency by relying on shared reading. I promoted his motivation by asking him to select the kind of literature he would like to read. I found that Peter became interested in picking his own books. I also selected books with frequency occurring vocabularies. These mainly consisted of books with rhyming words, particularly poetry. He went for non-fiction books. Again, I encouraged him to predict ahead of reading a text. This motivated him to read. I also asked him to write down the frequently occurring words, which he did. This individualised criterion was effective, as he begun to practice the vocabularies he identified in his speech. Again, reading in small group provided Peter with enough time to assimilate and even process the texts he worked on alongside the four other students. He practiced phonic skills, which were effective, as they allowed him to understand vocabularies. Additionally, he developed the tendency to summarize and reflect on what he understood along with other students. In doing this, he began to read with ease. I also observed that he increased the ownership of his own reading growth, as well as kept a collection of his reading materials, mainly the books. I kept a record for assessment to discuss individually with Peter at the end of the session. The individual basis for a 30-minute time block involved the use of Tovani’s fix up strategy, whoch suggests that whenever meaning disintegrates, readers have to repair it. However, since Peter does not seem realise that meaning disintegrates whenever he reads, he had to be taught ways of monitoring his comprehension. Hence, I modelled the the fix-up strategies, enabled Peter to apply them, and assisted him on monitoring his comprehension. I believe that just telling him that he does not get the meaning without teaching him on how to get the meaning cannot improve his comprehension problem. Based on Tovani fix-up strategies, I used directed explanations and guided practice to teach Peter how to make a connection between the text and knowledge of what he knows in real life. Tovani's strategies suggest that good readers connect knowledge that they read to personal experiences or information of the subject. I encouraged him to predict what should come next in the text by asking him to think about what he has already read and what he thinks should follow. According to Tovani's strategy, when readers think about other things that they have read, they get to anticipate what should happen. By predicting, they gain knowledge of what's happening. I often asked him to stop and meditate on what he is reading. Analysis Paired reading on a one-on-one basis and small-group reading sessions both proved to be effective. Indeed, Randle (1984) comments that when it comes to readers who struggle with vocabularies, providing them with reading sessions in small group settings or even offering them individualized tuition is highly effective compared to the larger groups. According to Connor et al. (2014), small-group intensive instruction or individualised tuition through a specialist in reading is critical when handling difficulty in reading. He added that small-group intensive instruction might have the same level of efficacy compared to the one-to-one model with a competent teacher. Connor et al. (2014) also emphasised that small teaching groups may be effective when they are made up of between four to five students, in spite of the fact that non-teachers provide instructions. This is compared to in-class model, which is not effective in promoting the failing readers’ achievement. Peter showed improvements in his engagement level and comprehension. Conclusion Peter faces several challenges. While the words were quite basic, he was good in the comprehension. While he does not necessarily have learning difficulties in English, he has problems with vocabularies. He is not also engaged. The two strategies used, mainly teaching sight vocabulary and Dr Kaye Lowe’s paired reading strategies, proved effective in motivating him to read more frequently in order to improve in his vocabularies, as well as to assimilate and in processing words much faster. References Alberta Education. (2008). Alberta Education Cataloguing In Publication Data. Supporting Literacy Learner. Retrieved: Connor, C., Alberto, P., Compton, D. & O'Connor, R. (2014). Improving Reading Outcomes for Students with or at Risk for Reading Disabilities: A Synthesis of the Contributions from the Institute of Education Sciences Research Centers. National Center for Special Education Research Frey, B., Tollefson, N. & Pass, L. (2005). Balanced Literacy in an Urban School District. Journal of Educational Research, 98 (5), 272-280. Iaquinta, A. (2006). Guided Reading: A Research-Based Response to the Challenges of Early Reading Instruction. Early Childhood Education Journal 33(6), 413-417 Keefe, E. & Copeland, S. (2011). What Is Literacy? The Power of a Definition. Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities 36(3), 92-99 National Educational Psychological Service (NEP). (n.d.). A Good Practice Guide for Teachers. Retrieved: Pollard, M., Sheets, J. & Hadden, J. (2006). Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) Literacy and Language Arts Research Review. Retrieved from: Randle, S. (1984). An Effective Adolescent Literacy Program: Two Case Studies Of Adolescent Non-Readers. Retrieved: Roekel, D, (2008). English Language Learners Face Unique Challenges. NEA Policy Brief. Retrieved: < http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/ELL_Policy_Brief_Fall_08_(2).pdf> Williams, J. (2007). Teaching the Revolution: Critical Literacy in the College Reading Classroom. Teaching the Revolution Read More