Greetings Fellow Readers!
Chapter 6: Helping Readers Build Fluency and Vocabulary discusses my favorite aspects of teaching English Language Arts. Many students across the country struggle with fluency and comprehension. My 8th graders are no exception! However, I absolutely love comprehension and fluency activities. There are so many strategies available that it makes it absolutely fun. I truly believe that fun is the key to taking away the stress and have them learn without realizing it.
This chapter had some great ideas for building vocabulary. I am going to use the vocab-o-gram and knowledge chart. This year my school has a Reading and ELA teacher per grade level. I am the ELA teacher so my entire focus right now is on writing skills in preparation for the 8th grade writing assessment in January. However, my students read an informational article related to each writing topic. I have been searching for quick ways to incorporate the vocabulary piece to increase comprehension and writing abilities. The vocabulary knowledge chart is just what I need to meet this standard.
Fluency is the piece that truly grates on my nerves. I'm just being honest. Hearing students read paragraphs of halting words makes me want to rip out my hair! Thankfully, there are fun ways to increase fluency without putting anyone on the spot. Chapter 6 listed some of the strategies I use: choral reading, reader's theatre, and partner reading. These can be as in-depth as you want to make them. Students become so engrossed that they don't even realize how much they are learning.
My inquiry project is focused on increasing family literacy. Yes, this is a big undertaking. However, by incorporating some of these strategies in family friendly ways can make it possible. By using these strategies I can incorporate them into a literacy quilt, powerpoint, glogster, or prezi. Actually I think a facebook page with pictorial timelines and short explanations will be more engaging for my students.
Happy Reading! :-)
Latasha,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE the topic for your inquiry project. We all know that literacy begins at home at an early age and is reinforced by the family model throughout childhood. It is no secret that the family plays a very large role in the success or failure of a reader's journey. I never would have thought, however, to focus my project on something does not take place within the school building. You have located the one thing, however, that could arguably be more important than anything we are teaching within the schools. :)
Please blog about your class' experiences with the vocabulary strategies that you are going to try out. I am looking forward to your inquiry project!
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