In order to achieve full points under ‘Engagement/Participation’ you need to be sure to address all of the Guided Response criteria for each peer response.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. RESPOND TO THE PEERS RESPOND TO PEER 1 THEN TO PEER 2. THE LAST RESPONSE IS A QUESTION FROM MY TEACHER PLEASE ANSWER THIS ONE TOO.

When responding to your peers in such a way that is directed to their initial posting,

(This above is what the teacher expects when responding to peers. Below is the Guided Response criteria in which is very important an has to be addressed) 

WHAT IS UNDERLINED IS IMPORTANT 

Guided Response:

1.

2.  

Here are some of the other approaches

Modeling fluent reading

Read, Re-read, Repeat

Echo/Choral Reading

Phrased Reading

Reader’s Theater

IN THE PEER’S POST I WILL UNDERLINE THE APPROACH THEY USED

PEER 1

How can you incorporate this idea into your classroom?

Echo reading requires students to repeat back to the teacher every word that I read, and Choral reading is when the class as a whole reads the chosen literature as a group in unison. I will incorporate such ideas in my classroom when it comes to reading stories, books, poems and even core subject problems that we may be working on as a class. By using such methods this allows me as an educator to see if my students are paying attention and if they truly understand what is being taught.

What signs will you look for to indicate that this approach is improving fluency?

Signs I would look for are the emphasis on punctuations, the rhythm in the way I read it and how they repeat it back to me. The accuracy in words recited, and lastly seeing if they truly understand what I am trying to teach, and why I am teaching them using this method.

How can you encourage and support parents to use these fluency strategies at home?

Encouraging parents is a task in itself, but if parents can get on the same page as the teachers and read on a daily basis with their children this would also improve fluency. This could be effective with sight words and small books that they read together, the children can echo what their parents read, and then they can choral together as family everything that they echoed from the books, and also with sight words.

PEER 2

How can you incorporate this idea into your classroom?

There are several ways that I would incorporate fluent reading within my classroom.  One thing I would do is post sight words, and the alphabet around the classroom. I would switch the words up throughout the year to help them with expanding their vocabulary, and learning of new words. I would read, with confidence, picture books of high interest to me and my students, and then make sure that these books that I have previously read are easily available to the whole class (Coats, 2013, sec. 9.2). There will be a classroom library and books will be made accessible to my students. Having the classroom library will encourage them to read or choose their favorite books for independent reading. They will be able to use the words from the walls to help them with reading their books.

I believe it is important to have books that are developmentally age-appropriate and that are guide levels which is based on each student’s individual reading ability. With level books, the children will have the opportunity to read aloud, after I have read the story, and take turns reading sentences on the pages. Based on each child’s individual reading level, then they will be placed in guided reading groups to be able to read together. Maybe twice a week, I will place my higher readers with lower readers to help model fluency with the children. During this time the students will take turns reading their leveled books to one another. The highest-level book will be read by a student who is not as fluent, with the help of the more fluent reading student.

I love the idea about giving a child an audio book that they can use to follow along with the story. The students will have the opportunity to record their reading and hear themselves develop as readers. There is a program that my daughter’s teacher uses called RazKids. It is an excellent reading program that I hope to use in the classroom with my students.  Students use can it online and through a learning app. The children can pick from several books that are based on their reading level. They have the option to have the books read to them and the words are highlighted so they can follow along with the story. The students can read stories to themselves on this learning website too. After they complete the story, there is a quiz they must take to check their comprehension. The app provides them with Lexile scores and the children get reading goals they must reach. Once they reach their goals, the teacher could provide a treat to encourage reading.  The important aspect is when it comes to becoming a more fluent reader is reading, re-reading, and repeating until you get it. The more practice children have the more confident they become with reading.

What signs will you look for to indicate that this approach is improving fluency?

Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression and comprehension. A fluent reader is not one that just reads fast and correctly, they need to be able to comprehend the material that they are reading. What I would do is have the child take a book home, which is on their reading level, and record themselves reading it for the first time. Then I would have the child practice reading the book for a day or two. Have them come back to school and record themselves reading the book again. Then I would listen to the recording by myself to note their improvement, and then have the child listen to. I will also do this individually with the student, without recording them reading. I love the idea that the student can hear their reading improvement because it gives them confidence to keep working hard toward their reading goal.

As a teacher, I would look for signs of improvement by having each child read books that are on their level, and score them on the number of words they read correctly for one minute. I can use their reading scores to monitor their progress over a long period of time. Observing the students by the more words they can read per minute will allow me to see their reading progression. This will allow me the opportunity to move the students reading levels up as they improve. I will watch for signs of language issues, comprehension of words and the reading of the story. This is an important part of fluency so after having the student read a book to me, then I would provide an open-ended discussion about the book; different events in the book, characters, conflicts, and other elements that are important to know when learning to read. When students begin to understand what they read, they will start to understand the vocabulary and the correct way the words are used and pronunciation.

How can you encourage and support parents to use fluency strategies at home?

I am glad that modeling fluent reading was this week’s discussion, because my middle daughter struggled with learning to read. We spent most of her first-grade year reading and rereading as many books as I could find to make her a confident and fluent reader. I still have my children read every day for at least twenty minutes. I would encourage parents to do the same, because it helps your child with their language development, comprehension, and expands their vocabulary. This will help get parents involved in their child’s reading process as well as their education. I would also provide book bags based on the child’s reading level that they could take home and read to their parents. Encouraging parents to be involved in their child’s reading progress and helping them select books for their child to read is important. When their child has correctly read all the books in the bag, then I add new ones.

I encourage parents to use RazKids or ABC Mouse for their children at home. These learning apps will help their child with achieving high reading scores. A newsletter would be sent home to the parents to remind them about the importance of modeling fluent reading and building their child’s confidence. The newsletter would provide parents with suggested children books, learning apps and online reading resources. Some games I suggest that parents can use to help children with their reading is Scrabble or Wheel of Fortune to help with increasing their vocabulary and spelling.

Remind parents to point out key words when reading with their child. Have discussions with their child about the book after it has been read, to better their comprehension and understanding of the words. A list of sight words would also be sent home for children to practice reading and writing.

RESPONDING TO THE TEACHER

Music also promotes fluency; second and third graders enjoy folk music and learning about musicians and musical instruments and styles. Music is important for a child’s development because it’s very helpful with early math skills, even rhythmic clapping with children. If they copy you, they’re working on pre-math and patterning skills. “Ten in the Bed” comes to mind when thinking about math concepts integrated into literature. 

1. What other books or songs/poems can you think of that also reinforce math skills?