For my real life inquiry, I went to a second grade classroom in an elementary school that I am going to call ABC Elementary for the purpose of this assignment. I knew a little girl in the class (who I will call Jane), so even though I was just observing a reading lesson and not assisting at all, I tended to watch Jane.
The classroom that Jane was in had a younger teacher, so it had a very bright, energetic, and fun vibe to it. The kids all had the same book at their desk that was kind of like the little paper books we had in class last week. The teacher told me that on Monday she gives them a list of five to pick from and the class votes on what they are going to read that week. I think it’s a good idea to give the students a voice, but to also maintain a control over what they choose to read.
My favorite part of the entire lesson came when they were all whisper reading the book at their tables. The teacher would walk around and listen to them. When she got to Jane, Jane seemed stuck on the word “volcano.” Instead of watching Jane struggle, and distract the other students, the teacher stopped at Jane and worked her through decoding the word. She started by saying, “Wow, that is such a big word, I wonder what it could be. There’s a lot of letters so we’ll need to start at the beginning.” I like that she made it seem as if it were completely expected to be stuck on that word. I think that by doing that, she helped Jane’s confidence. Jane felt like if the teacher says it’s hard, then it’s okay to be stuck a little.
I think by her taking the time to walk around and really listen to the students and help them when they needed it, the teacher was creating a very trusting reading environment. Jane didn’t feel embarrassed by being stuck, and neither did the other handful of kids the teacher stopped to help. I think that confidence is a huge key to fluency and I was glad to see it being implemented in a classroom.
I really like how you mentioned that it seemed like a positive reading environment. I think that the first step to having a positive reading experience is being in a comfortable environment.
ReplyDeleteI like how you gave us strategies for positive reading instruction. I feel like it is sometimes hard to get kids to accept constructive criticism (it is hard even for adults). It seems like this teacher has mastered this skill by acknowledging that this is a big word and not making the kid feel dumb for needing help. I also liked how she ed whisper reading as an opportunity to gauge the children s' reading.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this! I really like that as a strategy for building confidence in young readers, I remember that reading while the teacher was listening was also a struggle for me because I was worried of messing up. It seems in this classroom the teacher understands how to build a student's self-confidence!
ReplyDeleteI think that the teacher did a great job not letting the student feel singled out. I thought the way she helped her was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI thought the way the teacher handled the decoded was good. It seems that the teacher really wanted to make sure that the student didn't feel embarrassed, and that the other students didn't feel the need to judge Jane.
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