Developing strong readers

Our reading program has several components. First, there is read aloud. This is a time where I can model reading fluency and think out loud as I model the strategies that good readers use. Students have an opportunity to visualize as they listen. Currently, I am also focusing on teaching students to predict, monitor, confirm and infer as they read. When students hear (or read) a word they don't know, I ask them to infer the meaning from the context of the sentence or what is happening in the story. One of today's words was "incomprehensible".You can do this at home when you read with your child as well!

The second component of our reading program is shared reading. Here, we focus more specifically on reading strategies for comprehension. I have begun to teach main idea and supporting details more explicitly during these sessions. This will help students with note-taking and report writing as well. During these sessions, we share a common text at grade level and students are guided through the text.

We are about to begin the third component of our reading program which is our book clubs. Students will be reading a novel at their instructional level (just beyond where they can read on their own with accuracy and comprehension). There will be four to eight students reading the same novel then meeting in groups to discuss the book. Although the books are different for each group, they all fit our theme of "Kids can do it!"

The final component is independent reading (or D.E.A.R). Students self-select books of interest to them and that they can understand. I encourage them to branch out and try new genres. I introduce new books through book talks and students also recommend books to each other. This term we are focusing more on reading chapter books.