Mar. 22, 2006 Reader's Theatre...Whole Language?
This may shock some of you, but I am a strong advocate of the whole language approach to teaching reading. In fact, in many ways, the concept of whole language defines a lot of what we do during the day. Hence the title of my series on reading...Reader's Theater is one of the many effective tools the whole language approach utilizes to aid children in gaining confidence in reading.
Before I completely lose you, let me say that whole language got a lot of bad publicity due to California's perversion of it. Leave it to California to strip the approach of one of its key elements, phonics instruction, and try to teach children with the rest. Without phonics, the approach fails. What most people think of as "whole language" really is only half the story.
Here are the principles of whole language instruction, as I learned them in the summer of 2000 while attending a grueling six-week summer institute. You'll definitely recognize my philosophy in there, if you have read much from my thoughts on teaching reading and writing.
- Acceptance of learners. The needs and interests of learners are utilized to engage them in learning and make learning personally relevant and useful. Children are not directed, but rather led by the teacher.
- Flexibility within structure. Children are taught to take responsibility for their work and their accomplishments. Often, this takes the form of notebooks with written goals and progress. The teacher sets curriculum objectives, but students have choices in regards to exhibiting mastery. Worksheets are largely done away with in favor of contextualized projects. Students largely develop their skills by using models of the skill.
- Supportive classroom community. Students have responsibility for their own behavior. Means of resolving interpersonal conflict are taught so that the teacher (parent) serves only as a mediator and eventually is not needed in disputes. For an excellent example of this, check Spunky's post on this very topic.
- Skills taught in context. Contrary to popular belief, phonics, grammar and spelling are taught. But they are taught in context. Students do not spend a week learning the sound of "a" before moving on to "b" and six months later begin learning how to put these together to make words. And, somewhere down the road, comprehension strategies are taught. Oral language and phonemic awareness are critical for beginning. This is a bit different from how Writing Road to Reading (my "official" book I refer to) lays out reading instruction, but it really is not contradictory. Just remember that there are way more skills involved in reading than merely decoding. My daughter could orally fill out text structure charts and identify the main idea long before she could decode. But many fourth graders who are master decoders still cannot do these tasks vital to reading. In whole language, all of it is taught at the same time, with the child gradually taking over more responsibility for the decoding as he gains skill.
- Teacher support for learning: scaffolding and collaboration. The teacher provides models, such as high interest poetry, big books and other engaging texts. These are read often enough that the children memorize them. Children are encouraged to pretend to read while they recite what they have memorized. This helps build confidence and a sense of success while working on phonics practice. It also gives them the support they need to try out their skills they are learning independently. Students are encouraged to write before learning to spell. This is not a rejection of conventional spelling, but practice in sound-letter recognition. Teachers using this approach look through written work together with the child to develop goals for spelling and grammar, focusing on a few things the child needs to work on. What is chosen should be "doable" for the child's ability level, constantly pushing them a little further. Children often have a personal dictionary (spelling list) gleaned from their own work and these are the spelling words the child is tested on. Usually these are in addition to a master list that everyone is learning. So, for example, I might take the next five words in the Ayers List and two words that I see my daughter writing and misspelling frequently and practice those with her. The goal is to meet the child where he is at and develop a plan to move further toward mastery....as a disclaimer, spelling is the area I have neglected most this year. We have hardly done any spelling at all and that is my next goal to tackle for this semester.
- Contextualized assessment that emphasizes individuals' growth as well as their
accomplishments. Growth and strengths are emphasized during assessments. Studenst are involved in assessing their work in order to increase ownership and responsibility. Children mark areas for improvement and are held responsible for working toward those goals. Portfolio assessment is common (we use notebooks).
whole language, phonics, teaching reading, education, homeschooling, home school, teaching writing, literacy
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Jan. 10, 2006 Reading, Defined
This definition for the verb to read is from the Webster's 1828 dictionary. The background information on this verb I find fascinating. I guess that is the amateur linguist in me, but the definition we are using comes more from this than from the definitions listed after it.
READ, v.t. The preterit and pp. read, is pronounced red.
[Gr. to say or tell, to flow; a speaker, a rhetorician. The primary
sense of read is to speak, to utter, that is, to push, drive or
advance. This is also the primary sense of ready, that is, prompt or
advancing, quick. L. gratia, the primary sense of which is prompt to
favor, advancing towards, free. The elements of these words are the
same as those of ride and L. gradior, &c. The sense of reason is
secondary, that which is uttered, said or set forth; hence counsel
also. See Ready.]
I love the idea presented hear. The primary sense of "read" is identical to that of "ready." What greater analogy to show the vital importance of reading? When we read, we speak, utter, prompt, advance and free. Reading enables individuals to advance an idea and liberate their mind. It is small wonder that cries for freedom so closely followed the translation of the bible into native tongues.
Our definition is broken up into two parts. The first deals with the basic mechanics of reading. It is the basic decoding of the written word into spoken sounds. In order to promote this aspect of reading, we practice phonemic awareness activities, phonics activities and look at the structure of individual words. We learn the rules of the written word. We learn basic strategies for decoding new words, such as breaking it up, looking for smaller words and word parts we recognize and thinking about what makes sense based on the rest of the passage. We do a variety of word building activities to promote this skill.
The second deals with the comprehension and reasoning. We approach every text from three levels. First, it must be decoded. I listen to her read and mostly just help her figure out harder words, encourage her to keep going and praise her when she applies the skills we are practicing. Second, we read for comprehension. I ask simple comprehension questions which are easy to answer directly from the text. These are your simple "who?" "what?" "where?" "when?" questions. Once she has read it successfully and has displayed a good comprehension of the story, we move to reasoning. We compare characters, analyze events, look for themes, judge actions. We think about scripyure we have studied and try to make applications.
This obviously is not covered in a single day. We spend one day on decoding, one on comprehension and begin reasoning when that is done. We will spend a week on the selection I have chosen for this. The Principle Approach uses the bible as reader, with other texts as supplementary reading. We do a lot of reading from scripture throughout the day and generally follow this format with each bit we do. These controlled selections do not lend themselves well to the teaching of text structure, however, so I have been choosing one children's book per month to study in depth (not that we spend a whole month on it...we just take a break from our normal reading to focus on that.)
I will focus on more concrete applications Friday, probably using Snug as a model. This book is widely available at public libraries if you are interested in using it as well.
I will resume Writer's Workshop next Wednesday.
Also, if you have not already, take some time to check out the homeschool carnival on the company porch! You might even win a cool prize!
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Jan. 9, 2006 Foundations of Reading
Exo 24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
On top of Mt. Sinai, God delivered the law to Moses by His own hand. Moses did not take dictation. He did not attempt to memorize all that God had to say. God wrote His word with His very finger in tablets of stone and gave them to Moses to deliver to the people. Here is a site that explains the historic significance of the tablets well. Moses read this to the people and their immediate response was to pledge their obedience.
I think it is no coincidence that the second time reading is mentioned in the bible, it again relates to the law. Now, however, the people are not the audience.
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
The intened audience is the future kings of Israel. They are not above the people, for they, too, must read and adhere to the law. And so long as the people are educated in the law, they will know that their king is no greater in the eyes of the Lord than any of His faithful believers.
The ability to read is vital to Christianity. God wants a personal relationship with each of us. We do not gain access to Him through a priest, a saint or any other man. He has created positions of authority in His church to help guide us, but our relationship is to Him personally. We are accountable directly to Him. How do we know if our desires, dreams and goals are of God? By testing them against scripture. We have liberty because we can read for ourselves of our liberty in Christ.
When the Israelites were returned to Israel from their exile in Babylon, education in the law of the Lord again received great attention. I imagine these Jews carried much of Babylonian custom and belief with them back home. But by the reading of the law, Ezra founded a great revival.
Neh 8:3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
If we desire a "cultural revolution" or a "returning to our Christian roots" in this nation, it will begin when we return to the reading of the law. That was Torah, but now that is Christ, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Rp,ams 10:4). I find the word "end" interesting. The Greek is "telos" which means, to set out for a definite point or goal; properly the point aimed at as a limit, that is, (by implication) the conclusion of an acto ro state, result, prupose, continual, custom, end, finally, uttermost. Think of the word "telescope." It contains the same root, "telos" also implying a point aimed at. The law is aimed at Christ, bringing Him into sharp focus.
But first, our children must know how to read.
Some statistics say 1/5 of our adult population cannot read well enough to cope successfully as workers, parents and citizens. Without this vital skill, up to 20% of our population is wholly dependent on other people for their lives and even to a great extent for their own thoughts. (Others place it at 1/20...results vary widely depending on the population surveyed. Prison populations are researched heavily because of the ease of testing, but they are obviously not representative).
Our chilren must recognize the value of reading scripture. They must understand how to reason for themselves and apply scripture to every aspect of their personal life. They must be able to organize their thoughts and speak and write clearly. Without the ability to read, we will give up our liberty because we will not be able to judge for ourselves whether something is permissable under God's law.
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