Week 14, Assignment 1: Approaches to Teaching Reading

1. Describe and evaluate the approaches you observed from the classroom

In the third grade classroom that I observed, the teacher uses a district-approved literacy program called Reading Wonders, a brand new core reading program by McGraw Hill designed specifically for the Common Core State Standards.  The program emphasizes “close reading” which challenges students to understand deeper meanings of the text, use evidence to support their comprehension and connect the reading with writing.  The program employs a literature anthology approach with anchor texts for each unit along with texts of the same subject with varying reading complexities.  The teacher introduces each unit through a read-aloud of the anchor text.  During and after this read-aloud, she checks for students’ understanding and provides clarification on key words or phrases.  Each of these texts is a relatively short read which give the teacher the opportunity to model “close reading” and teach comprehension strategies within a class period.  The units, typically covered one per school week, include a large variety of fiction and informational texts to appeal to a broad range of interests among students.

After the read-aloud, the teacher shows a publisher-provider multimedia video on the classroom SMART Board that reviews and defines key vocabulary words of the unit.  The interactive video shows how each word was used in the anchor text and asks for classroom participation to select a sentence with another appropriate usage.  Students are also given different classroom activities and homework assignments to express their understanding of the passage and key words.  This connects their reading with writing exercises.  For example, some assignment questions asked the student to write sentences to express the author’s purpose, main idea and a detail from the passage.  By writing about their reading, the students are challenged to really understand the passage, pay attention to details, utilize new vocabulary, and develop more advanced writing skills based on critical thinking.  Throughout the unit, the teacher has such opportunities to assess her students through formative and summative assessments.

The teacher also utilizes the reading programs leveled readers to provide differentiated instruction based on varying reading abilities.  She conducts reading groups on a weekly basis where the twenty students are grouped by their assessed reading ability.  She works with each group which is comprised of five students with similar reading capabilities.  The small groups range from one that requires more aided instruction and lower level texts to other groups that can read independently.  When the teacher works with the lower level groups, she asks the students to “preview, predict and picture walk” the new text of their leveled reader to first gain an understanding and purpose.  Then, she models the desired reading technique so that the students can practice reading with more fluency and comprehension when they each take a turn reading the text.  She will offer assistance, correct mistakes and assess each student.  After reading the passage, the students in the small reading group complete a graphic organizer like a story map to organize and document the main idea and supporting details of the text.

This approach appears to be quite comprehensive, well-thought out and differentiated.  It is quite challenging and the material is presented in a fast-pace.  The students, however, seem ready and capable for the challenge.  This program gives the teacher the opportunity to model “close reading” so the students can do the same with their leveled readers.  The anchor text provides a consistent theme for the unit so each student can stay connected despite differentiated activities.  By writing sentences based on their reading, students are connecting the two skills to deepen their comprehension and develop their abilities.  The use of multimedia further engages the varying preferences, styles and needs of the students.