Lindsey Hancock Warden
Reading Strategies
In both of my placement schools, there has been a large focus on fostering reading and independent reading in our students. The benefits of independent reading cannot be understated. In a landmark study, Anderson, Wilson & Fielding (1988) noted that reading books is "the best predictor of several measures of reading achievement." With this in mind, I ensure that reading is a central part of my instructional strategies by modeling reading to my students, setting aside class time for independent reading 2-3 days a week, conducting novel studies designed to expose students to great literature twice semesterly, and providing consistent direct instruction and practice in reading skills. Through these varied strategies,
Table of Contents
Independent Reading
I use multiple strategies to encourage independent reading in my classroom because I recognize that independent reading is key to my students coming to a deep understanding of English Language Arts. My strategies are centered around Accelerated Reader, a program I have had the pleasure of utilizing in both of my school placements, and one that I have discussed at some length elsewhere in this portfolio. Accelerated Reader is a powerful program that promotes increasing reading fortitude and skill by reading within a specified range based on a pretest or baseline which determines reading level.
The adjacent artifact is a letter home to students and parents regarding the independent reading board projects described in the slideshow above.
This project requires students to think deeply about a given text and apply what they have learned this semester in English Language Arts about plot elements, characterization, and summarizing, to their project.
Incorporating project-based assessments such as these into my reading instruction is an important instructional strategy, because it allows my students to demonstrate what they have learned and publish their knowledge to an audience of peers and adults.
Novel Studies
Another way that I promote reading in my classroom is through class novel studies. We read at least one novel as a class each semester, and my students vote on the novel from my selections. I select novels that are award-winning or highly reviewed in order to expose my students to great literature that they may not otherwise select off the shelf based on title and cover alone. I also try to select books that I enjoyed myself when I was my students' age!
Novel studies as an instructional strategy are useful in many ways. They allow learners to practice and build their reading skills and apply their knowledge to complex and meaningful performance tasks. Overall, they encourage my studens to deepen their understanding of literature and literary techniques, as well as how we can interpret literature and analyze authors' techniques. As students participate in novel studies, they make connections across texts and content, making this strategy critical to my instructional toolbox. Please click on the gallery below to see how I implement novel studies as an instructional strategy, and to read my interpretation of the artifacts.
Novel studies culminate with a set of choice-based performance tasks. I use choice-based performance tasks as an instructional strategy because I believe that a critical part of summative assessment is promoting multiple means for students to demonstrate their knowledge. I want all of my students to be able to succeed in reading, so I provide many types of opportunities for them to show mastery.
This culminating project allows students to demonstrate a deep understanding of the text and associated ELA skills through a variety of means by connecting across content to various other subjects and mediums. The tic-tac-toe format of the project ensures that students will be completing varied activities as part of the performance assessment in order to demonstrate true mastery.
Reading Across Content
It is very important to me to reinforce the necessity of reading, and reading well, with my students. With that in mind, I place continued emphasis on reading in my social studies and science classes by continuing to utilize text-based questions, and selecting passages and articles that are relevant to the topics my students are studying in those subjects at a given time. Please click on the gallery below to see examples of social studies passages and student responses used in a tenth and seventh grade class.
Reading Instruction & Practice
While independent reading, novel studies, and reading passages in all content areas are very important instructional strategies in my teaching practice, direct instruction and whole-class practice are equally important. Where the other three instructional strategies give my students opportunities to build their skills and demonstrate their understanding, direct instruction and practice are critical for ensuring that my students have the foundational skills that they will use in English and other subject areas. Please click on the slideshow below to view my artifacts and to read my notes regarding this strategy.
References:
Anderson, Richard C., Paul T. Wilson and Linda G. Fielding. (1988). Growth in reading and how children spend their time outside of school. Reading Research Quarterly. 23(3). 285-303.
Arun Khanna [Username]. (2018, April 20). The Witch of Blackbird Pond Chapter 1. [Video File]. Retrieved on November 3, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiXvsXWWwkQ