OCTOBER 16, 2014 Milton School

Decoding Inferential Comprehension Critical Comprehension Love of Reading Literal Comprehension Word Study, Vocabulary, Grammar Recall, memory, & locating information “Reading between the lines”, Drawing Conclusions Knowledge of author, genre, past & current events in both literature and nonfiction text The goal: Create active and engaged readers

 Fluency is the ability to recognize words rapidly, allowing readers to more easily comprehend text because they are not working to figure out words  Fluency can also involve grouping words within a sentence into phrases that make what is read easier to comprehend  Grouping words into meaningful phrases and reading with expression helps the reader understand the text by making what is being read resemble natural speech

 The term vocabulary refers to words we need to know to communicate with others. There are four types of vocabulary: listening, speaking, reading, and writing  Vocabulary is important in word recognition  Vocabulary also plays an important role in reading comprehension  Reading aloud to children is an important way they learn unfamiliar words  Wordly Wise Listening: words we understand when others talk to us Reading: words we know when we see them in print (sight words and words we can decode) Speaking: words we use when we talk to others Writing: words we use when we write

Vocabulary concept maps:

 Comprehension involves constructing meaning that is reasonable and accurate by connecting what has been read to what the reader already knows and thinking about all of this information until it is understood  Fluent decoding is considered a prerequisite to strong comprehension rather than an end in itself  Good readers are aware of their own thinking processes, and they make conscious decisions to use different comprehension strategies as they read  Comprehension is the overall goal of reading instruction

 Monitoring Comprehension: track thoughts, ideas during reading  Asking Questions: question the text before, during and after reading  Making Connections: activate prior knowledge to connect with the text  Determining Importance: focus on relevant information and key details from text  Inferring: use clues from text to figure out meaning of text and new vocabulary  Summarizing: Highlight main ideas and gist of text

 Students use close reading strategies to gain a deeper understanding of text  Students reread text and stop and think in order to notice nuances and make insights about what they have read  Students make predictions and continuously revise them to align with what they are reading  Students take note of difficult concepts or vocabulary and use strategies such as reading on, doing research or using reference tools to help gain background knowledge to further understand the text  Students ask questions about text to engage in text and be an active reader

 Writer’s workshop model  Writing to various prompts and responding to literature  Writing for varied purposes  Mentor texts to prompt writing  Writing in content areas – math, social studies, science  Using rubrics to assess writing  Research report

Balanced Curriculum Learning to Read Grades K-2 Reading to Learn Grades 3-5 Vocabulary Grammar Spelling Patterns Genre Study Author Study Predictions Connections Fluency Concepts of print Story mapping Rhyming Word families Retelling Decoding strategies Fantasy/Reality Oral Reading Summarizing Story analysis Features of non- fiction Author Purpose Fact/Opinion Self Monitoring Silent Reading

Balanced Instruction

 Read aloud to your child  Be a model  Provide exposure to a variety of text, experiences and literacy contexts  Discuss reading and words  Encourage rereading and reading aloud  Help your child use and recognize a variety of reading strategies  Make time for reading  Make reading fun  Have a routine for your child  Foster independence and responsibility

 Allow your child to choose material the s/he finds interesting. Yes, even comic books!  Expose the struggling reader to all types of literature and all types of books. Be sure that the books are near your child’s reading level so that your child can read them independently.  Suggest that your child read a well-known picture book to a younger, non-reading child. This is much less threatening than reading to an adult or a peer.  Remember that the most important task of any reader is to create meaning from printed text. Don’t get caught up on sounding out every word. Encourage educated guesses about unknown words from the context and/or picture clues.

Fourth Grade Teachers: Deb Fishman, Andrea Murphy, Allison Pray Fifth Grade Teachers: Tom Bailey, Frank Burkhardt, Scott Cifone JoAnne Nardone, Principal Kerri Winderman, Staff Developer Laurie Sandler, Support Teacher Barbara Mehlman, Librarian