English Department PLK Luk Hing Too Primary School “Read-to-Write” Program Parent Seminar 17 January 2009

Why is Reading Important? Reading is the gateway to all other knowledge. Reading leads directly to success in other subjects. If children do not learn to read efficiently, the path is blocked to every subject they encounter in their school years. Wixon, Peters, Weber & Roeber (1987) Reading is a process of constructing meaning through the dynamic interaction among the reader, the text and the context of the reading situation. Anderson, Hiebert, Scott & Wilkinson (1985) Reading is a lifelong pursuit. Learners should keep reading in order to have enough practice.

Connections between Reading and Writing Dixon and Nessel (1983) Teachers usually carry out writing activities after students have well established their oral language and reading abilities. Writing content and writing skills should be relevant and adoptable to what students have obtained during the oral and reading training. Writing becomes a natural extension of reading.

Connections between Reading and Writing Richardson and Morgan (2000) Writing is the true complement to reading because it enables students to clarify and think critically about concepts that they encounter in reading. Brown, Phillips, & Stephens (1992) Students need to write about what they are going to read about (prediction). After reading, students have to write again for clarification of what was read. This write-read-write model is also known as reading-writing connection.

Read-to-Write Program Objectives 1. To promote students’ enabling skills to read by teaching students reading skills through shared reading and guided reading in class 2.To help students develop a better reading habit, including home reading habit 3.To assess students’ reading levels regularly 4.To help students raise their reading level through the program

5. To help students read English books independently with minimal assistance 6. To arouse students’ interest in writing and enhance students’ writing skills through different reading activities 7.To enrich teachers’ knowledge and skills in teaching with appropriate and effective reading strategies

Program Structure The program is conducted in the form of “Reading Cycles” 1 reading cycle = lessons Frequency of Reading Cycles 2 cycles per term

Elements of a Reading Cycle 1.Phonics (started…) - at the beginning of each lesson 2.Shared Reading (started…) - whole class reading 3.Guided Reading (to be implemented in second term) - small group reading 4.Independent Reading (to be implemented in second term)

Flow of a shared reading lesson Mini phonics lessons (10 mins.) Shared reading: cover prediction, picture walk prediction, other while- reading activities (30 – 40 mins.) Lesson 1 to 4 (or to 5) Short presentation: depends on the content of reading activities (10 – 20 mins.) Writing reading reflections: maybe during the last or 2 nd last lessons (10 – 20 mins.) or

Flow of a shared reading lesson The Last Lesson (5 th or 6 th ) Mini phonics lessons (10 mins.) Shared reading: conduct final reading with students, check students’ understanding and memory about the story (20 mins.) Oral presentation of reading reflections: invite students to read aloud their own journals in class individually (30 mins.)

Flow of a guided reading lesson (NET lesson) Other students: borrow books for independent reading and finish one reading record Writing the reading reflections (20 mins.) Guided reading with ability group (A): by LET (20 mins.) Guided reading with ability group (B): by NET (20 mins.) Phonics kick-off lessons: by NET (20 mins.)

Elements of a Reading Cycle 1.Phonics starts with a mini phonics lesson at the beginning of the lesson certain phonics skills are taught every two weeks these phonics skills are incorporated in the coming-up reading sessions and teachers guide students to make use of these phonics skills to pronounce unfamiliar words in the reading text some phonics games are used to help students reinforce and consolidate their phonics skills

Phonics Games: Action Alphabets video clip: Clip 2_0:00-01:30 Word Wall Minimal Pairs Recognition (Tongue twisters) Jumbled Sentences Action Sounds Rhyming Words Sentence Making Bingo (illustrate by showing sample worksheets)

Samples of vowel shape

Samples of tongue twister When a big black bug bit a big black bear, it made the big black bear bleed blood. Gray geese graze in the green, green grass

Sample of readings

Sample of worksheet

Some useful phonics website

Elements of a Reading Cycle 2.Shared Reading 5 to 6 lessons are spent on teaching one reader. It allows the whole class involvement. Teacher use the front cover to discuss about the authors and illustrators and let students predict the content. It can arouse students’ interest and motivation to read the story so as to check whether their prediction is correct or not. video clip: Clip 1_07:21-09:02

Elements of a Reading Cycle 2.Shared Reading (continue) Yaden (1988) There are repeated readings of the story over several days. The first reading is for enjoyment, such as “picture walk”. Students can predict the storyline with the help of picture clues. video clip: Clip 1_11:14-12:22, 18:35-19:30, 21:31-22:28, 22:53-24:12, 26:10-27:22 The second reading is focus on extending comprehension skills. The third reading is focus on language and vocabulary.

Elements of a Reading Cycle 2.Shared Reading (continue) Fisher and Medvic (2000) Children can write reflections during the shared reading cycles, or to write personal reflections in a journal or literature log (reading log) after participating in a whole cycle. (see samples)

Samples of Reading Log sequencing character hunt

Samples of Reading Log mind map (character relationship)

Samples of Reading Log extensions of the story

Samples of Reflexive Journals reading diarytimeline

Samples of Reading Reflections reflections summary

Elements of a Reading Cycle 2.Shared Reading (continue) Students can have chances to read aloud their reflexive journals during the last lesson of the reading cycles. Students became more motivated in writing the reflexive journals because they found others appreciated their works. They tended to write with richer content and longer sentences in the second reading cycle. video clip: Clip 2_21:36-25:17

How to do the reading reflections? The title The author a summary Who? When? Where? What? interesting or not Do you like the story? What have you learnt? What’s your personal experience?

Elements of a Reading Cycle 3. Guided Reading By using the PM Benchmark Assessment Kit, teachers have assessed students into different ability groups according to their reading levels. Starting from the second term, teachers will do guided reading with 2 ability groups per week during the NET lessons. Around 7 to 8 students who are within 2 to 3 different reading levels will be grouped into one ability group.

Background levelled texts (Level 1 to 30) reading assessment helps identify reading levels that reveal students’ comprehension ability adopted in foreign countries, especially Australia Design of the books most high frequency words repeated words and sentence patterns Assessment Read Aloud Retelling Comprehension questions Reading Assessment PM Benchmark Reading Assessment PM Benchmark

P. 1 Assessment Result Total number of students: 114 Level that most students attained: Level 1 (80 students) The highest level that students attained: Level 16 (3 students)

P. 2 Assessment Result Total number of students: 109 Levels that most students attained: Level 2-6 (75 students) The highest level that students attained: Level 17 (1 student)

P. 3 Assessment Result Total number of students: 132 Levels that most students attained: Level 6-12 (68 students) The highest level that students attained: Level 21 (1 student)

P. 4 Assessment Result Total number of students:108 Levels that most students attained: Level (74 students) Highest level students attained: Level 24 (1 student)

Elements of a Reading Cycle 3. Guided Reading (continue) Teachers guide students to read the book with appropriate reading strategies (e.g. reciprocal approach). Different ability groups use different leveled readers. It can cater different students’ reading needs and interests. Students can learn to read in an interactive small group learning environment. The content of the readers is relatively short, so that each student can have enough chance to practise some reading skills.

Elements of a Reading Cycle 4. Independent Reading While two ability groups are having guided reading, the other students can read books independently in the classroom and finish one reading record worksheet. After students have finished guided reading, they go back to their seats and start to write their reflections on the “Reading Log” worksheets.

Elements of a Reading Cycle 5. Home Reading Students are recommended to borrow books from school library or public library for home reading. Students have to record their reflections in the Reading Log worksheet. Encourage students to read aloud the book to parents. Parents can also ask them some questions about the content (characters, events, etc.) of the book.

Parent Sharing Session 2R Thomas Fung’s mother -What does Thomas’s favorite pastimes? -How often does Thomas read English books? -How often does Thomas go to the bookshop or public library with parents? -What kinds of books does Thomas read? -How often do you read with Thomas? -Are there any special strategies when you read with Thomas? -Does Thomas talk about/retell the content of the books he read with you? -Do you set any reading goals for Thomas? -How do you guide or help Thomas to read? -Do you buy books for Thomas as presents?

That’s the end of this seminar. Thanks for coming!

Q & A Session