Reading In Elementary Schools Colleen McGill

Introduction Reading at all levels is a very important component of a teachers everyday instruction. It is important to stress to your students how important reading is. You should provide a classroom environment that promotes reading

Research Findings Reading in the Classroom Start the Year Off “Write” Teaching Reading Comprehension –Students with Different Reading Levels –Reaching Students with Different Reading Abilities Using the Internet in the Classroom Planning For Class –Lesson Plans –Books Books that Hook

Reading in the Classroom A Classroom Library –A classroom library tells students that you value and encourage independent reading. A Reading Corner Books, Books, and More Books –Make your students aware of the endless variety of books Family Involvement –Involve your students' families in their reading Read Aloud –In a 1985 report, Becoming a Nation of Readers, the Commission on Reading, stated that "the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children."

Start the Year Off “Write” Research indicates that writing, by engaging students in creating and discovering meaning, improves reading comprehension. There are many activities that you can do in your classroom to promote writing and writing, including writing a: –School ABC Book –School Yearbook –Classroom Pattern Book –Autobiography –Getting to Know You Bio Poem

Getting to Know You Picture One activity that you can do in the beginning of the year, is have your student’s draw a picture of something that they like. Then you can use that to motivate a student to read. An example would be, in looking a the picture to the right you would see that this student likes football. So you could recommend football related books to them. Which they may find interesting and would be more willing to read.

Teaching Reading Comprehension Teachers ask students every day to comprehend what they are reading, but the fact is many students struggle with the comprehension of what they have read. As teachers, we need to teach students how to comprehend what they are reading, so they can successfully answer questions following what they have read.

The thinking strategies that all proficient readers use Determining What is Important - Identifying themes and diminishing focus on less important ideas or pieces of information. Drawing Inferences - Combining background knowledge and textual information to draw conclusions and interpret facts. Using Prior Knowledge - Building on previous knowledge and experiences to aid in comprehension of the text. Asking Questions - Wondering and inquiring about the book before, during, and after reading. Monitoring Comprehension and Meaning - Using an inner voice to think about if the text makes sense or not. Creating Mental Images - Implementing the five senses to build images in the mind that enhance the experience of reading.

Students with Different Reading Levels One issue that every teacher in every grade level is going to run into when teaching their class and that is that students read on different reading levels. As a teacher you need to: –Empower the Reader in Every Child –Have a Strategy for Every Reader –Prevent Reading Failure

Using the Internet in the Classroom The internet can also be used as an interactive teacher to help students improve their reading. The internet offers a wide variety of interactive resources that are helpful to teachers because students are learning while they are playing games. On the website students can play games, or create their own story book, all while learning and improving their reading skills.

Planning For Class Not only can teachers use the internet for interactive games to help their student in reading, teachers can also get book ideas and lesson plans.

Using the Internet for Lesson Plans The website “The Educators Reference Desk,” offers a variety of free lesson plans, for a variety of grade levels that teachers can use in their classrooms. – bin/lessons.cgi/Language_Arts/Readinghttp:// bin/lessons.cgi/Language_Arts/Reading

Books Teachers can also find reading lists and reviews of books that they can share with their students in the class, or have the students and parents check out the list at home.

Books that Hooks Grades K-2 And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon Blabber Mouse Bug Bunch #2: The Big Sleepover Moose's Loose Tooth Tacky and the Emperor

Conclusions Overall, I have shown how much information the internet can provide a teacher and their students on reading. Any teacher can go onto a major search engine like Google or Yahoo and find a wealth of information that can be used in the classroom. Just by typing in a few key strokes, you can be provided with an assortment information that will only help you in your classroom.

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Useful Resources Education World® The Educator’s Best Friend – A New Way to Teach Reading Comprehension – 6educators.about.com/cs/languagearts/a/teachreading.h tmhttp://k- 6educators.about.com/cs/languagearts/a/teachreading.h tm Scholastic.com – Reading Is Fundamental – The Educators Reference Desk: Resource Guides –