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Private: Teaching Reading: 3-5 Workshop

Fluency and Word Study Reflect on Your Learning | Fluency and Word Study

What Did You Learn?

Consider what you have learned about fluency and word study from Professor Allington’s comments, the classroom examples, and the readings and activities in this session. Write a summary of what you have learned. Use the questions below to guide your thinking. When you have finished, save your written work to submit as an assignment and, if you are taking this workshop for credit, include it in your Literacy Practices Portfolio.

  • Which aspects of the video relate to what you currently do to promote fluency and word study?
  • How will you use the ideas in this session to improve your students’ reading fluency and word knowledge across the curriculum?
  • What changes will you need to make in your instruction and the texts you use to enhance your students’ reading fluency and word knowledge?
  • What will you consider when selecting vocabulary to teach before reading?
  • How will you differentiate instruction in your vocabulary program to maximize learning for all students?

Final Project

If you are taking this workshop for credit, complete the next section of the Literacy Practices Portfolio.

Create a Literacy Practices Portfolio

If you are taking this workshop for credit, continue constructing your portfolio of instructional practices. Your portfolio for this workshop will include the following :

  • current practices in place in your classroom
  • changes you would like to make
  • a description of one change you have implemented
  • evidence of student learning

1. Current practices

Include your Fluency and Word Study Chart from What Do You Do? Then, think about your present literacy instruction. Write the answers to these questions.

  • Fluency
    • How do you assess your students’ fluency?
    • How do you help students develop greater fluency?
  • Word Analysis
    • What kind of word analysis instruction do you provide?
    • In what classroom context(s) do you provide this?
  • Vocabulary
    • How do you determine your students’ vocabulary strengths and needs?
    • How do you decide which vocabulary words to teach?
    • Describe your instructional cycle. How many vocabulary words do you teach and how many days/activities do you provide to ensure deep learning? Describe the activities you provide for students each cycle.
    • How do you provide practice in correct usage of vocabulary previously taught?
    • How do you assess long-term use of the words taught?

2. Changes you would like to make

Include your written response from What Did You Learn?

3. One change you have implemented

a. Make a change

Choose one instructional change that you described in What Did You Learn? to implement now. What is your thinking behind making this change? Describe the change in detail and explain how it will be implemented (e.g., an instructional practice, a lesson plan, a plan for modeling a strategy, etc.). What are the expected outcomes for student learning? Design a lesson plan and implement this change.

b. Reflect on the change

Write a brief reflection about what worked when you implemented this change and what you will change the next time you teach this lesson. (If you are taking this workshop during the summer, describe the learning goals and expected outcomes of this change.)

4. Evidence of student learning

In this section of your portfolio, you will submit evidence documenting student learning. Select one student and describe his/her performance in fluency, word analysis, or vocabulary. What did you do to scaffold instruction for this student? Include two to three performance samples and documentation of the support provided for each. How will you continue to scaffold this student’s fluency or word study? Listed below are possible pieces of evidence:

  • a tape recording of oral reading before and after practice
  • timed running records of oral reading
  • an analysis of running record (evidence of strategies to chunk words into meaningful parts)
  • anecdotal record of targeted vocabulary used in an oral discussion
  • student performance samples using targeted vocabulary words

Series Directory

Private: Teaching Reading: 3-5 Workshop

Credits

Produced by WGBH Educational Foundation. 2006.
  • Closed Captioning
  • ISBN: 1-57680-815-7

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