lit circles & basal reader

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lit circles & basal reader
By vera

Yes, do both. I taught a 5/6 combination
and used a combination of basal reader and
library books of student choice related to
a specific topic (adventure, mystery, biography etc.)
The more vocabulary and
variety in their reading
the better they progress. In this 5/6 class, some
jumped 2 or more grade levels, love to go to the
library and select their books, and enjoyed sharing what they were reading, in circles, etc.
All of the students showed real progress at
the achievement test, at year end, and really
enjoyed doing projects, presentations and discussions of what

they were reading..vs older
methods. Students wrote jounal entries daily
about the library reading on assigned subjects:
ie. adventure, mystery, biography, etc. The journal kept them accountable for reading, and
helped them reflect on what they read and vocab.
A key factor was their ability to choose several
books that they wanted to read, and then, writing
about what they read each day. They used vocab
from the books they read, and shared what they
wrote about their stories with the class, creating
enthusiasm for reading i.e ..." can I read that
book when you are through..." etc. Choice and
accountability.
The basal readers did also help fill in
areas where various students struggled with a
particular skill...and insured that students read on or above grade levels....