drippy

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Home : 2002 : December : 5

drippy
By bwinder

I know you must be feeling overwhelmed right now but it is typical of first year teachers. Really! It sounds like you have much creative lead-way but not enough support. So here goes my advice for what's it's worth.
It
is critically important that you are "into" the novel you are reading in class. Your school may have a list of 4th grade novels to choose from so that you don't step onto 5th grade toes.
I would have my students begin their day by journaling. I would search the internet for "writing prompts" and put one on the board everyday. Take their journals up every Friday and only grade

holistically, not for grammar and punctuation. Assign a 1 if they have addressed the prompt with the amount of sentences you'd like or a 0 if they have not. You can do the math and figure that at the end of the 6 weeks who has a 100, 90, etc. YOu will learn much by not only what they tell you in their journals but by how they tell you things. You will see how writing and reading go hand in hand. And...the more they read the more they write.
Then I'd introduce literary terms such as setting, characters, rising action, falling action, etc. and have these posted and defined around my room and in their hot little hands. I'd refer to these as I taught every novel and first do a mini-lesson (which is the best thing to do when you see an unexpected need arise!) and have them complete a "plot sequence" chart (found on internet or email me) for each novel. You do it first with a fairy tale that all are familiar with then they can do it for a novel. As they are reading the novel independently and silently pull two or three at a time and get a basic understanding of their reading ability. Have a "reading running record" ready to mark. This record is simply a chart with the students names on it and your own system for noting their reading strengths and weaknesses. You note things such as words skipped, words read wrongly, words they struggled with, etc. Then after about a week and after you've listened to each student atleast twice then you can put them into "reading groups" by grouping them into categories such as "word by word" readers, "fluent" readers, "trouble decoding tough words" readers, "uninterested" readers, "don't know enough sight word" readers ...however you see the groups forming. Then begin to work with those groups on their needs. You become a "reading doctor"! If you read a page or two with each group a week then be prepared to do what's needed for that group such as hard words split up, or extension discussion for fluent readers or phrases of words from page to practice with word by word readers. You are in control of their reading future so take control agressively and have fun!
End each chapter with closure and with chapter discussion with you as group leader then have individual questions (higher level thinking) to be answered on board. Chapter tests and vocabulary would be nice too.
I would make sure that every student could read a chart on word patterns. I would probably have a manilla chart with a certain pattern each week and go over in small group with each. Take a quiz grade after exposure and review. Patterns can be found on the internet and can be made easy or difficult depending on the group or individual.
So you have writing, independent reading, a novel study, a small group thing, higher level questions, individual reading knowledge of your students, daily grades, quiz grades, test grades, what's left?
This could go on for an entire year if you needed it but I'd slip in a poetry unit (I love Jack Prelusky), a play unit (check your basal or choose a play having to do with the time of year such as freedom or love, short story unit (basal or O'Henry or Hans Christian Anderson) and a non-fiction read (famous historical figures that you match with the social studies department..1 per week) before the year is out.
Exposure to a variety of reading experiences will build lifelong readers. Going page by page in your class reader will bore both you and your students.
4th grade is a year of wonderful reading development. Good luck!