*** Sorry Blog Bloomers for my late post…I was very sick all weekend! ***
Part A:
Based on the Tompkins book, some of the effective approaches for assessing accuracy, speed and prosody include Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), Fluency Checks, Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs), and Running Records. These assessment tools are used by many teachers along with informal observations to determine students reading fluency. Some teachers use one or two or these fluency tools, while others may chose to use all of them in order to assess students more closely. Personally, I would use any of them since they are good for assessing all the components of fluency. However, the DIBELS seems to be the only one that that is more focused on testing for speed only. If I used the DIBELS, I would definitely use another tool to go with it. Using any of these assessment tools can be very effective if a teacher uses the results to help improve a student’s area of struggle.
In my field placement, I have heard my CT talk many times about using the DIBELS. Unfortunately though, I have not seen her actually administer it to her students, or any other assessment for that matter. I am usually helping run literacy centers at the time she does her assessments. Since my field placement is in third grade and the DIBELS is used for grades 1-3, it’s no wonder that my CT talks about using it often. Over the course of the year, I have definitely seen an improvement in the students’ fluency. Probably the most improvement I’ve noticed is with speed and accuracy. There have been many instances in our literacy centers where I’ve noticed a better ‘flow’ while the students read fables, long passages and basic sentences. When I say ‘flow’, I mean they are recognizing words very well and there aren’t too many pauses while they read. Also, they ‘flow’ in a sense, because their speed is very consistent and is not too slow either. It is becoming easier and enjoyable to hear the students read.
Part B
My book club novel is called “The Breadwinner”. If I were to create a mini lesson for my field placement, I would probably focus on prosody since that is currently the area that I have not seen much growth. I would base my lesson off of the following GLCE:
R.AT.03.01 be enthusiastic about reading and do substantial reading and writing on their own.
Materials: Book, “The Breadwinner”, a copy for every student of the passage from page 32 of “The Breadwinner”, whiteboard, dry erase marker, pencil for every student
Do: Pass out a copy of page 32 to every student
Say: Today, we are going to practice reading with expression. To help us do this, we are going to break these sentences into chunks on the whiteboard.
DO: Write the passage into chucks on the whiteboard as followed:
“Clothes,
blankets,
pots-everything landed on the floor.
Closer and closer
they came to the bottom shelf,
the one with the false wall.
Parvana watched in horror
as the soldiers bent down to yank the things out of the bottom shelf.”
Say: Notice I have broken the sentences up into chunks. This will help us pause during our reading to help us slow down and use expression in our reading. Let’s practice using expression as we read our chunks seen on the whiteboard. I will read it one time for you and then we will read it together at once.
Do: Read the sentence aloud using proper prosody. After finished, read aloud with the class at once.
Say: To help us practice using expression, I will give you a few minutes to use a pencil to mark your own copies of the passage that shows you where to pause in the sentences. Use my whiteboard example to help you do this.
Say: Next, I will give you about 5 minutes to practice reading the passage with a partner. Be sure to read with good expression. I will walk around and try to hear everyone.
Do: Walk around the room and listen to students’ prosody. Help those in need.
Say: Now with your partner, I would like you to take about 5 minutes to find another sentence or two from the book. I would like for you to chunk the sentence and practice reading it to each other with good expression.
Informal Assessment:
Have partners share their sentences aloud to the class. They can read them simultaneously or individually. Look for chunks or pauses in sentences and proper expression as they read.
Hey Amber, I also think that I would use any of those assessment tools in my classroom. I think they are good for assessing all the components of fluency. It is important for teachers to use various assessment tools to assess students to precisely determine students’ level. In my field placement, I have not seen any formal assessments for fluency, speed, or prosody. However, informally, my CT points some students to read Chinese words when they are reviewing their previous lessons. Once, I have assessed my students by asking them to write some Chinese words that my CT gave me. The list was the Chinese words that they have practiced over and over in the class. By doing this assessment, I noticed that students could recognize more words then remember from their head and write it down on the paper. I guess it is because in my placement, students practice reading Chinese words everyday whereas they do not get to practice writing them. I like your mini lesson where you are focusing on the prosody. It is so true that in the language arts class, prosody is not taught much compare to other components of literacy. I think the idea of reading a text with proper prosody as a class is a good start because many students are not used to read with prosody so they might be embarrassed or shy to read with prosody by themselves. Also, it is a good point that you are going to ask students to mark on the sentences where they need to pause so that they can clearly see where they need to pause and add their expression.
ReplyDelete