Reading Program

Final Project by Marielvi Reyes

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Differentiated Instruction

The reading program provides special instructions for English language learners. However, due to lack of resources, my cooperating teacher is unable to implement them. The special instructions include a lot of small-group work and guided reading among the English language learners. She does her best to sit the English language learners together. If possible, I or a resource teacher, provides special instruction occasionally.

During independent reading, English language learners are able to pick books that interest them and flip through the pages, occasionally reading the words. For the students with IEP’s a resource teacher is available during shared-reading and whole-class reading. She is there, specifically, to instruct them. The students with IEP’s have no trouble picking books and reading them out to their level and peace.

The SmartBoard activities are designed for differentiated instruction. Students with IEP’s and the English language learners have no trouble participating in the activities for phonics and phonemic awareness.

For comprehension, English-language learners are, sometimes, allowed to complete their work in their primary language. Therefore, their language is not a barrier in assessing their comprehension.

Vocabulary words are introduced during shared-reading and are given a “visual definition.” Therefore, students learn the word by repeating it throughout the week and by its “visual definition.” Below-level readers and English-language learners benefit from this instruction.

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Reflection

Strengths The program has its flaws. For example: it does not have independent reading for the students. The modified version, implemented by my cooperating teacher, provides many opportunities to promote literacy, especially opportunities for the students to read. They read as a whole-class every day, with the big book. They read independently and can choose from about 150 books in their classroom library. They also read with a partner or as shared-reading. Every student is given a book of their own to read with. The only weakness is its lack of guided reading. 5 Components The program is extremely detailed in implementing the five components. Each lesson of every day has all 5 components with specific instructions, modeling, and guided practice. The program make sure to cover every component thoroughly for the teacher to implement. The ideal reading program, according to our text, contains phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension strategies. This program make sure to prepare the teacher into teaching strategies for all five components, as well as with interactive SMARTboard activities for each component. My Modifications If I can modify the reading program I would include guided reading. Although the program enforces guided reading, a lack of materials prevent my cooperating teacher from implementing it. I feel as though guided reading would create proper scaffolding for students like my English language learners. It would be better if the program assessed the students and placed them into reading levels. The students should participate in a reading program that encourages them to challenge themselves and work towards a higher level. Although it is a strict reading program to follow, it is very thorough and touches upon all five of the reading components.

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Roles in the Classroom

Explicit Instruction

At the beginning of the week, my cooperating teacher spends time explicitly explaining concepts and directions. For example: She introduces the vocabulary at the beginning of the week.

Model

Throughout the entire week, the reading program asks her to model every concept. At the beginning of the week, my cooperating teacher models activities, as well as at the end of the week. Although the themes, vocabulary words, and strategies are the same, the activities change throughout the week. My cooperating teacher models every activity before assigning it to the class.

Guided Practice

Every SMARTboard activity is a guided practice opportunity. My cooperating teacher lets the students come up to the board, and take turns completing activities. She stands near the SMARTboard to assist any students that are struggling.

Scaffold

Scaffolding techniques, in my field placement, are implicit. My cooperating teacher places struggling readers next to above-average readers. She allows the students to help one another.

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End of the Week/Assessment

At the end of the week, students are expected to

read a short story

use the comprehension strategies that they learned that week

use their vocabulary words in conversation

construct words, using their phonics theme

construct sentences, using their high frequency words.

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Comprehension

Reading a big book- A big book is read, by the teacher, during whole-class reading. This tests their listening comprehension. Throughout the story, the teacher asks them questions about foreshadowing, retelling, predicting, etc. Students review the key concepts of the big book days later. Then, they reread the book as a class. At the end of the week, they must retell the events of the book.

Strategies- Reading strategies, such as rereading, are taught using the big book. They use the strategies as they read the book various times throughout the week.

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Vocabulary

Vocabulary words from shared reading- Words are explicitly taught using an example and a definition. Then a follow-up question to ensure they understand each word. Throughout the week, they review the words. At the end of the week, it is the students who must define the words, give an example, and share it with the class.

Words coinciding with phonic theme- Students are given 5-20 words on the SMARTboard. Individually, the students are called up to answer questions or underline sounds.

High frequency words- These words are picked from the shared reading. They create sentences and identify them throughout the reading. 

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Fluency

Shared reading- Students use their Reading/Writing Workshop books to read as a class or with partners.

High frequency words- At the end of the week, students read certain sentences containg these words. They are too read it aloud, as a class, at the same pace, several times.

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Phonics

Introducing sounds (short a, th, ng, etc.)- Students are introduced to the sound, and engage in SMARTboard activities to familiarize themselves with words that contain those sounds. 

Review- Students review the phonics theme in a SMARTboard activity. Students take turns participating.

Build Words- Using the phonics theme of the week, students build their own words.

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Phonemic Awareness

Isolating sounds- Students learn strategies to sound-out a word. First the teacher models, then a guided practice activity is given on the SMARTboard.

Categorizing sounds- Students listen to words and categorize them by their beginning, middle, or end sound.

Building words- Students must listen to sounds and combine them to create words.

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Background Information

I am currently placed in a first grade classroom at the Wallace Elementary School in Hoboken, NJ. There are 15 students in the class, one teacher, one full time student aide, a resource teacher for math, and a resource teacher for language arts. There are 5 English Language Learners. There are an additional 3 students with IEPs; one student has a form of high-functioning autism, two students have speech impairments. Of the 15 students, 4 are considered average readers, 3 are above-average readers, and 8 are below-average readers.

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Independent Reading

Independent reading, in my field placement, is not related to Reading Wonders. After lunch, students are given the option of sitting at the reading carpet or at their desks. They pick their own books from the class library. There are high-frequency word books, chapter books, non-fiction books, fiction books, picture books, etc., books available for the students to read. They are given 40 minutes.

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Small Group/Guided Reading

In my field-placement, my cooperating teacher has been unable to have guided reading instruction. She has yet to receive the materials necessary. Reading Wonders does have a Guided Reading program but it has not been implemented in my classroom.

Recently, she has started script-reading and assigning parts to each student. They are currently reading and performing a short rendition of Frosty the Snowman.

She has tried her best to assign roles to students appropriately.

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Whole-Class/Share Reading

The students in my field placement use individual books during whole-class reading. They refer to them as the "Reading/Writing Workshop" books. Every week has a specific concept that relates to the thematic unit.

During shared reading, teachers go over four areas: vocabulary, phonics/fluency, comprehension, and writing/grammar.

For example:

Unit 1, Week 1- At School

Vocabulary- does, not, school, what

Phonics/Fluency- short a sound, and a short story containing many short a sounds

Comprehension- Discovering key details, finding text evidence

Writing/Grammar- defines a sentence, capital letters, identifying capital letters in each sentence, and writing new sentences

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Overal Description

Reading Wonders is a program designed by the McGraw-Hill publishing company. It is aligned with the Common Core State Standards, and plans out the reading for every day, of every week, of every unit, for the entire year. The program includes books for the teachers and students. The students have individual soft-covered books that are filled with short stories that pertain to corresponding lessons. It does not place the students into levels, not does it assess them. Reading Wonders simply provides students with purposeful texts that coincide with what they are learning in class.