Determining
What to Teach during the Readers Workshop
Allison Demas
Using an
integrated curriculum is a good way to conserve time and extend
your exploration of a topic. For example, if I chose to create a
theme unit on dinosaurs I would incorporate that theme into my reading
lesson by using the book Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs
by Byron Barton. I could use the topic to demonstrate generating
an idea and developing a story through modeled, shared and interactive
writing. A social studies lesson could address careers and focus
on paleontologists. A science lesson could be about dinosaur “stomach
stones.” A math lesson could focus on size and measurement.
There, I now have the beginning of an integrated curriculum.
Now, let’s
look at my reading lesson. Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs
is a great book for introducing my topic and I might want to develop
a KWL (Know, Want to Learn, Learned ) chart with my class. This
is a good idea BUT it is NOT a reading lesson. It’s a science
lesson
To use
this book for a reading lesson I could use a page with the text
“There were dinosaurs with horns...” to demonstrate
how to figure out a word by finding a smaller word within it (“or”
in “horns”).
- I could show how to
use graphophonic cues (especially initial and final sounds). I
might then use it to show how to look through to the end of a
word.
- I could demonstrate
how to use picture cues. I could address the three cueing system
(Meaning, Visual and Structure). I could then follow up by demonstrating
how to check one cue against another in order to make sure that
the text makes sense.
- Another approach would
be to use a reference book on dinosaurs to teach the elements
of a non-fiction book. I would focus on the Table of Contents
and its purpose. I could highlight the Index and teach students
how to use it. I might want to introduce a Glossary using the
book. If I do not have an appropriate big book for these lessons
I would enlarge the pages by using an overhead projector (or a
copy machine) in order to use them for my Shared Reading lesson.
By using
any of these approaches I would be integrating a science theme into
all areas of study, including reading. Of course the students will
pick up information about the topic during the reading lesson. However,
I would not be conducting a science lesson. I would be using a science
text to teach a reading lesson.
Here are
some other topics you should consider for reading lessons. Remember
to make sure they are appropriate for your students.
Skills
concepts of print
- directionality
- return
sweep
- punctuation
- what
a word is
- what
a letter is
- upper
and lower case letters
- spacing
one-to-one
correspondence
fluency/phrasing
parts of a book
identify characteristics of a book
identify characteristics of a non-fiction book
Word
Attack Strategies
looking
at picture cues
using initial sounds
looking through to the end of a word
chunking
rereading
three cue system
- Meaning
: Semantic Cue System
- Visual
: Graphophonic Cue System
- Structure
: Syntactic Cue System
check one
cue against another
check to see if it makes sense
how to monitor and self-correct
using onsets and rhymes (spelling patterns)
skip and go back
blending
Comprehension
problem/solution
retelling
prediction
inference
summarization
clarifying confusions (“stopping to think”)
relate to own experience
relate to other texts
character analysis
parts of a story (map)
- setting
- characters
- main
events
- problem
- resolution
beginning,
middle, end
cause/effect
“prove it”
genres
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