Week 7: Reading
Reading can be fun again!!...
Not that it ever stopped being fun for me but for those students who feel like reading is unnecessary and a bore will be proved wrong when they check out these amazing resources shared by the IRC Pinterest Site! So many different activities that are targeted to making reading fun and easy for the students - there is no way reading will not be a success in your class. Check this one out! One of my favourites for sure..
This reading game is called Spin- a -Word. The only thing you need for this game is some card stock, a printout of the spin a word printable and all else shown in the picture. You can have the students work in partners and after spinning the stencil they can read out the word that they created and their partner can ask Real or Silly? Then they go forward and circle which one of their word creations make sense. Not only does this game have the students read out orally the words they made but they also can work together to figure out if the word makes sense or not. Cool concept, cool game and will be a great game for the kiddies!
FLIP CHART - "Flip into reading"
This next one I think would be very beneficial to integrate and bring into the classroom. This is a Phonetic Flip Chart and can be used as an early literacy tool. This would be great for the primary years and can help them learn their letters, words and sound - just like the author of this one tool article stated her child could by using it! This flip chart can be of assistance to all the early learning students and be great seat work in a reading corner! The idea of flipping them back and forth and sounding out the letters and words won't only keep the young students busy and engaged but will also help to develop their reading skills! Winning!
Reading is such an important skill for students to master early on. Reading does not only exist in classrooms or when looking at a newspaper - reading is EVERYWHERE. You are reading this blog right now, you read a street sign labelled as "STOP" this morning, you read a message come across your news channel this morning. Reading is in everyone's and everyday life. When learning to master reading and learning different tools when approaching to learn reading it will only benefit you.
If you are a parent, teacher or any other educator who is reading this blog right now you know what I am talking about when I stress how important reading is, especially when you are teaching the students to read. Seeing their faces light up when they get a sound right or a word right is rewarding in itself especially when it is accompanied with knowing you helped them or gave them the necessary tools they needed to achieve the expectations or above.
"The Reading strand has four overall expectations, as follows:
Students will:
- read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning;
- recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning;
- use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently;
- reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after reading. "(ONTARIO CURRICULUM - Language)
**Above is the four expectations that the Ontario Language Curriculum has pertaining to the Reading strand for students.
The first two expectations can and will be addressed through the games provided in this blog! The last two expectations can be targeted if the educator chose to make the games at a more intermediate level!
Another idea that I know for sure works to keep students engaged and reading is using a bookworm. This summer I was fortunate enough to volunteer at a Women's Shelter and my friend and I ran a bookclub for the children of the families that were staying there. Every week, once a student read a book or did the weekly reading task we rewarded them with a colourful slip of construction paper. On this paper they got to decorate it and include their name and the title of the book that they completed. By the end of the summer we had a VERY LONG bookworm with all the papers attached. Not only did this help create a visual for the difference I hope to have made for those kids and to see how many books were read in the summer but we also left knowing that the students were engaged in reading all summer! I would definitely suggest using this in a classroom with the primary/ junior students. Regardless of the level of reading they are reaching they are able to start, finish and have something to show everyone!
Unfortunately I cannot share the photo of the caterpillar completed because I do not have permission of the families but just imagine one VERY LONG bookworm!!
Anyways.. I will let you get back to reading your books..
Below attached is the link to IRC Pinterest Page that has various boards on educational goodies! I also attached the Language and Literacy Board's separate link and the links with the above games attached!! Have fun :)
Happy reading! See you soon:)
Take care,
Emily
