First of all I thought my team mates were extraordinary!!! I find reading most research materials to be very cumbersome. Really even our chapters on vocabulary concluded in saying that the research shows that vocabulary instruction is better than no vocabulary instruction. DAH! That was a letdown. But our team all had different abilities and experiences to bring activities to the table to cover the shallow findings and bring more depth to the presentation in the end. That’s just my opinion of course.
The first act was tough to follow because you ladies that did the piece on instructional trends in teaching reading blew me away with your presentation. I had no idea it could be so interesting!! I had always wondered about the whole language approach and what happened there. That the politics were so enmeshed in education came as a surprise to the not so political me!!
I got lots out of the fluency piece. Seeing pair reading as a social setting and not a work block was good for me. Letting students pick their partners for shared reading instead of assigning them of course in hind sight would help some be more relaxed and their partner more ready to help someone who they like. I can see why it’s the favorite choice for fluency work in middle school.
Though I am pretty well versed in phonemic awareness as a MAJOR part of the curriculum in Kindergarten I still picked up on several reaffirmations in the acquisition of reading presentation. We shall follow our continuum! I might try to adjust Amy’s phonics pig pen lesson toward the end of the year. I want to get the Recipe for Reading book discussed and I Hear with My Little Ear.
The comprehension team really helped me to focus more on my preteaching what I want my students to learn. I also like the table they inserted for the skill, sample prompts and purpose. I will use it.
I enjoy learning in this way so many interesting professionals we have in this cohort. Lucky us!
It was a pleasure to have you on our team!
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