I really enjoyed the rich examples and mini-lessons that Tompkins Chapter 5 shared with us in the reading. When discussing Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Spelling they provided everyday examples and activities that you can use with students that are effective and efficient. One that stuck out to me was singing ole McDonald (p. 150). When I think of that song I only think of it as a nursery rhyme but in the chapter they show how it can be used as a tool for identifying beginning middle and end in words. They also give other great classroom activities such as online games you can use and mini lessons that involve sorting objects based on phonics concepts and then making a poster. Not only do they give us activities to use but this chapter helped me to see where students develop from. Being in a 5th grade classroom there are still many words that students spell wrong our use the wrong letter because of the sound and most of the time I just correct it and tell them the right way to spell it because I do not have a full understanding of how they have developed this understandings of what they do and do not know. Being well informed of what they develop in early grades is something I am really working on and I believe this chapter does a great job in helping me with that understanding.
In the Salan reading I also loved the book club activity that she introduced as one that she does in her first/second grade classroom. The idea of balanced literacy is one I completely believe in and find it disappointing that it is something not done in every school. Going back to the book club, this activity is something that I have seen done in the 5th grade classrooms I have been in but never thought about in the early years of literacy development. After reading this article however I totally see how book club is a form of balanced literacy. Students are reading, comprehending writing and so much more. These were all amazing sources of understanding literacy. Then to build off of that article I read the Raphael article on book clubs as well. I enjoyed this one as a support to showing how activities in book clubs such as writers’ workshops and book discussions can be such an important and strong support for literacy.
With all the readings this week I really related it to my everyday experiences with teaching. Book club is something that I was completely convinced of throughout the readings on the importance that it has in children’s literacy development throughout all grades. I believe this will help me to see book club in a different view as we do in this upcoming week in TE 402 class. My fifth grade classroom participates as well in a book club but I have yet to witness the processes such as workshops and discussions that go with it. After reading the articles I am very interested in seeing how it develops for the students and how they respond and interact to these activities and the book in their development of literacy.
I would also agree with you that book club is a huge success and great tool to use in the classroom. I have always been stressing that I want to cater to all students in my classroom and I think using book club is a great way to see each students strength shine through. I also think that it is upsetting that more school do not use this approach because it does seem so beneficial. I have seen similar exercises used in my CT's classroom and after reading this article, it is great to be able to identify what I am observing. I think that the mini lessons that were presented in ch. 5 were also beneficial to give us future teachers examples of tools to use. I think you make a good point at striving to be well informed about how they are learning what they know because that can help a teacher or future teacher out with how to keep progressing their learning, especially if there is a certain technique that works well for certain students. It would be very beneficial to continue that throughout their learning.
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