Reading ~ English
 Miss Berndl's Fabulous Fours

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Reading Novels  I  Novel Summaries  I  Reading Log Summary Sheet  I Genres
Reading Aloud  I  Choral Reading  I Duet Reading
Reading Comprehension  I Research  I Some Web Sites

In grade 1, students learn to read.
In grade 4, students read to learn.

What kind of READER are you? 
Questions you should be able to answer about yourself.

  1. Are you a good reader?
  2. What are your strengths or weaknesses in reading?
  3. In the last 3 months, what have you read for enjoyment?
  4. Do you know what you like to read? 
  5. Do you know how to find a good book?
  6. Can you tell if material is at your reading level?
  7. Do you look at more than just words? Do you look at pictures? captions? titles?
  8. How is reading school material for information different from reading for enjoyment?
  9. Do you know how to find books in a public library?
  10. Do you know how to use a Table of Contents? Index? Glossary?
  11. What do you do when you don't understand something?
  12. Why is reading important?

Reading Novels

Overall goals & procedures
students are expected to have a novel in their desks at all times to read during SQUIRT (Sustained Quiet Uninterrupted Independent Reading Time - in other words - Silent Reading Time)
when work is completed, silent reading is the preferred activity, comics are not acceptable
students are expected to spend between 2 and 3 hours a week at home reading novels as well
students are expected to read 20 novels during the school year
all students are expected to maintain a Reading Log Duo-Tang which will be collected about once a month
when a novel is completed, a Novel Summary needs to be completed and the Reading Log Record Sheet needs to be updated
after 20 novels, a student no longer needs to complete a Novel Summary,  only the Reading Log Record Sheet needs to be updated
after 30 novels, a student is encouraged to read other kinds of books including biographies, short story collections, poetry and non-fiction
What is a novel? It is fiction, a very long story, written with chapters and by grade 4, over 80 pages long.
Genres: Although some people use other terms to describe different kinds of novels, common terms we use are Adventure, Humour, School, Animals & Pets, Historical Fiction, Growing Up, Mystery, Detective, Sports, Horses, Science Fiction, Family Life, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Slice of Life
Term 1 Novel Reading goals
show that you can dive into a book and not surface for 20 minutes - be able to read quietly with sustained focus
getting used to reading novels as the main activity to do when all other work is done
novels are between 80 and 100 pages at the beginning of grade 4 level
students to become aware of own reading level & to be able to identify if a book is too easy or too hard for them
Term 2 Novel Reading goals
to start reading a variety of genres
to be able to read for a sustained period of time (20 to 30 minutes) without seeking distractions
to be able to find "good" books - books that they like, and that are at the right reading level for them
Term 3 Novel Reading goals
to try reading a variety of genres they may not be familiar with
to read "Award Winning" books - books that are well written by recognized authors
Gr. 4 ~ to read a Historical Fiction novel
To see good reasons for that, go to "Why & How I Teach with Historical Fiction"
Students will be required to do a drama activity based on this novel - see Historical Fiction Monologue

Reading Aloud  

Choral Reading, is done to develop fluency and expressive reading
the Collections Series will be used in class for choral reading
students will be asked to read specific things aloud to parents from time to time
Adult Listeners (parent volunteers) will listen to students read every 2 weeks or so - from readers as well as from own writing
Students wishing to improve their reading are encouraged to try Duet Reading with an adult or older sibling at home. Duet reading is an activity where a skilled reader sits next to the learner and the two read simultaneously. One of the readers follows the word with a finger to visually reinforce the look of the word that is being heard. The skilled reader sets the pace and reads with expression. The text should be slightly above the learner's reading level in order to expose the learner to new vocabulary & the spelling of unfamiliar words. The activity gives the learner confidence, increases fluency in reading and teaches how to read with expression. The learner is encouraged to read those words that are familiar and to follow the lead on unfamiliar words. 
Reading Aloud vs Silent Reading - The development of different vocabularies
People have several active vocabularies. There is the aural vocabulary - where people understand what is said either by knowing all of the words being spoken or from the context of the conversation. Then there is the spoken vocabulary. These are words that people are comfortable being used. People can often understand more words than they themselves use.

When it comes to the written word, people can read more words that they use when they write. Many people know words from reading and understand them from their context but have never written those words, heard them spoken or even used them themselves. This is important to understand since there is sometimes the expectations by students and their parents that students should be able to read aloud everything that they are reading. Reading aloud is a very difficult skill and takes practice to improve. It is easier to read silently than it is to read aloud. 

If students are forced to read aloud that which they have chosen to read for pleasure, namely silently, the effect will be either poor read aloud results or students who choose books that are too easy for them to benefit from. The only way to gain new vocabulary is to read books beyond one's level - beyond the level of being able to read aloud.

Reading Comprehension

CLOZE Activities
Some reading comprehension activities making use of the grade 4 social studies text Medieval Times
Suggestions from http://home.t-online.de/home/kfmaas/readstr.html

Reading Comprehension Strategies
How you can proceed:

1. Previewing and predicting:
I read the headline and/or look at the illustration.
I want to know something about ......
I stop and think:
What will the text be about?
What do I already know about the topic?
What do I expect to read?

2. Skimming: I read the text quickly without any stop and find the main ideas.
I check my expectations and the information I read.
Are there any answers to my questions?
What additional information have I found?
I take notes of the main ideas?
I test myself: Did I get the main ideas? (Comprehension questions)

3. Scanning: I let my eyes run over the text again in order to find and locate specific information
I read the text for details.
There is a paragraph I haven`t got properly.
I tackle new words: What is the meaning of this word here?
Is the word important for the understanding of the text?
Oh, forget it. It is not important.
But this one is important.
I guess the meaning of the new word.
What does the text around it say?
Does the whole sentence tell me anything about the meaning of this word?
How does this word function in the sentence?
Does word-formation tell me anything about the meaning of this word?
I check: Does the meaning and the context fit together?

4. Comprehending: I must read between the lines
 

I find out
I write down
I make up
I check
What is substantially (sinngemäß), but not literally (wörtlich) said in the text?
Headlines for all paragraphs.
A summary in a few sentences
Have you got all main ideas?

 

Research  

The hardest part about doing research when you are a Junior student is that much of the information is written at a level that is too hard to understand.
Students are encouraged to take point form notes in their own words. We train by taking point form notes from our science & social studies texts. Many students are tempted to copy out the words exactly the way that they are in the book & just leave off the capitals & punctuation. That is not research. 
Most of the research in Grade 4 is done so that students can give an oral report. The reason for this is that when a report is asked for, there is a temptation to just copy our words from another source. That is not research, learning, understanding or helpful. That is plagiarism.
Students need to be taught how to find information on things that they want to learn about. The Internet has made it possible for kids to ask others to do their thinking & work for them - as you can see by the following "request" by a student on information about rocks. This is not research.
Sources of information Junior students should use are books, magazines, CD-ROMs, encyclopedias, kid-friendly Internet sites, text books, personal interviews, observations, experiments

Some Reading  Web Sites for Kids
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Aesop's Fables
Surfing for Good Stories
Sesame Street Central
Seussville

 

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