"The best way to correct a decoding error may be to improve knowledge of the rules." This is so important. But...I admit I do not always do this. In effort to keep pace with reading and save time, when a student is reading and I'm not assessing, sometimes I just read out the word and have the student repeat it back and move on. As I reflect on this, my goal of keeping the flow and saving time no longer makes sense if a student didn't learn anything. Plus, I missed out on a teaching opportunity for the entire class. Usually I try to slow down and help a child decode, but this should be EVERY TIME. It may not sink in the first two or three times I remind a child that --i-g-h-t says "ite", but hearing that every time over and over leads to the internalization of this rule. It's vital for children to know the errors they make when they make it, even if they already know the rule.
In my accelerated reading group, the readers are fluent and we focus on comprehension and story elements. After reading this chapter, I did a lesson on punctuation and reading expressively. We are practicing how to read a question when we reach a question mark, read with excitement when there's an exclamation mark, and soon we will delve into key words that are in text to signify how a character is feeling. When I modeled a short excerpt, the kids giggled and really liked it. I added extra drama and emphasis on words, and they couldn't wait to try it. I got a few comments about how they can't wait until we meet again...too bad it won't be until next week!
"The best way to correct a decoding error may be to improve knowledge of the rules." This is so important. But...I admit I do not always do this. In effort to keep pace with reading and save time, when a student is reading and I'm not assessing, sometimes I just read out the word and have the student repeat it back and move on. As I reflect on this, my goal of keeping the flow and saving time no longer makes sense if a student didn't learn anything. Plus, I missed out on a teaching opportunity for the entire class. Usually I try to slow down and help a child decode, but this should be EVERY TIME. It may not sink in the first two or three times I remind a child that --i-g-h-t says "ite", but hearing that every time over and over leads to the internalization of this rule. It's vital for children to know the errors they make when they make it, even if they already know the rule.
ReplyDeleteIn my accelerated reading group, the readers are fluent and we focus on comprehension and story elements. After reading this chapter, I did a lesson on punctuation and reading expressively. We are practicing how to read a question when we reach a question mark, read with excitement when there's an exclamation mark, and soon we will delve into key words that are in text to signify how a character is feeling. When I modeled a short excerpt, the kids giggled and really liked it. I added extra drama and emphasis on words, and they couldn't wait to try it. I got a few comments about how they can't wait until we meet again...too bad it won't be until next week!