Balanced Reading Program
Read everyday!
Everyone is a reader!
Each and everyday your child will partake in a literacy block. In our class we will have a balance between Read Alouds, Shared Reading, Guided Reading and Independent reading. Each of these activities will help your child to become independent confident readers.
Read Aloud
A read aloud is when the teacher reads to the children using a book that is slightly above the child's reading level. I will be modelling to the students HOW to become a fluent reader. As I read with your children in class I will think aloud and explicitly teach them my thinking process and what reading is all about. You can do this at home with your children as you read bedtime stories.
Shared Reading
This is similar to the Read Aloud activity however the students are slightly more involved in the process. The text that is chosen is visible to all students so that they can read along with me. I will use a technological device called the Elmo to project the texts that we read onto the whiteboard. We will read the text together and work the vocabulary as we go along.
Guided Reading
Guided Reading is an activity that takes place to provide students with more support through small group instruction. I will be working with your children in small groups (they will be grouped based on their needs) to help them to become more fluent readers. I will choose books that are at their instructional level so that I can asses their strengths and needs. This is a very important time for me to be able to spend 15-20 minutes with your child to asses where he/she is in their reading development.
Independent Reading
This is a time where the students will have the opportunity to use the skills and strategies they have learned and practiced in class. During independent reading time the students are expected to choose a "just right book" (a book that is at their reading level) and read quietly to themselves.
WORKING AS A TEAM TO HELP THE STUDENTS SUCCEED!
We need to work as a team to help the children succeed. Remember that the more your child reads the more they will learn and the more fluent and confident they become. our class has a "Borrow a Book" program where everyday your child can sign out a book from the class library to bring it home to read. Please take the time to read every night with your child at home.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our balanced reading program!
Mme. McMillan