Among the reading
skills that are essential to develop for reading are:
Vocabulary
Fluency
Comprehension
Below are some activities that I have used/developed
based upon my own
personal research (online and offline).
I do not
hold any degrees in reading or education.
These are just some
things that have worked for us.
"Comprehension improves when you know what the words
mean.”
One of the easiest most rewarding contributions you can
make to your children’s growth of fluency begins with
word knowledge. In our experimental fluency
interventions with children with disabilities,
vocabulary development comes right after decoding skills
in importance. We work on giving children an
understanding of the multiple meanings AND functions in
a word. Let me give you an example, “jam”--- Think how
many meanings you know right away: Jelly, traffic jam, a
problem or fix, shoving something in a jar, the way your
thumb feels after a ball hits it, and MUSIC! Now think
about all these words. Some can be used as a noun, and
some as a verb. Now add common affixes like ed, ing…
jammed, jamming. The child who knows that the same
words can be used in multiple ways depending on the
context is already bringing more knowledge to what they
read that will translate into more speed and thus
more fluency AND comprehension in reading. It’s
all in knowing all that goes into a word.
(Maryanne Wolfe, “Best Practices—Teaching Fluency with
Maryanne Wolfe,”
www.scholastic.com)
Examples
of Vocabulary/Word Study Activities:
(by Talibiddeen Jr.)
Working with Words:
(At least once a week):
1.
Give the student the list of words and the sentences in
which the words appear in the story. “In this way the
pupil learns the meaning of the word as it is used, and
not an abstract definition that may be meaningless” (New
National Fourth Reader) You can dictate the sentences
and have them copy them or just have them copy them from
a written copy.
2.
Have the student pronounce all the words on the list.
Correct as needed.
3.
Discuss the meanings of the words as used in the
sentences.
4.
Have student sort the words according to the part of
speech.
a.
Have them read the sentence to determine the part of
speech. You can provide leading questions if necessary.
5.
Word Study:
a.
Guided: Identify the root of the words and any affixes
(prefixes, suffixes e.g. pre-, re-, -ness, -ed, -ing)
Discuss what the affix did to the root word. (Did it
make it a noun, adjective, adverb; what does the word
mean now?) Review the definition of any affixes in the
words.
b.
Can the student make any other words with the root by
adding any other affixes.?
c.
Find/list synonyms and antonyms for the words.
Word Study:
When students learn about the parts of words,
prefixes and suffixes, and about root words, they
are able to figure out many new words. Also, looking
at the origin of words — words from other languages
— increases word and world knowledge.
After completing the above guided activities,
the following exercises (one or more) can be completed
independently with the words:
-
Alphabetize words
-
Find the number of syllables
-
Use the words in sentences (using the 5Ws and How
start approach--students vary their sentences by
starting each sentence differently (some with a who
(noun), some with a what (verb), etc, using all the 5W's
and How...for more details, see
Writing Descriptive SentencesThis has been a
very effective activity for
helping my children write better sentences. We use
this on a weekly basis with vocabulary words from
anywhere.
-
Write the words several times each
-
Unscramble
-
Word Search
-
Proofread the words.
-
Match definitions to words
On
other days:
The student generates his/her own vocabulary word list
(words that they didn’t know) from the assigned reading
and do the following activity:
It's also a good idea to give weekly dictation on the
words studied.
Keep a list of words learned and review on a regular
basis.
(developed by Talibiddeen Jr.)
Ideas to Increase Fluency
The Repeated Reading Technique is one way
to develop fluency
Basic
Procedure:
·
Model (teacher reads text to provide a model of fluency
(You are modeling proper pronunciation, speed, tone,
etc.))
·
Repeated Reading (Student reads the same short selection
(50-100 words)/paragraph until it is fluent; usually
over a span of several days. (we usually work on
one selection per week and read the paragraph about 4
times each session).
Provide feedback to your student after each reading
(discuss word recognition errors, pronunciation errors,
tone, speed, etc)
You may wish to time your student after the very first
reading and for the final reading so that they can see
their improvement in reading speed.
·
Encourage a natural use of the voice, with such
modulations as may be proper for a correct rendering of
the thoughts which are read. (New National Fourth
Reader)
·
It should, be remembered that the development of a good
tone of voice is the result of careful and constant
practice.
(New National Fourth Reader)
Vary the type of reading
material you use.
There are many before, during, and
after reading strategies
that we can use to increase our
comprehension.
Some reading strategies you
can use before you read:
-Write
out what you know about the subject you are going to read about.
Use the 5Ws and How as guides.
You can list
or make a word web.
-Preview/Skim
the reading material. Look at any headings and pictures, charts,
graphs, etc.
-List
what you hope to get out of the reading/What would you like to
learn or are curious about.
Phrase these in the form of questions, so you are reading to
find the answers.
Use the 5 Ws and How to guide you.
You can use a KWL chart to
carry out the above activities:
| What I Know |
What I Want to Know |
What I
Learned |
| |
|
|
A checklist for monitoring yourself
while reading:
Pause
and think about what I’m reading.
Adjust
my reading rate.
Monitor
my comprehension:
Reread.
Look for key words.
Take notes. Write down important
points as well as any unclear points or things you
have questions on.
Talk to a friend.
Talk aloud to myself.
Pause
and check predictions.
Make new predictions.
Ask
questions of myself.
Does this make sense?
Am I understanding what I’m reading?
Pause
and summarize in my head what I’m reading.
Visualize.
THINK.
Responding to what was read
gives readers a chance to see if they understood the material.
Here are some examples of
how students can respond to their reading.
They can respond in a
reading journal to the following prompts (or discuss them
orally):
Would you have a friend
read this book? Why, why not?
Compare this book to another
book you have read.
What was special about this book? (characters, language,
story...be specific)
Why did you enjoy this authors writing?
Did you especially enjoy the illustrations? Why or why not?
Compare this story to
another story that you have read that is similar in some way.
What is the setting of your story? Describe it. Who describes
the setting?
From whose point of view is the story written?
What is the meaning of the title of this story? How does it
relate to the story?
How is (are) the character/s described? Cite some examples.
(Characters actions, how others act toward the character, what
the character says, what others
say about the character)
What parts of the book did you especially like or dislike? Why?
How does the main character
change during the course of the book?
Did you learn anything that you might find useful in your life
or that helps you understand yourself or others better?
How did the book make you feel? (sad, angry, thoughtful, happy,
etc.) Why?
Was the ending satisfying or would you change it? Why?
Was the book too long? Too short?
Who is the main character, and what makes him (her, it) the main
character?
Were the character's actions believable?
Language- Did the sentences flow? Were they choppy? Were
metaphors and imagery used?
Theme- What was the author showing about life and living through
the story?
Realism-Could the reader believe this plot? Characters?
Action and Suspense-Was there enough happening to hold the
reader's interest?
Briefly describe the plot of the story.
What problem or goal needed to be solved or reached?
Which character would you choose to be? Why? Which character
would you choose not to be? Why?
What would you ask the author of the book if you could?
Have you read any other books by this author? If you have, did
you enjoy the other book? Which book did you like best? Why? If
you have not read another
book by this author, would you like to? Why or why not?
I liked the part when...
I agree with the author when he/she says... , I disagree with
the author when he/she says...
The most interesting (exciting, boring, helpful, important,
etc.) part was when...
My favorite character is ... because...
The funniest part of the story was...
This story helps me understand that...
This story was strange (bizarre, frightening, mysterious, etc)
when...
his Humor was used in this story to...
This book would be better (more interesting, exciting, etc.)
if..
If I wrote this story I would...
If you read this book you would like (or not like) it because...
To appreciate this book you must...
I was amazed that... , It bothered me that... , I was
disappointed when…, It upset me that...I was sad that...
(compiled from a variety of
sources)
sister
sites
