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// Teaching Reading  //

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 ‘Code breaking’, according to Susan Hill, ‘involves understanding the alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness, letter knowledge and phonics.’ ‘Meaning maker’, she adds, ‘involves comprehending the text on a literal, interpretive and critical level.’ And ‘text critics’, she states, ‘evaluate the author’s intentions and biases as well as the truth or accuracy of the information’ (2006, p.189). All of these four roles interrelate and work together. Teachers use this concept as a platform for organising teaching activities, making sure there is an equal focus on each area. ======

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 As previously stated, reading behaviour can be observed and recorded, in order to select appropriate texts for students. From records taken, teachers can then refer back to the ‘integrated sources of information’, and work out which of these cues needs special attention. This is done is by teachers marking down correct responses and miscues on a copy of the same piece of writing. Other responses that are noted down include insertions (adding extra words in), omissions (leaving words out), repetitions (repeating words or phrases), attempts (unsuccessful attempts at challenging words), as well as any miscues which have been self-corrected by the child. Successful self-corrections do not count as errors. ======

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 Now listen to //What’s that in the Pond?// again, only this time read by a child. As you read along with the words, see which of these responses you can notice! ======

media type="file" key="the pond2.mp3"
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the Pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Can you see? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> A beady pair of eyes, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> looking at me. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Where did it go? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> There was something there, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> a few moments ago. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Can you hear? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> creaky, croaking noises, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> coming near. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Right behind that log. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> BOING! Better make way <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> for the big, green frog! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">(© Tim Lyons 2008) <span style="color: rgb(202, 139, 63); font-family: Georgia,serif">After you have done this, think about which cues (semantics/ syntax/ phonology/ visual information) you would focus on with this child, in order to help their reading skills develop further.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(202, 139, 63)">
<span style="color: rgb(202, 139, 63)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(117, 78, 47)"><span style="color: rgb(202, 139, 63); font-family: Georgia,serif">// Reading Comprehension  //

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(202, 139, 63)"> Children need to learn how to read texts by decoding the information - but it is also essential for them to learn how to comprehend the text. In her 2006 DVD, //Happy Reading: Creating a Predictable Structure for Joyful Teaching and Learning// (disc one), Debbie Miller states that children should be taught ‘to be thinking at the same time that (they are) reading’, as well as ‘how to understand what (they are) reading and construct meaning at the same time’. ======

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(202, 139, 63)"> Through helping students to ‘build active involvement’, ‘hold attention’, ‘be persistent’, ‘take time to reflect’, and ‘be flexible and learn from mistakes’ (Hill, 2006, p.207), teachers can clear a child’s ‘misty optic’ and improve their understanding, by showing them an ‘optimistic’ approach! ======

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(202, 139, 63)"> Comprehension activities focus on the need to ensure that students are ‘getting it’! Children need to be understanding the major themes in the text and ‘making some connections to the story’. They also should be ‘identifying with the characters’ and ‘making connections with previous learning’ (Miller, 2006). This will help them to gain meaning from what they are reading, and their learning will become more fun and interesting at the same time! ====== <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(202, 139, 63)"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(202, 139, 63)"> Watch Debbie Miller in action! http://www.stenhouse.com/productcart/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9022&r=&REFERER=