Dear
parents and guardians,
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As
reading is one of the most powerful tools for learning, we have a
comprehensive reading program in Grade 4. This letter is an outline
of how we go about our reading in Grade 4, and offers some tips on
how you can support your child in his or her reading development and
learning opportunities.
In
Grade 4, our goal is to improve fluency and comprehension, and to
develop reading skills that allow the individual to make the
transition form learning to read to reading to learn.
Our
current reading program takes place daily during the morning literacy
block, Reading and Writing Workshop. In addition to the
workshop, expository reading and research strategies are learned
during Science and Social Studies lessons. Reading strategies and
activities include:
- Read Aloud
- Shared Reading
- Independent Reading
- Guided Reading
- Guided Research
- Independent Research
- Group Research
Descriptions of each of these strategies and activities can be found at the bottom of this page. You can also click here to learn more about the reading resources available to you and your child.
How can parents help?
Read
with your child.
By
reading with your child, you are encouraging his or her development,
and building confidence in reading. If your child sees you taking
time to read, he or she will be more inclined to do the same. Try to
make reading together a daily routine; aside from helping with your
child's development, it can also be great fun!
Listen
to your child read.
In
addition to providing valuable opportunities to practise, listening
to your child read offers quality time together, and you can also see
how your child is progressing. It also provides new topics to discuss
with your child, building your relationships, and expanding both of
your horizons.
Discuss
what your child is reading.
Whether
it be a story, or an article about the latest science topic, ask your
child about it. By discussing what he or she is reading,
understanding and comprehension is strengthened, and your perspective
can also help to further understanding. It is also helpful to talk
about your child's reading in your child's 'home' language. In fact,
being able to discuss a concept in more than one language greatly
enhances the overall understanding of that concept, and often opens
new perspectives.
How
can I choose the right books?
There
are many guides to levelled reading available online. The quickest
method however, is the “five finger rule.” Read a page of the
text. If you find more than five words that you don't understand, it
is probably too difficult. If a text is too challenging, your child
will quickly lose interest. The same is true if the text is too
simple, or the content isn't interesting or engaging. Sometimes you
and your child may need to browse several books before you find one
that is suitable.
Is
it ok to read in my 'home' language?
Absolutley!
While reading in class will be exclusively in English (including
during D.E.A.R. time), students are encouraged to do some reading at
home in their 'home' language. While the grammar, structure, and
writing conventions vary greatly from one language to another, the
benefits of reading are universal throughout all written languages.
Reading and Strategies and Activities:
Read Aloud
During read aloud activities, students listen to the teacher reading. As the students listen, and sometimes follow the text in their own copies, language is modelled by the teacher, including pronunciation, intonation, and expression.
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Questions are asked before and after the reading, and discussions about the characters, setting, themes and plot development help students to develop their comprehension skills. During discussion, we often learn things from the text that we may not have otherwise, as everyone relates to stories differently.
Shared Reading
Shared reading is similar to the Read Aloud model, but with Shared Reading, students also take turns to read selections of the text. In addition to the benefits gained from the Read Aloud activities, Shared Reading allows readers to practise their own skills in reading aloud, and helps to build confidence in reading. Many more challenges in decoding and pronunciation are overcome during these activities, as we can all try to decode new words and work out their meanings together.
Independent Reading
Every morning in class, time will be set aside for what we call D.E.A.R., or Drop Everything And Read. This activity is important, as it gives students the opportunity to utilise all of the skills being developed throughout the year. Independent reading can also take place using the Raz Kids online program, and reading at home. At the Grade 4 level, all students should be reading for a minimum of 20 minutes each night at home.
Guided Reading
As we are all different in our skills, strengths, and weaknesses, Guided Reading allows students to read material that is appropriate to their reading ability. Guided reading is often done in small groups, with the teacher modelling and assisting as appropriate. This can also be done in a one-to-one arrangement, with the teacher working with one student at a time.
Guided Research
This mostly takes place during subjects such as Science and Social Studies. Students learn to skim information in a text, and then identify the important key phrases that provide the information needed to learn about a topic. Students can then go back and read the important paragraphs more carefully, and make connections to the topic being studied.
Independent Research
This is an extension of Guided Research. Students use their skills to locate useful information from textbooks, library books and the internet. Assistance and guidance is given as necessary.
^_^ happy
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