Sunday, November 1, 2009


Do you remember when you learned how to read?
Pronunciation Key:
When you see q d pronounce a t; z pronounce as m; p pronounce as b; b pronounce as p; ys pronounce as er; a, as in bat e, as in pet; and e, as in pet a, as in bat
Passage:
We pegin our qrib eq a faziliar blace, a poqy like yours enq zine.Iq conqains a hunqraq qrillion calls qheq work qogaqhys py qasign.Enq wiqhin each one of qhese zany calls, each one qheq hes QNA,Qhe QNA coqe is axecqly qhe saze, a zess-broquceq rasuze.So qhe coqe in each call is iqanqical, a razarkaple puq veliq claiz.Qhis zeans qheq qhe calls are nearly alike, puq noq axecqly qhe saze.Qake, for insqence, qhe calls of qhe inqasqines; qheq qhey're viqal is cysqainly blain. Now qhink apouq qhe way you woulq qhink if qhose calls wyse qhe calls in your prain.

Did you find it difficult?

Here is the translation:
We begin our trip at a familiar place, a body like yours and mine. It contains a hundred trillion cells that work together by design. And within each one of these many cells, each one that has DNA, The DNA code is exactly the same, a mass-produced resume. So the code in each cell is identical, a remarkable but valid claim. This means that the cells are nearly alike, but not exactly the same. Take, for instance, the cells of the intestines; that they're vital is certainly plain. Now think about the way you would think if those cells were the cells in your brain.
(Excerpt from "Journey into DNA" on the "Cracking the Code" Web site,
NOVA Online.)

That is how children feel too…


"I always tell people that from the moment a kid gets up in the morning until he goes to sleep at night, the central mission of the day is to avoid humiliation at all costs."
- Dr. Mel Levine


What Can We Do?
•We can create productive learning environments .
•We can stress that reading is a social activity.
•We can build children’s self-esteem so they have positive experiences with text.


When Reading Aloud Kids Need…

• To have a chance to practice reading prior to doing a read aloud
• To understand their purpose for reading aloud
• To be motivated to read aloud to others.

Revised Radio Reading

• Children read like they are the stars of a radio show.
• Motivational & purposeful work to perform for others. They can audiotape reading to bring home to parents.
• Necessitates oral rereading while building fluency.

Shared Book Experience

• Introduce the book talking about the title author’s name, allow students to predict
• Read the story aloud to the students, point to the words as they are read.
• Reread the story several times over days, invite students to read along, turning the reading over to the students
• Encourage conversation about the book as this deepens comprehension.
• Move on to smaller versions of the book so students can read the text on their own or take it home to share with others.
• After this book is finished occasionally bring it out again, a good book is meant to be read again.

So what should we avoid?
Oral Reading Lessons Should Not...

Surprise the reader:
“POPCORN!”

(or)
Treat all readers the s a m e:
“Round Robin!”
So take care of the young readers in your life. Make sure they feel valued, respected, and give them every chance to know success.