Repeated Reading of a Good Book
Posted on May 7, 2009 by Big Universe in Technology.
Tags: assessment, learning disabilities, Standards of Learning, worksheet
The repeated reading of a book is very effective in helping children learn how to read and learn how to learn from their reading. I continued using Our Earth from the website Big Universe for the second week with my students. Working with students with learning disabilities is always eye opening because you can teach them something one day and the next day they have little to no recall of what you taught. On the other hand if you find something that a child really likes and has the back ground knowledge to build on to, it’s amazing how good their memory is. Using Our Earth has really kept my students interested and connected to their learning. The book is bright, colorful and easy to read. The great thing is that each time they read it, they learn something new and they are building their own background knowledge.
Targeted Testing
After reading the book Our Earth as a class using the Smart Board, each of my students went to the book on their own laptops. They were given an 8 question practice SOLQuestions1 (click here) style test. They did well though many missed the questions that require any searching of page numbers. As a teacher, that’s frustrating. The book is clearly laid out with beautiful pictures and illustrations and the information couldn’t be any clearer. I made a second assessment to make sure my students would have plenty of practice searching for answers!
I gave the second Targeted Questions (click here) quiz, which is limited to questions related to finding information on specific pages and looking to specific pages for information. This gives the students strategies in answering questions, formulating questions, and using text features. I am not a fan of standardized testing, but Big Universe is giving me some beautiful material to work with that will make my teaching and testing a lot more enjoyable.
Bernice,
I think it’s very valuable to remind us how important it is to reread books. Often teachers prevent students from rereading a book. If we really want students to read as authentic readers do, rereading is a strategy that serves so many needs: one may have enjoyed the book and wants to enjoy it again; one may have forgotten some aspects of the book; new life experiences might impact the understanding the child brings to the reading; children who reread books are able to read them more easily the second time.
Thanks for the reminder!
WEndy