Week 3 Assignment 1 "a closer look"

#1 Based on the Observational Checklist we can see that there are many Essential Components that are addressed during shared reading. The Oral language, phonological awareness, word identification/ phonics, fluency/ automaticity are all addressed during the shared reading and the lesson that came out of it as well. In addition the Physical Space, Techniques and Management, and the Tone and Atmosphere all promoted literacy during the shared reading time.

This method of reading engages children of various levels of reading since the reading is dine together so they can be helped along and in addition, shared reading usually will consist of easy reading such as rhymes constant use of sight words and poems, which many children enjoy and find it easy to read.

During the Phonics lesson, Ms. Perez helped children with their problem-solving skills by helping them along with their train of thought. By recognizing their error, she was able to aid them to the correct pronunciation. In addition, by using a systematic way of teaching the students were able to catch on quickly and efficiently.

Based on the showed video, shared reading can promote literacy in various ways. Firstly, it helps children enjoy reading and find enjoyment in being able to read together. In addition, by using shared reading children of various levels can join in since the reading is usually simple and enjoyable to all students alike. Lastly when children feel like they are doing this together as a whole class it may give them  sense of satisfaction “we are all doing this together” and “we are all learning together as a whole”.

#2 In response to the guided reading segment, Ms. Perez found it very important for students to verbalize their reading and comprehension strategies since she felt that by verbalizing the strategy it enforces it and then they can use the strategy in the future as well. Another thing that I noticed was that by using context clues such as pictures, previous sentences, and surrounding words she helps her students build meaning in the text on their own. This really helps children work on their comprehension skills which is a tremendous aspect of literacy.

#3 In a classroom of 20 students there is bound to be children of various literacy levels. With various activity centers Ms. Perez is able to effectively gear to each child’s needs, children of the same level are peered together and perform tasks according to their literacy levels. In this way, students are able to learn and develop their skills accordingly.

Reading and writing are interconnected, therefore they are constantly connected Ms. Perez's classroom activities. For example as children learn to put letters together to make words and read them they write them out as well. In addition children are taught to write as they read. For example, the students who were given the task of researching spiders were told to write pointers as they went along and then they were able to put together their findings and create an organized booklet of facts. By connecting reading and writing children are able to master these skills and connect the two aspects of literacy.

#4 Ms. Perez’s ongoing individual assessments help her continue guiding students in the areas that they need most help. If for example she notices that a student keeps on mixing up “b” for “d” or “m” for ‘”n” she now knows that this student needs help with her alphabet skills and so on these assessments help the teacher see where the student is holding and only then can she correctly help the student further. When a class profile is used the teacher can decipher where the class is holding as a whole and also group students according to where they are holding. Once students can be grouped by level they can then be given instructional activities according to what level they are on.

I would integrate ongoing assessment into my classroom by periodically checking up on my students to see where they are holding and in what areas they may need additional help.