American Voices: Listening to Fiction, Poetry, and Prose

Strategies

How will I meet the standards and performance objectives? One of the most successful approaches to teaching literacy is the implementation of a balanced literacy framework, whereby the teacher begins with a whole group lesson, small group collaboration, and independent practice incorporating writing and reading practice simultaneously throughout the lesson. The lesson begins with the teacher modeling how to use both reading and writing strategies to the whole class. This strategy is often termed "whole group instruction." Next, students participate in "small group practice." Finally, students are set free to practice the skill in "independent practice." The goal of this approach is to model good reading strategies as well as good writing habits.

I have a ninety minute period in which to implement balanced literacy and I divide the time into three mini-blocks which allow time for whole class/direct instruction, small group cooperative learning, and independent practice along with one-on-one teacher -student mentoring. It is important to me to provide readings that stress the purpose and joy of reading, especially for those students who are struggling readers.

Voice can be an abstract concept to teach. It is critical that teachers model voice by reading very rich descriptive poetry and literature to their students. I will structure this unit by using picture books for read aloud, poetry books for small group instruction in which three to four students will form a group and analyze voice in poems, and the unit will culminate with the reading of age appropriate novels written in first person that the students will be exposed to through read aloud, literature circles, and independent reading.

Why read aloud to students? Reading aloud to students provides the opportunity for students to hear the tone of the piece of writing. For those students who have limited oral language, the reading aloud activities model language and help to guide and direct them when they engage in independent practice later in the lesson. This reading strategy also helps draw the student's attention to the variety of voices that may exist in one piece of writing by placing the focus of the book on a listening activity rather than on a reading one. The student can hear the voices through careful listening as the teacher's inflection or dialect changes throughout the reading. By providing a variety of opportunities for the student to participate in listening activities, I hope the student will come to the realization that the text on the page is more than just letters and words; I want him to realize that the words have life and vitality. Allowing the student to practice reading aloud is just as important as the teacher modeling it for him. Providing multiple opportunities for students to hear stories and read stories aloud will help them not only identify voice, but develop comprehension and critical thinking skills. Sharing what I am thinking about as I read a story is another form of modeling good reading strategies for the student. The student in turn can practice this same tactic when he reads aloud in small groups. Reading aloud also lends itself to great opportunities to discuss the actions and decisions of characters in stories as they encounter life's problems. ¹⁰

Many teachers think that the older students get the less they need to be read to, but this is counter-productive to helping students learn in their zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a concept developed by the Russian psychologist and social constructivist Lev Vygotsky. ¹¹ The ZPD is defined as

The distance between the actual developmental level as determined by Independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers. ¹²

Literacy coaches and teachers know that for a student to make gains in reading, the student must be reading "in the zone" in order not to get frustrated and give up on the text while reading. There are several assessments that allow a teacher to determine a student's ZPD. The one that I am most familiar with is the STAR Reading Software developed by Renaissance Learning. ¹³ Reading aloud provides the teacher with excellent opportunities to model reading strategies such as prediction, questioning, clarification, as well as pronunciation of vocabulary for the students. By combining the two reading strategies, reading aloud and independent reading, the teacher is providing a balanced literacy program that will nurture the development of good reading habits in students.

The books I will use for reading aloud will serve many purposes. The book will illustrate voice, descriptive language, metaphor and figurative language, and provide an interesting theme pertinent to the student's social development. I like to use the Caldecott Medal winners because the design and artistic elements hold students' attention and for many students it is the pictures that provide the clues for his comprehension.