The Case against Follow-Up Reading Activities
As you probably know, I am in fact an advocate for the use of follow-up activities in the classroom reading programme - I have spent much time and energy devising them - BUT there is a strong case put forward by teachers and educationalists which has to be recognised. Many will condemn ‘worksheets’ as busy work, and it is true that the kids can easily get the wrong message about what reading is actually about. The problem is (as always) not with the tool but with the applica...
January 10, 2018Getting them to think WHILE they are reading
What has struck me again and again during the whirlwind of workshops in the last few months has been that no matter where we go or who the audience is, whether it be mainstream classes in NZ, students from diverse cultures in International schools in Hong Kong, Chinese children struggling with English as a second language or aboriginal students in outback Australia, the challenge is always the same - to get them thinking AS THEY ARE READING. When this happens the lights go on, student...
December 14, 2017Assessment - a great way to derail your Term 1 Reading Programme
One of my biggest concerns is the trend for Term 1 to become the assessment term. No one seems to have any time anymore to do any teaching because we are all gathering data. Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in data driven, evidence based teaching. But, I can well remember my own efforts in my Year 5 classroom trying to find time for 27 running record type assessments in the first 3 weeks, always looking to squeeze in one more assessment and putting the rest of the class on auto...
February 27, 2017 Posts 26-28 of 28 | Page prev