Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #104 – February 18, 2012
Read Across America was originally established in 1997 by the NEA (National Educator’s Association), to celebrate reading. Its goal is to loudly broadcast the importance of motivating children to read. Not only is reading is a vital tool that allows learners to master basic skills, it is also just oh so desirable to acquire a life-long love for reading books!
This event is celebrated each year on or near March 2, the birthday of children’s author, Dr. Seuss. The two books being featured this year are:
Gabby and Gator, by James Burk; and Boris Ate a Thesaurus by Neil Klayman.
Gabby and Gator is about two friends, a shy outcast and a tambourine-playing alligator, who overcome fears and find acceptance.
Boris Ate a Thesaurus is a picture book about a boy who eats a thesaurus and starts speaking in synonyms. When he finally runs out of words to say, he discovers the true value of books.
Activity sheets for these books along with additional materials can be found at www.cta.org/raa.
On Saturday, February 25 from 9:00-11:00, all Target Stores will be reading a Dr. Seuss book, so this may be a fun event for you and your child to attend.
Whatever you do, please plan to read a book on March 2 and get a child excited about one of the greatest adventures on this planet, reading!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
THIRD GRADE: A CRITICAL MILESTONE
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #103 – February 12, 2012
As a high school teacher, I often wondered why so many of the students who were way behind in their learning skills got stuck at the third grade level, especially in reading and math. There is an enormous leap in what is expected of a third grader compared to what is expected of a second grader. Consider some of challenges facing the typical eight-year-old student.
Reading is a skill vigorously stressed in kindergarten through second grade. But in third grade, it takes on a much more demanding role. In reading, students move from merely learning to de-code and read with limited comprehension, to using reading in every aspect of learning. Reading suddenly becomes integral to every subject in school, and will be that way throughout college and beyond. Teachers expect third graders to read lessons and chapters in all subject areas on their own and to be ready to discuss them in class. Fluency is crucial, as the child needs to read most words without having to sound them out in order to understand or comprehend the text.
Each state adopts its own learning standards. However, here are the main abilities students who are working at the standard level should have at the beginning of third grade:
•Read with understanding and fluency
•Figure out unknown words in context
•Recognize word patterns (prefixes and suffixes)
•Communicate in written form
•Retell stories with accuracy
•Correct themselves while reading
•Identify and spell many words
•Recognize parts of a story
•Read for more than pleasure
•Utilize a larger sight vocabulary
At the end of third grade, students should have attained the following skills and knowledge:
•Read with understanding and fluency
•Understand the meaning of synonyms, homonyms, and antonyms
•Identify the meanings of compound words
•Use punctuation cues to add meaning to the text
•Use graphic organizers to aid comprehension
•Make reasonable predictions
•Identify the main ideas of passages
•Identify character traits
•Summarize what they have read
•Have a larger sight vocabulary
A strong learning partnership with parents can ensure a third-grader’s success. A good teacher teamed up with caring parents can help a third-grade student negotiate and conquer the many challenges he will be expected to meet. Considering all the expectations in the area of reading, I can’t wait to see what awaits the third-grader in mathematics! (Next Posting)
As a high school teacher, I often wondered why so many of the students who were way behind in their learning skills got stuck at the third grade level, especially in reading and math. There is an enormous leap in what is expected of a third grader compared to what is expected of a second grader. Consider some of challenges facing the typical eight-year-old student.
Reading is a skill vigorously stressed in kindergarten through second grade. But in third grade, it takes on a much more demanding role. In reading, students move from merely learning to de-code and read with limited comprehension, to using reading in every aspect of learning. Reading suddenly becomes integral to every subject in school, and will be that way throughout college and beyond. Teachers expect third graders to read lessons and chapters in all subject areas on their own and to be ready to discuss them in class. Fluency is crucial, as the child needs to read most words without having to sound them out in order to understand or comprehend the text.
Each state adopts its own learning standards. However, here are the main abilities students who are working at the standard level should have at the beginning of third grade:
•Read with understanding and fluency
•Figure out unknown words in context
•Recognize word patterns (prefixes and suffixes)
•Communicate in written form
•Retell stories with accuracy
•Correct themselves while reading
•Identify and spell many words
•Recognize parts of a story
•Read for more than pleasure
•Utilize a larger sight vocabulary
At the end of third grade, students should have attained the following skills and knowledge:
•Read with understanding and fluency
•Understand the meaning of synonyms, homonyms, and antonyms
•Identify the meanings of compound words
•Use punctuation cues to add meaning to the text
•Use graphic organizers to aid comprehension
•Make reasonable predictions
•Identify the main ideas of passages
•Identify character traits
•Summarize what they have read
•Have a larger sight vocabulary
A strong learning partnership with parents can ensure a third-grader’s success. A good teacher teamed up with caring parents can help a third-grade student negotiate and conquer the many challenges he will be expected to meet. Considering all the expectations in the area of reading, I can’t wait to see what awaits the third-grader in mathematics! (Next Posting)
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