Thanks.? We seem to think the same.exact.thing. about raising the bar and
holding them accountable.? We are also keeping in mind that while a few are
coming into the district already reading - the majority are actually learning
how to read as well.? Figuring out that balance has been a challenge for the K
teachers.? Even the meaningful talk...since they have not been exposed, it's
really introducing the topic of how to talk AND how to listen.? If you have any
specific ideas and/or resources, I would love to read them :)? Thanks again
CNJ
---
I have some experience with comprehension strategies and K kids. In? fact,
two other colleagues and I did several lesson study cycles where we? planned an
introductory lesson to each strategy together, taught it while the? other two
observed and then adjusted the lesson plans to make them better before?
another of us retaught the lesson. I can tell you that K kids and their level
of?
thinking surprised me again and again! They can do it! you just need to think?
about a few things...
1. The right text... many picture books for the younger set do not allow? for
much thinking. Most of the comprehension teaching I do is with read-alouds?
rather than using the little books they might be learning to decode? with.
2. Consider how can you make thinking demonstrable for our littlest ones? I?
found that the ideas in the book Starting with Comprehension are very helpful.
You can have kids act out what they are thinking or draw what they are?
thinking... I use drawings, props, every pupil response techniques to make the?
lessons appropriate for kinders.
3. Be aware that you have to give kids the language they need to express?
their thinking. They think wonderful things but don't always know what words
to?
use to share what they are thinking. They need us to model how we use words to
describe what is going on in our heads.
3. Beware of the moniker :" developmentally appropriate."? Sometimes? that is
used to hold kids down rather than move them forward. While I definitely?
believe that we must consider developmental stages and needs, don't think for
a?
minute that all K kids cannot make inferences or that because they are fiver?
years old they think completely concretely all the time. And don't think for a
minute that they must decode well before they can learn comprehension and?
thinking strategies. My K teachers and their students amaze me regularly with?
extremely high levels of thinking. I believe we should be teaching
comprehension? and thinking from the very beginning.
Jennifer
Maryland
In a message dated 1/4/2009 3:11:28 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,?
lmkna...@aol.com writes:
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