Day 5: Planning a Reading Programme

 Planning a Reading Programme - Day 5

Emphasis and highlight for me today was 'plan, maintain, sustain.' To apply these consistently with collaborative energy and sustained student engagement by offering choice, interaction and empowerment, should see progress and a love of learning for our students.

I was interested in having the opportunity to look through some Reading Apps that can be used as follow up activities or for students to access during independent reading time. I spent some time looking at Readworks and Literacy Planet, two Apps I don't know much about. In Readworks I thought it was great to learn that students can record themselves reading. Literacy Planet appeals to me as having some children complete their first PAT tests in February, I am acutely aware that we don't always ask questions with the multiple choice option. This site offers this:

Having looked at the Apps and revisiting the purpose of Independent Reading Activities in our programme, I was pleased to see these principles reiterating my feelings on critical thinking and integration across the curriculum.

Being able to 'read like a writer and write like a reader' and having writing 'modelled like a reader' resonated for me and the importance of our students being exposed to texts specific to Aotearoa New Zealand. Writing needs to be modelled on good reading examples that explicitly show the purpose, features and structure of the text being targeted. I thoroughly enjoyed the 'sensory imagery to create suspense' task and can see how well something like this would work in my class.

For many years I have wondered and asked the question why knowledge of Phonemic Awareness is not considered an essential part of the reading programme. I think in New Zealand perhaps it is due to the fact that many teachers were not 'taught' phonology when they were at school. Having had some students go through the BSLA programme this year, I can definitely see the benefits of structured literacy (specific time and place.) English is a language made up of so many 'exceptions to the rule' but at least having some understanding of some of the rules must hold students in good stead whilst trying to ''crack the code!"

Day 5 has definitely left me with many things to mull over and 'have a go at' in class. Thank you.