Florida ged plus college Preparation Program Curriculum and Resource Guide
Teaching Poetry in the Language Arts Classroom
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- Strategy – Analyzing a Poem in Four Paragraphs
- Strategy – Comparing and Contrasting Two Poems In Six Paragraphs
- Objective 2 – Increased Reading Rate and Fluency
- Strategy – WARF Speed Ahead
- Strategy – Determine Each Student’s Reading Rate
- Strategy – Timed Reading
- Strategy – Building Fluency
- Strategy – Fluency Development Lesson
- Strategy – Vocabulary Speed Drills
- Strategy – Guided Oral Repeated Reading
Teaching Poetry in the Language Arts Classroom“A poem may appear to mean very different things to different readers, and all of these meanings may be different from what the author thought he meant. For instance, the author may have been writing some peculiar personal experience, which he saw quite unrelated to anything outside; yet for the reader the poem may become the expression of a general situation, as well as of some private experience of his own. The reader's interpretation may differ from the author's and be equally valid-- it may even be better. There may be much more in a poem than the author was aware of. The different interpretations may all be partial formulations of one thing; the ambiguities may be due to the fact that the poem means more, not less, than ordinary speech can communicate.” T. S. Eliot There are numerous strategies that are useful when teaching poetry in the classroom. First, students need to understand the different types of figurative language that are used are poetry, as well as poetry forms. Students also need a structure to use for poetry analysis. The following are two outlines that teachers may wish to use. Analysis of PoetryStrategy – Analyzing a Poem in Four Paragraphs
Strategy – Comparing and Contrasting Two Poems In Six Paragraphs
Idaho State University Online Handouts. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 03/06/06 at: http://www.isu.edu/departments/ctl/writing/handouts/poetry.html. Objective 2 – Increased Reading Rate and FluencyExhibit an increased amount of reading in diverse subject areas with appropriate rate and fluency for beginning college level (reading should be completed both in and out of the classroom) How quickly you read with understanding is your reading rate. Reading fluency refers to both the speed and ease with which you read. Fluent readers read with appropriate rhythm, intonation, and expression. Good fluency and reading rate are important because when a person reads fluently, he/she does not have to worry about the tedious process of decoding each word along the way. The type of text that students read also determines reading rate. If the text is complex, a student will read more. One good analogy for reading rate is that it’s like shifting gears in a car.
Fluency, the ability to read with accuracy, speed and expression, is important, because it allows the reader to break free from the tedious process of decoding each word along the way. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically and can group words quickly to help gain meaning from what is being read. When reading aloud, the fluent reader reads effortlessly and with expression. Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Remember that reading rate is the ability to read something quickly, whereas fluency is the ability to read not only with speed, but also with accuracy and expression in order to better understand the text. Strategy – WARF Speed AheadWARF Speed Ahead is one strategy that can be used to help students improve their reading rate. Students need to master each step if they are to significantly improve their reading rate. Widen your eye span. Do not read one word at a time. Read groups of words. Try to group words starting with the and a with nouns. Just look at the nouns. Don't look at the words the and a because they do not add any meaning. Group words starting with is, are, was, and were with verbs. Just look at the verbs because they are the words that give meaning. Avoid skip backs. If you do not understand an idea, do not re-read the words immediately. First, keep reading and try to get the meaning by using context clues. If you can't get the meaning from the context clues, then go back and re-read to try to understand the material. Read silently. Try not to read aloud unless you are trying to memorize material. Reading aloud slows you down. To stop yourself from reading aloud, press your lips together to prevent yourself from mouthing the words. Flex your reading rate. Read slower when you read important information that you need to understand or memorize. When you read information that you understand and know well, read faster. If you are looking for information, read quickly as you search for that word on the page. Adapted from Learning Toolbox, Steppingstone Technology Grant, James Madison University MSC 1993, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.
A student’s reading rate may be calculated by dividing the number of words read correctly by the total amount of reading time. You may count out 100 words in a passage and then time the student as he/she reads the passage. If a student reads 92 words correctly in 1.5 minutes, the student has a reading rate of 61 words per minute (wpm). A standard word is six letter spaces, including punctuation and spacing. College-ready students should be able to read an average of 260 – 300 words per minute. Average Rates for Reading with Understanding
Source: Carver (1990) Strategy – Timed ReadingUse timed reading activities to start and end each class. Provide students with reading materials that are one grade level below their assessed reading skill level. You may either have students complete timed readings as a group or individually. If students complete readings individually, have students time themselves using a basic kitchen timer. Select reading texts with comprehension questions. You may wish to choose your own texts or use a commercial series. Jamestown Publishers has timed readings in all different content areas. If you select your own text, have students read for a three or five minute timing and figure their words per minute. You may also wish to have students read a complete article and figure out how many words per minute they read based on the total number of words divided by the total number of minutes needed to read the article. A few select comprehension questions are important to check that students are not merely reading words, but are rather reading for meaning. Have students chart their progress using a chart similar to the one on the next page. Sample Timed Reading Chart Name Words Per Minute
Strategy – Building FluencyFluency develops gradually over time and through substantial practice. Good fluency can be taught using many different types of approaches. Jorgensen (2003), in his article What Science Has Taught Us about the Skills Needed to be a Good Reader, discusses that repeated reading is one of the most effective ways of improving fluency. Fluency activities to use on a daily basis include:
Fluency is a skill that must be taught. Many fluency lessons follow a format similar to the following:
Following are two types of lesson plans that can be used in the adult education classroom to improve fluency and ultimately reading comprehension. Strategy – Vocabulary Speed DrillsSpeed Drills – The procedure for using speed drills is to use a word list, such as the Academic Word List, and have a student read as many words correctly as possible in one minute. The number correct is charted on a daily basis. If time permits, more than one drill can be used per class period. Depending on the level of the reader, the teacher may wish to do two types of word drills for fluency, one on sight words and one on words that are needed for the academic area being taught or real-life words that the student needs to know. Strategy – Guided Oral Repeated ReadingThe following steps have proven productive for increasing reading fluency.
Sample Fluency Lesson Step 1: Overview and Check Vocabulary for the Chapter/Text Have students silently read the chapter or text and prepare a list of words that they can not decode or understand. Discuss and explain the list of words that have been identified in a small-group setting. Have students demonstrate their understanding of the words through using them in a sentence in a different context. To build on the discussion of the vocabulary, ask questions regarding the main idea of the text to provide students with a brief overview. This may be something such as a summary of what is going to occur, the major characters, or one of the primary concepts. Step 2: Practice on Speed and Accuracy Guided Practice – Model reading the text or part of the text at an appropriate pace with expression. Have the students follow along silently. At the beginning of every second or third paragraph, randomly select a student to read the first sentence aloud. This will help to ensure active participation by all students. Independent Practice – Assign the student a part of the text to review silently. Then have the student read that section of the text aloud. As students demonstrate increasing competence and confidence, have them read longer passages.
Discuss parts of the story or text to check comprehension. For example: What is the main idea? What was the motive? What was the sequence? What happened first; next; last? Summarize the text. Students who are not participating or who are responding inaccurately should be tutored individually until they can respond accurately to three or four questions. All students need to be accountable for reading with understanding. Step 4: Reading with Expression Have students practice reading with expression. Begin with stories where students can have fun practicing different voices for different characters, changing intonation to indicate a question, or reading with pauses to build interest and anticipation. All students should be given the opportunity to read at least a short section of the text. Step 5: Rate and Accuracy Assessment Assessment can be completed in individual or small-group settings. A 60-word sample, read in 30 seconds or less with two errors or less, should be the minimum sample size. If done in a small-group setting, use a different text sample for each student. Provide additional help to students who have difficulty meeting the assessment criteria. Move the group to the next chapter of the text once the group meets the standards or show steady improvement in their rate and accuracy. Directory: documents documents -> Concept stage documents -> Concept stage documents -> The great global switch-off documents -> Nonprofit grant application documents -> The Truth about the Rwandan Genocide documents -> Annual InStructional unit plan documents -> Chaos equipment included Download 1.65 Mb. Share with your friends:
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