{"id":1588,"date":"2012-01-06T06:54:47","date_gmt":"2012-01-06T14:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/fastforword\/?p=1588"},"modified":"2012-07-17T08:49:04","modified_gmt":"2012-07-17T15:49:04","slug":"growing-readers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/fastforword\/growing-readers\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Readers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I just finished rereading A Corner of the Universe<\/span> (A. Martin), an intermediate novel for Literature Circles next term. \u00a0I was reminded once again how meaning can be taken to a whole new level just by the manipulation of words. What happens when there are monstrous barriers that make words impossible to decipher?<\/p>\n

Make no mistake – reading is a \u00a0multi-tasking activity; a vast amount of brain energy is expended while decoding and making sense of text. \u00a0Just imagine when you first learned to drive – remember that struggle to focus on the road, not to mention organizing hand and foot movements to maintain a smooth ride! I can just bet that you don’t have to think as much about your feet and hands now (…ok still keep your eyes on the road!). \u00a0This is because you’ve achieved a level of\u00a0automaticity<\/a>,\u00a0the ability to accomplish certain tasks without having to really think about it. \u00a0This also happens in reading. \u00a0Imagine how hard it would be if you had to labour over each word in a story by sounding it out! \u00a0You wouldn’t have any energy left for meaning making.<\/p>\n

Part of successful reading requires attention to\u00a0fluency<\/strong> (decoding and\"\"<\/a> prosody<\/a>).\u00a0While some people think fluency is only about fast reading, it’s actually the bridge to comprehension. \u00a0When we\u00a0break through the surface structures of decoding \u00a0we get at the deep level structures – comprehension. \u00a0This requires a certain level of automaticity with words and that takes practice, lots of practice. \u00a0Word study activities \u00a0in Words Their Way<\/a> and exercises in Fast ForWord provide students with multiple repetitions. \u00a0In the same vein, exercises that require repeated reading of texts serve to develop fluency. The multiple rehearsals \u00a0provide opportunity not only to listen to the sound of language but also encourages deeper meaning (not unlike rehearsals for a play) through the emotion and story of words. \u00a0Great readers are fluent readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who has time to listen to every student repeat a passage over and over! Me included. \u00a0 This is where technology can help. \u00a0Using Windows audio recorder,\"\"<\/a>\u00a0Photostory<\/a>, or Audacity<\/a> can be the tools of choice. \u00a0Students practice recording and use the playback features to listen to themselves. By capturing their voice, they have an opportunity to review their work multiple times. \u00a0Through self assessment, students decide what they need to fix and re-record as many times as needed.<\/p>\n

Watch how Dr. Timothy Rasinski<\/a> (Kent State University) describes fluency.<\/p>\n