pre-reading and six -reading

Competency 602.8.6: Oral Reading Fluency

Introduction:

Reading fluency is the “freedom from the word identification problems that might hinder comprehension in silent reading or the expression of ideas in oral reading” (Harris & Hodges, 1995, p.85). Worthy and Broaddus (2001) go on to further define fluency as being “equated with phrasing, smoothness, and expressiveness as well as rate, accuracy, and automaticity.” Current research suggests that reading fluency, in both oral and silent reading, has a high correlation to comprehension.

Through this task you will apply your understanding of strategies to build oral fluency. The corresponding objective assessment ill include questions that focus on identifying appropriate oral fluency strategies. The literacy and reading summative assessments will require activities related to measuring oral fluency. This task provides practice in identifying instructional strategies you might use to build reading oral fluency.

Task:

A. Describe a three-day oral fluency literacy unit (suggested length of 1-2 pages) to set the context for three lessons that you might teach in the unit.

Note: You will not create the lesson plans, but you will describe the learning activities and teaching strategies that would promote oral fluency in those lessons.

B. Design an original oral fluency lesson activity (using the attached “WGU Lesson Activity Format”) for each of the three lessons in the unit. You will submit three oral fluency completed lesson activity forms.

1. Discuss the instructional strategies that promote oral fluency, relating them to the lesson.

a. Include a rationale for each instructional oral fluency strategy.

2. Include one learning activity that develops oral fluency for each lesson.

a. Include the rationale for each learning activity that develops oral fluency.

C. When you use sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format.

Competency 602.8.7: Vocabulary

Introduction:

According to the article by Armbruster, Lehr, and Osborn (2001), “Vocabulary…. Is very important to reading comprehension. Readers cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words mean. As children learn to read more advanced texts, they must learn the meaning of new words that are not part of their oral vocabulary.” Armbuster et al. also support the use of both direct and indirect vocabulary instruction, while Gunning (2008) talks about seven principles of effective vocabulary instruction and offers numerous search-supported techniques for promoting vocabulary development in elementary classrooms.

Through this task, you will build your understanding of strategies used to increase vocabulary. The corresponding objective assessment will include questions that focus on identifying appropriate vocabulary strategies. The literacy and reading summative performance task will require activities related to measuring vocabulary. This task provides an opportunity for you to identify instructional strategies you might use to build reading vocabulary.

After consulting the learning resources outlined in the course of study task, you should be able to evaluate why repetition and multiple exposures to vocabulary are important to student mastery.

Task:

A. Create a letter for parents or guardians of students in your elementary classroom by doing the following:

1. Provide a brief overview of what vocabulary is, why it is important, and how it can be assessed.

2. Explain five different ways that vocabulary can be taught effectively.

3. In your conclusion, solicit the parents’ help and support to work with their children at night to develop this skill.

B. When you use sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format.

Competency 602.8.9: Children’s Literature

Introduction:

As the number of children from diverse cultures in America increases, so too must schools’ efforts to foster and create a learning environment that seeks to embrace the differences of all cultures. Motivation to learn is increased when students are provided with interesting and varied materials that are constructed at a moderately challenging level.

“From reading stories about their own culture, children have opportunities to see how others go through experiences similar to theirs, develop strategies to cope with issues in their life, and identify themselves with their inherited culture. It is, therefore, important that educators incorporate multicultural literature into the curriculum and make it part of children’s everyday life” (Lu, 1998).

This task will enable you to develop an instructional resource to use when you become a teacher. You will compile an annotated list in APA format of multicultural books from a variety of genres and will assess the readability level of several of the selected books.

Tasks:

A> Compile an annotated list of references in APA format of 10 multicultural books in the following selected categories that are appropriate for classroom use (Specify the appropriate age(s) and /or grade level (s) for each book):

· African culture

· Asian culture

· Native American culture

· Mexican or Central American culture

· Urban American culture

· Rural American culture

Competency 602.8.10: Reading Comprehension

Introduction:

This task will require you to create a set of pre-reading and post-reading questions according to the six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

The purpose of this task is to help you build a greater foundational knowledge of reading comprehension in the context of higher-level thinking skills. This knowledge will prove useful as you prepare for the summative assessment. Additionally, the corresponding objective assessment will include items that require a foundational understanding of questioning at various levels in conjunction with other reading comprehension strategies.

Assume that you are an elementary teacher. Your principal has noticed what an excellent job you are doing relative to using questioning at various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, and the principal has asked you to prepare an afterschool workshop for other teachers in your building.

Task:

A. Create a presentation (3-4 pages) in which you do the following:

1. Explain why pre- and post –questioning are important instructional and assessment tools.

2. Explain what the cognitive domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy is and how it relates to critical reading skills.

3. Complete the following for a selected work of children’s literature:

a. Identify the children’s literature selection you have chosen.

b. Summarize the chosen children’s literature selection.

c. Include a set of three pre-reading and six -reading questions based on the children’s literature selection of your choice.

1. Identify which level of Bloom’s Taxonomy is represented for each question you write.