Rita Palmer has written a book
How do we assess reading now we are no longer using standardised testing.
Linking the reading and writing.
Finding information in the text to show what the characters in texts are feeling. How do you know?
We as teachers have a feeling that when I first started teaching I Probed at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year and we felt we had a good idea where they were at and the moment that is made during the year. So we as teachers now need to look at a different way of monitoring our children.
We need to look at why we use running records and what we get out of it. We as teachers need to sharpen our skills so we can identify
Our monitoring system needs to be ongoing and accurate. Testing is one way of seeing where chn are.
Testing
Plus
Standardised
Confirms hunches
recorded and can be tracked
Informs next steps
Reflection on teaching/learning success
Any stage, any number of kids - ease of admin
parents like it.
Free from personal bias
Minus
Doesn't match interest - prior knowledge
not fair accurate score
Time pressure
snapshot = label
not all kids need it
If we are using a test as a tracking device. It needs to be done at the start and the end of the year.
What the Ministry is trying to do is to stop some teachers just testing in January then not testing again until Dec.
Where do we as a school stand?
How do we as teachers cater for those children who are struggling?
Testing for confirmation is OK :)
Testing needs to be able to tell you what the child in question needs to learn.
The feeling in the group is there is a lack of confidence from the teachers to ask the right questions.
The questions that we need to ask to see what the child's comprehension is like.
What do comprehension questions look like. - can a child find information in a text. start with prior knowledge. Could use the question matrix. reciprocal reading... Focus on asking questions.
How we run our guided reading sessions is so important
Focus on one skill at a time.
Inferring
Find in the text what the author is saying.
read text
What is right there
What is not right there.. questioning doesn't do it for this.
use the "put your finger on where the author has used..." Those children that did not answer or looked blank obviously don't know.
Everyone needs to be able to have a tracking system that works for you.
Start with guided reading at the start of the year - lead into reciprocal reading- shared reading -
When you find there are a lot of gaps across the groups use shared.
If there is technical language identify in your prior knowledge only if there are no hints in the text.
Marmite (read it)
I like marmite. (read it, what does it mean?)
I like marmite on toast. (now what does it mean?)
Otherwise note technical words that have no hints. Otherwise let the children try and work it out.
There is a word here that means - sorry, happy, sad, - you can use clear maths counters. Discuss with there buddies.... Children must understand that reading is about making meaning!
Good readers take risks. Clarify anything that you are unsure about. Helps with context and meaning. If they don't write it down make sure you as a teacher clarify words.
Your information should be all in one place.
The Zoo
by Anthony Browne
a) When we finally got there Dad had to have a row with the man in the ticket booth. He tried to say Harry was only four, and should get in half price. (He's five and a half actually). "Daylight robbery!" Dad snarled.
What kind of person do we think dad is?
Highlight the words that show you what kind of person dad is...
** The use of italics had..
** what does snarl mean .. how would the message change if it was said.
** Drawing conclusions
** Inferring
b) "What animal can you eat at the zoo?" asked Dad.
"Don't know" I groaned.
"A hot dog!" howled Dad. He was holding his stomach and laughing so much that tears were rolling down his face.
What kind of relationship do you think the dad and son have?
What has the author used to show this relationship?
infer about personality using their prior knowledge - reader as a writer.... use the same text for reading as writing.
what I thought
Techniques - italicising - using specific language to add detail.
c) "Poor thing" said Mum.
"You wouldn't say that if it was chasing you " snorted dad.
Porridge
by Michelle Boston
Rating is a good way to identify whether children understand/ have made a connection with the author.
What has the author done? italics, repeats - Hates it.
could look at a range of sentence structure and length.
How do we link reading/writing - using italics
What did you want the reader to get or feel?
Twilight comes Twice
by Ralph Fletcher
personification/ adjectives/metaphor.
imaging
what image does the writer want the reader to get in the first line.
Described the darkness as something else.
Twilight comes Twice
Slowly the dusk pours
the syrup of the darkness
into the forest.
Crows gather in the treetops
for a last minute gossip.
Dawn picks
bits of dark
from between the blades of grass.
With invisible arms
Dawn erases the stars
from the blackboard of night.
visualisation.
Sometimes we don't teach the literacy devices and the children create forced attempts.
The Half Crown
by Claudia Murray
As a writer what did he do? He described an action - " I could see my breath clearly" How would you describe winter without using the word Winter.
Make sure you use text examples you use in your reading when you do your writing.
Shared Reading = To model comprehension. If we are learning inferring - ask what the writer has done....
Co-construct your IALTs with the chn.
Rita encourages us to take a text any text and ask yourself the question what has the writer done to infer - what language have they chosen. Fiction and Non Fiction
Next Steps
Create a chart - this will help with seeing whether children know how to explore texts.
Text What I am thinking Strategy used What did the writer do?
Dad Snorted Dads Grumpy Prior Knowledge/infer had
Hates it! Really hates visual language repeats / !
using a short sentence after a long sentence for emphasis.
Text exploration
Create a table that has the whole class on it with all the reading strategies that can be used to track and monitor chns progress throughout the year.
Look at different types of brainstorming techniques. Such Crab or tree.
Party
cake Presents
Choc
3inch icing
cream
boysenberry
ship
decorations
Add writer techniques that chn could use at the bottom of there page. eg. Similies, metaphors, adjectives, etc.
