Next year, you will be teaching in a school where the vast majority of students did not meet standard on your state's criterion-referenced test and where more than 75% of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. What are some specific universal literacy strategies you may implement to ensure students success? Include both in-class examples and things you could do outside the classroom.
In the classroom I would first read aloud to my students modeling how I would want them to read when they are reading aloud. Next, I would have them work on shared reading with texts that they have background knowledge about and would be interested in reading. I would then transition into guided reading with students grouped by ability and skill needs. In guided reading I would present the students with a variety of texts on their level to choose from, so they can choose the one that interest them the most, engaging their schema. I want students to reading successfully and not become frustrated or disinterested while reading. Finally, I would give the students the option to choose a book from a leveled library in my classroom for their independent reading. During my student teaching, my CT did this exact method with her students and it was amazing to see the progress. The majority of the students were on free or reduced meals and many of them did not past the state tests. Throughout the semester we saw many improvements.
Outside of the classroom I would allow my students to take home the leveled texts they choose for independent reading time for extra practice. I would assume the majority of them do not have access to many texts on their level at home. I would also include journal responses and questions about the texts that worked on their comprehension. Also I would have them read aloud to a family member at home, keeping in mind how I modeled read alouds.
I like your whole group approach to reading and then breaking down into smaller groups to help focus on specific skills based on your students needs and abilities. I like your idea of having the students to include journal responses to show what they read and I like having the students to read aloud to their family members. I have sent my students home with reading logs where their parents would have to sign off on books read. I could really tell who was really reading or who not because the books sent home were leveled books and my students would take the Accelerated Reader test after reading the books a number of times in class and out. After my students took the test, they had to share their score with me and I would congratulate them or offer advice on how to truly raise their score the correct way.
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