Dorit Sasson's Blog
Posted by Dorit Sasson
Contrary to previous blog posts, I would like to link my last article on teaching reading strategies to this blog post on teaching reading on the elementary school level.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to 'catch' the problems before they fester and become real serious problems in middle school. It is very hard to turn a sturggling reader into one who suddenly starts to love books. But like any challenge, it can happen.
Here are a few considerations for planning a reading program for the elementary school level.
1. Sensitize your students to oral work but do not overdo it.
2. Spend a good portion of your reading program on decoding skills.
Some reading reminders:
1. Different programs work for different populations.
2. Make use of the textbook as much as possible.
3. Decide what is going to be the 'core' of your program (ie. the starting point - the word, letter/sound correspondences, the sentence or, the paragraph)
4. Decide on a pattern of development: ABC - words - sentences - paragraph and the order of how you plan to teach it.
Posted by Dorit Sasson
Are you constantly looking for free stuff? last week while attending a free seminar, the couselors there were handing out wall and pocket calendars and planners, mugs with candy, picture frames, storebought and handmade Christmas ornaments... these would make great teacher gifts!
Did you know there is a ton of free stuff that is being given away for the Christmas season. I'm not necessarily talking about teacher oriented stuff but lots of general free stuff for teachers. Teacher salaries may not be so incredibly high, so it's nice to check out this site and this one for gift ideas or a free gift for yourself.
I'm not going to liste everything: but if you do a random searchyou'll find everything from planners, to stickers, to business cards and yes, there is even free Internet access and free software for you teachers who are of late, lacking inspriation to create classroom worksheets due to the holiday reading season approaching.
Oh, by the way, have you entered the Teacher's December Give-Away Contest? This theme topic is about success. The deadline has been extended until the end of the month.
Posted by Dorit Sasson
This month’s topic is: “A Success Story.” As you may know, the time I am spending now on a sabbatical is well earned. My twelve years in education has shown me that it pays to work towards improving the relationships with students, enriching the curriculum by providing meaningful activities, engaging them with the heart all while trying to manage a classroom and a life beyond it. While happily resting, I’m thinking how you are engaging your students in different and creative ways and hopefully, each of you will have something to share resulting from your hard work.
For this giveaway, I’ll be giving an excellent Barnes and Nobles planner, which has saved me for spilling my brains all throughout my teaching career. It’s a god send – the brain child of a teacher and the reviews prove it. Some parts of it could be used in real life too. I would really like to see this gift in someone’s hand – especially one who needs a bit of New Year's reminder.
Please find a post or write about those little successes, so that we can all be recharged for the New Year as we think of additional teacher resolutions. Email your posts no later than January 28th. I reserve the right to screen for objectionable content. This giveaway is open to all teachers with a US and overseas addresses.Hopefully, I'll be busy reading your entries and announce a winner by the end of January.
Good luck and I look forward to reading your entries.
Posted by Dorit Sasson
The debate of how to teach reading is ongoing and has been extensively researched. The result has become a lively topic of 'Reading Wars" - which reading approach is more efficient?
Basically, it bottles down to two major approaches: Top-down modes of instruction known as whole language and bottom-up approaches known as phonic instruction. The danger is teaching exclusively phonics without incorporating meaning. The mechanics of reading need to be combined with acquiring meaning. Providing frequent opportunities eventually result in word automaticity.
Identify with the mode of reading instruction you feel works naturally for you. For starters, this does not mean getting trapped in these 'wars,' but rather making sense from the research:
1. Phonic approach can dehumanize reading instruction as it tends to lean on unnecessary drilling.
2. Phonic mode of instruction should be centered on meanings.
3. When sounds are contextualized, instruction becomes much more meaningful.
For all preservice, new and practicing teachers, the ideal method is to aim for eclecticism in early literacy. This means that as reading teachers, you combine both global and phonic teaching methods into one for starters. Start by finding interesting texts or stories that speak first to you. Then analyze the texts in light of these two reading approaches:
- Is there a sound cluster or clusters?
- Is there an interesting story line?
If you answered 'yes' to these questions, then you can begin to engage and motivate the students using a variety of pre-activities depending on where they are exactly in their reading abilities.
Posted by Dorit Sasson
As I approach my one year at suite 101, I remember the difficulties I was facing: promoting my articles to all you new teachers, learning how to create an audience, motivate you readers to continue reading pertinent articles on classroom management, lesson planning, issues relating to homework and so on.
The journey has been very rocky trying to combine classroom teaching and writing but thankfully, I'm doing what I love best: writing. But at the same time, I give credit to all you new and seasoned teachers out there, while I am home, on sabbatical, writing a book. Teaching is so very very hard. I wish it was taken much more seriously all around the world. Sigh.
Similarly with writing, teaching has MAJOR ups and downs, but it's all about trying to build a connection, with the students and through the material. Like my first adjustments at suite, the beginning is always rocky, but that's all there is: a beginning.
Believe me when I tell you that it pays to personalize those experience in the form of teacher's journals. I'm so glad I did. It's so self-revealing to see how my lessons got better over time and which issues were major and which classroom management issues were slowly leaving center stage.
That's not to say that some issues you feel at the beginning of your teaching fade away forever; they just become more manageable and easier to deal with. Then you can concentrate on what is really important: your students.
