All About Jack*...
During the past few weeks, I have visited with Jack while working with him on reading and writing. I have learned that Jack is very bright, witty, outgoing, talkative, and he is open to suggestions regarding new books he might enjoy and what he can do to improve how he reads.
Jack reads well above his grade level. He reads very fast, so fast in fact that he tends to run over punctuation. However, his speedy reading, and lack of resting at punctuation does not seem to hinder his comprehension. After hearing him read a passage from his book (which happened to end with a few sentences about a car crash) I told him I was impressed with how fast he could read and how he could still follow along with what was happening in the story. But I also told him that for me, as a listener, it sounded like all the words were crashing together, like the cars in the book he was reading. I asked him if knew what stop signs were for, and of course he said he did. I explained that punctuation works just like road signs; commas are like yield signs and periods are like stop signs. He said he understood, and the next time he read to us he did a much better job resting at punctuation marks.
Jack mentioned to me during our first visit that he didn't enjoy reading. He said he reads the same books over and over. His mom has tried to get him to read the Percy Jackson series, but he is not interested. At first, we thought he might not really enjoy reading. However, when my partner suggested a similar series to the ones he was currently re-reading, he immediately requested that series from the library. While waiting for them to arrive he decided to start reading a Nancy Drew book. He seems to really enjoy it. He told us he likes the fact that there are clues in the book. I think I will suggest The 39 Clues series to him next. Book eight, The Emperor's Code, has the grade level equivalency of 4.5, which is not as high as I think he is capable of reading, but I think it will match his interests. I am currently searching for a "just right" book for him, one that meets his grade level equivalency and his interests.
Since Jack hasn't had any issues with spelling, pronunciation, or with comprehension in any of the passages we have given him to read, we would like to have him read a level 5 passage (Margaret Mead, or Farming on the Great Plains). Jack is proving to be open to reading and learning about several topics and genres. With this in mind, our learning objective will be EALR 3: 3.1. Read to learn new information, and 3.4. Read for literary experience in a variety of genres.
*pseudonym
During the past few weeks, I have visited with Jack while working with him on reading and writing. I have learned that Jack is very bright, witty, outgoing, talkative, and he is open to suggestions regarding new books he might enjoy and what he can do to improve how he reads.
Jack reads well above his grade level. He reads very fast, so fast in fact that he tends to run over punctuation. However, his speedy reading, and lack of resting at punctuation does not seem to hinder his comprehension. After hearing him read a passage from his book (which happened to end with a few sentences about a car crash) I told him I was impressed with how fast he could read and how he could still follow along with what was happening in the story. But I also told him that for me, as a listener, it sounded like all the words were crashing together, like the cars in the book he was reading. I asked him if knew what stop signs were for, and of course he said he did. I explained that punctuation works just like road signs; commas are like yield signs and periods are like stop signs. He said he understood, and the next time he read to us he did a much better job resting at punctuation marks.
Jack mentioned to me during our first visit that he didn't enjoy reading. He said he reads the same books over and over. His mom has tried to get him to read the Percy Jackson series, but he is not interested. At first, we thought he might not really enjoy reading. However, when my partner suggested a similar series to the ones he was currently re-reading, he immediately requested that series from the library. While waiting for them to arrive he decided to start reading a Nancy Drew book. He seems to really enjoy it. He told us he likes the fact that there are clues in the book. I think I will suggest The 39 Clues series to him next. Book eight, The Emperor's Code, has the grade level equivalency of 4.5, which is not as high as I think he is capable of reading, but I think it will match his interests. I am currently searching for a "just right" book for him, one that meets his grade level equivalency and his interests.
Since Jack hasn't had any issues with spelling, pronunciation, or with comprehension in any of the passages we have given him to read, we would like to have him read a level 5 passage (Margaret Mead, or Farming on the Great Plains). Jack is proving to be open to reading and learning about several topics and genres. With this in mind, our learning objective will be EALR 3: 3.1. Read to learn new information, and 3.4. Read for literary experience in a variety of genres.
It’s great that even though he reads through punctuation, it doesn’t affect his comprehension. Still, it’s great that you are having him work on this. While it may not be affecting him now, in the future, reading through punctuation marks may affect his comprehension.
ReplyDeleteI am concerned with the fact that he doesn’t like to read. It’s great that you are taking the time to search for a Just Right Book for him, and I think the EALRs you have chosen are perfect for him. I am particularly optimistic about your EALR 3:3.1-Reading to learn new information. I feel if he starts learning new and interesting information from books, it will get him to read other books besides “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Speaking of this book, could his fascination with it be as a result of the movie that came out? Have you tried having him read a book that’s a higher reading level, but that also had a movie made after it? I know it may sound weird, but perhaps he likes those books because he can associate characters to it. Or, could he associate himself with one of the characters? For example, I asked my fourth grade buddy to choose one of the four books I took for one of our sessions. He chose “The Invisible Boy.” When I asked him why, he said he chose it because it’s about a boy, like him. Children are very visual. Have you asked him if his liking of those books is because of the movie?
I did a little research. Check out this link: http://www.kidsreads.com/features/books2movies.asp
It’s about books that have been turned into movies. There are a variety of levels to choose from. This can be turned into a lesson, like a book report, where he has to compare the two (book and movie). You can also look through a particular book and look for an exciting moment. Have him read this part aloud, giving you the opportunity to see if he’s running through periods, and inadvertently he may become interested in the book.
Just out of curiosity, how is his comprehension when he reads a passage aloud? My buddy has great comprehension, but only when he reads something silently. As discussed in class today with Nancy, there are benefits to being able to retell a passage after reading it aloud. How does your buddy do in this area? Would he still be a level five?
Great post! I think the EALRs you have chosen for him are just right.
What a great analogy (punctuations to road signs) to help Jack better understand the purpose of pausing and stopping. Something that I thought of immediately when I was reading about Jack's tendency to read fast is that doing reader’s theater could be very helpful. When he participates in reading a play with other students, and takes on a role of a character, he will be more aware of how he reads out loud. Before you begin, you can do a mini lesson on reading with inflection and intonation.
ReplyDeleteAlso, from what I understand, I'm not sure that Jack really does not enjoy reading. I think the problem might be finding books that he is interested in reading. It sounds like his mom was suggesting a book that he had no desire to read, but when your partner mentioned a series that is similar to what he is reading now, he was quick to look into it, which means that he does like to read! It'll be important to talk to him about finding the "just right" book, both in terms of reading level, as well interest so that he will be encouraged to keep reading.
Motivation, book choice, interest, genre, and perhaps fluency in terms of reading with expression. Lots of great ideas for a lesson/activity with Jack!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to see that he appears to be more open to reading different books and trying new genres. It must have been a lot of fun for you to see this change in Jack* since the first time you met with him.
ReplyDeleteDo you know enough about Jack to help him find books of different genres that he would be interested in? What are you going to do to try and engage Jack in different genres?