Raising a Reader

Teaching the joy of reading and the magic of learning is, I feel, our greatest gift as educators. As a parent, I have been witness to incredible moments of disbelief and awe when it comes to my own 2 sons, Liam and Bryce. They are, indeed, sponges as the saying goes, and my wife and I have tried to instill in them a love of reading that will build a foundation of learning success.

On the weekend, we took a trip to the Barrie Public Library - one of their favourite things to do. My wife came across a storybook called "Bony Legs" and remembered it from her own childhood. She put it into the bag of goodies to be signed out and we were homeward bound. She read the story to our youngest son, Bryce, twice in the next few days.

Bryce has entered the "pre-reading" stage and is constantly asking to "read" to us - or his 5-year-old brother, Liam. He uses the pictures as evidence and describes what he sees to us. He offers reactions like, "this is the funny part," and "isn't that weird?" He has already learned to interact with the text, use its features to improve his understanding and to celebrate and share in his "reading" to truly enjoy the experience.

He proudly carries out this adventure and is so delighted with himself, when he has us as a captivated audience. What a terrific thing to be a part of.



So, how can we make sure that we are "raising readers" in a positive and supportive manner? Here's what I think...

1. Celebrate everything in the stages of reading as worthy of your attention and feedback. "Wow, that's such an interesting ending." "What do you think will happen next?" "How do you feel when you read to mommy and daddy?" "I really like how you used the pictures to figure out what's happening!"

2. Recognize the process of reading. It doesn't happen overnight, and therefore, should be constantly done and discussed in order to progress. Our future readers are "reading" their world far before they sound out words and vocalize sentence structures.

3. Reading is life. This is a skill and talent that will carry your son, daughter, or student throughout their lives. They will dramatically improve given attention, support, feedback and questions. Frame each response and comment you make as an opportunity for them to dazzle you. Don't be satisfied with one word answers, dig deeper and find out what they think just as much as you expect to hear what they know.  

In the end, this is one of the greatest journeys they will ever make...and you will hold their hand through it all and guide them into their potential for learning - and life.

How do you "raise" readers - whether your own children or students you teach? 

Using Technology in the Classroom: Blabberize

One of the greatest assets that a web 2.0 tool can have with respect to teaching practice is "ease of use." Many teachers are comfortable with their technological skill level and will even venture into the realm of the unknown from time-to-time; but in order for many teachers to dive in and plan for its use in their classroom - it has to seem worth it and 'hassle free."

In these days of time-saving, cutting-edge and tech-savvy classroom lessons, one program holds a great deal of potential as a teaching tool for both elementary and secondary teachers - blabberize.

Blabberize.com is a web 2.0 tool that can be used with no prior experience and put to practical use in little time. The idea behind this website is to upload a photo or picture, and then record voice (using a microphone). The final product is a photo (you have chosen) that has a moving mouth (which you manipulate) and saying the words that you record.

As a program that students as young as primary can play a large part in using, blabberize can be an ideal way to use a technological tool for "writing in role" and "empathy" lesson activities. Have students research a particular culture or citizen of a country and then write in role how their life compares to ours. When students are finished, they can show the class their chosen person (with a photograph) and listen to them explain their way of life and daily activities.

This tool is also a terrific way of utilizing peer helpers and 'buddies' in your school. Have junior and intermediate students pair up with a primary student or pair of students. The older child can work the technology aspects to the program, while the primary student can focus on the writing in role and speaking presentation. It is a great collaboration opportunity and will help your peer mentors demonstrate leadership skills, initiative, and possibly even, conflict resolution (depending on the group dynamic).

Here is a brief list of the strands of Social Studies that could lend themselves to blabberize:

Grade 1 - The Local Community

Grade 2 - Communities Around the World

Grade 3 - Urban and Rural Communities

Grade 4 - Medieval Times

Grade 5 - Ancient Civilizations

Grade 6 - First Nations and European Explorers

Grade 7 - New France/British North America

Grade 8 - Confederation/Settlement of the West

*For each of these units;

1. A character could be researched or taught about in class

2. Students write or speak about what life is like for them (and how it relates to life today)

3. They upload a photo of the character and create the shape of the 'moving mouth.'

4. Students get to listen to a "guest speaker" in class - a character from their Social Studies unit that explains to them information about their lives.

***My one word of caution is to preface any lesson that you undertake with an explicit message about stereotypes and generalizing. Students should write and record "in role," but they must take caution not to use overt stereotypes or poke fun at a particular cultural group/way of life.

You could have a great deal of fun with accents and dialects (as components of you Oral Language program) and even incorporate Shakespeare through soliloquys that would otherwise not make it from the student's mouth to the "stage" by using blabberize.

Give blabberize a try! I would love to hear about how it goes with your class and even have you post a reply that shares YOUR IDEAS about how to use blabberize in teaching.

Movies in Class - Using Supertexts in Literacy

One of the most effective, but sometimes risky, things to do in your classroom is show a movie. Our students love the experience of watching a movie in class. They think it's entertaining, and yet, they are learning key literacy skills through the use of this vehicle.

Movies act like super-texts. They present information in an auditory and visual manner. Dialogue and plot details must be considered, filtered and used to form the basis of predictions and evaluative statements about the movie.

Our students are connecting text-to-text, text-to-world and text-to-self when they watch movies - the key is to draw out those connections during or after the viewing. Plus, we are giving them another text from which future connections can be forged.

For some of our students, movies are familiar and safe. No one putting them on the spot for a correct answer. No forced writing activities on topics they have little interest in. Sit, back and enjoy the show - but of course, there could be pre-, during and even post-activities to tackle when the credits begin.

When considering what movies are appropriate and sensible to show in your classroom, consult http://www.kids-in-mind.com/. This website is a database of movies and a play-by-play of the content using examples and a numbered rating system. From this information, a more informed and confident decision can be made about whether the movie will work and match the learning needs of your students.

Not just for rainy days or supply teachers, movies can unlock your student's potential for acquiring literacy skills, engaging in their learning, and all the while, feeling entertained.