Let's Read Together!

Collaborative Conversations

This lesson is thirteenth in a series of fourteen. 

I put students into groups of 4 on the carpet.   I say: Let's look at our Rules for conversation and remember how we participate in our collaborative conversations.

I prompt: Think about what you like doing with your friend(s) at school.  Each member is given a number 1-4. 

For 30 seconds I have the 1’s share with the group what they like doing with their friends at school.  Then we move onto the 2’s, 3’s and 4’s.

I direct:  You may use the linguistic pattern : “I like  ___ ing with a friend at school.”

As students are having their group talk, I monitor, assist and prompt where necessary.  If students are struggling to generate conversation and/or language, I model: I like singing with my friends at school.  What do you like to do with your friends at school?

Emergent Reader

 I hand out an emergent reader to each child.  Students take the book to their desks and put their name on the front of the book.

I display my small book on the document camera while students sit at their desks with theirs.

First, we browse the book looking at the pictures and noticing any words that we might know. I direct: Boys and girls, take a minute and browse your book.  Remember, browsing means looking at the words and the pictures and thinking about what the book is going to be about.  We are not talking about the book yet.  As students browse, I monitor the room and use proximity to keep students on task.

I pull the group back together and say: /e/Let's look at the front cover and read the title together. Everyone put your finger on the title and get ready to read.  I model by putting my finger on the title and quickly sweep the room with my eyes to make sure students are engaged.   

I continue:  What is the first word in the title?  Let's sound it out!  What does 't-o' say?  Let's look at that first chunk.  We've seen that word before.  (to)  What does 'g' say? (/g/)  What does 'e' say? (/e/)  Let's blend that much together. (Toge-)  

I continue:  'th' says /th/.  Can you make that sound?  (students repeat)  'er' says /r/.  Can you make that sound? (students repeat)  Let's blend it all together to read our word!  We blend the word 'together.' 

I prompt: We know this next word.  It is on our word wall and we've practiced it.  What is it? (we)  We know this next word.  It is on our word wall and we've practiced it.  (are)  

I follow the same format in sounding out 'Better' as I did in sounding out 'Together.'  

I finish: Let's read the entire title together.  Fingers ready?  I track and read the title on my book on the document camera and student read and track in theirs.

We read the story together, using 1:1 correspondence, touching each word with our reading finger.  We focus on the action words (activities), see if we can find the word twice and how it has changed with “-ing”.  If students are struggling with the action word, I prompt:  Look at the picture.  What does it show us?  

I focus on the -ing ending: We add this 'ing' ending when we are saying what we are doing. Everybody make that sound, "ING."  Students repeat.

We sound out the words that are not sight words.  If the sight word is on our word wall, I prompt the kids to read the word or look at the word wall to see if that helps them with that word.  Usually the kids will recognize the sight words because I have purposefully used familiar ones in this repetitive text to build independence with reading.

I will often walk around the room rather than staying at the document camera.  As we are reading aloud, I monitor tracking.  I will hover around those students who I know are struggling to both keep them on task and help them when necessary.

This is a student who spoke no English coming into school.  Wow - look what he can do now!

Sing Alone or Together song as a review of the concepts "alone" and "together."

Tree Map-brainstorming

I have students discuss with a partner things they do at school (alone and together). Then, I invite children to volunteer  suggest things they do at school together and I write it on our tree map on the document camera and students write with me on their own paper.  

I prompt: What are some things we like to do ALONE?  I take student suggestions and we write them in our ALONE box at the top.

I prompt: What are some things we like to do TOGETHER?  I take student suggestions and we write them in our TOGETHER box at the top.

I close: We are going to save our tree maps for tomorrow and we are going to write off the map about our alone and together ideas!