Reading and Literacy of the Students

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Time allocation
References

Abstract

In my career as a teacher, I have come to realize that out of the 90 minutes that is allocated for reading, less than an eighth of it is used for actual reading. As much as I would want the students to concentrate on reading and writing for the most part of the day to improve their literacy level, they get bored very first and hence stop reading. In my future plans for the lessons, I intend to incorporate such aspects that will ensure that the students spend more time reading and writing in order to enhance their literacy level. This lesson plan will be divided into sections which will include time allocation, class texts, methods of teaching, classroom talks, tasks, and tests.

Time allocation

A normal class begins at 8.30 in the morning. In order to motivate the students so that they may be engaged for the rest of the day, I begin the class with a general discussion of the latest issue that is making headlines either locally and internationally. This has the effect of keeping the student’s interest in the topic thereby capturing their concentration on the subject of discussion. The whole process takes the first fifteen minutes of the lesson.

Slowly I introduce the topic of the day without losing the students’ engagement. The first lesson will thus touch on an introduction to what is to be discussed for the whole week. If 90 minutes are allocated each day, the first fifteen minutes of every lesson will be used for reflection on the topic or subject of discussion. It is important that the student’s background knowledge on any topic of discussion is activated before any reading is begun. (Darling-Hammond 1999)

I also will generate discussions after reading. Even though it has always been recommended that three to five minutes are enough for building background knowledge, my policy is to extend this time so that the students fully identify and relate the class discussions and readings with their personal experiences. Since it is the nature of students to spend more of their time doing things that are not related to classwork, I allocate some time within the lessons where they can free their minds. This is important because, after this period of time, which is ten minutes beside the normal break, the students get into a class with a cheerful mind which is very healthy for learning.

In order to develop proficiency in reading, I introduced an extensive reading program in which each student reads a class text which can either be in the sciences or arts. Each student reads a paragraph of a given text aloud. This makes it possible for me as a teacher to know their mistakes with regard to pronunciation and also help build their confidence both in class and outside the class.

Through extensive practice, students consolidate the strategy and skills that every teacher works hard to develop. (Allington, 2002) As a teacher, I make sure that the time that I allocate for each discipline is used effectively in the sense that every fraction of the lesson is structured towards improving the academic standards of the students. I begin with more interesting disciplines like the social sciences then proceed to languages and later, the sciences. However, I make it my responsibility to set aside some time to show the students how these disciplines are interrelated. I really encourage personal reading among my students and set some two hours in the week where they can do some personal reading.

Texts

In order for the students to spend much of their time during the day reading, I supply them with books that they can read. Students must be supplied with a large number of books in order for them to be proficient and independent readers. I view successful reading as the ability of the students to read with a high level of understanding, fluency, and accuracy. This can only be achieved by setting aside some time within the lesson specifically for reading.

For the students to incorporate complex skills and strategies into a reading system that automatic, they must adopt a high level of accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. This can only be achieved by constant practice. In other words, I allocate time within the week for active practice in reading. I do not support the idea that all students should be put on the same texts. I often use diverse texts in which every student can find at least a subject that he/she considers interesting.

This accelerates the literacy development of students whose level of comprehension is below average. The low achieving students spend time with the books which they find easy to read thereby boosting their level of literacy.

Within the 90 minute period, twenty minutes are spent going through texts other than the class texts. It is my policy that every student spends one hour with the texts besides the class text which perfects their reading skills and the level of accuracy and fluency. I introduce the students to all the new texts that I come across that are relevant to the curriculum within the lesson. I ensure that these texts are simple to understand so that the students do not waste much time understanding them. This motivates them to read more books thereby making the lessons truly academic.

Teaching

I plan instructional time allocation and select appropriate books. I set three hours a day in instructional time. Within this period, I offer direct and explicit demonstrations that are used by good readers. These demonstrations focus on cognitive strategies that the best readers use. (Turner 1995) Within the three hours, I instruct the students on how they can best manage their class time in order to find time to read their books.

I teach and demonstrate reading strategies to them within three hours each day so that they may understand the basics of reading. I do not encourage the use of instructional packages because they do not nurture any skills among the students. I always ensure that I provide the students with all the necessary knowledge and skills which they can modify to application. I offer such models as composing, decoding, and self-regulating strategies as separate lessons.

I allocate for these an hour a day so that the low achieving students’ standards are raised. My main goal in drawing a lesson is to allocate sufficient time that ensures that quality education is imparted through me to the students. The teaching strategies that I adopt are those that the students can easily identify with without causing any element of boredom among them. The way I structure the lessons is such that the students do not have a feeling of being forced into learning.

Having considered the classroom, the way in which I will plan the lesson will follow the structure below. There will be two sessions; the morning and the afternoon lessons. The morning session begins at 8.30 and runs through to midday with a 30-minute break. Each lesson takes an hour. Between 8.30 to 9.30, I will teach the students social studies. Ten to fifteen minutes in each lesson will be set aside for discussion. Each hour will be used for different disciplines.

The afternoon sessions will be used mainly for literature and science throughout the week. However, the lessons will be distributed according to the level of engagement among the students. Some classes will be interchanged to accommodate the needs of the students.

References

Allington, R. L., & Johnston, P. H. (2001). What do we know about effective fourth-grade teachers and their classrooms? In C. Roller (Ed.), Learning to teach reading: Setting the research agenda. (pp. 150-165). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Darling-Hammond, L. (1999). Teacher quality and student achievement: A review of state policy evidence. Seattle: Center for Teaching Policy, University of Washington.

Turner, J. C. (1995). The influence of classroom contexts on young children’s motivation for literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 30, 410-441.

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Reading and Literacy of the Students

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