Chapter 2 Study Guide
Morris (Ch. 2) Study Guide
1. Explain what Morris means by the traditional role of kindergarten is “to level the playing field” in terms of literacy experience.
Morris is referring to the “reading readiness” that students have when they enter kindergarten. Morris discovered that there was little kindergarten reading instruction going on in two different schools; and in fact most kindergarten teachers in the country had adopted a “hands-off” approach to reading. Morris questioned though, why is there a difference in alphabet and print-related knowledge for entering first graders? He discovered that the children from middle-class school, in comparison to those in the working-class school, had received more reading and writing experiences in the home, and were bringing more knowledge with them to the first grade. The school districts kindergarten program was not fulfilling its traditional role of “leveling the playing field”-it was not preparing the children most in need of help for the reading challenges they would face in the first grade (Page 9).
2. What literacy activities should be included in a kindergarten reading program?
There are four core activities for the kindergarten reading program. There four include: reading aloud to children, guided contextual reading, letter-sound study, and writing. “These are meant to extend and support, not supplant, a meaningful, experience-based curriculum of science, art, math, and social studies” (Page 9).
-Reading Aloud-Helps get children who were less fortunate and not read to extensively during the preschool years, catch up to those who did (Page 11).
-Contextual Reading-Echo reading, which includes dictated experience stories and big books. Dictated experience stories involve using children’s own experiences, recorded in their own language, to teach them to read (Page 12). Big books is a method where you enlarge books with predictable texts.
-Letter-sound Study is knowing the alphabet, phoneme awareness, and letter-sound correspondences (Page 16).
-Writing- Students begin to write and recognize beginning letters and ending letters (Page 20).
3. Why read aloud to children? (5 things children learn) (Pages 10-11)
1. Reading aloud helps children extend their experiences beyond their immediate surroundings.
2. Provides them with vocabulary to name the new experiences.
3. Acquaints them with the characteristic rhythms and structures of written language.
4. Allows them to exploit the symbolic potential of language-to use language symbols to create a mental world beyond the present context.
5. Prepares them for first grade and the literacy demands of later grades.
4. Why is guided contextual reading important in kindergarten?
Beginning with echo reading of simple texts gives young children a concrete, supportive, and meaningful entry to reading. The consistent use of both methods of guided contextual reading in the kindergarten classroom will extend children’s experiences and nurture their language development, and also help them master some basic print-related understandings (Pages 11, 16).
5. What is echo reading?
Echo reading is when the teacher reads, then the child echoes. If not a teacher, someone who can read proficiently (Page 11).
6. Describe dictated experience stories (language experience approach—LEA)
This method involves using children’s own experiences, recorded in their own language, to teach them to read. A shared experience is recounted or dictated by a group of children, written down on chart paper by the teacher, and then read and reread by the children with the teacher’s support. There is no one best way to conduct a dictated story lesson (Page 12).
7. Describe big book approach (shared reading approach)
The big books you choose have two defining characteristics: The print and pictures are oversized so that a large group of children sitting around the teacher can follow along, and the language patterns is most big books are natural and rhythmic, often using repetitive refrains (Page 13).
8. Why include both LEA and shared reading methods in kindergarten?
Both methods feature natural language patterns. Also, in both methods, the reading process is continually modeled by the teacher; finger-point reading. Both methods emphasize group choral reading of stories. Both methods rely on memory and repetition to support children’s initial reading attempts. Also, both methods provide rick, multilayered language experience that individual children can draw from at different levels. Both methods compliment each other nicely in a beginning reading program. Using both methods will extend children’s experiences and nurture their language development and help student’s master basic print-related understandings (Pages 15-16).
9. Why is finger pointing so important for early readers?
When children finger point they can follow the text they are reading and match it up with the words on the page. If a child can finger point accurately, they will begin to recognize sight words and begin to place text with spoken language. They will also recognize the spaces in between words.
10. Questions about letter-sound study:
Do students learn letters and the sounds they make easier when having hands on things to relate the letter to; such as a picture of a bee for the letter B?
11. Questions about early writing:
The book states that kindergarten teachers should emphasize writing in the curriculum. I feel writing in very important when learning how to read. Is that not already emphasized?
12. Is there a role for independent reading in kindergarten?
Yes. I feel children should read independently. Even if the child is not reading every word correctly, they can still learn finger-pointing, plots, characters, settings, etc. from just looking at the pictures and words on the page. Let them try things on their own.
13. Questions about early assessment and how it informs instruction:
I feel it is a good thing to have informal instruction at the beginning of the year. This shows the teacher what the child knows or may not know, and helps the teacher assess where they need to start with the child; “level the playing field”. I also feel is it is important to watch their progress with mid-year assessments and lastly, end-of-year tests. I do not really have any questions for this section of Chapter 2.
3 Comments »
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Chase Said:
on September 20, 2009 at 4:11 am
I agree with you on the assessments. I think it is important to know at the beginning of the year where your students are at so that you can tailor your instruction to meet their needs. I liked how you included the mid-year assessments as well as the end of the year ones. It is important for teachers to monitor the progress of their students because it also helps them monitor their instructional methods effectiveness.
teejayritchie Said:
on September 25, 2009 at 3:26 am
It’s sad to me that kids from working class families have less reading opportunities. And it’s so hard for the teacher to start reading lessons when kids are on such different levels! So I agree with you about the need to assess kids at the start of the year to try and level the playing field.
Caitlyn Council Said:
on November 3, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Assessments are going to be huge when we get our classrooms. I’m so glad you went into such detail in the mid-year assessments.