Transcript File - Learn Chinese with Yaolaoshi

IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING
COMPREHENSION BY USING GROUP
READING
----by Chaoran Yao
1. WHY GROUP READING?
WHY GROUP READING?
Small groups make engaged, interactive
learning possible.
 Small groups allow us to differentiate
instruction.
 Well structured small-group work enhances
student achievement.
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(Harvey, S., & Daniels, H.,
2009)
2. WHO ARE MY STUDENTS?
TARGET STUDENTS
Kindergarteners.
30 minutes daily. Monday-Friday.
This is their first year of learning Chinese.

and First graders.
30 minutes daily. Monday-Friday.
This is their second year of learning Chinese.
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3. WHAT KIND OF READING MATERIALS DID I
USE?
READING MATERIALS
Of all the reading materials I used in my
classroom, which include story
books, culture books and language
books, I chose the language book to
conduct group reading.
The language books I used
 contain 80%+ words that
they have learned.
 have structured
sentences.
 have picture hint.
WHY NOT STORY OR CULTURE BOOKS?
Story books and culture books are funnier. But my
students are not ready for complicated sentences.
We read lots of story in shared read, guided
reading and story telling instead of group reading.
4. HOW DID I DIVIDE THE GROUPS?
GROUPS
I used small group, no more than 4 students.
 The students were grouped in two ways.
1) I assigned the students with different reading level
in one group.
2) Students paired themselves with a learning
partner. Boys were paired with girls. Girls were
paired with boys.
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5. WHAT ACTIVITIES DID I USE TO IMPROVE
COMPREHENSION IN GROUP READING?
ACTIVITIES I USED:
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5.
Activate prior language knowledge
Teach the strategies that students can use
when encountered with unfamiliar words.
Check students comprehension by using I
know-I wonder wall.
Read aloud.
Build vocabulary and language knowledge.
5.1. ACTIVATE PRIOR LANGUAGE
KNOWLEDGE.
Before we started a new reading materials, I
have them
 review related vocabulary with posters
 Ask each other with related questions
 Watch related videos
to familiar them with the language knowledge
they have already know.
5.1.1 HOW DOES IT WORK IN GROUPS?
The students
 Ask each other/ Point at the poster
“How to say salad?”
 Ask each other simple questions,
“What do you like to drink?” “What do
you want to eat?”
 Discussed with each other after they
watch the video, “Where do you think
this situation happened?” “Who are
they?” “Why the guest’s face is turning
red”, etc.
5.2. TEACH STRATEGIES THAT STUDENTS
CAN USE WHEN ENCOUNTERED WITH
UNFAMILIAR WORDS.

The biggest problem for the kindergarteners
and first graders are on the vocabulary basis.
It’s important to give the students the tool to
figure out what to do when faced with
unfamiliar words, which include the words
they forget and the words they never meet.
5.2.1 STRATEGIES FOR UNFAMILIAR
WORDS
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Use Pinyin to read the words.
Look at the picture to guess the meaning.
Activate your previous knowledge.
Look at the structures of the characters.
Refer to your learning partner.
Refer to the word bank.
5.2.2 HOW DOES IT WORK IN GROUPS?
Students
 Discuss what they can do if they come across
unfamiliar words.
 Jot down their ideas and share with our class.
5.3. I KNOW-I WONDER WALL
“I know-I wonder” is a tool for students to selfreflect. They can use sticky note to write down
the content they’ve known and the content they
are not sure.
5.3.1 HOW DOES IT WORK IN GROUPS?
Students
 Discuss the meaning of
words and sentences.
 Work together with the
strategies for unfamiliar
words to figure out the words
they come across.
 Write down the words or
sentences they have already
known and the ones they still
question of.
5.4. READ ALOUD
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Reading aloud helps students to focus on
reading. Students are likely to comprehend if
read a material for several times.
It improve students’ prosody. Prosody connects
fluency to comprehension. (Rasinski& Samuels,
2011)
Choral or group reading is perhaps the most
common assisted reading form for students.
(Rasinski, 2010)
5.4.1 HOW DOES IT WORK IN GROUPS?
Students
 Read aloud together with
their reading/ learning
partners.
 Read in roles among
themselves.
 Read in roles with other
groups.
 Take turns to read different
parts of the books.
5.5. BUILD VOCABULARY AND LANGUAGE
KNOWLEDGE.

Vocabulary and language knowledge is the basis of
comprehension. If students cannot speak out a Chinese
sentence, it is less likely they can read in written
language. Due to the features of Chinese written
language, if the students cannot recognize the key
characters, it’s less likely that the students can finish
reading a sentence.
5.5.1 HOW DOES IT WORK IN GROUPS?
Students
 Practice oral speaking with
each other, which include
 Ask each other how to say…
 Take turns to make
sentences with the
vocabulary.
 Take turns to ask basic
questions.
 Play word games with cards.
6. ASSESSMENT
ASSESSMENT
Assessment for students’ comprehension can be
carried out in different ways, such as:
1. Ask related question./ Students translate the
paragraphs.
2. use the puppet to re-tell the story.
3. Integrate reading and writing.
6.1 ASK RELATED QUESTIONS./
STUDENTS TRANSLATE THE PARAGRAPH.
The most direct approach to assess
students’ comprehension is by asking
questions.
 Considering my reading materials, I only
think of the superficial questions that they
can easily find in the sentences.

6.1.1 HOW DID IT WORK IN GROUPS?
When the students are reading in groups, no matter
reading aloud or silent reading. They can discuss and
share idea with reading/ learning partners.
I walked by and stopped at a group. I asked some simple
questions, such as “What is this book about?” “What
do you know about Dad?” “What does the brother likes
to do?” The students answered together or one by one.
I must make sure that every member get a turn.
6.2 USE PUPPET/ ROLE PLAY TO RE-TELL
THE STORY.
Re-tell the story by role play is a typical way
to demonstrate comprehension according to
Bloom’s Taxonomy.
 When students role play, it shows that they
comprehend.
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6.2.1HOW DOES IT WORK IN GROUPS?
Students
 Decide their own role in their groups. They
practice to play out the reading materials.
 Take turns to demonstrate their role play in the
class stage.
6.3 INTEGRATE READING AND WRITING
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Reading and writing mutually reinforce one another
and rely on some of the same cognitive processes.
(Fitzgerald& Shanahan, 2000; Shanahan, 2006;
Tierney& Shanahan, 1996)
Students must comprehend the sentences structure
before they can imitate to write. In turn that if the
students demonstrate correct writing and can read
their own works, it shows the students comprehend
the reading materials.
6.3.1HOW DOES IT WORK IN GROUPS?
Students make their own reading materials by
writing, or cutting and pasting. Students can
refer to their learning partners for help.
 After students finish their writing, they read to
each other.
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7. SUMMARY
SUMMARY
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Before I conducted my focus project, the mostly common used form
of reading in my classroom are story-telling, choral reading, shared
reading and guided reading. The teacher plays the major role in
reading.
After introducing group reading to my students, the responsibility of
reading shift to the students. They are more engaged and find
reading fun.
As a teacher for 24 students, I cannot take care of all the students at
one time. When they read with their reading partners, they learned
faster.
Moreover, after I applied group reading, I found reading can be
conducted in many different ways.
Though they are not capable of complicated Chinese reading
materials, they have developed better social skills for further reading
activities.
8. REFERENCE
REFERENCE I
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Harvey, S., & Daniels, H. (2009). Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry Circles
in Action. (pp. 19-54) Portsmouth , NH: Heinemann.
McKenna, M. C., & Stahl, K. A. (2009). Assessment for Reading Instruction, (2nd ed,
pp. 148-185). New York: Guilford Press.
Duke, N.K., Pearson,P.D., Strachan, S., & Billman, A. K. (2011). Essential elements of
fostering and teaching reading comprehension. In A. Farstrup & S. J. Samuels (Eds),
What research has to say about reading instruction (4th ed., pp. 51-93). Newark, DE:
International Reading Association
Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N.K., Person, P.D., Schatschneider, C.,
& Torgesen, J. (2010). Improve reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd
grade: a practice guide (NCEE 2010-4038)
Rasinski, T.V., & Samuels, S.J. (2011). Reading fluency: What it is and what it is not.
In S. J. Samuels & A. E. Farstrup (Eds), What research has to say about reading
instruction (4th ed., pp. 94-114). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Blachowicz, C;L., & Fisher, P. J. (2011). Best practices in vocabulary instruction
revisited. In L.M. Morrow & L. B. Gambrell (Eds.), Best practices in literacy instruction
(4th ed., pp. 224-249). New York : Guilford Press.
REFERENCE II
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Extending Children’s Special Abilities – Strategies for primary classrooms
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm
30 reading group activities for your students
http://www.edgalaxy.com/literacy/2010/9/21/30-reading-group-activitiesfor-your-students.html
Reading Comprehension Activities
http://specialed.about.com/od/balancedliteracy/a/comp.htm
Reading Aloud to Build Comprehension
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/343/
Making Reading Comprehension Fun
http://jenniferwagaman.suite101.com/making-reading-comprehension-funa96960
Small group activities for differentiated reading instruction.
http://www.ehow.com/info_7996549_small-activities-differentiatedreading-instruction.html