Week 4 Has Finished

Well, Week 4 has finished and we are almost half-way through the course (after next week).  It always amazes me to turn around and realize that the course is half over.

This last week we focused on reading and writing.  These are particular loves of mine--as I've been focusing on teaching reading and writing for a long time.  I really love to teach writing--most teachers hate it.  I believe in giving a lot--I mean a LOT--of feedback to my students on their writing.  I also believe that students need multiple drafts of their writing tasks and a lot of scaffolding in the form of outlines and organizers.  Organizers are particularly helpful as they give students something to write "into." 

As I said, most teachers I know hate to teach writing because it means huge amounts of grading and marking and writing feedback.  It takes hours and hours.


I also love to teach reading.  I believe (and research backs me up) that students need both intensive and extensive reading.  They need to be explicitly taught reading strategies.  They need to intensively take apart difficult, academic reading material in order to understand it, and they need extensive reading.  Extensive reading should be interesting, fun, and at or below their reading levels.  Making students read material that is too difficult for them--without helping them with the content and vocabulary--makes them hate reading.


Finally, students must be taught vocabulary.  Reading well requires a great deal of vocabulary.


Well---Week 4 has been a good week.  I hope everyone has learned or been reminded of a few things.


Donna