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Thursday, September 27, 2012

The "Think Aloud"

I woke up this morning with all this stuff on my mind I wanted to Blog about ... but then it disappeared! Then I wrote about 3/4 of a post about Gratitude, of course (it's Thursday), but bagged it because it wasn't what I wanted.
Then I went for a walk.

After munching on a (Natural) Peanut butter (no jelly) sandwich (on Double-fiber bread--wait, this isn't my Fit Friday post, right?) and chugging chilled Peach Mango Kool-Aid (made with Splenda) I settled in to get caught up on my ..m.i.l.e.s... ..o.f.. ..h.o.m.e.w.o.r.k.. that I admit I have been TOTALLY avoiding. 
Le-sigh.

One of my assignments was to write a letter to parents with a reading strategy to do with their children.
I. Hate. Letters. To. Parents. 

I read them. Does anyone else? I have to sign the freaking things so my kid gets "credit" that I read it! 
Okay, I admit it, I skim.
Sue me.

Anyway. So I didn't want to write this. Plus the fact that EVERY parent letter I've written for my ($%^%$&*) Teaching classes has been *ahem* criticized.
Can you believe it? 
Me either!

I decided to pick a reading strategy that I think is INGENIOUS and WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS FIFTEEN YEARS AGO? This is an amazing strategy to help kids GET what they are reading! I can't wait to use this with Crackle, who is basically my only "non" reader!

Which, BTW, even Superman has been reading a book lately. [jaw-drop] I know, Right! It's about war, or battleships or something... IDK --IDC-- He's Reading!  

So here is my letter(s) because I had to translate it into Spanish! COOL RIGHT?


September 2012

Dear Parents,

I am your child’s English teacher. In order to promote reading success among my students I have asked that you spend approximately 20 minutes a week reading with them. I am requesting that you do something called a “Think Aloud.” The concept is to help students understand how to read a text and understand what they are reading by hearing what a “good reader” does while they are reading.

I will provide a text or part of a text for you and your child to read together. Consider some of the following when you read with your student:
     What do I know about this topic?
     What do I think I will learn about this topic?
     Do I understand what I just read?
     Do I have a clear picture in my head about this information?
     What more can I do to understand this?
     What were the most important points in this reading?
     What new information did I learn?
     How does it fit in with what I already know? 

Read the selected passage aloud as the students read the same text silently. At certain points stop and "think aloud" the answers to some of the pre-selected questions Demonstrate how good readers monitor their understanding by rereading a sentence, reading ahead to clarify, and/or looking for context clues. After you have read with your student then give them an opportunity to practice the technique and offer feedback. 

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to share the joy and knowledge that comes from reading with your child. I appreciate your help with this assignment and if you make this time for them I guarantee you will see improvements in their reading skill and comprehension. 

Thank you, 

Katrina Duvalois
Vasquez High School
9th Grade English Department


09 2012 

Estimados padres de familia, 

Soy profesor de Inglés de su hijo. Con el fin de promover el éxito de la lectura entre mis alumnos me han pedido que dedique unos 20 minutos a la semana leyendo con ellos. Yo estoy pidiendo que hagas algo llamado "Piensa en voz alta." El concepto es ayudar a los estudiantes a entender cómo leer un texto y comprender lo que están leyendo por oír lo que un "buen lector" no mientras se está leyendo. 

Voy a ofrecer un texto o una parte de un texto para usted y su hijo a leer juntos. Considere algunos de los siguientes cuando usted lee con su hijo:
    ¿Qué debo saber acerca de este tema?
     ¿Qué es lo que voy a aprender acerca de este tema?
     ¿Entiendo lo que acabo de leer?
     ¿Tengo una idea clara en mi cabeza acerca de esta información?
     ¿Qué más puedo hacer para entender esto?
     ¿Cuáles fueron los puntos más importantes de esta lectura?
     ¿Qué nueva información que aprendo?
     ¿Cómo encaja con lo que ya sé?

Lea el pasaje seleccionado en voz alta mientras los estudiantes leen el mismo texto en silencio. En ciertos puntos y dejar de "pensar en voz alta" las respuestas a algunas de las preguntas preseleccionadas Demuestra lo bien que los lectores monitorear su comprensión por parte de releer una oración, la lectura por delante para aclarar y / o en busca de las claves del contexto. Después de haber leído con su hijo luego darles la oportunidad de practicar la técnica y ofrecer retroalimentación. 

Esta es una oportunidad maravillosa para compartir la alegría y el conocimiento que proviene de la lectura con su hijo. Le agradezco su ayuda con esta tarea y si usted hace este tiempo para que te garantizo que va a ver mejoras en sus habilidades de lectura y comprensión. 

Gracias,

Katrina Duvalois
Vasquez High School
9 º grado Departamento de Inglés


So... What do you think?

Right at the moment I'm thinking I kind of ROCK because I WROTE the ($#^%&*) letter THEN I TRANSLATED it into Spanish! (okay, well Google did but whatev...) HOW COOL IS THAT? 
Very. Freakin'. Cool.

If you are a Spanish speaker/reader let me know if it's right (lol).

SQUEEEEEE!

BTW. If you didn't figure it out... I'm thankful I
1. Got it done
2. Did a strategy I think is amazing
3. Translated it
4. Turned it in
5. Got two posts in one day
:D

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