Before beginning a discussion about the skills that third grade students should be able to accomplish, there are a few more skills in which second grade students should know. Continuation of Writing At this age students should be able to begin making good judgments about what types of things to include in their writings. They should be able to edit their own work and take part in conferencing about what was written. The children at this level should be paying attention to writing mechanics such as punctuation. Vocabulary Second grade students are eager to learn and use new words. They … Continue reading →

Over the past several weeks I have been placing much emphasis on reading. The series began by examining the various aspects of reading and reading instruction. I then began taking a closer look at reading in the primary grade levels. The most recent reading articles pertained to reading at the kindergarten and first grade levels. In this article I will wrap up the primary reading classroom instruction with discussion about second and third grade reading. By the time that a child reaches the second or third grade, reading has become much more complex. The children should be able to read … Continue reading →

My huge focus thus far for education has been on reading. There is much more to reading and reading instruction than many parents and some teachers realize. Reading is an integral part of a child’s success and education. In previous articles I have described various areas of reading such as phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. I then began taking you for a look into reading at different grade levels. In one of my more recent articles I gave you some insight on how reading should be carried out in the kindergarten classroom. I also began listing some reading skills that … Continue reading →

In a previous article I discussed the importance of reading fluency. The article gave insight into how teachers can instruct students on increasing their reading skills. In the article I discussed reading fluency was not best increased through silent and independent reading. What about silent reading? Fluency is better gained from direct contact with a teacher or other adult. However, most teachers feel that silent reading is important for readers. So how should teachers teach fluency but still keep a handle on silent reading? Use silent reading during times of independent class work time but in the place of reading … Continue reading →

My last article began a discussion on teaching reading fluency to students. At the end of the article I began describing some activities that can be carried out to increase fluency and encourage repeated reading. I have a few ideas left to share. Echo reading: In echo reading the teacher (or other adult) reads a line or a passage from a book. The students echo the teacher. The teacher should read with expression. Most students will echo the text with the same expression. Recorded reading: Many teachers have reading centers set up with headphones and books on tape. The child … Continue reading →

My last article began discussing the importance of reading fluency. In this article I will address some ways in which teachers and parents can increase the reading fluency of children. Thus far research has uncovered two major approaches to reading fluency. The two are described below. Repeated and monitored oral reading approach increases reading fluency and overall reading success. In this approach students are guided in reading and rereading text. They are given discussion and feedback about their reading. The reading should be carried out orally. Students who use repeated oral reading have shown great gains in recognizing words, the … Continue reading →

In a previous article, I discussed that reading has many variations. My article addressed reading fluency. In today’s article, I would like to talk about reading from a different perspective. While reading fluently is very important, so is reading comprehension or reading for meaning. Some children, and adults alike, are very fluent readers. When listening to the person read, one might assume that the person is an outstanding reader. However, when questioned about what was read, they may not be as wise. Naming words and comprehending words do not always come together. It is very important for a reader to … Continue reading →