Experience with PBI was gained in Literacies and New Media in ECI 546
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Pose Question: What are the benefits of using Interactive Read Alouds in the Elementary classroom?
Gather, Analyze, Synthesize Information: Over the first year of my graduate work I have been gathering information on the benefits of the Interactive Read Aloud approach. I found lots of sources and support for its use. (Dickinson,2001) found that the most effective read-alouds are those that have teacher and students actively involved in asking and answering questions rather than passively listening. (Giroir, Grimald, Romero, and Vaughn, 2015) describes a IRA routine to target and improve comprehension, increase vocabulary. (Lennox, 2013) found that elementary age students have an abundant of experience with easy, decodable texts, but are limited with experience with more challenging texts. During the summer before my final year I began locating resources for Interactive Read Alouds that would allow the teachers I work with experience with this practice. I found an Interactive read aloud system from Fountas and Pinnel, Total classroom. What I particularly liked about this system was that books were grouped around a compelling/essential question.During the summer I wrote grants for the purchase of a Kindergarten, First grade and a second grade classroom system. I asked teachers on each grade level if they were interested in using these systems. While using the IRA system we talked frequently about what they liked about the programs. Evaluate Data: I found that teachers liked using the Interactive Read aloud systems in their classrooms and could see the benefits however they found sharing the resources problematic and felt like they had a lot of great books that they wanted to use in their classrooms and have some freedom with their essential questions and topics. They also wanted to make sure the IRAs matched the Standards they were working on. Share, Act, Next Steps: Based on some of the feedback I got from the teachers I was working with I looked for templates that would be helpful in writing Interactive Read Aloud lessons that would include all of the important elements that the teachers wanted in them. I included in the planning section technology tools that could be used during the IRA lesson that would enhance the activity and/or give students a platform to synthesize what they learned through their Inquiry and/or compelling question. I also found during a recent leadership activity a helpful tool for teaching common core reading standards across grade levels that will be of help to us in the future. During my inquiry I came across many articles that support Interactive read alouds and have a solid professional library on the topic that I can share with colleagues and administration. |
During ECI 544 we discussed the importance of creating a dialogic classroom. IRAs were suggested as a method to increase comprehension and are designed to make students play an active role in the learning.
I have linked a video of a class at my school using an IRA and a video exploring dialogic talk in Elementary classrooms
I have linked a video of a class at my school using an IRA and a video exploring dialogic talk in Elementary classrooms
Linked Article on ways teachers can talk less and get kids talking more
https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/8-ways-teachers-can-talk-less-get-kids-talking/
https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/8-ways-teachers-can-talk-less-get-kids-talking/
I wrote 2 grants during the Fall and Spring semester to purchase IRA Systems for K-2 classrooms in my school
Listed are the many benefits and goals I incorporated in my Grant writing:
Goals
- To incorporate interactive read alouds in k-2 classrooms in our school by using a systematic approach fostered by Fountas and Pinnell Interactive Read Aloud Collection.
- To use a research based procedure where read alouds become interactive for the students, who then emerge as active participants rather than just simply passive listeners.
- To increase student vocabulary with strategic lessons over a three day period of interacting with text.
- To increase the amount and quality of analytical talk that will be fostered by carefully crafted comprehension questions.
- To expose students to a variety of genres and sophisticated texts.
- To make gains in oral and expressive language skills.
- To increase listening comprehension.
- To prepare teacher to model think alouds with texts to help scaffold student learning.
- To increase reading motivation for students. To boost and encourage the value they find in reading.
- To help create a dialogic classroom.
- To challenge teachers and students to extend their thinking and their literary understanding through discussions on texts.
- To incorporate writing activities that will extend experience with the text.
- To help match and teach the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts.
- To provide the teacher with a model and experience with systematic Interactive Read Alouds. Teacher will then be able to write and create more Interactive Read Aloud lessons on their own with books of high quality that they would like to share with their students.
My Action Research Project for ECI 523 Teachers as Researchers-
Research Question
To what extent would an adaptive version of Term, Information & Picture Chart impact vocabulary development for First grade students?
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PdgpbHnZBeUmEElMzcnhGrpE7C9bKkXHI19uG0Xy2m4/edit?usp=sharing
Research Question
To what extent would an adaptive version of Term, Information & Picture Chart impact vocabulary development for First grade students?
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PdgpbHnZBeUmEElMzcnhGrpE7C9bKkXHI19uG0Xy2m4/edit?usp=sharing