In first grade, students are only beginning to read on their own, meaning that they focus most, if not all, of their energy on decoding the words that the author wrote. Consequently, this leaves little mental energy left for students to practice comprehending what the author is actually trying to say when they are reading independently. For this reason, teachers often read aloud books at least once per day in the early grades so that students can let decoding take a back seat while comprehension rides up front, letting them focus all their energy on understanding a story.
In order for students to become successful readers, they need to be able to both decode AND comprehend texts. If a student can't read fluently, they won't be able to understand what was written because they focus so much on simply trying to decipher the words. On the other hand, if students can decipher the words but can't determine the meaning behind them, they won't be able to become successful readers. E-Readers would allow students the opportunity to take charge of their own learning, especially when a teacher is not available. Each day, my class spends 45 minutes rotating through reading stations, meaning that they spend 45 minutes each day working independently on reading skills. Due to the teacher-directed nature of a read aloud, students end up spending this 45-minute stretch simply focusing on decoding, leaving behind the crucial skill of comprehension.
E-Readers would offer my scholars balanced independent reading instruction as they listen to an adult fluently and accurately read a story while they determine the meaning behind the words.
About my class
In first grade, students are only beginning to read on their own, meaning that they focus most, if not all, of their energy on decoding the words that the author wrote. Consequently, this leaves little mental energy left for students to practice comprehending what the author is actually trying to say when they are reading independently. For this reason, teachers often read aloud books at least once per day in the early grades so that students can let decoding take a back seat while comprehension rides up front, letting them focus all their energy on understanding a story.
In order for students to become successful readers, they need to be able to both decode AND comprehend texts. If a student can't read fluently, they won't be able to understand what was written because they focus so much on simply trying to decipher the words. On the other hand, if students can decipher the words but can't determine the meaning behind them, they won't be able to become successful readers. E-Readers would allow students the opportunity to take charge of their own learning, especially when a teacher is not available. Each day, my class spends 45 minutes rotating through reading stations, meaning that they spend 45 minutes each day working independently on reading skills. Due to the teacher-directed nature of a read aloud, students end up spending this 45-minute stretch simply focusing on decoding, leaving behind the crucial skill of comprehension.
E-Readers would offer my scholars balanced independent reading instruction as they listen to an adult fluently and accurately read a story while they determine the meaning behind the words.
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