Melissa B. McCarty
I teach second grade at Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy. Second grade reading levels range anywhere from between one to thirty-eight as measured by the DRA2 reading assessment. It is crucial to teach several comprehension strategies alongside phonics to increase their reading abilities. In my current classroom, my students' reading levels range from a three to a thirty-eight; to be reading on grade level in the spring of second grade, he/she must be independently at a twenty-eight. Currently, I have three students reading at a DRA2 level of a three and two other students reading at a DRA2 level of a six. Many students in the early elementary grades have proved they can decode words and have all the phonics abilities, but when it comes to understanding what they have read, many of the students can not communicate the overall theme of the story, or even summarize what the story was about. Strategies to help students understand what they are reading include: visualizing, connecting, wondering and questioning, determining importance (synthesizing), monitoring and noticing, and finally inferring and "figuring out". This higher-level activity of inferring and figuring out will be my focus and goal for this unit.
In planning for comprehension instruction I will first choose a focus within inferring, such as inferring the characters' feelings about the problem in the story. I will ask myself, "What specific skill/activity supports my strategy?" I will then choose the Arthur book that provides the best opportunity for my students to apply the focus. During the lesson I will have pre-planned questions that promote higher intellectual level thinking to improve the students' understanding and promote discussion. Seven year olds have reached a stage in which reading comprehension assignments include more written responses. Typical seven year olds need clear boundaries, which is why my objectives for this unit will be clear every day (Wood, 1997). Every day the students will understand what their focus is by looking at the chart labeled, "My Job As A Reader" located in the reading corner of the classroom.
Inferring is a wonderful tool to use and be aware of as you read. Students will enjoy searching for clues and being detectives as they read, watch and listen to stories. When a student can infer meaning without it being explicitly stated that in and of itself proves that the hard work of a teacher is powerful and rewarding.
My students will be grouped based on their reading level as well as their comprehension level. The groups will not stay the same throughout the unit since some students will advance genuinely while others will need more specific instruction.