Within this lesson, my objectives were: 1) Introduce our new comprehension skills for the week -Main Idea and Detail and Monitor and Clarify 2) Model fluency for my students and 3) Introduce the vocabulary words that my students will eventually be tested on.
I think that only about half of the class truly understood what it means to find the main idea and details within a story. My students were clearly able to tell me what a main idea is and where you can find supporting details; however, it was very difficult for them to find these examples in an actual story. When we read a short story together and tried to find the main idea and details, many were having a hard time differentiating between the main idea and the theme or topic of a selection. However, my students were able to practice their fluency with me in a very successful way. When we practice fluency, I read a sentence or a passage of the story that I want them to work on. My students were all able to mimic my tone and “flow” of the words that I read, and I could tell that they enjoyed practicing this. Finally, I think that most of my students – about 80% - were very engaged in our vocabulary lesson. The students love to practice the words out loud together and figure out definitions. Also, I do a lot of thumbs up/down formative assessments with the kids and stand up/down if you agree or disagree. This activity gets my students involved in the vocabulary lesson, and they seem to really enjoy it and understand it better. However, I think that there are a few students who are still struggling with basic vocabulary, so they will need more practice with this vocabulary words.
I think that some people might read my students “understanding” of the vocabulary lesson as basic enjoyment; however, I think it is a combination of both. Also, it is possible that when I thought some students didn’t understand main idea and details, they were really just tired or didn’t feel like paying attention or maybe for some students this activity was too basic. I need to keep in mind that all of my students are learning and achieving at different levels, and that their interest and performance levels do not always go hand-in-hand.
While reflecting on this lesson, I learned that my students might benefit more from a writing activity when we practice our vocabulary. When we do the vocabulary practice, the students are always sitting down and looking up at me with nothing in their hands (which often drives them nuts – they like to be playing with things on their desks!) I have considered using a chart to demonstrate vocabulary while showing the word, definition, picture, and sentence example. I think that it is difficult for my students because our Reading Street curriculum is so teacher-centered and lecture-based that they get tired or uninterested quite easily.
I will be able to re-teach the reading comprehension skills (Main Idea and Details and Monitor and Clarify) throughout the week. Because Reading Street is a “spiral focus,” we will revisit the concepts again and again this week, and I will be able to practice these ideas and apply them to stories with the students. We will do some whole-class instruction and some individual work, too. If I were to do this lesson over again, I would want to try the “chart” for my vocabulary lesson and also spend more time practicing the Main Idea and Detail comprehension skill. I think it would really help my students to 1) actually see their own writing and examples for the vocabulary words and 2) better understand how to use the comprehension skill.
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