This is the first experience that I have had with choral reading in a classroom. Many things can be taught through implementing choral reading into language arts classrooms in all grade levels. In class, we were to read a book and decide as a group how we were going read the book out loud. When making our decisions we had to think about juncture, pitch, rhythm, and tempo.
As explained in the GLCE's for eighth grade, students need to acquire certain speaking conventions such as enunciation, and stressing certain words. I think this aspect of reading is an effective way to convey meaning of a text beyond what is written. During the activity, I found that how we read the story affected how the story was "told". We decided to stress the words "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom" and also read the words in a different pitch. This was an instructional decision made to motivate the listeners and get them engaged or "excited" about the book. By performing this activity, students learn the ability of speaking conventions to get across meaning. Also, this activity allows student to student interaction, where students are encouraged to share ideas about the meaning of the text with their group members.
In our class, we have done many exercises and activities to get to know one another. These activities or "ice breakers" has allowed us to connect to one another on a personal and academic level. Ideas are shared freely during class discussions and students are respectful to one another. I think that without these activities and group work, it would be a lot harder for some people to participate or share their ideas. Buchanan talks about book talks and the importance of students to interact with one another. I think that Kate has done a good job of getting us comfortable enough to do this. As for the GLCE's, interacting with other students in order to get meaning out of the text is an important part of language arts. I think that the choral reading activity accomplished this expectation, by requiring us to make decisions on how the text should be read.
I think that one of the most meaningful ways a teacher can learn about their role in the classroom, is by experiencing the the role as a student and learning from those experiences. Through this activity, I have learned many things about interpretive book discussions. One is that students need to know what is expected of them. Otherwise, the discussion may get off track and the choral reading that they present may not have purpose behind it. I also learned that this is a unique way for students to gain comprehension of the text by talking with others about its meaning. I think that it is important to realize how many different meanings students can get out of one text, and that ALL are valid and valued.
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2 comments:
Kelly,
This was also my first choral reading experience in the classroom. I never thought that we as teachers would be experiencing the role of students in a classroom. This is something that I never even realized! This is important because this allows us to have a better understanding of our students which will let us relate to them.
Kelly,
"Chick Chick Boom Boom" was my favorite book as a child and I still have it to this day! I never realized how many different ways there was to read it. One thing that we really didn't talk about in class was how the pitch and tone are especially important in getting the attention of young students. It is amazing to see how much more students are interesting in the text if the reader adds different voices for the characters and really appears to be interesting in what they are reading. The way you read this book in class would have definitely grabbed the attention of young readers!
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