Hi Mike, I agree that kindergarten and 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade will certainly have different test methods and need different forms of instruction having to do with reading... What do you think about testing kindergarten reading? I was on the fence about this too, but after thinking about it I did consider it necessary to have in a reading program, here's why; If I'm a teacher in K, and I have 20 to 30 kids in my class I need some way to keep track of their various reading levels and their progress, thus I need a way to asses them. I'm not exactly sure how that assessment will happen, but I think it would be necessary. What do you think? Jessie
The important question is at what point in the reading/writing process do we teach spelling/grammar? And then how much emphasis do we give each of those things. A traditional reading/writing programs emphasizes phonics, spelling, grammar right up front and it maintains its focus throughout. A meaning-centered reading program starts with meaning first and then teaches those skills in context. For example, a teacher may be focusing on the theme of "decomposers." In the context of that theme students are reading books about worms, moles, etc. They are writing stories about those things as well. From the books and their writing, they work on spelling, the sounds of letters, vocabulary, etc. Thoughts?
I too am interested in observing the relationship between grades and standardized tests with the younger grade levels in a classroom environment. Having never been there as anything but a student, I'm looking forward to gaining a different perspective on the entire process. I'm most interested in seeing how teaching techniques evolve and change from grade to grade as the students themselves progress and become better readers. Like any testing process, it will be interesting to see if the students who score the highest on the tests are the students you would identify as the strongest or most advanced readers on a daily basis.
Testing can be really stressful for 3rd grade kids and I'm so glad your kindergartner isn't dealing with that too! Primary years are perfect times for building confidence and feeling good about yourself as a student, and I think for each of my children, learning to read has been a huge checking-off from the beginning of a list of necessary life skills. Learning to read, check!; riding a bike, check; learning to swim, check! and so on. Test-taking is inevitable but it shouldn't be an end to achieve in my opinion. Grades should reflect total performance, and testing can be a part of that, but there are so many better means of assessment, especially if more teachers would flip their classrooms like we learned about the first week!-Heather
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteI agree that kindergarten and 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade will certainly have different test methods and need different forms of instruction having to do with reading...
What do you think about testing kindergarten reading? I was on the fence about this too, but after thinking about it I did consider it necessary to have in a reading program, here's why; If I'm a teacher in K, and I have 20 to 30 kids in my class I need some way to keep track of their various reading levels and their progress, thus I need a way to asses them. I'm not exactly sure how that assessment will happen, but I think it would be necessary. What do you think?
Jessie
The important question is at what point in the reading/writing process do we teach spelling/grammar? And then how much emphasis do we give each of those things. A traditional reading/writing programs emphasizes phonics, spelling, grammar right up front and it maintains its focus throughout. A meaning-centered reading program starts with meaning first and then teaches those skills in context. For example, a teacher may be focusing on the theme of "decomposers." In the context of that theme students are reading books about worms, moles, etc. They are writing stories about those things as well. From the books and their writing, they work on spelling, the sounds of letters, vocabulary, etc. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteI too am interested in observing the relationship between grades and standardized tests with the younger grade levels in a classroom environment. Having never been there as anything but a student, I'm looking forward to gaining a different perspective on the entire process. I'm most interested in seeing how teaching techniques evolve and change from grade to grade as the students themselves progress and become better readers. Like any testing process, it will be interesting to see if the students who score the highest on the tests are the students you would identify as the strongest or most advanced readers on a daily basis.
Testing can be really stressful for 3rd grade kids and I'm so glad your kindergartner isn't dealing with that too! Primary years are perfect times for building confidence and feeling good about yourself as a student, and I think for each of my children, learning to read has been a huge checking-off from the beginning of a list of necessary life skills. Learning to read, check!; riding a bike, check; learning to swim, check! and so on. Test-taking is inevitable but it shouldn't be an end to achieve in my opinion. Grades should reflect total performance, and testing can be a part of that, but there are so many better means of assessment, especially if more teachers would flip their classrooms like we learned about the first week!-Heather
ReplyDelete