TO BEGIN
"Recent
research has shown that students who listened to 10 minutes of Mozart prior to
testing improved scores on measures of spatial intelligence… These are the
underlying processes for math, spelling, and reading." (Frick 1998)
Children need to be
in the best writing/learning environments. "Noise" prevents that for
certain children.
Every child has his
own unique reactions to everyday classroom sounds.
Helping children
achieve the best way to satisfy their personal needs in this area requires you
to experiment- be creative and open-minded.
Music through
headphones should be ambient (string, piano, flute) and only played at quiet
volumes. Other sounds at high volumes can be dangerous to the ear (especially
base and brass).
Some students may need the environment quieter than others. Using headphones can
be helpful in reducing extraneous sounds.
Music that has a strong underlying rhythm as in marching band music, drumming
and/or humming can help children transition from recess or gym to
classroom work indoors.
Discuss with
the children what aromas they enjoy.
As
the group comes up with everyone's favorite aroma/smells, make a list.
When
the children return to the classroom following physical education or recess,
explore which smell they enjoy best to help "settle" down (e.g.
vanilla, banana or coconut).
Citrus,
pine and peppermint can be used by some to keep them alert.
As
with all tools be aware of individual sensory needs. Some children with
allergies or other respiratory difficulties may be uncomfortable with any smell.
Commercial perfumes should be avoided.
Aroma
therapy has many benefits.
TOP
TEN LIST FOR PRE-WRITING EXERCISES
- Mickey
Mouse Ears- Place fists next to ears, squeeze, fingers open and close, 10-15
times.
- Desk
Push Ups- Hands flat on desks, thumbs and pointer tips facing each other
(creating a trangle), bend elbows, nose into triangle created between hands,
then up 10-15 times.
- Windshield
Wipers- Arms above head, cross straight arms 10 times. Then put bottom arm
over top hand and do 10 more.
- Scissors
Cuts- Same as above only arms are pointed straight down with palms up.
- Shoulder
Shrugs- Called the "I don't knows" palm up shoulder shrugs towards
ears, release, 10-15 times.
- Throw
Away- Elbows bent, fisted hands in front of shoulders, extend arms in a
throwing motion, 10-15 times.
- Door
knob Turns- Arms in front of you, elbows slightly bent, four fingers right
next to each other, thumbs open, turn both hands towards thumbs at wrist,
turn and return to mid position (not towards little finger), 10-15 times.
- Good
morning America- Hands hold opposite elbows, lift in a single motion over
the head, return to waist and repeat.
- Finger
Opposition- Hold fingers next to ears, have child touch thumb to each finger
(i.e. pointer, middle, ring, pinkie) and back again, 10-15 times.
- Butterflies-
Hold arms straight in front of body, make an X with thumbs, palms facing
out, make small circles 10 times to the right, then 10 times to the left.
OTHER IDEAS: Donkey kicks, Wheelbarrow Walks, Army Crawls, Itsy Bitsy Spider,
Finger Shadows, Where is Thumbkins, Finger Flicks.
WHAT
IS READING
Reading
is constructing meaning from print. Learning to read requires extending one's
knowledge of how talk works and being able to use and understand how writing
works.
The
act of reading involves making active engagement with the text. It needs the
reader to set up expectations, make predictions and sample from the print, while
drawing on one's knowledge of the world, and of language (in both the oral and
written forms).
A
person who can do no more than pronounce words in a plausible way is not
reading. Effective reading occurs when the reader generates meaning from the
print.
WHY
DO WE READ?
We
read for a variety of reasons. We may read to gain insight into the values and
understanding of others, understand the information used in daily life, extend
our knowledge of topics, and find enjoyment.
HOW
DO WE READ?
Successful
readers expect what they read to make sense, can predict what is to come in the
text on the basis of their understanding of the content, of language, and of the
print, can test their predications, and they can correct themselves when they
find their predications to be unsatisfactory.
When
we read print a successful reader uses a variety of acquired knowledge.
Knowledge about the subject, how our language is spoken, the conventions of
print: left to right, top to bottom, in a paragraph, sentences, etc. Also, book
language, "Once Upon a Time", "In
the Dark Dark wood", "Lived
happy ever after", etc. Also, the different style of books; folktales,
poems, fact and fiction, sounds and letters and eh way they're represented in
print.
As
we read we use these three cues, (meaning, structure and visual) to enable us to
receive the author's precise message and to understand it.
We
use these three cues simultaneously. At times we depend on one cue source more
than the others, according to our experience as readers and as to the knowledge
we have about the topic we are reading.
If
we read about a subject with which we are familiar, we will use the meaning and
structure cues to a greater extent. If we are reading about an unfamiliar
subject, we will depend more heavily on the print.
Skilled
readers use as little visual information as possible, using it mainly to check
meaning. However, a child learning to read has to learn to attend to the print
in order to work out the visual cues that are useful in reading.
Children
learn to read best by reading or sharing books that have a high interest for
them, have an overview of the plot, and feel for the language in the story.
Good
texts for early readers have pictures that support the text and a predictable
language for the child.
