LITERACY ACTIVITES FOF SMALL GROUPS AUTHOR LIZ SIMON

 

                       Although Eleanor Curtain (Victoria) was the original publisher the

                                              book is now purchased through Catch.com.au

 

 A book of mine published in 1999 is still purchasable. As I examine the book, I find it is still relevant today. In those early days I had to make all the activities and draw them for the book.

The book was written for teachers who wished to differentiate children’s learning. When I wrote it, I needed activities for children to participate in while I worked with Guided Reading groups in my classroom. The two aims being: children should not interrupt reading group: children need to work independently on worthwhile and yet doable tasks. The activities are differentiated into 3 levels of development:

Cottoning on literacy activities for emergent readers. Taking off: activities for early readers: Flying high activities for fluent readers.

Within those levels, there are activities that stress meaning: Activities that stress structure: Activities that stress visual.

The hands-on emphasis allows children to manipulate (making them reusable), discover knowledge, understandings and ways of learning.

And of course, the classroom is a literacy haven - reading, writing and art works attached to walls, hanging within easy sight and reach, even on the floor.

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You will read how management procedures are gradually introduced and the necessity of children rehearsing them.

Management procedures cover practical issues of children working quietly. How to read and respond to a Task board. Immediately after Guided Reading the group would know to reread their book or reread to a partner. It was never obligatory that the groups completed all the tasks.

You will learn how activities are set up in Learning centres for easy collection.

Pictures of children involved in the tasks are included.