CAFÉ Strategy: Use Punctuation to Enhance
Phrasing and Prosody
As experienced readers, the use of punctuation
comes automatically. We read a story and use the punctuation to make meaning
of the text. For beginning readers, learning to read in phrases is important.
The meaning of text is embedded in a chunk of words, not just in isolated
words themselves. The order and the way words are put together in a text,
creates the meaning.
Your child has been encouraged to compare the
reading of text to spoken language. When reading text aloud does it have the
intonation and prosody we hear every day in our conversations with others?
Your child is learning the fluency strategy: Use
Punctuation to Enhance Phrasing and Prosody. Paying close attention to all
punctuation will assist with fluency and overall comprehension of text.
How can you help your child with this
strategy at home?
1. Read aloud a segment of text to your child.
Model how you control your voice to go up and down. Highlight punctuation in
the text and discuss what your voice did when you came to the punctuation. It
may even help to read it once without intonation or attention to punctuation,
see what differences your child is able to notice.
2. Using a pencil, underline a phrase in a sentence
and model how the words are said together without a pause. Have your child
repeat this phrase for you a few different times until fluency is attained.
3. Give your child a highlighter and ask him/her to
highlight all punctuation in a portion of text. Then, go through the text with
your child, talking about what their voice should do at each highlighted spot.
Finish by having your child read the excerpt aloud one or two times.
Thank you for your continued support at home! Written by: Allison Behne
©2010 www.thedailycafe.com Ideas and strategies are taken from: The CAFE
Book, written by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser
The
Daily Five is a way of structuring the reading block so every student is
independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. These research based tasks
are ones that will have the biggest impact on student reading and writing
achievement, as well as help foster children who love to read and write.
Students receive explicit whole group instruction and then are given
independent practice time to read and write independently while I provide
focused, intense instruction to individuals and small groups of students.
When
it is up and running smoothly, students will be engaged in the Daily Five,
which are comprised of:
-
Read to Self
-
Work on Writing
-
Read to Someone
-
Listen to Reading
-
Word Work
There are very specific behavior expectations that go with each Daily 5
component. We will spend our first weeks working intensely
on building our reading and writing stamina, learning the behaviors of the
Daily 5 and fostering our classroom community. I will also
spend time learning about your child’s strengths and greatest needs as a
reader in order to best plan for each student’s instruction. Therefore I will
be inviting parents into the classroom after we have accomplished this
important work. Thank you in advance for your patience and
understanding.
One thing you’ll notice that may be a change for you is a direct decrease in
the number of worksheets your child brings home. While
worksheets keep students busy, they don’t really result in the high level of
learning I want for your child. Instead, your child will be
taught to select “Good Fit Books” or books they can read, understand and are
interested in, which they will read during Daily 5. They
will be spending most of their time actually reading, which research supports
as the number one way to improve reading. I anticipate the
motivation and enjoyment of reading will skyrocket when this gift of choosing
their own books is accompanied by extended practice and specific reading
instruction for each individual child.
As you can see, I am excited about giving your child the opportunity to be
involved in a structure that will have a positive effect on their education.
Please think of our classroom as you visit garage sales or clean your own
child’s bookcase. It is my goal to make our classroom
library as appealing as your favorite bookstore for browsing.
I hope to see you at Open House where we can talk more and I can answer any
questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Kathleen
Cole