A daily DEAR program: Drop everything and read!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=55
A lesson plan for grades 3–5 English Language Arts
This lesson that promotes self-selected reading for students in grades 3–5, gives the teacher a structured time to touch base with each student over a period of time, assess progress, and target instruction. During this daily reading period, students have time to read what they want to read, share what they’ve read, and receive the support they need for further reading explorations and reflections. After students have selected books from an in-class library or the school media center, the teacher begins DEAR sessions in 10 minute increments per day and gradually builds to 30 minute sessions. At the conclusion of each session, students keep track of what they are reading in literature logs/reader response logs, which include the date, the book title and author, and the student’s response to the text. When students finish a book, the teacher meets with them to have brief conferences and evaluates student progress and success. After the conference, students give book chats to PALs (Partners Assisting Literacy). The lesson explains how to train PALs for helping review book chats after students have completed reading. Readwritethink provides a reading portfolio form that students can use to keep track of the books and page numbers they have read.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.
- Objective 1.06: Read independently daily from self-selected materials (consistent with the student's independent reading level) to:
- increase fluency
- build background knowledge
- extend vocabulary.
- Objective 1.06: Read independently daily from self-selected materials (consistent with the student's independent reading level) to:
- Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
- Objective 3.01: Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
- considering the differences among genres.
- relating plot, setting, and characters to own experiences and ideas.
- considering main character's point of view.
- participating in creative interpretations.
- making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters and events.
- reflecting on learning, gaining new insights, and identifying areas for further study.
- Objective 3.01: Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
Grade 4
- Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.
- Objective 1.05: Use word reference materials (e.g., glossary, dictionary, thesaurus) to identify and comprehend unknown words.
- Objective 1.06: Read independently daily from self-selected materials (consistent with the student's independent reading level) to:
- increase fluency.
- build background knowledge.
- expand vocabulary.
- Goal 3: The learner will make connections with text through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
- Objective 3.01: Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
- analyzing the impact of authors' word choice and context.
- examining the reasons for characters' actions.
- identifying and examining characters' motives.
- considering a situation or problem from different characters' points of view.
- analyzing differences among genres.
- making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters, events and themes.
- Objective 3.01: Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
- analyzing the impact of authors' word choice and context.
- examining the reasons for characters' actions.
- identifying and examining characters' motives.
- considering a situation or problem from different characters' points of view.
- analyzing differences among genres.
- making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters, events and themes.
- Objective 3.01: Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
