Choral Reading Reflection

When we were given the task to plan and perform our own choral reading, my group selected the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle. After reading through the book, we decided to use call and response because of the repetitive and predictable nature of the text. The students would chant the question parts of the text, inserting the appropriate color and animal from the teacher’s previous response, and the teacher would call out the answer that followed.

Some of the areas from the 8th grade GLCEs that this activity addressed included both speaking and listening expectations. Speaking GLCEs that were that students will be able to speak effectively using body language including gestures, posture, facial expressions, tone of voice, and pace of speaking to enhance meaning and influence interpretation in narrative and informational presentations; adjust their use of language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes by using enunciation to emphasize key ideas and concepts when presenting; and engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct meaning in book clubs, literature circles, partnerships, or other conversation protocols.. Listening GLCEs included that students will be able to listen to or view critically while demonstrating appropriate social skills of audience behaviors (e.g., eye contact, attentive, and supportive); critically examine the verbal and non-verbal strategies during speeches and presentations.

I think that within my small group, there definitely was support for each member as we worked together to reach an end product. After reading so much about classroom norms, respecting each other, taking turns and making sure all members participate, I found that we all must have internalized these ideas throughout our own school experiences and our TE courses so that they are now second nature. Because we knew what was expected of us and had scaffolding for choral reading through the “All the Colors of the Race” activity, we were sufficiently prepared for our discussion with each other. As we worked together, we all took on the student roles discussed in Almasi of inquisitor, facilitator, respondent and evaluator. We shared our ideas and also challenged and responded to one another’s ideas about how to take our book and apply it in a choral reading. At the same time, we facilitated group participation by all members by encouraging one another to share their suggestions and ideas. Overall, we had a strong discussion about how to use our book selection for choral reading.

By taking on the roles described by Almasi and participating in discussions about the process of adapting a book to fit a different activity, I was definitely given an opportunity to think about my role as a teacher. Even though our book was simple, there were still a lot of positive benefits for using it in choral reading with younger children. First of all, students have to actively listen to the teacher’s part to know what color and animal to chant on their next turn. This involves taking the text and using it in students’ own voices. Also, students will practice reading fluency through the choral reading and strengthen the classroom community by taking part in reading together. As I look at the ways that this text could strengthen students’ literacy skills, I become aware of the fact that as a teacher, these will be things I will need to think about and decisions I will be making on a daily basis. At the same time, my experiences with the choral reading activity showed me that students should be given opportunities to work as a community and engage in interpretive discussions. As I’m sitting here right now, the words, “Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?” keep playing in my mind like a broken record. Since I’m having trouble getting it out of my head, I know that the activity stuck with me. By using these types of activities in the classroom, students will hopefully be more engaged and take more away from the lesson than they might be able to otherwise!