I was not sure how this choice would go over in 4th grade as it seems like something that may be better suited for younger grades, but I do believe that for some students their comprehension of the story will increase by listening to it being read. The stories that the students listen to during Listen to Reading are the stories for our basal series. Each week (most weeks) we have a focus story from our textbook, and since the curriculum set also came with each of these stories on CD it has worked out great! When the stuent makes the choie to Listen to Reading on Monday or Tuesday they are able to listen to the story as they read it for the first time. If they choose to Listen to Reading on Wednesday or Thursday they should have already read the story independently, and we have started/finsished reaidng it together as well so it is more of a review or rereading. If a studnet chooses to Listen to Reading on a Friday they can choose to listen to any of the stories from our textbook that we have read together so far this year. A few of the downsides I am seeing with this choice are that only 4 students can listen to reading at a time and that I am very limited in what students can listen to. The upside is that students seem to be liking it! I think because it is something different it peaks some of their interest as well. There are some studnets in the class that I feel would benifit more from listening to the weekly story than others and as we are continuing to introduce choices I am continuing to work on ways to make sure each student is making choices that help them become better readers. As we continue with this process I hope to be able to better differentiate these choices with students. Right now on the top of their weekly logging sheet students are told certain choices that they "must do" each week, and for everyone they are the same. My hope is to soon have certain choices that certain students must complete each week. I feel this is one way that I can ensure that some of my lower readers are able to get to the Listen to Reading choice.
The management of this choice (unlike Read to Someone) has been minimal, the students are very on task when they are doing the Listen to Reading choice and I just have to check in at the start to make sure they are able to get started right away and check on them from time to time to make sure they are not doing anything else on the computer. I like the Listen to Reading choice! :)
In some of my most recent data collection when I asked the stuedents what their favoarite Reading Workshop choice was up to this point and of my 25 students 12 prefer Read to Self, while 9 like Read to Someone, and 4 like Listen to Reading best. I am happy to see a spread of opinions, reaffirming that choice is good because not everyone loves just one choice. One of my struggling readers did say they like Listen to Reading best and I smilied when I read his reason why, "because iI am getting it better!" I am thrilled that he realzies this choice increases his comprehension! Then there is my "I Hate to Read" student who said Listen to Reading was the favorite choice "because it involves less reading." At least he is reading, and involves just as much reading, it just may not seem like it to him! :)
When asked on a scale of Love it! Like it! Ho Hum! and Don't like it! how they feel about having choices in Reading Workshop 16 students Love it! and 9 Like it! with no one saying Ho Hum! or Don't like it! I feel like what I am doing is working, it is keeping there attitudes towards reading positive.
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