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 * ~ __**PART B: Connecting with an early years teacher and their teaching program. **__ ||
 * ~ [[image:Writing_pic_1.jpg width="413" height="309" align="center"]] ||

The reading approaches used during the teaching of the whole class in the two-hour literacy block were similar to those outlined by Hill (2008). The lesson that I observed began with a whole class shared reading activity. I believe that the approaches used by the teacher during the teaching of the whole class were similar to those outlined by Hill (2008) as the teacher ensured that: the book selected was engaging and was read primarily for enjoyment and meaning, the teacher had a clear learning focus that was understood by all students, lessons were “faced paced” and motivating and appropriate teacher promots and praise were given (Hill, 2008, p. 75), Through this, the class teacher encouraged all students to find the session engaging and motivating. The first point as outlined by Hill that made the shared book experience that I observed successful was that the book selected was engaging and slightly more challenging than the level students could read at independently. In my opinion, the book ‘Rumble in the juggle’ was an excellent text choice by the teacher for an early years literacy class shared reading experience. This was the case as Hill (2008) places emphasis on the importance of teachers selecting texts that are engaging and appropriate for the age level and situation in which the text is being used. Hill (2008, p. 73) asserts that texts used in shared reading should be “above the children’s independent reading level” as children are supported by the collaboratively learning situation. Not only was the text appropriately challenging, but it was colourful, fun, interesting and worked to extend students “experiences and the boundaries of their vision” (Hill, 2008, p. 95) which in turn ensured that students were stimulated and engaged. The second point as explained by Hill (2008) that made the shared book experience that I witnessed successful was that the teacher’s focus for the lesson was explicitly outlined to students. The development of a teaching focus for shared reading activities is necessary and important as although the text is primarily being read for enjoyment and meaning, the shared reading experience provides teachers with a stimulus in which to develop a teaching focus that is in context with other areas of the literacy program. The teaching focus that was used during the shared reading experience that I observed was the identification of the letter of the week (letter I) and also the recognition of rhyming words. In order to ensure that each student understood what the teacher was asking, the teacher provided a few examples in the beginning of rhyming words. After the teacher modelled examples, most students were easily able to identify the letter ‘I’ and examples of rhyming words. The learning focus not only provided students with the opportunity to develop their literacy skills, it also motivated students to engage with the text. This was obvious as students were listening attentively and most students offered answers to at least one question posed by the teacher. Further to this, the teacher only had to discipline a few students for not paying attention. The third point as explained by Hill (2008) that made the shared book experience that I observed effective was that the activity was “faced paced” and motivating and that praise and support was continually offered to students. The shared reading experience did not last longer than fifteen minutes and in this time, the teacher with the help of students read the book once, discussed the letter ‘I’ and rhyming words and analysed the pictures and positioning of sentences. The benefit of having an activity that is faced paced is that students can be exposed to "powerful literature" without having to feel pressured in a learning situation (Hill, 2008, p. 73). Providing students with stimulating literature in a collaborative learning environment (especially first thing on a Monday morning) is an effective way for the teacher to engage and motivate students for other literacy activites. The only way in which the shared reading activity I observed differed from the theory outlined by Hill (2008) was that the big book used for shared reading wasn’t used for literacy learning centres or writing activities. Although follow-up activities based on the big book were not used in the literacy session that I observed, this isn’t to say that the shared reading experience was not beneficial. I believe that it was more effective to simply spend a short amount of time looking at the big book before moving on as it was a Monday morning and students only needed a short, sharp activity that was engaging and fun but too challenging. Although the teacher had a learning focus for the shared reading experience, I believe that it was primarily used to settle students down and tune them in for the week’s learning.
 * ~ ** 2a). Reflect on the whole class reading/writing apporaches you observed. Write a recount of these approaches. Reflect on similarities and differences of the approaches used by the class teacher compared to the descriptions given in the readings. ** ||


 * ~ This website is a fun, engaging and interactive way to practice primary students' literacy skills. This website could be used as a literacy centre activity or if the class had a 'Interactive whiteboard', then the activities could be used for a whole class activity: [] ||