ADAPTING THE PROGRAM TO TEACHING SMALL GROUPS
Funnix is designed for tutoring individual children, but the sequence can be easily adapted for teaching small groups. This adaptation requires changing conventions for four processes:
For most letter-sound and word-reading tasks that the narrator presents, the children are to respond in unison. The program provides clicks to indicate when children should say the next sound or the next word. If some of the children "lag" and respond late, the group tasks are not as effective. Therefore, provide practice with the sound-and-letter activities early in the program. The timing for the clicks is predictable, so practice until children respond in unison right after the click or when the narrator says, "Get ready."
Later in the program children are to read passages aloud. To keep children responding together, tap for each word at a rate that is about the same as the rate the narrator uses to direct reading words in sentences.
Group Responses from Lesson 88
Before lesson 88, direct children to read the entire passage aloud, in unison. Starting with 88 and continuing throughout the rest of the sequence, direct children to read the first three sentences in unison. Then call on individual children to read one or two sentences each.
When children read in unison in the earlier lessons, the program presents clicks to indicate the rate at which children are to read the words. (Each click signals that they are to read a word.) Later in the program (lesson 68), the narrator directs the children to read sentences. No clicks are provided by the program. For these tasks you will direct the children to read aloud in unison. You will tap to indicate when children should read each word. (Tap at about the same rate the program had presented clicks.)
Individual Turns
The program does not specify individual turns because it was designed for one-to-one instruction. However, it's easy to present individual turns. Follow these rules.
Touching Items on the Screen
For some tasks, the narrator will direct the child to touch something on the screen. For example, "Touch the first word of that sentence."
Use a variation of the same technique that you use for presenting individuals turns: Point to a child or name the child who is to do the touching on the screen. Remember, one child points, but all the children respond when the narrator directs the reading of the word or sentence. For touch tasks, there is no problem if you have the children respond in predictable order (with the child on the right end of the group taking the first turn at touching, then the next child, and so forth). All children should get frequent opportunities to do the touching.
Written Work
For some workbook tasks, spelling tasks, and sentence-writing tasks, children are to write on their paper or in their workbook. Children are to use information that is on the screen.
Following is an example from the workbook material for Funnix Beginning Reading lesson 68 and the information presented on the screen for the first exercise.
On the screen are words. Children are to write the correct word under each picture in their workbook. The simplest procedure is for children to turn their chairs around, kneel down and use the seat of the chair as their writing surface. Children can see the screen; they have a much more stable surface to write on than they would if they were using lapboards; and you are able to monitor all the children's work from where you are sitting.
Funnix is designed for tutoring individual children, but the sequence can be easily adapted for teaching small groups. This adaptation requires changing conventions for four processes:
- group responses
- individual turns
- touching things on the screen
- written work
For most letter-sound and word-reading tasks that the narrator presents, the children are to respond in unison. The program provides clicks to indicate when children should say the next sound or the next word. If some of the children "lag" and respond late, the group tasks are not as effective. Therefore, provide practice with the sound-and-letter activities early in the program. The timing for the clicks is predictable, so practice until children respond in unison right after the click or when the narrator says, "Get ready."
Later in the program children are to read passages aloud. To keep children responding together, tap for each word at a rate that is about the same as the rate the narrator uses to direct reading words in sentences.
Group Responses from Lesson 88
Before lesson 88, direct children to read the entire passage aloud, in unison. Starting with 88 and continuing throughout the rest of the sequence, direct children to read the first three sentences in unison. Then call on individual children to read one or two sentences each.
When children read in unison in the earlier lessons, the program presents clicks to indicate the rate at which children are to read the words. (Each click signals that they are to read a word.) Later in the program (lesson 68), the narrator directs the children to read sentences. No clicks are provided by the program. For these tasks you will direct the children to read aloud in unison. You will tap to indicate when children should read each word. (Tap at about the same rate the program had presented clicks.)
Individual Turns
The program does not specify individual turns because it was designed for one-to-one instruction. However, it's easy to present individual turns. Follow these rules.
- Do not present individual turns until the children have performed well on the group turns. Individual turns give you information about mastery and promotes fluency, so you want to get a sample of behavior from all the children, but particularly the lower performers.
- Present individual turns on the second reading of word lists or stories. If the narrator directs the children to read all the words in a list or in a story and then indicates, "Let's read those words again," you can present individual turns on this second reading. When the program stops for the child to read a word, either point to a child or name the child who is to respond to that word or read the next sentence of the story. Individual turns are more effective if you use this procedure.
- Do not present turns in a predictable order. Children know beforehand which word they will read, and they may not attend to every word that is presented, but simply rehearse the word they will read. When you present word-reading or sentence-reading tasks to individual children, do not tap. Children are to read at their own rate.
Touching Items on the Screen
For some tasks, the narrator will direct the child to touch something on the screen. For example, "Touch the first word of that sentence."
Use a variation of the same technique that you use for presenting individuals turns: Point to a child or name the child who is to do the touching on the screen. Remember, one child points, but all the children respond when the narrator directs the reading of the word or sentence. For touch tasks, there is no problem if you have the children respond in predictable order (with the child on the right end of the group taking the first turn at touching, then the next child, and so forth). All children should get frequent opportunities to do the touching.
Written Work
For some workbook tasks, spelling tasks, and sentence-writing tasks, children are to write on their paper or in their workbook. Children are to use information that is on the screen.
Following is an example from the workbook material for Funnix Beginning Reading lesson 68 and the information presented on the screen for the first exercise.
On the screen are words. Children are to write the correct word under each picture in their workbook. The simplest procedure is for children to turn their chairs around, kneel down and use the seat of the chair as their writing surface. Children can see the screen; they have a much more stable surface to write on than they would if they were using lapboards; and you are able to monitor all the children's work from where you are sitting.
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