“I want to be an Effective teacher”, as I’m sure that is why we are all here. By reading chapter 2 it helped give me more skills on how to help build myself into an effective literacy teacher. One of the things that is important for teachers to do is assess students’ abilities and adjust their instruction accordingly! I have seen teachers in the past NOT do this for their students, almost like they have given up on them, and I felt that was NOT why she is here – never to “give up” on a student! Students need and deserve: Time, text, teaching, talk, tasks, and testing to ensure these common traits and activities in order to achieve effective literacy. “Work should always be worthy of the student’s effort” Pg. 24. I really like this phrase because it reminds me on how important it is to adjust curriculum to effectively prepare instruction to reach all students according to individual needs. At this point I do not have any questions. This chapter allowed me to better understand the importance of a student’s individual needs. Such as selecting reading, and leveled books. I also found that figure 2.5, Summary of the eight ways of teaching…was actually very helpful and something I will continue to use as a reference. When it comes to my own experience I have used many of these skills with my own children. I taught my oldest daughter how to read when she was four years old. I used many of the things in this chapter to help her learn literacy such as: I read her books that were interesting to her, made it fun and exciting, gave her easy instructions, and allowed her to read to me. I have found that some friends of mine do not feel it is the parent’s job to work with their own children, it is the schools job. This is a topic all on its own. But for me I most definitely believe it is a team effort from parent, school, and teacher. by Jennifer Willcott
I also believe it is also a parent effort as well as teacher like you believe. This kind of goes with the family, community, classroom, and school involvement that needs to happen for all children to be in touch with to learn and have experiences. However, sadly this is not true. Some parents do not have the time to spend with their kids because of work. I do remember when I was a kid, my parents were so poor and were always working. I spent more time with my grandma than I did with my parents. This is just my case, I know there are cases that are way worse than what I experienced. This is why teachers, schools, and the community need to step up and take children into each of these areas so that regardless of their background, all children can gain experiences. I thought it was really interesting that students not only learn from reading experiences with parents but also trips they have taken which allows them to discuss what they saw and build vocabulary! Another great reason for field trips!
I am not naive, but I was really saddened by the fact that there are parents out there who don't WANT to work with their children. How can everything be left up to the teacher? When it comes to areas such as reading, it is so easy for parents to do and it will make a huge difference in the child. It most certainly is a TEAM effort! You are right though, this gets into a whole other can of worms!
Chapter two is based on five components, the teacher, students, text, context, and task. These all come together to create a student's reading and learning experience. Just by reading the introduction I could already see how these could directly affect the student. I think back to the teachers I have had that made reading absolutely a horrible experience, and then about my fourth grade teacher who turned the whole thing around. I still struggled with reading but that is where the helping started. Teachers are also responsible for motivating students. When I was doing my internships and even as a student myself, I would see students who did not want to read for many reasons and they were mostly the reasons listed in this chapter: self-conscious about reading proficiency, emphasis on competition, and lack of interest in assigned reading. I have always wanted to know how to help students with these problems and since I was one of these students, a person would think that I would know what to do. However, the book gave great ideas on pages 26 and 27. My favorite suggestion was for students who lack motivation because of the emphasis on competition. The book suggests that students place an object (gumball, marble, etc.) into a classroom container (gumball machine, marble jar) once they have read a book and shared this book with a class mate. I thought this was a fabulous idea. There is so much emphasis on students reading for their own rewards, such as reading points and once the student gets so much then that student gets a reward. I have seen many students last semester do this and there were 8 students out of a class of 27 that received any kind of reward. The other students felt that they had no shot at making any kind of reward. These students tried hard in the beginning but the other students passed everybody in the class so fast that the students who did not receive awards just eventually gave up and did not care about making the reading points. It was really sad to watch and I couldn't understand how my mentor and other teachers couldn't see how this was ineffective. One thing that allowed me to look at things differently was student experiences. I knew this had a huge affect, such as parents reading to their children, but did not know that parents taking their children on trips (such as to a zoo or out of state) could have a huge affect on the students vocabulary. This also gave me a reason why field trips are important. Not only do they enrich instruction, but also give kids a chance to go some where and experience something even if their parents do not take the time or have the money to do this with their children. This chapter did talk about different reading levels and so on, however, I still have questions about how one teacher teaches a lesson to a classroom full of students at all different reading levels and makes the lesson applied to all students. Or is this no longer possible? Will there have to be several different readings taking place in the classroom for all levels and have group lessons based on what each group needs.
I enjoyed reading your post. It was interesting to hear you talk about the individual reward system in the classroom you interned in. Some student's respond well to competition, but others are quite turned off by it. Like you, I LOVED the idea about the class gumball machine, where students could work together to achieve a class reward. I think the idea of combining this with a private individual reward (like Book It) could work well. Have you heard of Book It? It is a reward program sponsored by Pizza Hut where kids read a certain amount per month then they get a free personal pan pizza coupon. Combining these programs may motivate both types of students.
Also, have you looked at the Guided Reading video in the resources tab for this course? It is really neat! The teacher talks about all the different centers she has set up and how she organized her class to do that. Center time is one very effective way to differentiate instruction.
Hey Danielle, When I read about the gumballs as a group incentive, I also thought it was a great idea. I am considering doing something like this in my tutoring sessions, but I will have to give it some more thought. I want to make the most of the time I have. I will probably do this in my classroom specifically in the area of reading. We need so desperately help those students that are not at the top of the ladder and this would definitely inspire them. They are all contributors. It promotes class unity. It is wonderful.
I really enjoyed reading your post and you brought up an excellent point about rewarding students and noted some of the suggestions that the book made. I think it is important as well to give students motivation in ways that will help the entire class and get rid of any personal competition that may deter students from reading. I had found an idea on pinterest a while back that definitely relates to this topic. Each student would pick their favorite book that they really want to share with the class. They would create a mini book, folded paper with binding, illustrate the cover and write a brief summary on the back. they are placed next to the students picture and hung on the wall. When another student is looking for a new book to read they can use these as suggestions or recommendations. I thought the idea was really cute!
In regards to your leveled instruction question, during my RLA internship, they hardly ever had whole group reading instruction. The students were constantly moving to different areas and small groups, and there were even some kids who had one on one instruction. It takes a lot of volunteers, paras, and specialists, but this was the best way to get each student the reading instruction that they needed. I know every classroom is different, but this was my experience in reading instruction.
This chapter was largely a review of topics that we learned about in Reading and Language Arts Methods, and I am thrilled that I remember most of it! Rereading about the factors of literacy is beneficial because I think that each time I read about them I make more connections.
I was fascinated when reading about the five components of learning – teacher, student, text, context, and task. When I was taking notes I realized that the largest and most detailed section was about the student. This emphasizes (yet again) that the student is the focus of learning, not the content or the teacher.
When I read about the three reasons for the decline in motivation to read (self-conscious about reading proficiency, emphasis on competition, lack of interest in assigned reading) I noticed a personal connection. I think I’m seeing the first reason in my two girls. I have five-year-old twins that started reading about a year ago. One of my girls has progressed a bit quicker than the other. She just naturally seems more skilled at decoding, chunking, and recognizing sight words. Although my other girl is still reading extremely well for her age, she is quite aware of the differences in abilities. This has caused her to resist reading aloud to me, and when I do talk her into it she gives up easily. I also think she has a more competitive personality and she thinks that if she can’t read better than her sister then she is not going to try. I have already tried separating them while reading, and I put them into separate kindergarten classes this year, but I am going to try to the gumball machine idea so that my girls can work together to achieve a prize. I also think it is important for students to know that there are a variety of abilities in the world. Some people do things better than you and you can ask them for help, learning something new and making new friends. Some people don’t do things as good as you can but it will give you a good feeling to help those people like others help you.
Lastly, the opening section about Miss Brooke’s class is exactly how I view my future classroom! Making experiences meaningful and interesting is the best way to increase engagement and therefore literacy skills. This type of classroom is so different from what I experienced as a child, and I wonder why only now are classrooms like this becoming more popular.
Amy, like you, I was really interested in the reasons for the decline in motivation to read. After speaking for a moment with one of the parents of a child I will be tutoring, she told me that her daughter has no motivation to read and escapes the task at all costs. I am interested to meet this little first grade girl and see for myself why there may be a decline in her motivation to read.
Every time I read that the student is and should be the main focus of learning, I want to shout amen! I view my classroom similar to Miss Brooke's as well. From what I know of you in class, you will easily be able to achieve this type of classroom! Thanks for sharing about your daughters and the ideas that you are implementing with them.
I was really inspired by reading the introduction about Miss Brooke's classroom. I found myself taking mental notes from all of the ideas they shared in that section. That is exactly the kind of classroom that I hope to have someday. I want students to be excited about learning. Also, I am a big proponent of collaborative learning, as well as project-based learning. Great summary of the chapter, as well!
This week in our DeVries text we read Chapter 2 we read The Literacy Event. What I really loved about this chapter was that it talked a lot about what qualities and practices excellent literacy teachers possess. As pre-service teachers, it is important for us to know what an excellent literacy teacher look like and what qualities they possess. I also liked that the chapter discussed learning styles and some reading strategies. As we prepare for our tutoring, it is good to know these when working with our students. We are there to aid them and provide some extra reading services and we will need to know how to help them if they are struggling. The last thing we want to do is frustrate them. What I liked the most out of the chapter was learning the different types of leveled books. I had heard about age leveling and grade leveling before, but hadn’t heard of Lexile leveling or Gradient leveling. I was able to connect to the Fry Readability formula because we actually had to do this in our Reading/Language Arts Methods course. Even after reading this chapter, the anxiety still remains for me about becoming an efficient reading teacher. I feel the further courses I take and the more information I gain, I am becoming better armed to be that excellent literacy teacher, but what makes me the most nervous is doing the diagnostic testing as well as being able to spot a struggling reader and how I can help them without making them more frustrated.
You are right LeAnn on how important it is for us to see what it takes to be an effective teacher. I really enjoyed the very beginning of the chapter and Ms. Brooks class. She used a lot of different scenarios to keep her students motivated! I was not aware that there were different types of leveled books myself. The only type I've worked with is the Gradient Level books through the Basal Readers. I do feel like they are the most accurate and beneficial books since they cater to different reading abilities. I also feel the same as you when it comes to me actually teaching. I hope that the resources out there and my judgement are keen enough to find the right help and books for all my students so I can become an effective teacher.
This chapter had a wealth of information on what it takes to be an effective literacy teacher. Much of it was familiar from my Reading and Language Arts class. The main theme I saw in the chapter is that a teacher must be able to determine each child's reading level and be able to cater to them with leveled books and strategies. I really enjoyed reading the part on motivation. I was surprised that students motivational levels decrease in so few years. I would have expected it to take longer than that. The text gave some good ideas on how to keep students motivated which is very important. One thing that hit home to me is of helping students find books of their interest. When I was in sixth grade I failed my first semester of reading because I did not like to read, it turned out that I wasn't really aware of how to find books in the library. My teacher helped me pick out books that interested me the next semester and it made a world of difference. Sometimes students know what they like, but do not know how to find them. This is something I have experienced and now know how to help students with. I remember the Fry Readability Formula from Reading and Language Arts. It is a good help if you cannot find the level of a book and is very easy to use. I was surprised to see that Basal Readers were not in this chapter when talking about leveled books. From my knowledge these are now very popular in schools. I believe gradient leveled books are great for Guided Reading since it is catered to many different reading levels already. I have seen these used in my previous internship and understand why they can work so well. All students succeeded when reading these books at their level, which the text talked about being a very important part of successful reading. This was a good chapter, full of information that was familiar to me. I look forward to reading on and learning more in-depth on some of these strategies and techniques.
Ryan, I agree that it seems you must first be able to identify the individual child’s weakness in order to help the correct it. The number one mistake I have seen/done with my own son was not deal with the right issue. His break down began at the phonemic awareness level and until be corrected it there would always be huge gaps in his reading skills. I too had RLA last semester and LOVED the Fry readability work that we did. One strategy my kids school uses is the “five finger rule”. This where you read the first page and raise a finger for each word you don’t know and then at the end if you have more than five you know the book is too difficult for your reading level. There are so many tools it can be exhausting just thinking about them but each one has a purpose and a type of learner that it will be best suited to be used with.
I have never heard the five finger rule! Thanks for sharing this. Professor, have you used this method before? I know in the lecture from this week it was 3 mistakes per section in the testing for 1st grade, what about other grade levels? (blackboard would not let me watch the last few min of the video so you might have discussed this later in the lecture)
Ryan, I couldn't agree more that children need to find books that interest them. I see it in my own daughter. When she brings her choosen books home from the school library they are of topics she enjoys, horses or other animals. This gets her eager to read and excited to share the stories.
I want to be an effective teacher just like Miss Brooke in the text book. I want engage my students in fun yet challenging ways. I believe this class is going to teach us how to obtain the six critical qualities of knowledge and practice. We already know how important assessments are now we need to gain the knowledge to know how to adjust our instruction accordingly to fit the needs of each individual style (differentiating instruction). I have never seen so many different learners as I did when I was interning in the second grade last year, wow! I thought it was going to be a breeze and then it hit me; this is going to be harder than I thought. There was one ELL student, two IEP students, 5 Title students, 2 Gifted and Talented, and one severe ADHD student. However, as I observed the teacher I began to see how it can work. I really like the idea of the bulletin board with a gumball machine or ice cream cone as a positive extrinsic reward for the whole class. What are some ideas that you think would be good to get the class motivated without using competition? Do you feel competition is wrong? I have always thought a little competition was good, but I can see how it could be bad as well. The first thing I plan to do as a teacher at the beginning of the year is do an interest inventory to see what my students like. I think this is a great way to find books that would interest them in reading. I thought it was interesting that some of the same things I am learning at my new job are discussed in this chapter. (I am sure I will have a lot of that this semester.)For example, today I just found out that we use Fountas & Pinnell, and how Lexile numbers are used to determine what books the students are to read. Then tonight I was reading on page 34 and it is in the chart that I was also going over. So this will be a very productive year for me when it comes to gaining knowledge. I am so excited, have I said that already?
1-This chapter introduced ways to help our students become successful readers. Throughout the chapter was the idea that we should not only use reading text books and trade books, but many different sources like the Internet, magazines, newspapers and poetry. Teachers should provide an environment where students have positive support, where they can take risks without fearing ridicule, have many opportunities to socially interact, discover new things for themselves and have many choices to be active learners instead of passive learners. Motivation plays a big part in helping our students to be successful. On page 26 of our text, we read about the lack of motivation in students between first and fourth grade. One of our goals should be to find inventive ways to motivate our students that promotes intrinsic motivation and not just by using extrinsic motivation (though sometimes that might be what it takes to get them started). There are many other areas that our text mentions as reasons why our students might begin to fall behind in their reading. Some students have rich background information to draw from, while others may have almost no experiences to build on. We learn that metacognition sometimes has to be taught. Learning styles are different and it is our job as teachers to help our students not only find what they are best at, but to help them develop in every area of Gardner’s nine intelligences. Selecting the right text is important as well. Consider the students interests and check for accuracy in the texts. Vary the genres and look for high quality illustrations. The level should not be too easy or too hard. The next section was very helpful in learning about leveling books. On page 38, I liked what the author said about teachers who believe that all students can be successful and they look at the students’ strengths and not their weaknesses. Then DeVries goes on to give tips to help students to achieve success in front of their peers. The very last section talked about students being engaged in reading or writing for 50 percent of the day. Wow! At first I thought that was a little overwhelming, but as I read on I really liked the 10 suggestions on page 39. 2-I don’t have any questions now, but I might after I begin to tutor my students and try to find books that are within the correct level for my students. I’m sure as I jump in, it will become easier. 3-I love the way the author makes me think about what it will take to become an effective literacy teacher. I can tell she is passionate and it is contagious. I am so excited to work with my small group. I am a little nervous too, but more excited at this point. 4- As a Para, I never had to use Fry’s Readability formula because our school uses the Accelerated Reading program, but I am glad I am learning it. I wish I had the time to sit and read the entire book before I begin tutoring. I guess we will learn as we go.
In reading chapter 2 I found similarities to the progression I took with my son. After paying tutored for 2 years with little to no affect and having the school say “we just don’t know what to do to help Ashton” I decided to take matters into my own hands. I decided since I had never taught anyone how to read I would start at the very beginning and at 8 years old and in third grade we went back to phonetic awareness. I was shocked at how many sounds my son was unable to hear when blended together. Needless to say after screening him I knew that this was where I needed to start. As chapter 2 indicates my first step was to identify the very beginning of my son’s breakdown in reading. If I had simply skipped this sections based on his age/grade I would have been making the same mistake that countless others had made with him. Everyone assumed that since he was doing so well in all other subjects and his vocabulary was incredible (thank you Discovery channel) that he must have at least this beginning tool in learning to read. Understanding the readability level for your student is another big issue. You want your student working with you at the instructional level of 90-94% any harder than this is called the frustration level and for obvious reasons is not good for your student. For reading at home or alone you want them reading at the independent level of 95-100% accuracy. On page 32-33 the text gives a more detailed description of each. Interest levels are another big deal. It is really hard to find a book at my sons reading level that interests him. What I have done is special order books that are science based but that are leveled more appropriately for his reading level. I would love to know some other strategies for keeping up a student’s interest if their reading is lagged to a point that they are 2-3 grade levels behind their peers?
Cathryn, I can't really offer you any more strategies but I can say it sounds like you are doing a terrific job with your son. If he ever gets frustrated with you trying to teach him these necessary reading tools you might try inviting a peer over to assist him in his learning. Peer- to- peer one on one incidental learning is very beneficial and I can see him working very hard to impress his peer. Don't get frustrated with him, keep positive and you'll both start seeing all your hard work paying off! Best of luck!
1- This chapter introduced ways to help the students and our children become more successful readers. This chapter really caught my attention because it discussed the traits/characteristics, practices, and activities that a good literacy teacher has. This is so important to me because I want to know how the best teachers do it, I want to know where I need to focus and how to best help the students. This chapter was mostly just a review of the information I had learned in past courses. However, it was really good for me to just have that bit of a refresher to remind me of some of the very important information. The most important component out of the 5 components (the teacher, students, text, context, and task) is the student. Everything within the learning environment and when administering instruction should be focused on the students’ needs and skill areas. Nothing is more important than the student and I definitely feel as though that cannot be stressed enough.
2- I really did not have any questions or concerned with this week’s reading because quite a bit of it was review. I have a few concerns about administering the assessments but that is just because there is so much information for it that I do not want to forget.
3- The more I read through this text the more excited I am to work with my tutoring group. It also makes me more excited to eventually have my own classroom and work with students and try and make reading more fun and interesting for them. I love the different ideas for interactive reading lessons that I have read about through the text and while discussing the information with my fellow classmates. This text just continues to make me look at reading and reading instruction in a whole new and exciting way.
4- Looking at the main concerns for why motivation to read has declined really caught my attention because one of the reasons was that there is lack of interest in the assigned reading. I can definitely relate to that because there have been so many times throughout my life that I have been forced to read something that I have no interest in. I love reading and could read all day, it is just hard for me to want to read when there is nothing interesting to me in what I am reading. I think that is why I am so excited about these small tutoring groups because it is much easier to work with the individual students and meet their interests.
Chapter 2 to me is one of the reasons that I want to become a teacher so bad. I'm very intrigued by struggling learners and children with disabilities and love using creativity to help these children start seeing that learning isn't so difficult. This chapter really pinpoints many things that as a teacher you need to know. I love how the chapter starts out with the list of six critical qualities of knowledge and practice that excellent literacy teachers pocess. What a goal to strive for as a future teacher. I also liked the other list offered in this portion of the text which was the characteristics that effective teachers exibit. Those being; time, text, teaching, talk, tasks, and testing. Another portion of the text that will be most helpful in the future and now is the motivation section. Children are expected to do so much reading nowadays that they often become bored with it and start hating it. In the motivation portion it talked about ways to keep students motivated and wanting to read, read, read. The motivation and levels of Readability in the text I felt like went hand in hand with eachother. Levels or readability consist of independent, instructional, and frustration. The text marked out exactly what percentage the students needed to be at for them to be in each different level on page 32 and 33 of the text.
Kendra- I love and want to teach all children, but like you, children who struggle to learn or have a learning disability is what really moved me to become a teacher. I learned through substituting that I had a gift to reword, rephrase, or think outside of the box to help a child see something in a different way or to make learning fun and interesting. I think this chapter was very important in showing and telling us what it takes to be an excellent literacy teacher and what we need to possess to help students succeed. In order to spark interest for reading in children, I think it is necessary to have several opportunities each day for children to read purely for enjoyment with a book of their choosing. I also think it is important to do interest inventories with struggling readers to get them involved in guided reading or group lessons.
Chapter two was really an enjoyable chapter for me and it had me intrigued from the very beginning. While reading through the first scenario where they describe the very active and engaging fourth grade classroom, I kept finding myself taking mental notes of the activities and saying to myself “I want to be that teacher!” I want to have the classroom where students are actively learning, working together, and participating in everything we do. I want my students to WANT to be in school and enjoy learning and reading. This chapter gave us some great ideas on how to be a successful and effective reading teacher and how to obtain an active learning environment. I think one of the best ways to do this is to make sure and create a meaningful learning experience for our students. We need to give them materials that they enjoy and that interest them, and give them tasks that serve a purpose and are authentic. To me, the key words for creating this environment would be flexibility and variety. As is explained, our students are very diverse and our teaching should also reflect that. I knew that there was a time for kids when they quit reading, but didn’t really know why and I just assumed that most people picked independent reading back up as they moved into adult hood. It all makes much more sense now, but with that realization came sadness. I never want a child to quit reading because they are self-conscience. I like the ideas of building confidence in my students and their reading skills by having them choral read and buddy read. As a teacher, I never want to be the reason they quit reading, and I certainly don’t want some fake competition in the classroom to deter them from picking up a book. I do realize that students are not going to be interested in everything they read one hundred percent of the time, but I will try my best to give them books that interest and excite them and to provide them with plenty of variety for independent reading. I feel very strongly about people of all ages reading for enjoyment. I have been reading to my daughter since the day we brought her home from the hospital and I am constantly adding new books to her library. Even at fourteen months old, she will sit and “read” books on her own, bring them to me to read, and really just enjoys being around her books and looking through them. I really hope this never changes for her. Just this morning we were at Books & Babies Story Time at the library and the leader of the group was telling us how she still reads to her twelve year old son. He is at that age where it may not be very “cool” to read, and he probably doesn’t tell his friends that his mom still reads to him, but it is something that they enjoy doing and it helps clear his mind before bed. I think this is just awesome and in my opinion that mom is setting her son up for success. The most foreign area to me was the section on leveling books and choosing appropriate texts. I have never leveled a book and it may be pretty easy, but all the different methods confused me a little bit more and it seems incredibly time consuming. Obviously, this is something that needs to be done and is very important to student success, but I know I am going to need a lot of practice with this! What I want to know, is if anyone else has a lot of experience with leveling books, is there a method that you prefer or think is the easiest one to use? I welcome all input and suggestions!
Abbie I enjoyed reading your post. As I read the passage at the beginning of this chapter I found my response to be much like yours. I want to be a teacher like Ms. Brooke. I am a firm believer that school should be a place children "want" to go no matter their age. I believe teachers can have a large impact on a student's desire to learn. A good teacher can make all the difference in the world when it comes to making learning enjoyable. I have had wonderful teachers in my past and only a few teachers that were far from this Ms. Brooke. I also like the fact that you have read to your daughter from the time she was born. If you were to enter my son's play room you would see a bookshelf full of books and he is only three. I too have been reading to him from birth. I also love giving books a presents instead of toys at birthday parties and Christmas.
The scenario provided at the beginning of Chapter 2 in Derives was wonderful. Ms. Brooke was a perfect example of an effective teacher. I loved how I could tell from just reading the passage how excited her classroom was about reading. One important thing I pulled from the beginning of this chapter came from the six essential qualities of a effective literacy teacher. An effective literacy teacher knows "all" children can learn to read and write. Through my professional experience and through my educational experience I know this to be true. During internships I have witnessed several students whom have given up on themselves in regards to reading. These students were not reading at their grade level or anywhere close to their grade level. Reflecting on this I cannot help but wonder if a teacher along the way had given up on them and believed the student was not capable of learning how to read. I believe the key to getting a student engaged in learning how to read is to motivate them. Derives states, "Motivation frequently makes the difference between learning that is temporary or superficial and learning that is permanent and internalized". However the text provides great examples of how motivation can cause a decline in the motivation to read due to self consciousness, emphasis on competition, and lack of interest in the assigned reading. It will be important to remember these reasons for decline as I enter my tutoring sessions, student teaching, and future classroom. Selecting appropriate texts for students and teaching the student how to find correct texts for themselves is another aspect of teaching reading I enjoyed learning about in this chapter. In sum this chapter highlighted many of the aspects in tasks to be an effective teacher and specifically in the area of reading.
Ch. 2 Blog Zoë Greenemeyer After reading the second chapter in this text book I am thankful at how easy this textbook is to read and comprehend. I enjoy the real life examples at the beginning of each chapter. It helps me to see appropriate practices modeled within the text not just discussed. I agree with the chapter that teachers need to modify each lesson to fit the range of individual needs. From my own education I find that incorporating multiple ways to learn about the information presented creates a more thorough learning process for those who have different learning needs. I also find the suggestions from the author on different strategies to use in the classroom beneficial. What I did not realize prior to this reading was the importance of motivation for older students. I think this knowledge will be helpful in tutoring, I can find what interests the children I will tutor and try to find material that corresponds with the child’s interest level. My husband had similar issues with reading; he lacked motivation until he found what books interest him. My husband now loves to read and will spend hours in a book store. Another section of the chapter that I plan to use as a resource is the section on grade leveling. In this section the author provided a website that has books and quizzes that will be useful in both tutoring and in the classroom.
Chapter two was about the literacy event. The quote of the beginning of the chapter puts into perspective the importance of reading, "The great aim of education is not knowledge but action", (DeVries, 21). This chapter gave several strategies for educators to use. I especially like figure 2.1 that listed the traits of effective literacy teachers. Another section in the chapter that I was glad to read about was motivation. I think sometimes teachers give students books to read and not take into effect the interest or lack of interest the students may have. As an educator I think it is important to expose students to various subjects and ways to read. This might mean allowing students to read about monster trucks or Harry Potter. I did not have any questions about this chapter. However, this chapter did make me look at an issue differently. The chapter talked about reading strategies and how it is important for students to use all three of them. I need to remember that just because a student reads great doesn't mean they comprehend what they were reading. It is important to use reading strategies before, during and after reading. That helps the student comprehend that they are reading. My own experience related to this chapter is with my own son. He is ten years old and sometimes he is not motivated to read at all. So I have had to try to find books that would entice his excitement for reading. He is interested in space and science, so I have found books about those subjects. Once he has a book that he enjoys reading, he can't put it down!
Chapter 2 is about the literacy event. In this chapter they discuss ways to motivate students to want to read and write, as well as what qualities it takes to be an effective teacher. As a teacher you need to believe in all of your students and set the bar high for each and every one of them. You also have to be able to differentiate your instruction, as well as let your students be able to make choices in activities they do and choices in the types of materials they read. As a teacher you need to have a bag full of strategies to be able to pull from so that you are better able to teach your students as well as motivate your students to want to learn. This chapter also discussed the importance of selecting texts that are at the appropriate level for the students. It discussed the Fry Readability formula and how you can use it to find out the level of readability for books. I really liked the summary of the eight different ways of teaching so that you are able to have a better understanding of each of the different types of intelligences, instructional strategies to use, and types of materials to use in the activities to promote learning for each of the different intelligences. I think that this summary will be very beneficial to me when planning lessons for my students once I am able to determine what type of learner they are.
The first part of this chapter discusses how we can be effective reading teachers through utilizing a variety of teaching techniques, keeping students motivated and more. Something that I found very interesting from this chapter was the statement that by 4th grade many students begin to lack motivation to read due to reasons such as self-consciousness, competition and lack of interest.
Some other factors that can increase our effectiveness as teachers is activating prior background knowledge before beginning a new reading. Many times students have a good background of general knowledge and things in the world, so this can get them excited to begin reading the story. Activating prior background knowledge is the first reading strategy that can be used before reading. Good teachers also use strategies while students are reading and after they finish reading.
The last factor that I found very important for becoming an effective teacher is selecting appropriate texts for your students. The criteria mentioned for selecting texts include finding those that bring the students enjoyment and meaning, those that are interesting to the students, those that present accurate information, those that are the appropriate length from a variety of genres and more.
After reading this chapter, it made me more excited to begin my tutoring sessions. I have always loved reading and how the books can transport you to a different place. I think it does such a great job of helping students use their creativity and will be something they will use for the rest of their lives.
One question that I kind of find myself thinking is how teachers with a lot of students can effectively help each and every student achieve to their level. I understand the use of testing and interest inventory, but I find myself thinking that it will be difficult to find the time to help every student in the school day. Just my thought...I am looking forward to observing how this is done in a classroom.
I am a little envious of your excitement! I am so nervous. I also had questions about having the time for testing in the classroom but there are many informal ways to 'test' students. I cannot help but think back to Reading and Language Arts Methods and all the tools the Professor BW gave us to help us be aware of our students needs. I would guess that once we get into a classroom we will make the time. It will just be part of our routine and that as an effective teacher (these are the lat two listed on page 25) we will understand the uniqueness of each student and will respond to and provide feedback on their work. Being aware of the student is just one step in this process. Given what you already know and are excited about I would bet you do great.
I want to be like Miss Brooke. Her classroom reminds me of the stories and slideshow we saw last semester of Professor BW's classroom when she did the case of the missing (was it a candy jar?). Miss Brooke is great for many reasons: she makes learning fun and exciting, she is an interactive teacher that involves her students in all aspects of learning, she encourages mentoring, and more. Our text tells us that one thing that makes her a good teacher is that she understands the five essential components of creating a meaningful experience: teacher, students, text, content, and task.
I did not really have any questions about the text other that the section on page 27 about Lack of interest in assigned reading. I was curious how free/how much freedom students should have in picking their reading. I remember hearing an article on NPR about a year and a half ago (I tried to find it so to link to here but I could not, sorry) that was about encouraging students to read. the woman who was bring interviewed discussed how important getting kids motivated to read was and that one way to do this was just what this section suggests, that students should be given choice in their reading materials. She was discussing how some students might struggle with a text or passage at a particular grade level but they might be able to read a book or instructional pamphlet about a video games that they can sometimes read, with accuracy and comprehension, several grade levels above where they are. I was curious if this is still considered and acceptable and if there is a limit to the freedom of picking reading materials?
I liked this chapter because it connected several things that I learned last semester with this course. I appreciated that described each of the components of a meaningful learning experience. I particularly liked the differentiating instruction section as it reminds us the importance of being aware of diversity in the classroom and proving emotional safety/appropriate challenges.
Jessica, I think a good way to motivate them to read and allowing them to choose their own reading material is to divide books into tubs of interest at different levels and allow them to choose. Sometimes this allows them the freedom of choice, but as the teacher you are still somewhat in control of what they are reading!!
The scenario at the beginning of the chapter really caught my attention. I think that it is important as an educator to create activities and strategies that make reading and writing engaging for students. The more enthused an educator is, the more excited their students become. I believe that when an educator is passionate about what they are teaching the students feel more motivated to learn. In Reading and Language Art’s Internship Dr. Walizer used many of the strategies and teaching tools that are discussed in this chapter. Her readings at the beginning of each class got me engaged from the very start. You could really see how passionate she is about not only reading, but about her teaching as well. In the elementary school where I work as a Para educator they do the Accelerated Reader Program to help engage student in reading. I notice that this teaching tool helps students to choose their reading materials and stay more interested in the books they are reading. I am wondering when the chapter discusses the topic of lack of interest in assigned reading if this is the type of program that helps better that issue. Is it not equally important to help students read materials outside of their comfort zone? I really enjoyed this chapter because I can relate to the topics that were discussed in many aspects. For example, in special education there are many different strategies that need to be used in order to meet the child’s needs and motivations when it comes to reading and writing. I enjoyed reading about the eight ways of teaching and the examples that were given to help create a visual picture for each topic discussed. I also liked reading and learning about Fry’s Readability formula and how they are performed. The chapter really touched base with the diversity that exists in the classroom and how to reach each child individually, and I appreciated that.
I think that a program like Accelerated Reader would help with students reading out of their comfort zone. I know that I had Accelerated Reader and I really enjoyed it. Looking back and thinking about it, it gets students motivated to read more than anything. I know that we would use our AR points to go to the "store" and buy things with our points.
My sons have also done AR reading. I think it is a good program. However, with my sons, it seemed that so much emphasis was put on reading to get the AR points that after a while it turned them off to reading. It was something they "had" to do, instead of something they wanted to do. My three older sons seemed to struggle with reading. My youngest son seems to read and comprehend well. However, getting him to read for AR or enjoyment is difficult.
I really enjoyed reading chapter two in the book. It was full of information, some of which I have encountered before. The first thing I noticed in this chapter that stuck out to me was stressing the importance of cooperation and interaction amongst students in the classroom. I really liked looking at motivation and more importantly reasons for a decline in motivation to read. Another section I liked was over selecting appropriate texts. We really hit that hard in Reading and Language Arts. I think a lot of the reason I did not enjoy reading much through high school is I could not relate to a lot of the readings. That just goes to show how important it is to select readings that bring students enjoyment. I think that a lot of the reading from this book so far has a lot to do with things we have already studied. However, it is a lot of information to soak in so it is a great review. At the beginning of the assigned reading, the book mentioned that a lot of fourth graders have the “fourth-grade slump.” I am unfamiliar with this. I am guessing that it has something to do with students becoming bored or uninterested with reading. Does anyone have any further information about this? One thing I look at differently is how I can increase motivation to read in my students. We covered a little bit of this in one of my methods courses. I really like the idea of using different sources of literacy. Many times, people think that someone who enjoys reading reads a lot of books. For example, I do not read a lot of books. However, I do enjoy reading things online at some of my favorite websites and I also enjoy reading several different magazines. I think that students may become more motivated to read if teachers broaden their sources. I can kind of relate to when the book talked about students in the first grade becoming self-conscious about their reading proficiency. In my internship, one particular student would read to me (so I could help them). This student sometimes struggled to read loud enough for me to hear him. I believe that this student may have been self-conscious about his reading proficiency. It was clear to me when going into the classroom that there were students in the same first grade class that were excelled readers. Another thing I can relate to is finding something to read that relates to the students. In my internship, the teacher would let students find books for themselves. That way, students were able to choose what they wanted to read. I really like that idea.
I think many of our students don't like to read because so many teachers have them read books that do not interest them. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said teachers need to broaden their reading sources! Good post!
I really enjoyed reading the introduction to the chapter. The text indicates that there are five essential components to create a meaningful and effective reading atmosphere for student. These are the teacher, the student, the text, the context and the task. The teacher, Ms. Young engaged her students in a variety of learning activities and was able to assess them using different methods. The six critical qualities identified by the International Reading Association and Allington's characteristics of effective literary teachers are very similar. Allington breaks them down into the 6 T's: time, text, teaching, talk, tasks and testing. Students need to be active rather than passive learners. Sometime between first grade and fourth grade, students seem to lose their motivation to read. Research indicates that this decrease in motivation can be caused by three different reasons: self consciousness about reading proficiency; the emphasis on competition; or a lack of interest in the assigned reading. The book indicates six evidence based principles that teachers can use to motivate students to read. Teachers should know their students and each individual student's learning style and interests. Using Howard Gardner's list of nine intelligences is ways to categorize students’ dominate way of learning. The third component is the text. Teachers need to know readability levels to help students select appropriate text for their reading level. Context refers to the reading environment within the classroom. Task involves engaging students in tasks that integrate reading, writing thinking and listening and offer students different opportunities to choose from.
When looking at the section on "Motivation", I agree with the three suggestions for the decline in motivation from 1st to 4th grade. I think self-consciousness is a very big factor, especially when students are asked to read aloud, in small groups and especially with the whole class. I was always an avid reader in school. My husband and sons do not share my enthusiasm, especially while attending school.I believe that this is because they were slower readers or stumbled over words when they read. Lack of interest in the subject material is also a valid factor. When in school, I could not bribe my oldest son to read. Since shortly before he graduated, he seems to have become a consumate reader since he has graduated. He constantly has a book in his hand. He has discovered futuristic suspense fiction, which seems to really interest him.
Since I have always enjoyed reading, I think finding subjects or topics that students enjoy reading or learning about is key to helping students discover the joy of reading. I hope to bring that to my tutoring sessions and to my future students. Reading can take us to places that we cannot travel to and have adventures that we can only dream about!
The very first thing that excited me about this chapter was the quote on the cover page by Herbert Spencer. I am going to put this quote on my desk when I get my first teaching job as a daily reminder! Elaborating on the quote and tying it to the chapter it is imperative that we keep learning interactive and keep our students excited! The paragraph that addressed the knowledge of information you have about your students really spoke to me. I plan on teaching in a very rural area. I think about a book that takes place in a city being read by a first grader in our district. Without knowledge of what they are reading about, we can not expect them to comprehend what they are reading. One piece that stuck out as a good reminder to me was a statement under reading strategies that talked about modeling for the student. In our walk to intervention groups that struggle with fluency, we are asked to read aloud to them each day for the first part of the session so that they can listen to a fluent reader. The only question I would have over this read would be the paragraph on multiple intelligences. I am a very small group kind of teacher, but when you have 19 students in a room how do you incorporate all of the learning styles together without bothering someone else.
Please check the SPAM folder for this blog, post are being dropped off because they are going to this, this happened in two other class. I am sure that I posted to this and responded to Jarrett. Please check for me! Thanks, Hanna
“I want to be an Effective teacher”, as I’m sure that is why we are all here. By reading chapter 2 it helped give me more skills on how to help build myself into an effective literacy teacher. One of the things that is important for teachers to do is assess students’ abilities and adjust their instruction accordingly! I have seen teachers in the past NOT do this for their students, almost like they have given up on them, and I felt that was NOT why she is here – never to “give up” on a student! Students need and deserve: Time, text, teaching, talk, tasks, and testing to ensure these common traits and activities in order to achieve effective literacy. “Work should always be worthy of the student’s effort” Pg. 24. I really like this phrase because it reminds me on how important it is to adjust curriculum to effectively prepare instruction to reach all students according to individual needs.
ReplyDeleteAt this point I do not have any questions.
This chapter allowed me to better understand the importance of a student’s individual needs. Such as selecting reading, and leveled books. I also found that figure 2.5, Summary of the eight ways of teaching…was actually very helpful and something I will continue to use as a reference.
When it comes to my own experience I have used many of these skills with my own children. I taught my oldest daughter how to read when she was four years old. I used many of the things in this chapter to help her learn literacy such as: I read her books that were interesting to her, made it fun and exciting, gave her easy instructions, and allowed her to read to me. I have found that some friends of mine do not feel it is the parent’s job to work with their own children, it is the schools job. This is a topic all on its own. But for me I most definitely believe it is a team effort from parent, school, and teacher.
by Jennifer Willcott
I also believe it is also a parent effort as well as teacher like you believe. This kind of goes with the family, community, classroom, and school involvement that needs to happen for all children to be in touch with to learn and have experiences. However, sadly this is not true. Some parents do not have the time to spend with their kids because of work. I do remember when I was a kid, my parents were so poor and were always working. I spent more time with my grandma than I did with my parents. This is just my case, I know there are cases that are way worse than what I experienced. This is why teachers, schools, and the community need to step up and take children into each of these areas so that regardless of their background, all children can gain experiences. I thought it was really interesting that students not only learn from reading experiences with parents but also trips they have taken which allows them to discuss what they saw and build vocabulary! Another great reason for field trips!
DeleteI am not naive, but I was really saddened by the fact that there are parents out there who don't WANT to work with their children. How can everything be left up to the teacher? When it comes to areas such as reading, it is so easy for parents to do and it will make a huge difference in the child. It most certainly is a TEAM effort! You are right though, this gets into a whole other can of worms!
DeleteChapter two is based on five components, the teacher, students, text, context, and task. These all come together to create a student's reading and learning experience. Just by reading the introduction I could already see how these could directly affect the student. I think back to the teachers I have had that made reading absolutely a horrible experience, and then about my fourth grade teacher who turned the whole thing around. I still struggled with reading but that is where the helping started.
ReplyDeleteTeachers are also responsible for motivating students. When I was doing my internships and even as a student myself, I would see students who did not want to read for many reasons and they were mostly the reasons listed in this chapter: self-conscious about reading proficiency, emphasis on competition, and lack of interest in assigned reading. I have always wanted to know how to help students with these problems and since I was one of these students, a person would think that I would know what to do. However, the book gave great ideas on pages 26 and 27. My favorite suggestion was for students who lack motivation because of the emphasis on competition. The book suggests that students place an object (gumball, marble, etc.) into a classroom container (gumball machine, marble jar) once they have read a book and shared this book with a class mate. I thought this was a fabulous idea. There is so much emphasis on students reading for their own rewards, such as reading points and once the student gets so much then that student gets a reward. I have seen many students last semester do this and there were 8 students out of a class of 27 that received any kind of reward. The other students felt that they had no shot at making any kind of reward. These students tried hard in the beginning but the other students passed everybody in the class so fast that the students who did not receive awards just eventually gave up and did not care about making the reading points. It was really sad to watch and I couldn't understand how my mentor and other teachers couldn't see how this was ineffective.
One thing that allowed me to look at things differently was student experiences. I knew this had a huge affect, such as parents reading to their children, but did not know that parents taking their children on trips (such as to a zoo or out of state) could have a huge affect on the students vocabulary. This also gave me a reason why field trips are important. Not only do they enrich instruction, but also give kids a chance to go some where and experience something even if their parents do not take the time or have the money to do this with their children.
This chapter did talk about different reading levels and so on, however, I still have questions about how one teacher teaches a lesson to a classroom full of students at all different reading levels and makes the lesson applied to all students. Or is this no longer possible? Will there have to be several different readings taking place in the classroom for all levels and have group lessons based on what each group needs.
Hi Danielle,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your post. It was interesting to hear you talk about the individual reward system in the classroom you interned in. Some student's respond well to competition, but others are quite turned off by it. Like you, I LOVED the idea about the class gumball machine, where students could work together to achieve a class reward. I think the idea of combining this with a private individual reward (like Book It) could work well. Have you heard of Book It? It is a reward program sponsored by Pizza Hut where kids read a certain amount per month then they get a free personal pan pizza coupon. Combining these programs may motivate both types of students.
Also, have you looked at the Guided Reading video in the resources tab for this course? It is really neat! The teacher talks about all the different centers she has set up and how she organized her class to do that. Center time is one very effective way to differentiate instruction.
Amy
Hey Danielle,
DeleteWhen I read about the gumballs as a group incentive, I also thought it was a great idea. I am considering doing something like this in my tutoring sessions, but I will have to give it some more thought. I want to make the most of the time I have. I will probably do this in my classroom specifically in the area of reading. We need so desperately help those students that are not at the top of the ladder and this would definitely inspire them. They are all contributors. It promotes class unity. It is wonderful.
I really enjoyed reading your post and you brought up an excellent point about rewarding students and noted some of the suggestions that the book made. I think it is important as well to give students motivation in ways that will help the entire class and get rid of any personal competition that may deter students from reading. I had found an idea on pinterest a while back that definitely relates to this topic. Each student would pick their favorite book that they really want to share with the class. They would create a mini book, folded paper with binding, illustrate the cover and write a brief summary on the back. they are placed next to the students picture and hung on the wall. When another student is looking for a new book to read they can use these as suggestions or recommendations. I thought the idea was really cute!
DeleteIn regards to your leveled instruction question, during my RLA internship, they hardly ever had whole group reading instruction. The students were constantly moving to different areas and small groups, and there were even some kids who had one on one instruction. It takes a lot of volunteers, paras, and specialists, but this was the best way to get each student the reading instruction that they needed. I know every classroom is different, but this was my experience in reading instruction.
This chapter was largely a review of topics that we learned about in Reading and Language Arts Methods, and I am thrilled that I remember most of it! Rereading about the factors of literacy is beneficial because I think that each time I read about them I make more connections.
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated when reading about the five components of learning – teacher, student, text, context, and task. When I was taking notes I realized that the largest and most detailed section was about the student. This emphasizes (yet again) that the student is the focus of learning, not the content or the teacher.
When I read about the three reasons for the decline in motivation to read (self-conscious about reading proficiency, emphasis on competition, lack of interest in assigned reading) I noticed a personal connection. I think I’m seeing the first reason in my two girls. I have five-year-old twins that started reading about a year ago. One of my girls has progressed a bit quicker than the other. She just naturally seems more skilled at decoding, chunking, and recognizing sight words. Although my other girl is still reading extremely well for her age, she is quite aware of the differences in abilities. This has caused her to resist reading aloud to me, and when I do talk her into it she gives up easily. I also think she has a more competitive personality and she thinks that if she can’t read better than her sister then she is not going to try. I have already tried separating them while reading, and I put them into separate kindergarten classes this year, but I am going to try to the gumball machine idea so that my girls can work together to achieve a prize. I also think it is important for students to know that there are a variety of abilities in the world. Some people do things better than you and you can ask them for help, learning something new and making new friends. Some people don’t do things as good as you can but it will give you a good feeling to help those people like others help you.
Lastly, the opening section about Miss Brooke’s class is exactly how I view my future classroom! Making experiences meaningful and interesting is the best way to increase engagement and therefore literacy skills. This type of classroom is so different from what I experienced as a child, and I wonder why only now are classrooms like this becoming more popular.
Amy, like you, I was really interested in the reasons for the decline in motivation to read. After speaking for a moment with one of the parents of a child I will be tutoring, she told me that her daughter has no motivation to read and escapes the task at all costs. I am interested to meet this little first grade girl and see for myself why there may be a decline in her motivation to read.
DeleteEvery time I read that the student is and should be the main focus of learning, I want to shout amen! I view my classroom similar to Miss Brooke's as well. From what I know of you in class, you will easily be able to achieve this type of classroom! Thanks for sharing about your daughters and the ideas that you are implementing with them.
DeleteAmy,
DeleteI was really inspired by reading the introduction about Miss Brooke's classroom. I found myself taking mental notes from all of the ideas they shared in that section. That is exactly the kind of classroom that I hope to have someday. I want students to be excited about learning. Also, I am a big proponent of collaborative learning, as well as project-based learning. Great summary of the chapter, as well!
Carissa
This week in our DeVries text we read Chapter 2 we read The Literacy Event. What I really loved about this chapter was that it talked a lot about what qualities and practices excellent literacy teachers possess. As pre-service teachers, it is important for us to know what an excellent literacy teacher look like and what qualities they possess. I also liked that the chapter discussed learning styles and some reading strategies. As we prepare for our tutoring, it is good to know these when working with our students. We are there to aid them and provide some extra reading services and we will need to know how to help them if they are struggling. The last thing we want to do is frustrate them. What I liked the most out of the chapter was learning the different types of leveled books. I had heard about age leveling and grade leveling before, but hadn’t heard of Lexile leveling or Gradient leveling. I was able to connect to the Fry Readability formula because we actually had to do this in our Reading/Language Arts Methods course. Even after reading this chapter, the anxiety still remains for me about becoming an efficient reading teacher. I feel the further courses I take and the more information I gain, I am becoming better armed to be that excellent literacy teacher, but what makes me the most nervous is doing the diagnostic testing as well as being able to spot a struggling reader and how I can help them without making them more frustrated.
ReplyDeleteYou are right LeAnn on how important it is for us to see what it takes to be an effective teacher. I really enjoyed the very beginning of the chapter and Ms. Brooks class. She used a lot of different scenarios to keep her students motivated! I was not aware that there were different types of leveled books myself. The only type I've worked with is the Gradient Level books through the Basal Readers. I do feel like they are the most accurate and beneficial books since they cater to different reading abilities. I also feel the same as you when it comes to me actually teaching. I hope that the resources out there and my judgement are keen enough to find the right help and books for all my students so I can become an effective teacher.
DeleteThis chapter had a wealth of information on what it takes to be an effective literacy teacher. Much of it was familiar from my Reading and Language Arts class. The main theme I saw in the chapter is that a teacher must be able to determine each child's reading level and be able to cater to them with leveled books and strategies. I really enjoyed reading the part on motivation. I was surprised that students motivational levels decrease in so few years. I would have expected it to take longer than that. The text gave some good ideas on how to keep students motivated which is very important. One thing that hit home to me is of helping students find books of their interest. When I was in sixth grade I failed my first semester of reading because I did not like to read, it turned out that I wasn't really aware of how to find books in the library. My teacher helped me pick out books that interested me the next semester and it made a world of difference. Sometimes students know what they like, but do not know how to find them. This is something I have experienced and now know how to help students with. I remember the Fry Readability Formula from Reading and Language Arts. It is a good help if you cannot find the level of a book and is very easy to use. I was surprised to see that Basal Readers were not in this chapter when talking about leveled books. From my knowledge these are now very popular in schools. I believe gradient leveled books are great for Guided Reading since it is catered to many different reading levels already. I have seen these used in my previous internship and understand why they can work so well. All students succeeded when reading these books at their level, which the text talked about being a very important part of successful reading. This was a good chapter, full of information that was familiar to me. I look forward to reading on and learning more in-depth on some of these strategies and techniques.
ReplyDeleteRyan,
DeleteI agree that it seems you must first be able to identify the individual child’s weakness in order to help the correct it. The number one mistake I have seen/done with my own son was not deal with the right issue. His break down began at the phonemic awareness level and until be corrected it there would always be huge gaps in his reading skills. I too had RLA last semester and LOVED the Fry readability work that we did. One strategy my kids school uses is the “five finger rule”. This where you read the first page and raise a finger for each word you don’t know and then at the end if you have more than five you know the book is too difficult for your reading level. There are so many tools it can be exhausting just thinking about them but each one has a purpose and a type of learner that it will be best suited to be used with.
I have never heard the five finger rule! Thanks for sharing this. Professor, have you used this method before? I know in the lecture from this week it was 3 mistakes per section in the testing for 1st grade, what about other grade levels? (blackboard would not let me watch the last few min of the video so you might have discussed this later in the lecture)
DeleteRyan, I couldn't agree more that children need to find books that interest them. I see it in my own daughter. When she brings her choosen books home from the school library they are of topics she enjoys, horses or other animals. This gets her eager to read and excited to share the stories.
ReplyDeleteI want to be an effective teacher just like Miss Brooke in the text book. I want engage my students in fun yet challenging ways. I believe this class is going to teach us how to obtain the six critical qualities of knowledge and practice. We already know how important assessments are now we need to gain the knowledge to know how to adjust our instruction accordingly to fit the needs of each individual style (differentiating instruction). I have never seen so many different learners as I did when I was interning in the second grade last year, wow! I thought it was going to be a breeze and then it hit me; this is going to be harder than I thought. There was one ELL student, two IEP students, 5 Title students, 2 Gifted and Talented, and one severe ADHD student. However, as I observed the teacher I began to see how it can work.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of the bulletin board with a gumball machine or ice cream cone as a positive extrinsic reward for the whole class. What are some ideas that you think would be good to get the class motivated without using competition? Do you feel competition is wrong? I have always thought a little competition was good, but I can see how it could be bad as well.
The first thing I plan to do as a teacher at the beginning of the year is do an interest inventory to see what my students like. I think this is a great way to find books that would interest them in reading. I thought it was interesting that some of the same things I am learning at my new job are discussed in this chapter. (I am sure I will have a lot of that this semester.)For example, today I just found out that we use Fountas & Pinnell, and how Lexile numbers are used to determine what books the students are to read. Then tonight I was reading on page 34 and it is in the chart that I was also going over. So this will be a very productive year for me when it comes to gaining knowledge. I am so excited, have I said that already?
1-This chapter introduced ways to help our students become successful readers. Throughout the chapter was the idea that we should not only use reading text books and trade books, but many different sources like the Internet, magazines, newspapers and poetry. Teachers should provide an environment where students have positive support, where they can take risks without fearing ridicule, have many opportunities to socially interact, discover new things for themselves and have many choices to be active learners instead of passive learners. Motivation plays a big part in helping our students to be successful. On page 26 of our text, we read about the lack of motivation in students between first and fourth grade. One of our goals should be to find inventive ways to motivate our students that promotes intrinsic motivation and not just by using extrinsic motivation (though sometimes that might be what it takes to get them started). There are many other areas that our text mentions as reasons why our students might begin to fall behind in their reading. Some students have rich background information to draw from, while others may have almost no experiences to build on. We learn that metacognition sometimes has to be taught. Learning styles are different and it is our job as teachers to help our students not only find what they are best at, but to help them develop in every area of Gardner’s nine intelligences. Selecting the right text is important as well. Consider the students interests and check for accuracy in the texts. Vary the genres and look for high quality illustrations. The level should not be too easy or too hard. The next section was very helpful in learning about leveling books. On page 38, I liked what the author said about teachers who believe that all students can be successful and they look at the students’ strengths and not their weaknesses. Then DeVries goes on to give tips to help students to achieve success in front of their peers. The very last section talked about students being engaged in reading or writing for 50 percent of the day. Wow! At first I thought that was a little overwhelming, but as I read on I really liked the 10 suggestions on page 39.
ReplyDelete2-I don’t have any questions now, but I might after I begin to tutor my students and try to find books that are within the correct level for my students. I’m sure as I jump in, it will become easier.
3-I love the way the author makes me think about what it will take to become an effective literacy teacher. I can tell she is passionate and it is contagious. I am so excited to work with my small group. I am a little nervous too, but more excited at this point.
4- As a Para, I never had to use Fry’s Readability formula because our school uses the Accelerated Reading program, but I am glad I am learning it. I wish I had the time to sit and read the entire book before I begin tutoring. I guess we will learn as we go.
In reading chapter 2 I found similarities to the progression I took with my son. After paying tutored for 2 years with little to no affect and having the school say “we just don’t know what to do to help Ashton” I decided to take matters into my own hands. I decided since I had never taught anyone how to read I would start at the very beginning and at 8 years old and in third grade we went back to phonetic awareness. I was shocked at how many sounds my son was unable to hear when blended together. Needless to say after screening him I knew that this was where I needed to start.
ReplyDeleteAs chapter 2 indicates my first step was to identify the very beginning of my son’s breakdown in reading. If I had simply skipped this sections based on his age/grade I would have been making the same mistake that countless others had made with him. Everyone assumed that since he was doing so well in all other subjects and his vocabulary was incredible (thank you Discovery channel) that he must have at least this beginning tool in learning to read.
Understanding the readability level for your student is another big issue. You want your student working with you at the instructional level of 90-94% any harder than this is called the frustration level and for obvious reasons is not good for your student. For reading at home or alone you want them reading at the independent level of 95-100% accuracy. On page 32-33 the text gives a more detailed description of each.
Interest levels are another big deal. It is really hard to find a book at my sons reading level that interests him. What I have done is special order books that are science based but that are leveled more appropriately for his reading level. I would love to know some other strategies for keeping up a student’s interest if their reading is lagged to a point that they are 2-3 grade levels behind their peers?
Cathryn, I can't really offer you any more strategies but I can say it sounds like you are doing a terrific job with your son. If he ever gets frustrated with you trying to teach him these necessary reading tools you might try inviting a peer over to assist him in his learning. Peer- to- peer one on one incidental learning is very beneficial and I can see him working very hard to impress his peer. Don't get frustrated with him, keep positive and you'll both start seeing all your hard work paying off! Best of luck!
DeleteWeek 2-Chapter 2 BLOG-
ReplyDeleteCarissa Kruse
1- This chapter introduced ways to help the students and our children become more successful readers. This chapter really caught my attention because it discussed the traits/characteristics, practices, and activities that a good literacy teacher has. This is so important to me because I want to know how the best teachers do it, I want to know where I need to focus and how to best help the students. This chapter was mostly just a review of the information I had learned in past courses. However, it was really good for me to just have that bit of a refresher to remind me of some of the very important information. The most important component out of the 5 components (the teacher, students, text, context, and task) is the student. Everything within the learning environment and when administering instruction should be focused on the students’ needs and skill areas. Nothing is more important than the student and I definitely feel as though that cannot be stressed enough.
2- I really did not have any questions or concerned with this week’s reading because quite a bit of it was review. I have a few concerns about administering the assessments but that is just because there is so much information for it that I do not want to forget.
3- The more I read through this text the more excited I am to work with my tutoring group. It also makes me more excited to eventually have my own classroom and work with students and try and make reading more fun and interesting for them. I love the different ideas for interactive reading lessons that I have read about through the text and while discussing the information with my fellow classmates. This text just continues to make me look at reading and reading instruction in a whole new and exciting way.
4- Looking at the main concerns for why motivation to read has declined really caught my attention because one of the reasons was that there is lack of interest in the assigned reading. I can definitely relate to that because there have been so many times throughout my life that I have been forced to read something that I have no interest in. I love reading and could read all day, it is just hard for me to want to read when there is nothing interesting to me in what I am reading. I think that is why I am so excited about these small tutoring groups because it is much easier to work with the individual students and meet their interests.
Chapter 2 to me is one of the reasons that I want to become a teacher so bad. I'm very intrigued by struggling learners and children with disabilities and love using creativity to help these children start seeing that learning isn't so difficult. This chapter really pinpoints many things that as a teacher you need to know.
ReplyDeleteI love how the chapter starts out with the list of six critical qualities of knowledge and practice that excellent literacy teachers pocess. What a goal to strive for as a future teacher. I also liked the other list offered in this portion of the text which was the characteristics that effective teachers exibit. Those being; time, text, teaching, talk, tasks, and testing.
Another portion of the text that will be most helpful in the future and now is the motivation section. Children are expected to do so much reading nowadays that they often become bored with it and start hating it. In the motivation portion it talked about ways to keep students motivated and wanting to read, read, read.
The motivation and levels of Readability in the text I felt like went hand in hand with eachother. Levels or readability consist of independent, instructional, and frustration. The text marked out exactly what percentage the students needed to be at for them to be in each different level on page 32 and 33 of the text.
Kendra- I love and want to teach all children, but like you, children who struggle to learn or have a learning disability is what really moved me to become a teacher. I learned through substituting that I had a gift to reword, rephrase, or think outside of the box to help a child see something in a different way or to make learning fun and interesting. I think this chapter was very important in showing and telling us what it takes to be an excellent literacy teacher and what we need to possess to help students succeed. In order to spark interest for reading in children, I think it is necessary to have several opportunities each day for children to read purely for enjoyment with a book of their choosing. I also think it is important to do interest inventories with struggling readers to get them involved in guided reading or group lessons.
DeleteChapter two was really an enjoyable chapter for me and it had me intrigued from the very beginning. While reading through the first scenario where they describe the very active and engaging fourth grade classroom, I kept finding myself taking mental notes of the activities and saying to myself “I want to be that teacher!” I want to have the classroom where students are actively learning, working together, and participating in everything we do. I want my students to WANT to be in school and enjoy learning and reading. This chapter gave us some great ideas on how to be a successful and effective reading teacher and how to obtain an active learning environment. I think one of the best ways to do this is to make sure and create a meaningful learning experience for our students. We need to give them materials that they enjoy and that interest them, and give them tasks that serve a purpose and are authentic. To me, the key words for creating this environment would be flexibility and variety. As is explained, our students are very diverse and our teaching should also reflect that.
ReplyDeleteI knew that there was a time for kids when they quit reading, but didn’t really know why and I just assumed that most people picked independent reading back up as they moved into adult hood. It all makes much more sense now, but with that realization came sadness. I never want a child to quit reading because they are self-conscience. I like the ideas of building confidence in my students and their reading skills by having them choral read and buddy read. As a teacher, I never want to be the reason they quit reading, and I certainly don’t want some fake competition in the classroom to deter them from picking up a book. I do realize that students are not going to be interested in everything they read one hundred percent of the time, but I will try my best to give them books that interest and excite them and to provide them with plenty of variety for independent reading.
I feel very strongly about people of all ages reading for enjoyment. I have been reading to my daughter since the day we brought her home from the hospital and I am constantly adding new books to her library. Even at fourteen months old, she will sit and “read” books on her own, bring them to me to read, and really just enjoys being around her books and looking through them. I really hope this never changes for her. Just this morning we were at Books & Babies Story Time at the library and the leader of the group was telling us how she still reads to her twelve year old son. He is at that age where it may not be very “cool” to read, and he probably doesn’t tell his friends that his mom still reads to him, but it is something that they enjoy doing and it helps clear his mind before bed. I think this is just awesome and in my opinion that mom is setting her son up for success.
The most foreign area to me was the section on leveling books and choosing appropriate texts. I have never leveled a book and it may be pretty easy, but all the different methods confused me a little bit more and it seems incredibly time consuming. Obviously, this is something that needs to be done and is very important to student success, but I know I am going to need a lot of practice with this! What I want to know, is if anyone else has a lot of experience with leveling books, is there a method that you prefer or think is the easiest one to use? I welcome all input and suggestions!
Abbie I enjoyed reading your post. As I read the passage at the beginning of this chapter I found my response to be much like yours. I want to be a teacher like Ms. Brooke. I am a firm believer that school should be a place children "want" to go no matter their age. I believe teachers can have a large impact on a student's desire to learn. A good teacher can make all the difference in the world when it comes to making learning enjoyable. I have had wonderful teachers in my past and only a few teachers that were far from this Ms. Brooke. I also like the fact that you have read to your daughter from the time she was born. If you were to enter my son's play room you would see a bookshelf full of books and he is only three. I too have been reading to him from birth. I also love giving books a presents instead of toys at birthday parties and Christmas.
DeleteThe scenario provided at the beginning of Chapter 2 in Derives was wonderful. Ms. Brooke was a perfect example of an effective teacher. I loved how I could tell from just reading the passage how excited her classroom was about reading. One important thing I pulled from the beginning of this chapter came from the six essential qualities of a effective literacy teacher. An effective literacy teacher knows "all" children can learn to read and write. Through my professional experience and through my educational experience I know this to be true. During internships I have witnessed several students whom have given up on themselves in regards to reading. These students were not reading at their grade level or anywhere close to their grade level. Reflecting on this I cannot help but wonder if a teacher along the way had given up on them and believed the student was not capable of learning how to read. I believe the key to getting a student engaged in learning how to read is to motivate them. Derives states, "Motivation frequently makes the difference between learning that is temporary or superficial and learning that is permanent and internalized". However the text provides great examples of how motivation can cause a decline in the motivation to read due to self consciousness, emphasis on competition, and lack of interest in the assigned reading. It will be important to remember these reasons for decline as I enter my tutoring sessions, student teaching, and future classroom. Selecting appropriate texts for students and teaching the student how to find correct texts for themselves is another aspect of teaching reading I enjoyed learning about in this chapter. In sum this chapter highlighted many of the aspects in tasks to be an effective teacher and specifically in the area of reading.
ReplyDeleteCh. 2 Blog
ReplyDeleteZoë Greenemeyer
After reading the second chapter in this text book I am thankful at how easy this textbook is to read and comprehend. I enjoy the real life examples at the beginning of each chapter. It helps me to see appropriate practices modeled within the text not just discussed. I agree with the chapter that teachers need to modify each lesson to fit the range of individual needs. From my own education I find that incorporating multiple ways to learn about the information presented creates a more thorough learning process for those who have different learning needs. I also find the suggestions from the author on different strategies to use in the classroom beneficial.
What I did not realize prior to this reading was the importance of motivation for older students. I think this knowledge will be helpful in tutoring, I can find what interests the children I will tutor and try to find material that corresponds with the child’s interest level. My husband had similar issues with reading; he lacked motivation until he found what books interest him. My husband now loves to read and will spend hours in a book store. Another section of the chapter that I plan to use as a resource is the section on grade leveling. In this section the author provided a website that has books and quizzes that will be useful in both tutoring and in the classroom.
Chapter 2 Blog
ReplyDeleteRashawna Colbary
Chapter two was about the literacy event. The quote of the beginning of the chapter puts into perspective the importance of reading, "The great aim of education is not knowledge but action", (DeVries, 21). This chapter gave several strategies for educators to use. I especially like figure 2.1 that listed the traits of effective literacy teachers. Another section in the chapter that I was glad to read about was motivation. I think sometimes teachers give students books to read and not take into effect the interest or lack of interest the students may have. As an educator I think it is important to expose students to various subjects and ways to read. This might mean allowing students to read about monster trucks or Harry Potter.
I did not have any questions about this chapter. However, this chapter did make me look at an issue differently. The chapter talked about reading strategies and how it is important for students to use all three of them. I need to remember that just because a student reads great doesn't mean they comprehend what they were reading. It is important to use reading strategies before, during and after reading. That helps the student comprehend that they are reading.
My own experience related to this chapter is with my own son. He is ten years old and sometimes he is not motivated to read at all. So I have had to try to find books that would entice his excitement for reading. He is interested in space and science, so I have found books about those subjects. Once he has a book that he enjoys reading, he can't put it down!
Chapter 2 is about the literacy event. In this chapter they discuss ways to motivate students to want to read and write, as well as what qualities it takes to be an effective teacher. As a teacher you need to believe in all of your students and set the bar high for each and every one of them. You also have to be able to differentiate your instruction, as well as let your students be able to make choices in activities they do and choices in the types of materials they read. As a teacher you need to have a bag full of strategies to be able to pull from so that you are better able to teach your students as well as motivate your students to want to learn. This chapter also discussed the importance of selecting texts that are at the appropriate level for the students. It discussed the Fry Readability formula and how you can use it to find out the level of readability for books. I really liked the summary of the eight different ways of teaching so that you are able to have a better understanding of each of the different types of intelligences, instructional strategies to use, and types of materials to use in the activities to promote learning for each of the different intelligences. I think that this summary will be very beneficial to me when planning lessons for my students once I am able to determine what type of learner they are.
ReplyDeleteThe first part of this chapter discusses how we can be effective reading teachers through utilizing a variety of teaching techniques, keeping students motivated and more. Something that I found very interesting from this chapter was the statement that by 4th grade many students begin to lack motivation to read due to reasons such as self-consciousness, competition and lack of interest.
ReplyDeleteSome other factors that can increase our effectiveness as teachers is activating prior background knowledge before beginning a new reading. Many times students have a good background of general knowledge and things in the world, so this can get them excited to begin reading the story. Activating prior background knowledge is the first reading strategy that can be used before reading. Good teachers also use strategies while students are reading and after they finish reading.
The last factor that I found very important for becoming an effective teacher is selecting appropriate texts for your students. The criteria mentioned for selecting texts include finding those that bring the students enjoyment and meaning, those that are interesting to the students, those that present accurate information, those that are the appropriate length from a variety of genres and more.
After reading this chapter, it made me more excited to begin my tutoring sessions. I have always loved reading and how the books can transport you to a different place. I think it does such a great job of helping students use their creativity and will be something they will use for the rest of their lives.
One question that I kind of find myself thinking is how teachers with a lot of students can effectively help each and every student achieve to their level. I understand the use of testing and interest inventory, but I find myself thinking that it will be difficult to find the time to help every student in the school day. Just my thought...I am looking forward to observing how this is done in a classroom.
I am a little envious of your excitement! I am so nervous. I also had questions about having the time for testing in the classroom but there are many informal ways to 'test' students. I cannot help but think back to Reading and Language Arts Methods and all the tools the Professor BW gave us to help us be aware of our students needs. I would guess that once we get into a classroom we will make the time. It will just be part of our routine and that as an effective teacher (these are the lat two listed on page 25) we will understand the uniqueness of each student and will respond to and provide feedback on their work. Being aware of the student is just one step in this process. Given what you already know and are excited about I would bet you do great.
DeleteI want to be like Miss Brooke. Her classroom reminds me of the stories and slideshow we saw last semester of Professor BW's classroom when she did the case of the missing (was it a candy jar?). Miss Brooke is great for many reasons: she makes learning fun and exciting, she is an interactive teacher that involves her students in all aspects of learning, she encourages mentoring, and more. Our text tells us that one thing that makes her a good teacher is that she understands the five essential components of creating a meaningful experience: teacher, students, text, content, and task.
ReplyDeleteI did not really have any questions about the text other that the section on page 27 about Lack of interest in assigned reading. I was curious how free/how much freedom students should have in picking their reading. I remember hearing an article on NPR about a year and a half ago (I tried to find it so to link to here but I could not, sorry) that was about encouraging students to read. the woman who was bring interviewed discussed how important getting kids motivated to read was and that one way to do this was just what this section suggests, that students should be given choice in their reading materials. She was discussing how some students might struggle with a text or passage at a particular grade level but they might be able to read a book or instructional pamphlet about a video games that they can sometimes read, with accuracy and comprehension, several grade levels above where they are. I was curious if this is still considered and acceptable and if there is a limit to the freedom of picking reading materials?
I liked this chapter because it connected several things that I learned last semester with this course. I appreciated that described each of the components of a meaningful learning experience. I particularly liked the differentiating instruction section as it reminds us the importance of being aware of diversity in the classroom and proving emotional safety/appropriate challenges.
Jessica, I think a good way to motivate them to read and allowing them to choose their own reading material is to divide books into tubs of interest at different levels and allow them to choose. Sometimes this allows them the freedom of choice, but as the teacher you are still somewhat in control of what they are reading!!
DeleteThe scenario at the beginning of the chapter really caught my attention. I think that it is important as an educator to create activities and strategies that make reading and writing engaging for students. The more enthused an educator is, the more excited their students become. I believe that when an educator is passionate about what they are teaching the students feel more motivated to learn. In Reading and Language Art’s Internship Dr. Walizer used many of the strategies and teaching tools that are discussed in this chapter. Her readings at the beginning of each class got me engaged from the very start. You could really see how passionate she is about not only reading, but about her teaching as well. In the elementary school where I work as a Para educator they do the Accelerated Reader Program to help engage student in reading. I notice that this teaching tool helps students to choose their reading materials and stay more interested in the books they are reading. I am wondering when the chapter discusses the topic of lack of interest in assigned reading if this is the type of program that helps better that issue. Is it not equally important to help students read materials outside of their comfort zone? I really enjoyed this chapter because I can relate to the topics that were discussed in many aspects. For example, in special education there are many different strategies that need to be used in order to meet the child’s needs and motivations when it comes to reading and writing. I enjoyed reading about the eight ways of teaching and the examples that were given to help create a visual picture for each topic discussed. I also liked reading and learning about Fry’s Readability formula and how they are performed. The chapter really touched base with the diversity that exists in the classroom and how to reach each child individually, and I appreciated that.
ReplyDeleteI think that a program like Accelerated Reader would help with students reading out of their comfort zone. I know that I had Accelerated Reader and I really enjoyed it. Looking back and thinking about it, it gets students motivated to read more than anything. I know that we would use our AR points to go to the "store" and buy things with our points.
DeleteMy sons have also done AR reading. I think it is a good program. However, with my sons, it seemed that so much emphasis was put on reading to get the AR points that after a while it turned them off to reading. It was something they "had" to do, instead of something they wanted to do. My three older sons seemed to struggle with reading. My youngest son seems to read and comprehend well. However, getting him to read for AR or enjoyment is difficult.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading chapter two in the book. It was full of information, some of which I have encountered before. The first thing I noticed in this chapter that stuck out to me was stressing the importance of cooperation and interaction amongst students in the classroom. I really liked looking at motivation and more importantly reasons for a decline in motivation to read. Another section I liked was over selecting appropriate texts. We really hit that hard in Reading and Language Arts. I think a lot of the reason I did not enjoy reading much through high school is I could not relate to a lot of the readings. That just goes to show how important it is to select readings that bring students enjoyment. I think that a lot of the reading from this book so far has a lot to do with things we have already studied. However, it is a lot of information to soak in so it is a great review.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the assigned reading, the book mentioned that a lot of fourth graders have the “fourth-grade slump.” I am unfamiliar with this. I am guessing that it has something to do with students becoming bored or uninterested with reading. Does anyone have any further information about this?
One thing I look at differently is how I can increase motivation to read in my students. We covered a little bit of this in one of my methods courses. I really like the idea of using different sources of literacy. Many times, people think that someone who enjoys reading reads a lot of books. For example, I do not read a lot of books. However, I do enjoy reading things online at some of my favorite websites and I also enjoy reading several different magazines. I think that students may become more motivated to read if teachers broaden their sources.
I can kind of relate to when the book talked about students in the first grade becoming self-conscious about their reading proficiency. In my internship, one particular student would read to me (so I could help them). This student sometimes struggled to read loud enough for me to hear him. I believe that this student may have been self-conscious about his reading proficiency. It was clear to me when going into the classroom that there were students in the same first grade class that were excelled readers. Another thing I can relate to is finding something to read that relates to the students. In my internship, the teacher would let students find books for themselves. That way, students were able to choose what they wanted to read. I really like that idea.
I think many of our students don't like to read because so many teachers have them read books that do not interest them. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said teachers need to broaden their reading sources! Good post!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading the introduction to the chapter. The text indicates that there are five essential components to create a meaningful and effective reading atmosphere for student. These are the teacher, the student, the text, the context and the task. The teacher, Ms. Young engaged her students in a variety of learning activities and was able to assess them using different methods. The six critical qualities identified by the International Reading Association and Allington's characteristics of effective literary teachers are very similar. Allington breaks them down into the 6 T's: time, text, teaching, talk, tasks and testing. Students need to be active rather than passive learners. Sometime between first grade and fourth grade, students seem to lose their motivation to read. Research indicates that this decrease in motivation can be caused by three different reasons: self consciousness about reading proficiency; the emphasis on competition; or a lack of interest in the assigned reading. The book indicates six evidence based principles that teachers can use to motivate students to read. Teachers should know their students and each individual student's learning style and interests. Using Howard Gardner's list of nine intelligences is ways to categorize students’ dominate way of learning. The third component is the text. Teachers need to know readability levels to help students select appropriate text for their reading level. Context refers to the reading environment within the classroom. Task involves engaging students in tasks that integrate reading, writing thinking and listening and offer students different opportunities to choose from.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at the section on "Motivation", I agree with the three suggestions for the decline in motivation from 1st to 4th grade. I think self-consciousness is a very big factor, especially when students are asked to read aloud, in small groups and especially with the whole class. I was always an avid reader in school. My husband and sons do not share my enthusiasm, especially while attending school.I believe that this is because they were slower readers or stumbled over words when they read. Lack of interest in the subject material is also a valid factor. When in school, I could not bribe my oldest son to read. Since shortly before he graduated, he seems to have become a consumate reader since he has graduated. He constantly has a book in his hand. He has discovered futuristic suspense fiction, which seems to really interest him.
Since I have always enjoyed reading, I think finding subjects or topics that students enjoy reading or learning about is key to helping students discover the joy of reading. I hope to bring that to my tutoring sessions and to my future students. Reading can take us to places that we cannot travel to and have adventures that we can only dream about!
The very first thing that excited me about this chapter was the quote on the cover page by Herbert Spencer. I am going to put this quote on my desk when I get my first teaching job as a daily reminder! Elaborating on the quote and tying it to the chapter it is imperative that we keep learning interactive and keep our students excited! The paragraph that addressed the knowledge of information you have about your students really spoke to me. I plan on teaching in a very rural area. I think about a book that takes place in a city being read by a first grader in our district. Without knowledge of what they are reading about, we can not expect them to comprehend what they are reading. One piece that stuck out as a good reminder to me was a statement under reading strategies that talked about modeling for the student. In our walk to intervention groups that struggle with fluency, we are asked to read aloud to them each day for the first part of the session so that they can listen to a fluent reader. The only question I would have over this read would be the paragraph on multiple intelligences. I am a very small group kind of teacher, but when you have 19 students in a room how do you incorporate all of the learning styles together without bothering someone else.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your posts and replies everyone!!!
ReplyDeleteREMEMBER YOU MUST HAVE:
AN INITIAL POST and A RESPONSE POST!
Christa :)
Please check the SPAM folder for this blog, post are being dropped off because they are going to this, this happened in two other class. I am sure that I posted to this and responded to Jarrett. Please check for me! Thanks, Hanna
DeleteI also responded to a post, I believe it was Zoe's, and it is not showing up either. I fortunately did save the blog and can post it again if needed.
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