Teaching Essentials

"Comprehension has become a long over due reading focus" (Routman,119). In chapter 3 section 8, Routman discusses comprehension and the need that we have for students to understand what they are reading.  She talked about how it begins in the younger grades, and it can't start in third grade.  We are focusing too much on word calling, fluency, etc. and emphasizing to students that meaning depends on words.  She also talked about how we, as teachers, pick a reading strategy and spend weeks teaching and practicing it, but students don't really know how to apply it in their own reading. "We need to think deeply about our own reading processes, and trust what we do as a reader to guide our teaching" (Routman, 121).  That's a powerful statement!  I'm guilty of getting caught up in teaching standards and "what's right", but tend to over look what's reality.  Routman talked about rereading being the number one strategy for comprehension, "yet we rarely teach rereading as a primary strategy"(Routman, 122).  I was in shocked about this.  I always teach reread and pound it in the ground in all content areas. 

In section 9, Routman discusses the importance of shared reading time and how important it is in every reading program.  In my classroom I use shared reading to do a lot of my teaching, especially in Science and Social Studies. As Routman states, this shared reading gives students something to talk about and that boosts their comprehension of texts. 

In section 10, Routman shares about guided reading.  Routman states "I view guided reading more broadly and see it as any learning context in which the teacher guides one or more students through some aspect of the reading process" (151).  So we aren't suppose to be consistently meeting in reading level groups in upper grades?! Which goes into another point that Routman made about how she sees the return of homogenous grouping and that students need to be in mixed ability groups.  "When guided reading is strictly interpreted to mean meeting with students with similar reading processes, we do a disservice to students"(Routman, 153).  YES! The answer I've been looking for. Now, I do believe and Routman stated that in early grades K-2 grouping based on to focus on reading strategy is important.   I know that reading level guided groups is also important for my lower readers, but not 24/7.  Routman continued on to talk about fitting guided reading into your schedule, but how it should not dominate your reading time.  Independent reading is the most important!