As I continue to read Reading Essentials by Reggie Routman I feel like she wrote it just for me. Most of the questions I have are answered in her book. Chapter 8 Teach Comprehension is so helpful for me as I teach Reading everyday. Comprehension is a word I hear constantly as the key to a successful reader. "Teach comprehension right from the start". Starting in the early grades is most helpful. If we focus on words only then the students feel the most important part of reading is
the words not the meaning. So simply put and beneficial. Without comprehension "we are turning out
lots of superficial readers".
Effective strategies to teach comprehension shared by Routman are: Predicting, Questioning, Creating images, Seeking clarification, Constructing summaries. If our students are aware what the
comprehension strategies are they will be more successful using them to become great readers. Let them make a chart or personal note that include the strategies. Make the process visible for the readers. What they can do as a reader is important for them to know while learning.
Discussing why you are reading and what your are reading. Start comprehension with short
nonfiction pieces. Let the students tear the short piece apart and comprehend it completely ( use the strategies) before moving on to the next. Some great tips to help with comprehension...the most important part of reading.
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Module 5/Blog 4
As the semester continues and the end of the semester draws closer to an end I find myself preparing more and more for next semester. Where the elementary and middle school teachers come back from the WONDERFUL and I mean WONDERFUL Christmas break, high school teachers will be coming back to all new classes and all new students. For me, I will be coming back to an ENGLISH class, I know SCARY!!! After reading my blogs and other posted works many of you are probably cringing at this moment, sorry not my decision! However, I am preparing myself and I am up to the challenge!! I am excited and have been taking many key notes from the course to heart when it comes to preparing for my upcoming class. One thing I have been working on is building a nice classroom library, I was trying to decide how to go about building my library? When discussing the number of books needing in a classroom library, Miller and Moss wrote "more importantly, you need materials that address topics that kids want to read about." After reading this I have decided that I am going to give my upcoming students an interest inventory (something I can have them do while in their career class) to help determine some types of books/magazines that I will try to make sure I have in my library.
Another concept I have been looking at is the idea of having the students respond to what they are reading. Miller and Moss wrote "having students respond to their IR creates time for theme to reflect on what they have read and to push their thinking further by sharing those reflections with others." I love the ideas of having my students reflect and respond to what they are reading. I have been working on coming up with a few different ways to have my students do these reflections. I feel that these reflections can be beneficial in a number of ways and I am really excited to see how they will respond to all of this!!!
Wish me luck on my new adventure!!
Another concept I have been looking at is the idea of having the students respond to what they are reading. Miller and Moss wrote "having students respond to their IR creates time for theme to reflect on what they have read and to push their thinking further by sharing those reflections with others." I love the ideas of having my students reflect and respond to what they are reading. I have been working on coming up with a few different ways to have my students do these reflections. I feel that these reflections can be beneficial in a number of ways and I am really excited to see how they will respond to all of this!!!
Wish me luck on my new adventure!!
Independent Reading (Module 5/Blog 4)
And finally, the 7th strategy to help students grow as independent readers....to talk about what they read.
"Having students respond to their IR creates time for them to reflect on what they have read and to push their thinking further by sharing those reflections with others." I cannot tell you how many times I have read something only to think back, "now what did I just read???" Having students discuss what they have read is a way to give students a chance to process the information further. One study suggests that "talk appears to play a fundamental role in text-based comprehension." The author of No More Independent Reading Without Support suggests several ways to do this including peer discussions, small group conversations, or having students become the author. Another strategy the author suggests is Reciprocal Teaching which uses questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and predicting.
To me, this makes perfect sense. If I want to remember something, I say it over and over in my head. So why not have students talk about what they read? This can be first modeled by the teacher, but can then be student-centered. If you want students to remember what they read, have them talk about it!
"Having students respond to their IR creates time for them to reflect on what they have read and to push their thinking further by sharing those reflections with others." I cannot tell you how many times I have read something only to think back, "now what did I just read???" Having students discuss what they have read is a way to give students a chance to process the information further. One study suggests that "talk appears to play a fundamental role in text-based comprehension." The author of No More Independent Reading Without Support suggests several ways to do this including peer discussions, small group conversations, or having students become the author. Another strategy the author suggests is Reciprocal Teaching which uses questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and predicting.
To me, this makes perfect sense. If I want to remember something, I say it over and over in my head. So why not have students talk about what they read? This can be first modeled by the teacher, but can then be student-centered. If you want students to remember what they read, have them talk about it!
Blog Post #4
As I continue to read No More Independent Reading Without
Support by Miller and Moss I have noticed a shift into making the students
more responsible for not only the reading, but the thinking during Independent
Reading. As the authors say, “Talking
about text together not only improves comprehension and makes children aware of
how they can use strategies according to the kind of text and the demands it
places on them as readers, but also motivates them to read independently so
they’ll have something to talk about with their peers. Students need teacher scaffolds toward independent
talk.” This really hit home to me this
week not only during the Independent Reading time of my school day, but during
my science classroom time. I am making a
shift from being the one at the front of the room giving all the information,
to having my students do investigations and telling me why this happened. It also makes them more accountable for the
learning. When I asked my students to
turn and talk to their neighbor during the investigation, I received some
strange looks. I then had to back up and
explain what I wanted them to do. These
strategies can work with other subjects than just reading, but we can’t expect
students to just know what to talk about.
We need to guide them with the types of questions we use.
This week during Independent Reading, we started a read aloud
on the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe I started using think
alouds as I was reading. Again the
students looked at me as if I had lost my mind, but once I started thinking
aloud the students started doing this and have become more engaged in the read
aloud process. They don’t want me to
ever stop reading. I had to explain to
them that they need time to read books of their choice independently. The book also states that, “We’ve come full
circle now—children have had explicit teaching in a focus lesson, they have had
opportunities during IR to practice applying
it, and now they come back together to talk
about what they’ve discovered. These
daily opportunities for teaching and learning set this instructional framework
apart from programs like Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) and Sustained Silent
Reading.” I want to add the come back
together part to my Independent Reading, but I guess I let time slip away from
me while my students are reading. I hope
that one day I will be able to make Independent Reading a more valuable and
important time for my students as long as I keep striving to improve this time
with my students.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Voices and Choices
As election day draws near we hear all about freedom of choice and letting our voices be heard. Each of us can decide for ourselves who to vote for based on our personal beliefs and preferences. We are encouraged to participate in the democratic process and to exercise our constitutional right. While reading part four in Reading Essentials, I realized this same principle applies to our classroom reading programs. As teachers. we know our students better than any publishing company or packaged program designed to increase test scores ever will. "Never before in our history has so much federal money been set aside for prescribed programs," states Routman (p. 186). School districts spend enormous amounts of money on packaged programs, computer based programs, textbooks and supplemental reading materials every year. But what does all this money really buy? Are ours students becoming better readers because of a particular program?
I know throughout the years I have seen many reading incentive programs come and go. Students are rewarded for achieving personal reading goals with pizzas and prizes. School wide reading goals are celebrated with fanfare and media coverage. While Routman does not discourage using programs, she advises teachers to "use the program as a resource and beginning framework. See what works. You as the teacher need to become knowledgeable enough to pick and choose from a program, to adapt, and to change it." Here is the golden nugget of teaching. We as teachers know that our students are all different and have different needs. If a program is not working for our students then we must stop using it and find one that does. We must stand up to our administrators and district leaders and explain why the program is not successful and be able to offer better alternatives. Our own professional judgment is just as important as any "scientific" based evidence. We need to know which research is relevant and which to ignore. We need to beware of miracle programs that come with a hefty price tag. And we must intervene on behalf of our students instead of remaining at the mercy of politicians and policy makers that give our students far less than they deserve. Our voices and choices do matter. Go Vote!
I know throughout the years I have seen many reading incentive programs come and go. Students are rewarded for achieving personal reading goals with pizzas and prizes. School wide reading goals are celebrated with fanfare and media coverage. While Routman does not discourage using programs, she advises teachers to "use the program as a resource and beginning framework. See what works. You as the teacher need to become knowledgeable enough to pick and choose from a program, to adapt, and to change it." Here is the golden nugget of teaching. We as teachers know that our students are all different and have different needs. If a program is not working for our students then we must stop using it and find one that does. We must stand up to our administrators and district leaders and explain why the program is not successful and be able to offer better alternatives. Our own professional judgment is just as important as any "scientific" based evidence. We need to know which research is relevant and which to ignore. We need to beware of miracle programs that come with a hefty price tag. And we must intervene on behalf of our students instead of remaining at the mercy of politicians and policy makers that give our students far less than they deserve. Our voices and choices do matter. Go Vote!
Building on Best Practices
As I was reading chapter 4, section 11 of Reading Essentials by Routman, I couldn't help but to think about how many band wagons we have jumped on and how it always points back to "best practices". Routman said "whenever I talk with teachers, in whatever part of the country, there is a sense of resignation and helplessness. Teachers go along with programs and practices they know are not working well for many of their students because their energy is spent meeting the rising demands of curriculum, standards, and high-stakes testing. Time for collaboration and reflection-- necessary for all good teaching and advocacy--is missing"(Routman, 186). Wow that really hit the nail on the head. Are we willing to stand up, even though we feel defeated and exhausted? Routman said we should build on best practices to teach reading. "There is no best program or perfect model of teaching reading"(Routman, 186). Routman stressed that programs should be resources. We as teachers are to pick and choose what works best for our own classroom.
As I was reading chapter 4, section 11 of Reading Essentials by Routman, I couldn't help but to think about how many band wagons we have jumped on and how it always points back to "best practices". Routman said "whenever I talk with teachers, in whatever part of the country, there is a sense of resignation and helplessness. Teachers go along with programs and practices they know are not working well for many of their students because their energy is spent meeting the rising demands of curriculum, standards, and high-stakes testing. Time for collaboration and reflection-- necessary for all good teaching and advocacy--is missing"(Routman, 186). Wow that really hit the nail on the head. Are we willing to stand up, even though we feel defeated and exhausted? Routman said we should build on best practices to teach reading. "There is no best program or perfect model of teaching reading"(Routman, 186). Routman stressed that programs should be resources. We as teachers are to pick and choose what works best for our own classroom.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Module 5!!! "Just Right " Books
After reading Chapter 6 in the book Reading Essentials by Regie Routman, I was excited to see that there were some pretty good guidelines for children choosing "just right" books. It bothers me so much when they get so "hung up" on their level and only think they can choose that level of a book to read. I don't want my students getting bored and don't want my parents questioning me so much about reading levels. I love for them to choose easier books a lot of times to practice fluency.
" When I ask students about "just right" books , it is rare for them to talk about interest and understanding." (R94) Routman says that through a shared writing you can develop criteria for choosing "just right" books. "Once you have excellent guidelines, glue a copy to the inside of students' reading records!!! (95) This is a wonderful idea and seemed to help my students this week as well.)
The criteria Routman suggested was that the book should be something that the children like. I totally agree. That is why I give my students' a choice. The next thing she says is for the student to be able to read most of it, and last but not least, the student should be able to understand it.
Routman tells us to congratulate the student who admits that a book is too hard and suggests that the teacher should assist him/her in choosing an appropriate one!! :) We should always let the student know that just because the book isn't "just right" this month that it will be "just right" soon.
She has wonderful thoughts on the process of choosing "just right" books and I enjoyed this chapter so much. I feel as if it is going to be very helpful for me and my little children.
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