Dawn Mitchell's December Blog Post 5: Teach Comprehension Regie Routman's Chapter 8

Dawn Mitchell's Teach Comprehension Regie Routman's Chapter 8

During the month of December our application we are working on learning about theories that have shaped literacy and reflecting on how they have changed our practices as well as applying inquiry based learning in our planning for a unit of study we will teach in the coming spring semester.  

In December’s blendspace you will find a variety of resources including the four theories that we are sharing with you such as Cambourne’s Conditons of Learning, Halliday’s Functions of Language, L1 to L2 Transfer, and Marie Clay’s Reading/Writing Reciprocity  to read and reflect upon.  We have worked to embed two new tech tools, QR codes and Google Forms into your reading/writing workshop that can also be used in your classroom.  Lastly, you will find the new 2015-2016 SC ELA Inquiry standards that can help you enhance your existing units of study through the use of student-driven, inquiry-based learning.

This month for my blog post, I have chosen to read chapter 8 from Routman’s Reading Essentials for many reasons.  First of all, I believe that reading is meaning and without understanding what they are gleaning from texts, students aren’t really reading even if they are the best word callers/decoders on the planet. Without meaning, they are just words.  Second, with current reform initiatives in place in our state and across the country that focus on third grade comprehension it is vital that we realize that comprehension and comprehension instruction starts way before that.  We can’t wait until third grade to determine if our students are ready as readers. We have to keep comprehension in mind from the very start.

Routman says, “In my continuing work in schools, its’ rarely a lack of word work that prevents students from understanding.  It’s almost always not having the background, prior experiences, or knowledge of the way texts and authors work that stumps them – not knowing that good readers are aware of their understanding or lack of it and always do whatever is necessary to make sense of what they are reading.  You can’t start teaching comprehension in grade 3.  You start teaching it the day kids enter preschool or kindergarten.” (Routman, pg. 118)

One of the major points Routman made in this chapter that really convicted me and helped to improve my practice is her point that reading strategies are not synonymous with comprehension and are not meant to be taught in isolation.  I have been a reading/writing workshop girl since back in the day and consider myself to promote and implement the teaching of reading and writing in the authentic context of their own reading and writing.  When I read Routman’s explanation of a typical classroom’s reading instruction I realized that I have too often taught a proficient reading strategy that way.  I have introduced a reading strategy in a minilesson, employed metacognition and modeling, and then had students work to apply that strategy using sticky notes or reading responses to help strengthen their reading.  I realized that many times that took out the authenticity of their independent reading and either simplified a complex, cognitive process into one strategy and weakened their overall comprehension of the text by focusing all of their efforts on one strategy.  Routman says that actually makes reading harder. 

She writes, “Students become so focused on identifying words they don’t know, questions to ask, or connections to make that they forget to read for overall meaning.  While its fine to introduce and practice strategies one at a time, remember that when we read we use all these strategies at the same time and that our comprehension process is largely unconscious.”

I love her question at the end of page 119, “Continue to ask yourself, “How is this procedure helping my students become more proficient and independent as readers?” This is a question that I will use to guide my instruction and I want to be more conscious of my reading application time to ensure that it is not either oversimplified or made harder because of inauthentic instruction. 

Other take aways for me from this chapter include:

*the 20 percent to 80 percent rule where the majority of the time in reading instruction is spent on student application

*the questions given on page 120 to help us focus on strategic reading rather than individual strategies

*megacognitive strategies on page 121 such as rereading, highlighting, writing down, survey, connect, and monitor

*teaching self-monitoring (I love the checklist of strategies on page 125)

On page 129 Routman says, “There is a huge difference between strategy instruction and strategic instruction.  Just teaching strategies is not enough.  Strategies must be “invoked” by the learner if they are to be used to increase understanding.”  I agree and appreciate the clear call to create opportunities for our students to apply what they are learning about reading in authentic ways in their own independent reading with support, with modeling, and with an undeniable purpose to understand what they are reading.

Sincerely,

Dawn

Ballenger November Post

"Teach with a Sense of Urgency".  The title of this chapter could have easily been an entry on the top five list the educators in this chapter were asked to make regarding the ways that they teach students to be excellent readers.  It can be easy to lose sight of our end of the year goals as we get mired in the day-to-day and all of the "things" were are to get accomplished that, at times, are unrelated to developing young minds into life-long learners.  We (the actual presently represented and the collective educators that students have and will encounter) really only have such a short time in which to make an impact and redirect students on their way to their own personal best reading level.

This chapter makes us think about the relationship involved in teaching.  I am reminded of the TED Talk by Dr. Rita Pierson where she reminds us that teaching is very much about relationships.  We can very obviously be a reader, and possess all of the great qualities of a most efficient reading teacher, but students will learn very little from us if those implicit criteria on page 44 have not been meet.  Students must realize, too, that their learning time and the learning time of their peers is precious.  I am proud of how effective one of the re-directions I frequently use with my students who are exhibiting disruptive behavior can be.  It is some variation of, "If you choose not to use your learning time, that is your choice.  However, you are not allowed to make that choice for anyone else."  It makes them think about how their current behavior impacts not only their own education, but that of others.  It also serves to remind students that we are all working together to improve.

I am realizing that I very infrequently include opportunities for students to reflect on what they have read, outside of whole group questions about the text read.  While opportunities for paired reading are a part of many lessons, I don't efficiently offered structured opportunities to practice the comprehension strategies modeled beyond answering literal and inferential questions about the given texts.  Are my students dependent on my correction?  I have not thought about that.  Sure there are a few students that will watch me for my reaction before completing their responses, but when I think about it, how many students are truly word calling without internalizing their reading?  How many are waiting on my follow up questions to mentally structure what has been read and glean meaning from it?

I believe it is easy to overlook the importance of thinking out loud and modeling the thought process behind reading skills.  Decoding most certainly lends itself to this, but comprehension strategies that we share with our students may not.  The example about highlighting is such a vivid one.  I cringe at the thought of using highlighting as a strategy, as my mid jumps to images of solidly yellow paragraphs and the explanations that all of the words are important... aren't they?

Teaching reading is reminiscent of dance.  There is a great deal of choreography involved and so many unseen hours of practice and preparation as well as underlying skills that are needed.  An adept reader will appear to move effortlessly through text and thoughtfully express their feelings about what they have read.  The fragile reader stumbles through, very obviously unsure of himself and his skills, and exhibits a hindered ability to internalize the meaning of the whole reading.  His expression of what he read is limited and stilted.

I really like the list on page 53 that offers some guidance to "turn and talks" that are genre specific.  These kinds of breaks really do serve to reinforce the relationship between reading and talking.  Likewise, the idea of class-generated literature as a part of the study of reading and later as a n addition to the classroom library is a wonderful idea! What better way to demonstrate the reading/writing link?

November - Teaching Comprehension - September H Bennett

Essentially, this chapter discusses the importance of comprehension. Yes, students need to be able to read the words within the story. But how important are the words if students can’t take it beyond the syllables on the page? Comprehension is key for students to be able to completely understand, infer, summarize and thoroughly discuss a text, character, etc. This chapter was a reminder that I need to emphasize this from the start. Without comprehension, students are not participating in REAL reading. Routman says that this should begin in preschool or kindergarten.

Teaching the suggested strategies is one thing. Allowing time for students to apply the strategies taught seems to be where I may be falling short. I find myself sounding very much like the example in the book: My students can regurgitate the various strategies and explain what they are. However, they don’t use the strategies they have learned. Many times, I find that I leave little time for application before moving on to the next strategy. It feels there is so much to get in throughout the year, but I’m finding that I have to be sure to slow down and give students time to truly use what they are taught. The 20% to 80% rule aids in this effort.

I think the biggest take away that I got from this was the importance of self-monitoring for understanding. Getting my students to slow down, think about what they’re reading, asking themselves the 3 key questions are crucial (Does this make sense? Does this sound like language? Do I know what is happening?). I don’t think I have stressed this enough up to this point. Because of this realization, future lessons will be focused around this core skill.

November- Teach Comprehension

I love to read, but I have a hard time breaking down all the individual skills required to read, and teaching each skill separately seems kind of artificial. The first page in this chapter says that the emphasis on skills, like word calling and fluency, should not be at the expense of comprehension. Instead of just assessing comprehension, I need to spend more time actually teaching comprehension. I realize, from reading this chapter, that I need to spend a certain amount of time explicitly teaching the strategies that have been proven beneficial for achieving full comprehension. I liked the 20% to 80% rule: explicit strategy instruction should take up no more than 20 % of the reading class, and the rest of the time should be spent with students actually reading and applying the strategies.
I plan to use the reread and retell strategy more often in the next few weeks. My students took the STAR test today, and I noticed that some of them, when frustrated, simply guessed at an answer instead of rereading and trying to work through vocabulary or concepts they did not understand. Since my students love to talk (!),  rereading and retelling with a partner might be very effective for them.
As our focus shifts more toward non-fiction, the section about surveying texts before reading seems especially pertinent. Since my class has a huge range of reading levels, the section that reminds me to use texts that are easy enough to support comprehension is important. A couple of my students are first grade level readers, and sometimes I do not have enough materials in my room for them to read independently.
This chapter was definitely a good reminder that I need to teach my developing readers valuable strategies, teach them why and when to use those strategies, and then provide plenty of practice to employ the strategies!

November-Lindsey Craig- You Only Have So Much Time

I love all of the new ideas this chapter shared about time. I believe every teacher is guilty from time to time giving students "busy work" to get things done in their classroom. I had not thought about some of the ideas they gave for "seat work." This chapter expressed how important it was to make every minute count and I loved the question it gave as a reminder, "How is the activity helping my students become more independent as readers, writers and thinkers." I also often times forget how much students learn from each other. Another way I think we as teachers could save energy is having students teach students. The students in my classroom who are early finishers and often cause trouble could be turned into "helpers." I could place them with a small group of students who are struggling. This chapter shared a lot of great ways to revise my schedule and down time in my classroom!

Blog Post #4

Chapter 5: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

This chapter goes along with a lot of my same beliefs about literacy and incorporating it into the classroom.  I agree that the library should be organized in a way that is easy for students to find what they are interested in and what they are looking for.  I think it should be within their reach and they should be able to peruse the shelves and find something they want.  I also think there should be a variety of texts for them to choose from.

The chapter suggests that we create a library based on our students interests.  I think this would be hard to do because we would have to change things every year, but it gave me a good idea.  I would love to have a bookshelf set aside for my students' interests.  This bookshelf could include specific titles and series that my students love and it could be a reward to get to shop there, so that not everyone shops there every time.  I love that this would help keep the selection new and interesting for my students and it would be easy to switch things out often, especially if I use resources such as the public library.  I also think I could improve my library by having a variety of displays, where students can browse different texts more easily and I could highlight certain books every so often.

There are so many ways to ensure that our library stays fresh and exciting for our students!  I also love the idea it mentions about taking polls to see what books our class likes the most.  This would help my students self-reflect on what types of books they enjoy reading, which would be helpful for them as they choose books from the library.

Shanna Pittman November Blog

Mrs. Pittman’s November Blog: Teach with a Sense of Urgency

                “Teach with a Sense of Urgency” by Routman is one of my favorite chapters/articles from our class.  This article was particularly interesting to me because one of my professional goals this school year is to waste less time during the instructional day and make every minute in the classroom count.  In this chapter the author tells us “teaching with a sense of urgency is not the same as teaching prompted by anxiety. It is making every moment in the classroom count, ensuring that our instruction is engaging and using daily evaluation and reflection to make wise teaching decisions”.   This statement is the essence of what I hope to accomplish this year.  His first year with us, Thomas asked me what I wanted or needed.  I responded by stating that I need more time in the day.  That is one thing he could not give me but teaching with a sense of urgency helps us squeeze every teachable minute out of our day.

                First, Routman tells us we need to “do more teaching”.  Specifically, we must plan for intentional teaching combined with regular evaluations to determine our next steps. Next, Routman describes using an Optimal Learning Model.  This model moves students from total dependence on teacher to independence, handing over responsibility to the child. This is achieved through Demonstration first. The teacher “shows exactly ‘how to do it’ by initiating, modeling, explaining, and thinking aloud.  Next, the teacher leads and encourages the students to participate/collaborate and discuss.  This practice is called Shared Demonstration.  Third, the teacher uses Guided Practice.  This is a time when students practice thinking and acting like a reader or whatever the teacher is teaching at the moment.  They use and apply what has been demonstrated with the teacher’s direct support.  Finally, Independent Practice gives students the opportunity to show what they know by demonstrating the task with minimal or no assistance.  Using this model, students take responsibility for their own learning, giving them pride and a sense of success that increases their desire to learn more.

                  

Gerald Steven Mills

Plan for and Monitor Independent Reading #4

                During independent reading time I have found that students usually do whatever it is they want to do. Most students read, but several students stare off into space, and know that if they are quiet then they will be ok. This is a very important component to each day that seems to be the hardest to get in. It has been proven that students who read independently make higher scores on standardized test, therefore it is important to have a structured independent reading time for all students in the classroom. This chapter goes in-depth and discuss ways to facilitate and improve independent reading in your classroom. In my class I allow students to select any book of their choice during Independent reading. I try to encourage students to read a wide range of genre’s from the classroom library. I walk around and ask questions while they are reading. I also like to make sure that the child is reading a book that is appropriate for their reading level, by asking them to read a small exert from a chapter or page. These practices were aligned with the suggestions from the chapter, but listed were several other strategies that can be done during independent reading. I agree that classroom procedure must be in place to control the amount of activity and distractions that may occur. One thing that was discussed in the chapter is paired or partner reading. This is a strategy that I used during SRA and it worked well, but this year I have not done as much. Reading with a partner helps students, “become more self- sufficient and less reliant on the teacher for assistance.

 I plan on modeling what partner reading should look like using the strategies presented in this chapter, and implementing it into independent reading. There is a list of question labeled Teacher Talk that can facilitate discussions about what they read and how they read. There are also sections labeled Try it and Apply it, these sections have step by step guidelines to practice presented strategies in the chapter. I find this extremely helpful because, great advice is presented to help both the teacher and the students. For example it states, “That if a student is interested in a book that is too difficult right now, send a note home requesting that a caregiver read the book aloud. Now this wouldn’t work for every student, but I just feel like things like side notes like this is really helpful when trying to help struggling readers. Overall I think having independent reading time is very beneficial to all readers In the classroom. It is important that we just don’t tell students to read quietly, but model how this should be done. This time should be structured like a program using several of the skills and strategies presented in this chapter. Naturally most independent reading times are structured the same, but key components like, allowing students to discuss what they have read aloud with peers, can be a helpful strategy. I enjoyed reading this chapter and discovered many ways to make my independent reading time better.

Gerald Steven Mills

Teach Comprehension #3

                I enjoyed reading this article and I think it made several great points in regards to comprehension, and the approaches that are taken. It was stated that if comprehension is the goal, then it must be taught starting in kindergarten. I think it is important that we take the time to look at what kids are reading independently and use the texts as comprehension practice. I thought the first section Start with the Texts Students are Reading made a great point: If we want readers to be critical thinkers, inquirers, and problem solvers, we need to introduce them to challenging, interesting texts.  There was a list of strategies that proficient readers use, and I think it’s important for us teachers to make sure that I children understand what it means to make a connection, monitor your reading for meaning, determine what’s most important, visualize, ask questions, make inferences, and synthesize. I guess this stood out to me because I have a poster in my classroom that states theses same things, but I have yet to cover each strategy. It is important to understand that when teaching comprehension there is not just one thing that you can do to make a difference for everyone in the class. You have to teach multiple strategies and be willing to model the strategies for students to see. Several strategies are given in this text. Rereading is a common strategy that I personally know work for me, and as suggested this is a good way to for students to comprehend information. I often use this strategy in my class room, I often direct my students to go back and reread sections to get a better understanding of the material. For me as I read it the second time, I often come away with a clear understanding of the material or directions.

                In this Chapter I found the Try it/ apply it sections to be very helpful. I was able to make notes on different comprehension strategies that I would like to apply with my students. I feel that it is important that the texts selected by the teacher should be easy enough and meaningful enough to support comprehension. Students must be able to read the text without student’s struggling over every other word. As stated in the passage, “students that are reading for understanding, should know 95% of the words that they are reading. It is important that we give students an opportunity to be successful while practicing comprehension strategies. Another strategy that I found useful for comprehension is teaching students to ask significant questions. These questions are in depth and require the readers to think. A lot of questions that are generated on computer test, just scratch the surface and does not really give a true understating of comprehension of the text. By teaching students to ask and answer open ended questions that could lead to a discussion or require logical responses. Overall there are lots of comprehension strategies that should be reviewed and explored by educators looking to improve comprehension strategies in the classroom. There are Lots of resources and strategies that can be applied, I found this article to be very helpful.  

Gerald Steven Mills 

Kid Watching #2

I found the kid watching article to be unique because of the strategies the teacher used in her classroom. The students had no idea that so much data was being collected from their free play and engagement of activities. The teacher was able to observe children in a way that did not interrupt or get in the way of children’s learning. They remained on task as she went from groups of students and observed. This says a lot about her class management as well. It is important to be able to stop, and collect the necessary data on children without singling them out and calling them to a back table or asking them questions that they don’t know. As I was reading I was thinking of ways I could group my students and the type of data I would like to observe. This is important because according to the article the data collected can help you understand what it is that your students know and can do. Helps the teacher to understand the student’s ways of constructing and expressing knowledge. As the teacher I will have a better understanding of how to teach individual students and shape the curriculum and use the best practices for the best results.

 The article addresses the fact that there should be a rich environment for learning in the classroom, stating the Reggio Emilia approach. I agree with this and I believe that Children learn best when they have multiple learning experiences such as reading, writing, listening, speaking, performing, presenting, and playing. With this being said, when one is kid watching I think that it is important that students are engaged in meaningful activities which will yield the best data and ability levels. Another important point that I agree with is that students need to be asked to complete task within their ZPD. This is extremely important referring to a quote by Vygotsky, “What a child can do with assistance today, he/she will be able to do by herself tomorrow”. It is stated that you should ask students questions like, “What makes you think so?” or “Why did you choose to do it this way?” or “What did you notice?” or “What makes you think so”. 

These are the type of questions that gives the teacher insight on how children process information and a good measure of their reasoning skills. This idea of kid watching should be done in every classroom. This would take strategic planning to keep the students engaged, but different centers with engaging task would be key. I plan on searching for opportunities, to do some kid watching. This could provide the type of data that test can’t show. Watching children process information, problem solve, and express themselves would provide a unique opportunity to interact with students that most teachers seldom have.

Shanna Pittman's August Blog

~Shanna Pittman's August Blog~

Not This: Is There Enough Time? 

And Is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading

The first sentence in the article states my fundamental belief about reading! "Children learn to read by reading...but not without instructional support."  My reading times are the most fun and exciting times during my school day.  I believe that I am a confident and proficient reading instructor. I enjoyed reading the article and it certainly gave me a great deal to think about as I move forward this school year, particularly with independent reading and how to squeeze more time into my day for this very important activity.

 I certainly agree that independent reading practice is with instructional support is vital everyday in class, however, not at the expense of other essential academic areas. In early childhood, reading is the foundation upon which every other academic area will build.  Therefore it makes since that reading activities will consume the majority of our day.  I believe however that we must find balance during our day and work smart and not hard.  We should find ways to cut down and not cut out.

Ms. Dawkins- November Post

This month I read the article Teach Comprehension. In this article, it discussed the importance of teaching strategies that are useful when it comes to comprehension. It gave many different strategies that you could use to teach comprehension such as making connections, visualizations, questioning, making inferences, and thinking aloud. In the article, it stated how it was important to teach/use many strategies and not just one at a time. In 1st grade, we use a lot of these strategies already since students are beginning to read and rely on pictures to help tell the story. However, I need to work on talking to myself to aid understand and saying it aloud so that my students are able to view this process. During my read aloud, I plan on doing that more and in small group guided reading I will do it also but I will encourage students to do the same.
I believe this is the hardest thing to get the students to when they are reading independently because they are so focused on the reading part they aren't really able to fully comprehend the story and enjoy the book. Hopefully, by teaching these strategies this will help them become better independent readers as well and I look forward to seeing how much they grow as readers.

Blog post #3

Chapter 8: Teach Comprehension

I love how this chapter gave so many strategies for teachers for how to teach comprehension.  It stressed the importance of balancing providing our students with comprehension strategies and with time spent reading.  My biggest takeaway came from this quote, "There is a huge difference between strategy instruction and strategic instruction.  Just teaching strategies is not enough.  Strategies must be 'invoked' by the learner if they are to be used to increase understanding" (p. 129).  All of our instruction has to be meaningful to our students and the most meaningful instruction comes from monitoring our students and accommodating their specific needs.

One way that I can improve in this area is to help my students understand the purpose for all of the comprehension strategies I teach.  I want them to be able to apply them while they are reading but the biggest way to do this is to show them how much they can improve the reading experience.  I need to work on making it clear to my students why a specific reading strategy is important and how it can help them understand the text better, before just expecting them to apply it because I taught them how to do it.

Blog Post #2

Chapter 6: Plan for and Monitor Independent Reading

I have always been someone who enjoys reading.  I can even remember back in kindergarten when I was first learning how to read!  I want my students to have the same feeling about reading as I do.  This chapter was about how children need a lot of opportunities to engage in independent reading time and receive support from their teacher.  It talked about how teachers should work with students to set individual reading goals to encourage students to improve and read more.

My students have a designated time for independent reading each day and they get to read from books that they have chosen themselves.  However, I could do more to improve this period of the day.  This chapter makes me want to change around how I do things.  I want to set aside time in the day where the whole class is engaging in independent reading and I want to meet with students to monitor their reading ability.  Many of my struggling readers have trouble choosing books that are at an appropriate reading level for them.  I did more of this at the beginning of the year to help those students learn how to choose good books but I should not have changed it.  I should still be meeting with each of my students individually to monitor their progress.  I plan on incorporating this into the routine as soon as I can.

Blog Post #1

For my first blog post, I decided to reflect on my reading of Chapter 4 which was all about teaching with a sense of urgency.  This chapter really made me think about the effectiveness of my reading and writing instruction in my classroom.  

At the beginning of the school year, I spent so much time going over the expectations of our Daily 5 rotations.  We would review them, practice them, and repeat.  I really made a point to explain why we needed each procedure and worked to ensure that everything went as smoothly as possible.  These components were essential to making the rotation work as well as they do now.  I have to admit that I have been pretty pleased with how well my students do during these rotations and it is one of my favorite parts of the day because of how good my students are at knowing what to do without me even having to tell them.  This chapter made me think a little differently about how effective these rotations are though.  They run really smoothly but am I really doing everything I can to provide my students with important reading and writing skills during this time?

This chapter talks about how we need to demonstrate important skills and use scaffolding to help prepare our students to use them independently.  I could really improve in this area.  I do a lot of this already but I could add more urgency to it and really set my students up to begin practicing the skills during their rotations.   

I plan on trying this as soon as possible.  I want to start the rotations with a specific skill that I demonstrate to the whole class.  I will really walk them through the whole process and then I will gradually, throughout the week, release more responsibility onto them until they are ready to use the skill on an independent level.  

Caleb Thrower: November Blog

For my November blog I read Chapter 3 from Reading Essentials about sharing your reading life with your students. I found this chapter quite eye opening because sharing my own personal reading life is not something I have ever done, let alone thought of doing, with my classes. The chapter presents some compelling reasons why this is not only essential to growing a classroom community but also helping your students learn that reading doesn't have to be the monotonous task it is often presented as at school.

As I look at my personal reading habits I realize why I have never felt compelled to share them with my students, because my reading habits themselves are not typical. I read a lot in my personal time but that reading rarely includes picking up a traditional book and reading it from cover to cover. Most of what I read comes in the forms of blogs, comics, and internet message boards on topics I find interesting. But reading this chapter have convinced me that even though these are not traditional literary forms, it is still okay to share this with my class because it is still authentic reading.

I also enjoyed the section of how important a reading journal can be. I have never kept a reading journal but I can see where it would become a way to reflect on how you have grown as a reader over time. I think this is especially true of students when likes and interests change on seemingly a daily basis. Students will be able to look back on their journals and see what interest them and what books they may want to reread in the future.

I would like to take away two main things from this chapter. I am going to be more diligent in sharing my personal reading life with my students to get them to understand reading is something that can be done for entertainment. I am also going to have them begin a reading journal where they can keep track of their readings. Hopefully these two simple things will continue to help my students grow as readers while they are in my class.

Blog Post for November 2015

Text: You Only Have So Much Time

            This particular text only reiterated for me that reflection and reevaluation is the foundation for professional growth. It also emphasized that teachers, as a community, need to reflect on the reasons they plan their lessons the way they do, instead of following a formatted approach that balances worksheets and “activities”.

            One of the most insightful points that this lesson makes is that in order to hook our students’ interests we need to lead interesting lives i.e. not become trapped in a cycle of grading, lesson plans, and professional development. Many of my most memorable teachers were story tellers who told stories about their lives and their experiences. They also trusted the value of their experiences. Often, in the storm of required standards, keeping up with current research, mandated professional development, and coping with irate parents, teachers undermine their instincts and experiences and forget the importance of reflection. This makes an already challenging job far tougher and makes many teachers feel that their professional judgement does not matter. Given enough time, this mindset can corrode morale which only leads to teacher burnout.

            The other point that made me stop and think was the point the author made about using a majority of the time allotted in the classroom to teaching, allowing students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned, and using formative assessments. The last part of that statement resonates with this learner, especially today when students are subjected to an astounding number of standardized assessments. Formative assessments hold many advantages such as being a truer measure of student learning, subjecting the student to less test anxiety, and conducting multi-modal assessments. Overall, this chapter contained advice and suggestions that would benefit teachers at any stage of their professional career.    

Jessica Barwick: November Blog

Chapter 8: Teach Comprehension

I skipped over chapters that I thought would be more "fun" to focus on this one because comprehension is where I struggle the most as a reading teacher.  I was curious to see what strategies Routman suggests and how to utilize them in the classroom.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the strategies she suggests are ones that I'm using in my classroom, but I can always do a better job of focusing on practicing them and helping kids to identify them when they are using them.

As teachers, we do tend to teach strategies in isolation, from reading to math to writing.  Like Routman states, though, "while it's useful to practice a strategy as students are learning it, make sure that most of your comprehension instruction uses strategies interactively."  Re-reading is not the only strategy I use when I read.  I make connections and predictions simultaneously as I monitor myself for comprehension.  I feel like I do this well during class read-alouds, but I don't want to overwhelm students with too many strategies to practice on their own during independent reading.  So, we focus on one at a time and try to build so that they are seamlessly using a variety of strategies without even realizing it.

While I do believe that re-reading is the most helpful strategy (for students and for me, personally, as a reader), I feel that even more important is self-monitoring for comprehension.  You don't know if you have to re-read unless you realize you aren't making sense of the text.  I try to focus on this in conferences with students.  I explain that even I find myself either reading the words while zoning out at the same time, or maybe there are too many words I don't know in a passage.  So, I have to stop myself from continuing to read and back up.  Sometimes, I have to look for clues in the text to help me figure out words and other times I have to stop and look up a word or a place mentioned in the text so that I can make meaning out of what I'm reading.  While reading this chapter, I really thought about what I do as a reader (even the process of reading this chapter itself!), and I realized that my first step is always recognizing that I don't understand something.  Then, I can utilize comprehension strategies.  I would like to put the three questions on p. 125 in my room to help focus students while they are reading:  Does this make sense?  Does this sound like language?  Do I know what is happening in the text?

I also found it interesting that students "should know 95 percent or more of the words they encounter" in a text in order to make meaning (p. 127).  I try to push my students to read higher level books, but maybe I am pushing them outside of their ability to comprehend independently.  I have found in working with small groups that vocabulary is the #1 thing that limits understanding and frustrates my fifth graders.  Because of the background of many of our students, they are not exposed to much language and reading at home.  Their vocabulary is limited, and I have found that many of my fifth graders don't know what some even basic words mean, such as "increase" or "native" or "conflict."  Teaching my students how to use context clues or infer meaning is the best way I know to combat these deficiencies.  Even then, they are at a disadvantage when it comes to reading tests that don't provide sentences to help explain what a word means (like on STAR).

I will continue to practice the strategies outlined in this chapter in my classroom, but I will pay more attention now to making sure they are integrated and that I explain more what I do as a reader with  think-alouds.  

Jessica Barwick: October Blog

Share Your Reading Life (Routman Ch. 3)

As an avid reader myself, I really enjoyed reading this chapter because it reminded me of the reasons I read and how I can show this to my students.  Just talking about how much I like to read is not the same as showing them through sharing my books (past, present, and future), discussing how I choose books, explaining that I talk about books with my friends. and modeling my thought processes when I read.  There are two main reasons people read:  to gain information and for pleasure.  Too often, the only reason we have children read is to have them gain information, either through nonfiction text or to learn and practice a specific reading skill.  The "pleasure" aspect is not emphasized enough.  I love Routman's reasons for reading, and I relate to each and every one:  "Reading gives me joy, comfort, perspective, new ideas, questions to ponder, and connections to other lives" (p. 24).  My goal is for my students to see reading as something to enrich their lives in these ways, rather than a chore to do just for school.

I love the idea of talking to students about their "now" book, "next" book, and "last" book.  While reading that section, I thought it would be fun to create a bulletin board or section in the room for students to display this on index cards, and change them out frequently.  I have noticed that my students love visual displays of their progress, and this might encourage them to finish books more often so that they can manually move their "now" book to a "last" book and "next" book to "now."  I also had this same idea for a more visual reading log to be displayed in the classroom when I was reading the section on maintaining a reading record.  At the beginning of the year, I had students glue a reading log into their reader's notebook, but with so many students coming and going in the classroom, I have not updated each person's notebook to have this reading log.  Because of this, I stopped emphasizing logging books after the first few weeks of school.  Perhaps if I made this process more visual as well, students would enjoy filling it in and seeing their progress.  I just want my students to be proud of themselves and their reading accomplishments!

I mentioned in another blog post that I wanted to do more "book talks" and this chapter recommends "authors talks" as well.  I related to when Routman states "Sadly, many of our students are hard pressed to cite even one author they know and like."  This is true because each year, one of my initial survey questions is "Who is your favorite author?" and most students leave this blank.  I would like to have a section in my classroom highlighting authors, as she suggests, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the ideas presented!  I took a suggestion from another reading we did and put together book baskets that are content related.  Now, there is a social studies basket and science basket that contains books related to our current unit of study.  Introducing an author basket and "student suggestions" baskets are new goals.

Finally, I would love to implement a little notebook to keep track of favorite passages.  We have been doing "sentence spotters" in class to capture figurative language and descriptive passages.  Having a notebook like this would be a great way for students to continue to think about author's craft, and they could use it to help their own writing.

All of the suggestions from this chapter could certainly help students develop their love of reading, but my biggest takeaway is that I need to share more about my own reading life with my students.  Throughout our readings, there seems to be a contradiction as to whether or not teachers should read at the same time as their students.  I see both arguments, and I certainly don't think teachers doing independent reading with their students should be the only independent reading time in the classroom.  However, I don't think there would be a problem with students seeing their teachers read every once in a while during independent reading time.  This would be the best way to share ourselves as readers and show that we love reading for pleasure.

Viewing Reading as Gaining Understanding...(Blog 4 - November)

Routman - Chapter 8 - Teach Comprehension

This is probably the most beneficial chapter of the entire book for teaching reading at the 4th grade level (and all levels really). I think that it is so important to teach students how to understand what they are reading and this chapter is full of awesome ways and ideas of how to do just that. I believe that along with the strategies in this chapter, that great text be it fiction or non fiction is also essential to students' interest and understanding in what they read. 

The first thing I really liked is how the chapter described strategic reading, rather than just reading for fluency or mere understanding. When we read strategically we are using all the comprehension skills and strategies to understand text. I use multiple strategies as I read and it made much better sense to me after reading this chapter, that my students do too! It is up to me to model and show students how to understand what they are reading. I believe that we are role models for our students and a lot of times whether I am teaching math, science, social studies, OR even reading...when I show students exactly how I understand it or how I learn it, they tend to follow suit and use the same strategies that I use. I have used these particular modeling strategies when teaching math and have seen first hand that my students tend to understand more when I teach them my way of thinking and solving the problem, rather than just the steps to getting the answer. I believe the same will be true for reading. 

The chapter outlines many strategies and their importance. In my own reading, I use a lot of underlining and note taking, especially when reading non fiction. This is something that I feel much more confident about teaching now that I can rely on my own skills as a reader. Surveying the text is another strategy that I use often with fiction reads, including novels. I survey to see how long chapters are, how long the book is, what the chapter titles are. I do this to get an understanding of what I am reading and how long it may take me to finish the chapters or book. Self-assessing throughout reading is essential to understanding as well. In self-assessing I find that I always reread. I have a wandering mind and if I do not stop myself while I am reading, I find that I have wandered and do not know what I just read. I have a good feeling my students are the same way. So, as a self assessing reader, I stop and go back to reread where I know that I last was comprehending what I was reading. I know that choice and sharing are essential parts of teaching reading and comprehension. Students that are able to choose their material and then share with others, are more likely to read more and even pick up a book they may not have chosen before because someone shared it with them. 

I really enjoyed this chapter and look forward to implementing some of the strategies in my reading classroom.

Chapter 3 Share Your Reading Life

I really enjoyed the article “Share Your Reading Life, “because that is something that I really have to work on as a teacher. It is extremely hard for me to share my reading life because, that is not something that I do often. I usually read for a purpose, not to explore text, or for the love of reading. As I was reading the article I was exposed to lots of opportunities to interact with my students and share a genuine interest of reading with them. As a teacher you expect for you students to read every day, several times a day, but it is important to Share text with them, as well as have them share what they have read with you.

When I was growing up I never read during my free time, I was always outside playing in the neighborhood, or over a friends playing video games. That was my escape, and path to explore. Now things are different and Reading allows some students to explore the world through the text they read. With this being said, this article provides lots of insight on how to get students motivated about reading and how to keep them excited about things that they are reading.

The headings in the Chapter that I personally enjoyed were:1. Discuss the importance and pleasure of having a personal library. I think this is good because having books that you are interested in at your home, or in your desk, helps to eliminate any excuse for not wanting to read. 2. Talk about your favorite authors and favorite books. I noticed that when we have classroom discussions on different authors and books, several students have read the same book, or a similar book by the author. This automatically leads to good discussions because the students are so excited to retell their favorite part of the book and the events that happened in the story. While reading this part I thought to myself that as we read our Journey’s stories, I could google other books by the author and encourage students to read more books by that author and ask if they recognize any of the books by the author.3. Tell Students why you read. All of the points and bullets in this section was extremely important because I think it is important for student to know why they are reading. Sometimes students look at reading as punishment, and often categorize reading as boring. Exploring these points with your kids and finding ways to make reading fun an exciting will improve literacy and develop smarter children with a passion for reading.4. Maintain a Reading Record. I have always been a fan of remembering what you read. I started the year off, having my students keeping a log of books they have read in a two week period, but with the demanding curriculum. I eventually let it go. However I do think it is very important to keep up with books that you have read.

I enjoyed this chapter, and it has encouraged me to read more, so that I will have information to share with my students. I have learned several strategies to encourage my kids to Share their Reading Life.

A library in the Classroom...(Blog 3 - October)

Routman - Chapter 5 - Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

"Classroom libraries are a literacy necessity; they are integral  to successful teaching and learning and must become a top priority it our students are to become thriving, engaged readers" (Routman, pg 64).

I am so excited about my classroom library this year. I spent a lot of time organizing my library and making it a place where students understand it's importance, as well as enjoy it's materials. It is important to me as a teacher to have these resources organized and in a well thought out place within the library in order to be able to use the books during lessons. I love that I have the ability to pull an entire bin of books from our classroom library and use them for specific learning tools and for specific lessons. My students were in awe of our library because of the amount of books and the space that the library creates for them to spend time in. 

"The availability of reading materials greatly impacts children's literacy development" (Routman, pg. 64).

The classroom library and our school library offer our students a great array of books. I like that this section of the chapters also acknowledges the importance of students having books to read at home, as well as at school. Our students usually come to us in the lower grade levels, having never been read too. I think it is important as literacy teachers to take this into consideration when modeling and teaching students how to love reading and become avid and successful readers. It is extremely essential in our demographic that we are sensitive to this and remain patient with our readers. I love that in this section of the chapter the author also discusses ways in which we can help families grow their home library. I believe that Matthew and our school does a wonderful job promoting reading and helping families and students get access to and own more books. 

The other parts of this chapter that I really enjoyed reading about and would love to implement in my classroom is the "Top 10 Books" and "Book Shares". I would love for my students to be able to share what books they are reading and have read, as well as begin a top 10 book wall in our classroom somewhere. I know from experience in reading novels with the class that if they enjoy the book, they are much more likely to check out other books from the same author. I have also noticed that students like to check out books on the subject matter we are learning about in class. There also also some trendy titles that students check out together. I believe sharing is caring and what better way to care about each other as readers, then to share the great books that we are reading.

Erin Lee Blog 4: Why Independent Reading Matters and the Best Practices to Support It

This chapter focused on the importance of independent reading in the classroom and strategies of how to incorporate it into the daily routine.  One of the main points the chapter started out discussing was that students need to be reading more in the classroom even though recent trends have been to take it out.  It showed that in various studies, students can achieve higher on standardized test than students who had little or no time for independent reading.  I feel independent reading is very important and it is something I have always tried to do on a daily basis. 
Even though I have always tried to do independent reading as a teacher, I will admit I do cut some corners of it in order to save time.  When I read over the sections of what practices are critical for effective independent reading, it only reminded me of the things I tend to leave out.  One of the main things I usually skip over is the share time.  I have never really left enough time during my independent reading block for students to talk about what they read.  I always feel that we are running behind during our ELA time and I want to make sure to give kids the time to read so I usually skip the share time so we can move on to the next thing to try and get everything in.  Another thing I usually don't do during independent reading time is let most of my kids pick books from the classroom library.  The main reason I for this is because I don't have a lot of books in my classroom library that are at the level of most of my students and I really want them reading books at their level during independent reading.  What I have them do instead is pick books from certain baskets that are leveled so that I know they are getting something they can read.  I know what levels the baskets represent but the kids do not so it doesn't embarrass anyone if they are a low reader.  The time I usually let kids read from the classroom library is during the time I work with small groups. 
I think there was a lot a valuable information about independent reading in this chapter.  Even someone like myself who has always done independent reading could learn something that would help enhance this time in the classroom.

Corrie Waddell November Blog #4: Teach with a Sense fo Urgency

The Chapter Teach with a Sense of Urgency emphasizes making every moment in the classroom count. To me this simply means taking advantage of each moment you have with your students.  I believe this is a key to becoming an effective teacher. In my grade level this requires strategic planning and preparation of materials needed to optimize time.

The author mentions how we must have high expectations for our students. This means believing that your students can learn and have the ability to learn. As a pre-K teacher I strive to push my students. Not only do we practice writing our letters, but with each letter we create a new page in our alphabet books, which includes writing a sentence. In the beginning it was difficult, but now because of this my students have began to refine their fine motors skills. This has made them better writers and illustrators.  They have also picked up a few sight words along the way. I have learned that having high expectations for your students doesn't mean that you set goals that are not developmentally appropriate or unattainable. Instead, you set goals that take your students a step further and force them to use higher order thinking skills. These goals may give your students a deeper understanding of content and allow them to make real world connections.

The section "Focus on Language Acquisition, Not Just Letters and Sounds" gave me some insight into something I may not have realized before. In pre-k we focus on students being able to recognize letters and produce the sounds that they make. Which is needed, but I now know why it is important not to just focus on individual letters and sounds. I now understand an alternate purpose for all of the nursery rhymes and poems that we sing in pre-k. " It teaches students phonemic awareness!" Now that it has been pointed out to me it only makes sense. Nursery rhymes are not just for teaching students how to rhyme, but they also teach students to manipulate sounds of words. In my own experience they also teach my students new vocabulary.

The author also mentions that we should create our own texts for shared, guided, and independent reading. I love this idea particularly for my age group of students. I have always known that students loved to read books that they write themselves, but have struggled in the past to find time for these activities. The author writes, "The texts students write themselves are highly motivating and engaging".  Which I absolutely agree with, and since I am no longer doing the time consuming calendar activities I now have more time in my schedule for literacy activities. After reading this chapter my goal will be to make at least one class book a month. These books will  become a part of our classroom library and will be easier for my students to read because they are the authors and illustrators.

I believe that the quote that best describes this chapter is, "Only by teaching all of our students with a sense of urgency and joy can we hope to challenge them in appropriate and meaningful ways". This means that we must do all we can to teach and prepare our students to become excellent readers and writers. Who can intern love reading and writing because it is meaningful to them.

Urgency...It's What We Need (Blog 2 - September)

Routman - Chapter 4 - Teaching with a Sense of Urgency

Wow, this chapter had a lot of great things intertwined within its pages. I really enjoyed reading about the Optimal Learning Model. It gave a great lay out and explanation to reading in the classroom. I feel that at times it is hard to release students to the independence level as it discusses. When we are demanded to get results and to teach certain and specific standards for a test that will be completely "in the box" thinking based, it is very hard for me to allow my students to take the lead. I do though feel that modeling and skill teaching is necessary for our demographic of students. The demonstrations and shared demonstrations part of this model may take longer in classrooms such as ours, but I believe it is important to still allow independent and choice reading as well. I really rely on grouping students and agree with the author when he says that students can help each other reach higher levels of reading. I think that specific grouping can help with the release of student independence in reading.

I also really enjoyed the sections about group reading and read alouds. I love sharing stories with my students. I find that it is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job as a teacher. It is relaxing. I think that doing this purposefully can still allow for a relaxed learning environment, while still "teaching with a sense of urgency." 

Reading and writing are obviously connected. I think that another great way of building relationships and sharing with students who you are as a person and not just their teacher is through creating your own text. This is something that we did during our first professional development class and I really enjoyed learning about Claire and where her passion for reading came from. I went directly back to my classroom and taught using the same method with my own story. My students were infatuated with the story and loved that I shared it with them. This made reading in my room a fun lesson for all levels of readers and it also sparked interest in them wanting to write and share about themselves as well. 

What are you reading? - (Blog 1 - August)

Routman - Chapter 3 - Share Your Reading Life

I believe everything discussed within this chapter. I truly believe that our students look up to us in all aspects of our classrooms and our personal lives. It is important to form relationships with students in such a way that they know and understand who we are as people, not just as their teacher. When students can relate to us as a person that is when real learning takes place in the classroom. I have sat in on interviews and given advice to new teachers and that is the one thing I always tell them. You must share yourself with your class in such a way that you are a person, a teacher, a mentor, a role model, and a friend to the students sitting in front of you.

Although I have known this and connecting and building relationships with students is something that I feel is necessary for learning to take place, I have not always connected it to reading and teaching reading in the way the Routman expresses in this chapter. I am not an avid reader in my independent life when it comes to novels and pleasure reads. I typically read nonfiction, and I do so because I am in search of something or looking to learn something knew. This is similar to why our students might read a nonfiction text. I understand now that sharing with them my everyday reading, may help not only during "reading time," but also during the other times of the day when we use nonfiction text. 

The author points out that it is important to try to become an avid reader in your personal life in order to share and teach reading with a more passionate point of view, he states, "It's hard to model something that is unfamiliar to you" (pg.24). Now, I stated previously that I am not an avid reader in my personal life. I do not believe that this affects my passion for reading within the classroom. I love doing novel studies with students and seeing their enthusiasm for the books that follow. I am also very passionate about certain authors and I share this with my students and have an entire reading unit where we spend time studying an author and their work, both independently and in groups. I notice during these times that my students are enthusiastic about reading, not just because of my passion as a reader, but because of my planning and passion for teaching them to love reading.

OCTOBER: TEXT: Teaching Comprehension

The eighth chapter of the Routman text discusses the guiding principles of teaching comprehension and well as the importance of helping students peel away the layers of a text, early in their education. It emphasizes that fluency should not be the sole focus of early childhood education… rather forming connections with the text and developing critical thinking skills should be at the forefront of instruction from the early grades.

As someone who works with students with tremendous skill deficits, I cannot deny the importance of teaching fluency, decoding, and word calling strategies. There is a reason that those skills are emphasized during students’ early years; it is the prime time to acquire language. However, critical thinking skills such as predicting, questioning, visualizing, etc. are far more hard-won than simply mastering reading fluency at a particular grade level. My students (who are selected for a summer remediation program) can often demonstrate small but important gains in word calling. Yes, this is easily demonstrable and is motivating for my students. However, it takes them most of the summer (8 weeks of intense intervention) to master even two of three comprehension strategies that they can use when they read. Moreover, almost all my students require multiple demonstrations, repeated opportunities for practice in a variety of groups, and many thinkalouds before they can apply it (at least somewhat seamlessly) to their reading. All of these areas are addressed in the Routman text. However, as a teacher, I found its sequence of skills to be especially relevant. I have seen many lesson plans where strategies are taught in isolation, heaped one upon the other, in the hopes that it will lead to remarkable test scores at the end of the year. That rarely happens. Teaching strategies are singular constructs are neither a good idea nor a profitable use of time. Instead, helping students understand when to use those strategies, either by itself or in conjunction with another strategy, will help students achieve proficiency as readers. This is (at least in my opinion) is a self-perpetuating cycle. Confident readers are far more willing to take risks than those who have no confidence in their ability to read. Those are the types of readers we want our students to be. 

September Post:Share Your Reading Life

This article really resonated with me. Growing up in a school system, as diametrically different to the American education system as one could imagine, I have no idea how our teachers were trained. What I do remember, as early as kindergarten, is walking to our school library (in a single file of course), and being allowed to check out as many books as we could carry in our arms. What’s more, we could go back to the library at any time, and check out more books as long as we returned the ones we had checked out. The point I am trying to make here is that the main motivation of those multiple trips was an abiding love of books that have lasted through hard times, immigration, and across careers. In a nutshell, the author of this article discusses her love of books and the importance of modelling the love for reading in readers.

The salient point in this article is that students are influenced by other readers i.e. their classmates, parents, and teachers. Reading books, regardless of genre, just for the sheer pleasure of the book is paramount in helping students grow. This growth takes a variety of different forms as adults model “reading journals”, quotation notebooks, book recommendations of their own. I thought that the second point was a particularly brilliant idea; this is an idea that would especially appeal to adolescent readers who need that element of ownership to buy into any suggestion an adult makes. It is an idea that I want to try, both for myself and for some of my students. It transforms reading from something one has to do to something one wants to do. My thoughts go back to a young lady that I talked to in the course of a risk assessment. She said she was “a quotes person” and that “quotes made her feel better, gave her strength.” I want to go back to her and give her a notebook and encourage her to read and write. It is a classic example of how reading builds up resilience and academic achievement. In my opinion, students and teachers alike, need resilience to survive the world of education today. In addition, this text underscores the importance of building a rapport with students though conversation. It is a refreshing departure from an emphasis on techniques, standards, and guidelines. It brings the focus back to the importance of human interaction and modelling the behaviors we want our students to exhibit.  In the final analysis, literacy is not an exact science because it involves people and the multiple variables they bring to the table. It is critical that teachers remember the importance of the affective component as they lead their students to become better readers. 

August Post: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

Reading this article made me reflect upon the kinds of information that teachers (new and experienced alike) take for granted. I was not keen about reading this article because I felt that a decade of teaching would have taught me everything I needed to know about organizing a classroom library. However, I learned long ago, that most articles, even ones that seem to be fairly straightforward may contain information that can be valuable. Therefore, I read this one and found that much of the information it contained provided useful reminders about best practices.

Within the realm of my experience (special education classrooms) classroom libraries are one of the most neglected pieces of the reading puzzle. Teachers in general education may receive funding in the wake of new legislation but special education teachers are typically left out. Therefore, much of the task of building up a library is left to the special education teacher’s initiative. This often means that money and time are at a premium, thus placing a classroom library low on the list of a special education teacher’s priorities. I have experienced that in my first several years of teaching. Looking back, I wish I had the courage to ask for help at the time.

The second point that I want to make is about the type of books that should be a part of this library. I read a great deal of informational texts simply because of the nature of my job. However, my natural choice of reading materials is fiction. Many of my students, especially those who struggle, gravitate towards fiction, because they can relate to the characters and (sometimes) the setting of the story. That is why I try to select multicultural texts so that students can be prompted to inquire about the people and places in the stories they read. While I understand the need to frontload information that students will use later, this is something that comes later in a reader’s journey. Initial connections, at least within my experience, comes from reading fictional texts. Much of my classroom library contains multicultural realistic fiction that children can relate to, in some form or another. As children morph into more confident readers, the emphasis can shift to informational texts.

Overall, this article was a valuable reminder that classroom libraries are fluid, changing and adapting to the needs and purposes of the children that we strive so hard to educate. 

Blog 4 Routman Teach with a Sense of Urgency

Blog 4 Teach with a Sense of Urgency- Routman

When I read Routman’s Chapter 4, Teach with a Sense of Urgency I thought, we are already doing that.

We have read alouds, turn and talk, daily writing, writer’s workshop, shared reading and guided reading.

We even have several assessments in place. We gather data, test students and analyze their writing.

But the more I read,  the more I realized that I may not be moving my students the way she describes. I need to include more thinking, rereading, using strategies and modeling. As I try to put these into practice, I hope I can improve individual reading needs and continue to have high expectations for my students.

Shanna Pittman's October Blog

Shanna Pittman’s October Blog:

Organizing an Outstanding Classroom Library

This article emphasized the importance of providing a variety of books on all levels and interest and allowing children to choose the books they read. According to Routman, “Books contribute more strongly to reading achievement than any computer software does. Schools with lots of low-income families have far fewer books available for students, and classroom libraries can help level that playing field”.  This statement is particularly relevant for our school and my classroom.

            I have worked over the years to build my classroom library through programs like Scholastic. I have acquired hundreds of books on varying levels and genres. I have also tried to make reading the focal point of my classroom and the most exciting time of day by building students a “reading hut”, constructed of bamboo with a roof and well-lit. I think I have addressed most of what the author says are the most important components of classroom libraries.

            My biggest weakness where my classroom library is concerned is TIME! Our day is so packed already with specials, whole and small group reading, writing, math, ss, science, lunch, recess, and extra P.E. time (through songs, games, etc.). All of these are important and need to be included in our day. My goal this school year is to address the issue of finding adequate time in my day for students to engage in Independent Reading. We have IR squeezed into our day now. However, it is not as meaningful as it should be. It looks like the next chapter discusses planning for IR so maybe I will find some helpful hints…

Ballenger's October Post

It is wonderful that this book outlines just how to get ScSR started: mini-lesson, practice, then relevant sharing.  I find that my students most often have trouble identifying the main idea of given text.  The sharing time that is to follow the independent reading is a great tool in building and reinforcing this important skill. 

For the follow-up section to the MD teachers’ assignment to “find” time: I the minutes really did add up.  I never thought about the appropriateness of asking students to think about lining up in authentic situations.  Many of the suggestions were procedure-based: musical transitions, lining up, and calendar. 

I could imagine the thought of a visitor to a classroom of students engaged in SSR.  Why are the kids just reading?  Can’t they do that at home?  As I think about that large chunk of time to be devoted to reading, I worry about students maintaining attention for that long of a period.  Few things that kids engage in for enjoyment require that much sustained effort.  Even video games break for load time at shorter intervals!  ScSR offers all the good stuff: direct instruction, practice time, time for interest-based reading, breaks to allow refocusing. The goal of authenticity in reading goes right along with college and career (and life!) readiness.  Asking the question, “How does this look in the ‘real world’?” can often steer teachers in a completely different direction by giving a completely different perspective.

The skill of choosing an appropriate book is something I never quite thought of. We have cute rules regarding choice, but I wonder about offering direct guidance.  The information offered in the 3rd section is explicit and well-organized, as is the whole book.

This book is a great resource that will be such a beneficial reference in the future!

Ballenger's September Post

One of my first thoughts in beginning reading this chapter is of the time period just after end-of-the-year state standardized testing.  I am speaking of the minutes just after a portion of the group I have monitored has finished, but before the entirety of them have completed their assessments.  Students most always bring 2 books with them, and almost every time, one or more will raise his/her hand to tell me that he/she is “done reading”.  I will take a look at the 2 chapter books the friend has brought to testing and out of obligation ask, “Both books? You have finished both books?”  And this friend will assure me that, yes, indeed he/she has read both books and enjoyed them immensely. 

The opportunities for independent reading in my class in a normal day are quite rare, but on these infrequent occasions, I watch my friends rifle through my (admittedly) sparse library, choose a book or two, turn the pages (sometimes looking at them, sometimes not), and trading them out for new “page-turners” in a matter of minutes.  I remember how much I enjoyed reading at the elementary school level, so I was quite shocked when I first experienced this- how could they not love reading?  Why engage in the outward behaviors of reading without caring to actually read?

There are so many moving parts to a successful independent reading situation.  It really does take a concerted effort to provide an environment that is conducive to effective independent reading. The chart on page 14 that compares traditionally implemented SSR to a scaffolded silent reading is very helpful to taking an honest look at what we currently do and really drives this point home. 

Ballenger's August Post

“Finding the minutes” is such a struggle for so many of the great practices that could and should be a part of the school day.  This idea to look at current schedules and “to-do” lists with a skeptical eye is a great one.  So often we do things just because it is “the way we always have”.  In education, we have to remember to be flexible and willing to change- both our habits and our mindset.  This section is a great reminder of that.

The very accurate descriptors of what reading time usually looks like in the typical classroom really call us out.  Our end goal is to build effective, self-motivated readers who engage in reading for a variety of purposes, but our practice seldom has the opportunity to mimic this end.  I am interested to see the descriptors of the offering of a variety of both structured and non-structured reading opportunities in this text. 

Blog 3: Share Your Reading Life -Routman

Blog 3                        Share Your Reading Life

As a child I never liked to read. I didn’t enjoy it at all. I remember my third grade teacher getting excited about reading and a stack of her favorite books on her desk. She read to us each day and would always say the book she was reading was her favorite. I liked her reading to us but mostly I loved her enthusiasm about reading. I wanted to be just like her.

Things didn’t change a lot throughout my school years. I cannot remember my parents reading to me or making me read. School was a struggle until college. I decided to become an early childhood teacher and was determined to teach kindergarten. Oh no, that meant teaching reading and reading to students.  Through the years I acquired a love for reading, mostly children’s books and because of a determined coworker. 

After reading the chapter I knew things had to change. I had to begin modeling and giving students the opportunity to choose the right books for them. I am anxious to try this out with my class and hope to see their enthusiasm grow as mine did.

Nov. Working with My Focus Group

I have really enjoyed working with my small focus group so far!  I meet with a group of 6 fifth grade students who are low readers.  We meet once a week on Thursdays.  So far we have met 4 times.  In the first class time I was able to use the Informal Reading Inventory to hear students read one on one.  this allowed me to see what level each of the students are on and where they need help.  While all but one tested at a level 3 (the other tested at a level 1), they all needed to work on comprehension.  On average, they scored around 50% for comprehension.  In our second meeting we read In the Haunted House.  We were able to slowly go through the story, after our initial read, to discuss the sequence of events and the way the pictures add to the story (little hidden areas of the picture show that it is a fake haunted house and that none of it is real).  The students then wrote about what they would have in their haunted house and were able to illustrate it.  Three of the students stayed with the style of the book and added an element into their illustration to show that it is a fake haunted house.  In our third meeting we read Click, Clack, Boo.  Since we need to focus on comprehension we used legos after our second read to individually build a scene from the book.  Each student was able to successfully discuss a scene from the book that they remembered.  Last week we started reading a graphic novel about Atlantis.  In discussions with these students I was able to pinpoint that they all seemed to enjoy comics.  None of them had very much experience with graphic novels though.  As soon as I gave them the books they were excited...just because of how it looks!  We will take a few weeks to go through this and then create our own graphic novel.  Next week we will see what they remember since we don't get to meet this week (Barrier Island).  I am also excited to begin a reading log with them next week!

Linda Burrell Blog #4: Routman Chapter 4

"Teach with a Sense of Urgency"!!!?? "Gotta go, gotta go,gotta go right now!' was my first thought. Reading the chapter explains the author's thoughts. Ms. Routman encourages good teachers to know where they are heading with the skills and activities they teach. Modeling and moving the students to independence through combining activities is a good strategy. She also says teachers often fail to use the valuable components of goal setting, evaluations and self-evaluation with students. With Kindergarten, I often set the goals without input or discussion with the student. I can see how some of them would benefit from seeing where we are expecting them to head and helping them monitor their own progress.

Oct. Share Your Reading Life

I really enjoyed this chapter as well.  I love to read and I honestly never thought about sharing that with my students.  After reading this chapter I was able to have a conversation with a student about a book that we both love, all because I listened to what he was saying and remembered what the chapter said.  I plan to incorporate the reading log with my kidwatching students.  They will keep one and so will I.  That way I can see what they're reading outside of our time together.  Also, they can see how many books they actually read every month!  This will be encouraging to my struggling readers and it will encourage them to read more.  Hopefully seeing the log that I make will encourage them as well!  I am excited to discuss my love of reading with them and hopefully, inspire them to read some of my favorite books.

Sept.-Organize on Outstanding Classroom Library

I loved reading this chapter.  As soon as I was finished with it I went to Pages on Pine and found around 200 children's books that relate to music and only paid $25!  This has boosted my classroom library!  I let early finishers of music activities read and I am already seeing them more focused on reading just by adding a larger variety of books.  I have also added quite a few pillows for students to use and they are loving it!  This chapter also gave me some good ideas to use with my kidwatching group.  Our reading materials for this group are currently coming from our book closet since we are using small book sets.  I was able to ask my group about some of the things they love to read and found that quite a few like comics or anything with pictures.  We have started reading a graphic novel about the city of Atlantis and each of them has been fully engaged and excited.  We are having a lot of fun!  This article has given me some ideas about what to do with them later.  Once we've gone through around 20 books I plan for us to make a 'Top 10' list of books.  Each of my students will pick their favorite and make an advertisement for that book.  We'll put them in the hallway to inspire other students to read those books!