Catching Readers Before They Fall: Ch. 4

     This chapter, Beyond "Sound It Out," was prominently about helping students put sentences and words together in a way that makes sense. A lot of students skip over words they don't know while reading, or they will pronounce a word completely wrong and not think anything of it, as discussed in the book. This is something I really noticed in my case study student the past couple weeks I have been working with her, so this chapter was interesting to me and there were a lot of helpful techniques and strategies I can't wait to use with her to help her become a better reader. While reading Braelyn, my case study student, will skip over words she doesn't know and she does not monitor for 1:1 matching. For example if the book says "come and play baseball with us" she will say, "come play with us." She has a tendency to shorten the sentence and not say every word, but still manages to get the point of the sentence across. However, as a beginning reader that is not a good technique for her to develop because as she gets older she will have to learn how to read every word of a sentence correctly and in order for it to make sense. The book gave a lot of great examples and strategies to use, so I can't wait to try those out and help Braelyn progress! 

      Before reading this chapter I didn't realize how much work goes into reading and helping students read correctly. As an adult, like me, it comes naturally so it is hard to put yourself in the shoes of an elementary school student and help them start from scratch. Every student reads differently and has a different way of thinking, so as a teacher it is so, so important to be patient and help them every step of the way. I also noticed a pattern throughout this book; in every single chapter it stresses how important modeling is, so I really want to be sure to use modeling while working with Braelyn and all of my future students and help them become a stronger reader every single day.

Catching Readers Before They Fall: Ch. 5 and 10

In chapter 5 it referred to the classroom environment as a “comprehensive literacy framework,” and that really caught my attention. Throughout the chapter it discussed different components of the comprehensive literacy framework in regards to reading and writing, and that is something I really want to be sure to encourage in my classroom one day. As I was reading through the different components it made me realize how much patience, effort, and work goes into reading and writing on the teacher’s part and how crucial it is to help the students develop a solid literacy framework.  One thing that really stood out to me was the importance of a book’s introduction. Whenever I read a book I don’t spend a lot of time on the introduction; instead I just skip to the body of the book and start reading. As a future teacher that is something I will really have to work on especially when working with elementary students because the introduction is what will get them “thinking before reading” as the book said, and it will get them to engage in the book.

            Another quote that stood out to me in chapter 5 when it discussed scheduling groups for reading was, “Being fair does not always mean equal time with the teacher. It means providing children with the kind of instructional support required for them to continue to develop as a reader (pg. 81).” I think this is so, so important to understand as a teacher. I think a lot of teachers are constantly trying to be fair and give all of their students’ equal attention and time, but it just doesn’t work like that especially when it comes to literacy. It would not be fair of the teacher to spend the same amount of time with a struggling reader as they do with a very advanced reader. If a student is struggling I think it is important that the teacher focuses on their needs until the student feels confident. Literacy is something the students will use throughout the duration of their lives, so I think it is understandable if the teacher spends more time with the struggling students and doesn’t take into account having “equal time” with all students.  However, teachers do need to give attention and be there for the more advanced students as well.

            I think a lot of people mostly think of reading when they hear the word literacy, I know I am guilty of this, but writing is just as important. Community and independent writing is so important in the classroom. I think community writing is a great way for students to learn from one another and reflect on other student’s work to come more efficient on their own. Independent writing is a good time for the students to see how much they can do on their own and to apply the techniques and strategies they have learned in class. Writing is a crucial component to one’s life whether you are writing for school, for fun, for extracurricular activities, etc.; therefore, as a teacher it is important to start the students off as early as possible and have them writing all throughout the day to get all the practice they can get to become fluent writers. As they discussed earlier in the book…. practice makes perfect.

            Teaching kids how to read and write is imperative, but as teachers we can’t forget to be observers as well as discussed in chapter 10. When doing my field experience and volunteering in classrooms, I always feel uncomfortable observing and watching my students work because I don’t want to make them feel weird or put too much pressure on them that they can’t complete their work. After reading about different strategies and tools however in chapter 10, I do feel better about it and I feel like I know more about assessing and appropriate ways to do it. One specific test I particularly liked to assess student learning was the developmental reading assessment 2 on page 183. I like this test because it focuses on many different aspects of the child’s literacy level such as instructional level, comprehension, and fluency. This test can be used for beginners or experts in the literacy department and I look forward to trying it out in my classroom!

Catching Readers Before They Fall: Ch, 1, 2, and 3

        As discussed in the book, every child needs to learn how to read; however, every child learns at a different pace while also using different strategies. Struggling readers do not do the kinds of thinking that proficient readers do in their heads as they read, so as it said in the book, classroom teachers really need to serve as a strong safety net for their students. I strongly agree with this statement especially at an elementary level because the students look up to their teachers so much at this age and view them as a role model. Yes, it can be difficult dealing with a struggling reader, but I think it is so important for teachers to never give up and keep pushing their students as hard as they can. The book listed out a set of beliefs about teaching reading to primary students and one that really stood out to me was "observation and assessment should drive our instruction as we build on students' known skills and strategies in order to help them integrate new learning (pg. 3)." This really stood out to me because I always find myself helping students right away whenever they are struggling and not giving them a chance to fix their mistakes on their own. Observing and not helping students right away is so important because it helps you understand the child's way of thinking and their learning style, which will help you even more as the teacher when you do step in to help them. Assessing what the students have learned is also important because you want to make sure they are taking in all the information they are reading.
       In chapter 2 it mentioned how some teachers believe it is the reader's own fault if they are struggling due to a deficit or disability. Some teachers are so cruel to think that their learning strategies must be effective if most kids in the classroom are learning just fine, and if students aren't successfully learning then it is their own fault and they need to get tested. I cannot believe some teachers actually think like that; that is horrible. If some students are struggling, I think it is the teachers job to take a step back and look at his or her teaching strategies and how they could improve them to suit everyone. I believe that all children are capable of reading; everyone just learns at different paces. Every student is not going to get it right off of the bat, so it is the teachers responsibility to be patient and work with each student at his or her own pace. But then the question is, how much class time should teachers take to teach struggling readers to read without taking time out of other lessons? However, at the end of the day I think it is most important that students are learning how to read effectively and efficiently. That should be one of the top priorities of the teacher.

Kids Need to Read A Lot

In order for kids to be experts in reading, reading needs to be enforced and incorporated in the classroom multiple times a day. In the reading it talked about how the schools that incorporated more reading into their classroom had higher scores on their reading comprehension tests than those that did little reading in the classroom. As it said in the reading, "practice makes perfect." In order for the kids to develop an accurate and high-comprehension reading level, they need practice; children, especially at a young age, are not experts right off the bat and they need the guidance of their teachers and parents.
In the reading it talked a lot about different strategies teachers use to increase the level of reading comprehension in the classroom such as homework assignments, in-class readings, flash cards, silent reading, and Go Fish games; however my question is, what if these strategies don't work for everyone? As a teacher, how do we come up with an activity or assignment that will benefit both the higher-achieving and lower-achieving readers. Sometimes students get embarrassed if they get called out of the classroom to be read aloud to because they aren't at a high-level of reading comprehension, so how do we as teachers create an environment in the classroom for all types of readers without singling anyone out?
The reading also talked about interruptions in the classroom such as specials, instructional support programs, or even public announcements. These interruptions can really take away from reading time and cause these students to get distracted and take their mind off of reading. It is my goal as a future teacher to enforce reading in the classroom as much as possible no matter what obstacles and interruptions I face. Reading is the foundation to a successful life, and if I have to take time out of other lessons in order for my students to have more reading time then I will. I want my students to love to read and I want them to realize how important it really is. If they learn how to read at a young age, then it will come naturally as they get older and will be that more successful.

Kids Need Book They Can Read

The article, "Kids Need Books They Can Read," talks about books that are "just right" for the elementary level specifically grades K-3. However, before students start reading more complex books to increase their reading-comprehension level, I think it is important for them to start with the really easy books and work their way up. Reading really easy books can help the students develop a positive stance towards reading, which is really important. You want the kids to like to read, so if you give them entertaining and easy books to read at first it will motivate them to want to read more and eventually increase their reading-comprehension levels.
       If we want students to achieve any academic achievement, we need to assign instructional books that they can read fluently and effectively, as it talks about in the article. I think some teachers assign books that are way too complex for their students as a way to challenge them, but instead of really taking the information in, the students are just trying to figure out how to read and pronounce each word. If the teacher assigns a book that is appropriate for the students and at their reading level, then they won't have any problem reading and it will be easier for them actually comprehend the text.
       The article also mentioned an accelerated reading program that benefits each student because it matches students with books at their reading level while also challenging them a bit, but not too much. I think this is a great idea, and I actually did a similar thing at my elementary school and I loved it. We had to read on AR (accelerated reader) book a week and then we would have to take a ten question quiz over the book to see how much we comprehended. This is an activity I would really like to use in my classroom as well because it holds the students accountable for their reading and encourages them to pay attention to the book.