Candidates are expected to complete the assigned reading, post, and reply by 11:59 p.m., Central Standard Time (Daylight Savings Time), on due date. You are welcome to work ahead. POSTS AND/OR REPLIES SUBMITTED AFTER DUE DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!
After reading the assigned chapter(s) as outlined in the course schedule, candidates will POST his or her comments, thoughts, ideas, questions, possible applications at http://teel481f10.blogspot.com. The post is not a summary. A total of two (2) points will be given for posting the assigned daily requirements in the blog. Candidates will re-visit the blog, read other threads, and REPLY to ONE colleague. Discussions are an integral part of the course and internship agenda. A total of two (2) points will be given for replying the assigned daily requirements. The instructor will look for: 1. Analysis of the reading/issue. 2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue. 3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? 4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
NOTE: User name is your email address and Password is your choice. Blogger name must include your first name and last name initial. SUGGESTION: Type your Post and Reply in a word document, save them, then copy and paste them into the Blog.
I found the same center activities on page four in the text to be very helpful. It is a really great idea to have one center for each of the areas of reading to help students. I completed my reading internship in a second grade classroom and they used a similar method while giving individualized tests. The problem was that it was unorganized which resulted in a great deal of noise, confusion among students, and students staying at one station and not actually doing the activity. Mr. Hugo, the teacher in the sample had a much more effective approach. After reading about the approaches to reading instruction I feel that the comprehensive approach is the one which I would use in my classroom. I feel that it is necessary to teach students the basic phonics and linguistics of reading, but I feel this is more effective when reading authentic texts. I feel that it is important to have a large and diverse classroom library. We can take interest surveys of our students and find many books of interest at multiple reading levels. If students are not able to self-select books or read in authentic situations they may not develop a joy for reading, especially if reading does not occur at home. This is vital to reading success. I do agree that we must teach the children, not the method. We should get to know our students and then implement different techniques and ideas. I took the personal philosophy ‘quiz’ and I learned a lot about myself. I scored at the in between level. The text says people who score this score usually do not know how they will teach reading and what methods will be used in their classroom. I think that is partially true, but I also feel that it is hard to make these decisions before actually having students in class. I feel that a combination of methods and creative ideas must be used each year for different students. This is an easy to read text book and I look forward to continuing in reading the material. I am also starting to feel really excited about this class, and the amount of skills and information we are going to learn and use throughout the semester.
This chapter reminded me a lot of my mentor teacher from my reading methods course. Her class is done in groups of 6 and the students are grouped by their reading levels. During reading the students do their bug tubs (centers) they are in their bug tub for the entire duration of reading time. Which during that time their group may be called to her reading table for their reading time with her or they may be called out in the hall to read with the instructional reading para. Each day the groups will go to a new bug tub center and complete the task in that center. An example of what would be found in the bugs tubs are: word family activity, writing specific letters and sentences, spelling puzzles, bingo, etc. Each week the bug tubs are change and each tub has a specific skill that they are working on. During their bug tubs the students are to complete the task and they will record their task on their recording sheet. If time allowed, they would get their own black and white little reader out to read. They are to read their book and then color the pages. I like this idea as a whole it seems to work a lot better than rotating through all the centers during that reading time. I also volunteer during my daughter’s kindergarten reading time and all I can say is that it is very chaotic and I think it’s because they rotate every 15 minutes in their reading centers. Whereas the first grade class that I just mentioned stayed in the same center then entire time.
I also did not know the all 3 major parts of reading. I enjoyed reading about them and being able to take my background knowledge that I had and learn more about what I already knew and learning a lot on what I didn’t know. As I was reading this chapter I began to think about my own daughter who I think struggles with reading herself. After reading this chapter it makes perfect sense why my daughter is struggling at school but not at home with me. She is more of a part to whole vs. the whole to part, which is what they have been doing in her kindergarten class.
I enjoyed reading this chapter as well. Something that I liked was the scenario with Mr. Hugo. I think that most all first year teachers will experience something pretty similar to to what he experienced. I liked how he was able to turn is classroom around fairly quickly. I liked some of the center ideas on page 4 too. I also found on page 12 there was a look of good activities that went along with the comprehensive approach, that I think could be adapted to any of the of approaches mentioned in this chapter!
Chapter 1 was a great start to help ease my nervousness in the internship! It gave me motivation that every teacher will have a different approach to correction of reading disabilities because of his or her literacy philosophy. I thought it was interesting that each teacher needs a philosophy in order to be effective at helping the students. Figure 1.8 helped me recall some of the activities my teachers used to help me learn to read and I could form a pretty good philosophy just from answering some of the questions the figure gave. I also took the short quiz in Figure 1.10 about miscue analysis and it gave great information about when to ignore or correct a student. This figure gave me a lot more information than I have previously learned about miscue analysis and I believe I could administer one easily.
The reading methods mentor teacher I interned for rotated every 15 minutes and I agree, it was chaotic...but most the time it depended on the day. Some days students would be hyper because it was Friday and other days (especially the Monday after Halloween) students would be so tired they didn't want to work at all. I'm not sure if first graders and Kindergarten are old enough to rotate so quickly. I felt each group would have finished more work if they had 20-25 minutes in each session.
I found chapter one to be both exciting and enlightening. After taking the quiz on which I scored in between or undecided, I was a bit disheartened. I wonder however if this isn't somewhat common for a beginning teacher though. There are all these different ways to teach reading and there is not a clear cut best method. As a beginning teacher I wouldn't want to discount any method as children all learn in their own unique ways. I particularly liked the stages displayed on page 14. I am going to definitely refer back to that one. There are some students that I see in the classroom that I can now pinpoint their stage development. I feel the text was very good at explaining the 3 main models for teaching. I have tried bits and pieces of each just to help my own children read. The historical overview was very interesting. It made me wonder why the changes in reading were so dramatic in 4th grade and yet the changes weren't that significant in the eighth grade and high school age students. To me I think that perhaps the schools are pushing their students to read faster and better earlier, but the evidence shows that they are no better off for learning it earlier. Either that or the middle schools and high schools are not pulling their weight. I would be curious as to what the rest of you think.
In response to Brooke W. I like the bug tub idea. This sounds like a good way to keep it organized changing the tubs would be very easy to do. How exciting to be able to verify how your child learns best.
The bug tub idea is a wonderful idea, but I think that the students could benefit from being grouped together not only by the same reading ability, but also by different reading abilities at times as well. Students learn from each other and perhaps students would see what their classmates are doing and be able to apply their strategies or adjust their own. Additionally, it would provide students with an opportunity to do some peer tutoring and work together as a team.
Ashley R, they have plenty of other times when they are not in there specific reading level groups. This is only for reading. They spend their day in groups at their tables which they are randomly put. So the students are with all their peers throughout the day. The teacher also does peer tutoring as well. She will pair them up in different levels and they will do reading activities together. The class has very high reading levels. There is 24 students in this class, 8 students are above level (4th grade and up), 6 students are at or above level (below 4th grade to first), 4 students are at level (first grade), 3 students are below level and 3 are below level and require instructional reading. With that being said there is more higher level reading students than lower, so having the bug tubs in place allows the teacher to really focus on the students who need extra help.
I took the personal philosophy profile, which categorized me as midrange. I was two points away from viewing reading as a “set of skills” and that phonics should be taught and I was two points away from believing that “reading is a holistic event.” After reading the chapter and taking the profile quiz, I find it interesting that they would say I haven’t given much thought to how I would teach reading. Because I have given it a lot of thought and believe that every child is different and therefore if I had only one view of how I will teach, then I will be doing a disservice to those students who may need a different approach in learning how to read. I believe that we need phonics as well as using stories that students have read and enjoyed. We can incorporate both! I want my students to learn how to read and at the same time, enjoy what they are reading. I remember from the Reading Methods course last semester about miscues, but I was never sure how to use them. I like how the book explains what we should correct and why and what corrections don’t need to be addressed. I read a story in my internship class last semester and I mispronounced the word rhinoceros. The Para in the class corrected me, and for the first few sentences I stumbled over some more words because I was embarrassed and nervous about making more mistakes. I reflected on that situation later that day and decided that unless the student is having severe difficulty with a word or is not pausing/stopping at the appropriate times, then I won’t correct them while they are reading. If correction needs to be made, I will do it at the end of the reading and will make a general statement about any corrections and not point any fingers. I really enjoy reading this book and especially the scenarios. It certainly brings teaching into focus and gives us examples to guide us when we teach.
It does sound so far that beginning teachers are in the midrange category. It will be interesting to take this quiz again after teaching for a couple of years.
The Maize school district focuses on Reading and Math only for K-2. I wonder if they did studies on emphasizing only those two areas.
Wow, what a wonderful mentor teacher you had last semester. I love the idea of the bug tubs and how she relates the reading curriculum and develops activities to go along with the curriculum so that the students are not just doing "worksheets."
I enjoyed reading Chapter 1 both for the reintroduction to many of the ideas and theories discussed in other courses, and for the new information presented. The information presented on the three major reading models was nice to read to get me back in the swing of things after a busy winter break. As I read through these models I found myself thinking about my preferred model and philosophy and thought the reading profile assessment was interesting. I found the list of strategies used in a comprehensive approach to be very similar to those used in my reading internship class last semester, and mirror many of the strategies I hope to incorporate in my own classroom. I have been very interested in teaching reading to ELL students and was pleased to see a good portion of this chapter devoted to this topic. The change in the makeup of students in the classroom has led me to realize how important it is to be ready and capable to teach to these students. My reading internship class did not have any ELL students so my hands-on experience working with these students is limited. Reading is a subject that is so important in the education of students and was instrumental in my education. I look forward to the remainder of this text to prepare me for my own classroom. Response to Janet H: I think many students and beginning teachers will fall into the undecided or in between category when taking this quiz. It is difficult to know exactly what theory or philosophy one believes in after only taking a few courses in the subject and with minimal hands-on experience teaching. There are many ways of teaching and I personally think that a comprehensive approach makes the most sense. As for the historical overview and changes in reading abilities I think maybe this is the result of focusing on reading more at the younger grades more than in the upper grade levels. It seems to me that when I was in school once I reached middle school the focus shifted more toward other subjects and the increasing number of extracurricular activities takes some of the focus away from academics. Tyler
Christine, I had almost the same score after taking the personal philosophy profile. I also was surprised to read that they feel that means that I have not thought about how I will approach teaching reading in the schools. I feel that teaching should encompass many different strategies. I also feel that our approach to teaching reading may change depending on the students we have in our classroom. If we become set in only one method we lose flexibility as teachers. I do understand that most people lean towards one method or another, but like the text always says teach the student not the method!
Janet, It sounds like many of us scored in between rather than to one side or the other. I do believe this could be because we are beginning teachers and we haven't been in the classroom to experience a great deal of reading instruction. I feel that once I get into the classroom I will develop more of an understanding of how to teach reading based on the students that I have in my classroom. It is very difficult to say which methods or techniques I feel are best when I do not have students to base my answers on.
I felt that the stages were very helpful as well. I will also refer back to that!
This first chapter does a nice job blending information about the theory and art of teaching with real-life, practical applications. Super ideas regarding centers. The information reminded me of the Tompkins Mini-Teach assignment with Dr.Walizer last semester (I was assigned to "teach" Literacy Centers). My favorite information was in figure 1.6 regarding many options for classroom strategies for the comprehensive approach. It got me really thinking hard about ideas I want to try with my tutoring group already! I have to admit, I've never taken the time to reflect on my own personal literacy experience until now. I found the historical reading reform of interest as well. The scenario with "Mr. Hugo" certainly sounds like something we will all be able to relate to in the next year or so. I can imagine how the reality starts to sink in with first year teachers about the real-world challenges of the wide range of readers we will have to reach in our class. The scenario reminds us how important it will be to rely on the advice of mentor teachers, a positive attitude, and varied, creative resources to get us through.
Like most students have mentioned so far, I too scored in the midrange category in the philosophy profile questionnaire. Although I know this is a common score for a beginning teacher, it makes me feel unprepared when I want to be confident and put together. Perhaps it is just the nervousness speaking. Reading to me is seeing, hearing, reading, and understanding individual words that form sentences and understanding these sentences that form paragraphs, and understanding these paragraphs form student comprehension. Reading is being able to laugh at what you just read because it was funny, it is being able to feel while reading something, it is being able to apply what is read into physical movements, etc… I want my students to be confident in their reading abilities, and I am looking forward to learning methods and strategies in this class that will help me provide my students with the best reading experience possible. While this chapter did release some of my tension, reading it and applying it are two different things. Which will also be true for the students we work with, and it is up to us to teach them while meeting their individual needs.
In response to Brooke W... Sounds like you had a wonderful mentor teacher - thanks for sharing those great ideas. I think your last comment about your daughter is fantastic - you found out that part to whole really works for her - that is an amazing personal connection! Thanks for your comments - Julie
In response to Jaclyn C... I have been in a few classrooms where reading centers were in attempted use also. I think the principle is right, but they have to be monitored often. I have seen when the centers just turned into a social gathering and nothing productive was being accomplished. I also think the way the students are grouped can make a big difference in a setting like this.
I think you make a good point when you say that we have to get to know our students and then learn methods and approaches that suit their needs.
Well I definitely feel for Mr. Hugo. I have always been amazed at the pressures and demands placed on teachers and students and often wonder how they all maintain the level of sanity they do throughout the year. My mentor teacher last semester said his first year of teaching generally placed him in strictly survival mode. He said he was so overwhelmed and every time he thought he was making progress in his methods or with his students abilities, something would remind him how far he yet had to go. I have noticed throughout my internships how vast the skill levels often are among just three or four students in one class. It really is a challenge to meet all their needs continually when they are spread out in ability level. My mentor, like Mr. Hugo from the chapter had to re-evaluate their strategies and remember it was vital to reach the child and not focus on one universal method, since clearly children are not in any way characteristically universal. I often wonder how I will cope my first year of teaching. I know I am going to have to be extremely reflective, aware, open-minded and organized, organized, organized. There is a section of the chapter that discusses the methods in which children learn to read which I found really interesting. I think phonics is so important and teaching a child the patterns and sounds of letters and letter groups is invaluable. I still run across words when I am reading that I have never seen, and without this skill I could not pronounce, decipher, and decode the word. I know that all people learn many words by sight, but that method cannot be used alone. If it were I think children would have a limited vocabulary. I think it is extremely important for our students to be analyzed for specific needs, and then it is our responsibility to determine which method will most benefit them. I want my students to know the importance of reading and enjoy it. Their ability to read is what will make them functional in a literate society.
While reading chapter one, I found myself wondering if these approaches were used when I was younger. It seems as though that the theories were there but no one knew what to do with them. This chapter discussed the importance of literacy and how much it affects us everyday. I would have never thought that I would need to be able to ready at the 10th grade level to understand information on medicine. My question about the text is about the sight word approach. How is it effective to have a student memorize words? I think that memorization does nothing for you, honestly. I remember memorizing information for tests and as soon as I was done with the test, I forgot everything that I had studied. When a student memorizes a word, they are not learning it. They are not learning any of its components. My favorite part of chapter one is the comprehensive approach. This approach allows students to be exposed to different forms of text. The students are enjoying what they are reading. I also like that students are grouped differently for various tasks. I think that having students of different abilities work together can create success for everyone in the group. My elementary school experience was not exactly peaches and cream. I hated school. I went because it got me out of my house for 8 hours. I struggled, constantly. I felt like no one would help me and honestly, no one did until the 3rd grade. My teacher realized I had problems with math, so she set me up with an after school tutor. Now mind you, I didn't like this teacher because she was mean. The only time I remember receiving praise from her was when I knew how to spell the word 'restaurant'. But my tutor, she was wonderful. She realized I had more than just problems with math. The whole reason I didn't understand my math work was because I couldn't read the directions. Wow. It took her a whole 20 minutes with me to figure that out. Now, reading is completely different for me. I love to read and it was because one person took interest. My tutor used the Phonics program to help me. I had to learn all of the sounds that letters make and then I had to put them together. She used games and things that I was interested in. Overall, this chapter helped me decide which approach I like the most and why. But it also gave me ideas that I can use in my classroom every day.
I love how you think about reading. That it is so much more complex than some people think it is. Most of us do not even think about how to read, we just do. I want to be able to give that to my students. I want them to have understanding of a whole jumble of words. Comprehension is so important. Sure you can read the words, but can you understand them.
I found Chapter One engaging. I didn’t know about the part-to-whole, whole-to-part, or the comprehensive reading approaches. After I read through each one, I realized that I have had experience with them. My school used a combination of these three. We had phonics instruction about once a week, we did shared reading, and we did a lot of writing. I also found the section over English Learners very interesting because I want to go back and teach in my hometown and I know that there are some students there who don’t know English very well. The most important thing that I found in this chapter was the all of the examples (Figure 1.7, 1.12, ect) that they used after a certain passage. After reading the chapter I realized that I still have a lot to learn about reading instruction. It’s all up to me to help students learn how to read because if they don’t, then they will struggle throughout the rest of their lives.
I agree with you about the pressure that teachers have to face every year. It's a wonder that they get anything done. My cousin is a 2nd year teacher and he struggled throughout his entire 1st year of teaching. He thought that he was doing a really good job and then his principal told him that he couldn't teach. Teachers also have to watch out for other teachers. My cousin had to deal with another teacher who was trying to cost him his job. I believe that every effective teacher needs to figure out their students skill levels with reading as soon as they can so that they and the students will have a good year.
I agree with you....I don't believe the HS especially pushes the students to read harder. I substituted in HS English and the students were reading Dracula...yes it is an old classic, but not only did they not want to read it, a few of the students had the attitude that they were not even able to read it.
What does that say about the way we are teaching our students to read???
In response to Jaclyn C. I too agree that it is hard to decide what teaching approach best defines you as a teacher because you don't know which approach will best influence your students. We all know that different students learn best with techniques and strategies that meet their needs. Being familiar with all learning approaches is what I have decided to do and pull for those to create an teaching approach that serves all the students in my class.
I found this first chapter very interesting and really enjoyed reading it. It also sparked a major question for me regarding the internship portion of this class. After reading this chapter the lingering question for me was how do I know what my students needs are going to be? According to the chapter the best way to meet the reading and writing needs of your students is to provide them with books and instruction that meet their specific needs. For some students that do not know who will be in their tutoring groups this may be hard. I understand that the interest inventory will address some of these concerns. I think knowing your students and their interest will help drive your instruction but I also think that providing parallel instruction is important as well. Reinforcing what is being taught in the classroom is also important. This is where my questions arise. I would like to implement things into my tutoring that the students are doing in class. Therefore I need to have a relationship with the grade level teacher to provide this instructions. Is this okay? While reading I found that ideas given for the assessment centers to be a great idea. Last semester in my reading and language arts internship the mentor teacher was having a problem with her students being off task during guided reading time. They were to silent read, write spelling words, or literacy worksheets. I could see that what they were doing was not engaging so we decided to make literacy corners. The items were only available during guided reading and switched out twice a week. The corners worked great. I love the idea of a readers theater. When I taught Pre-K we had several books that we would read throughout the year and each time we would read the book different students would act out the book. They loved this. I would love to use this in intermediate grades and I am sure I can implement this into my tutoring! This chapter made me realized how far I have come in a year when I took childrens literature. I know have a definite philosophy on how I want to teach students how to learn. I definatley take a comprehensive approach but realize that I need to be familiar with all other approaches as well because I do see the advantages to using them in the classroom. The more I read the more I can see my classroom transforming into a place where students are immersed in reading, writing, speaking, viewing and listening.
Like most of the other students have reported I also scored mid-range. I learned a lot in this chapter about the three reading models and, like Janna stated, realized that I was introduced to these in grade school. I can remember sitting in first grade working on a “phonics book” that contained worksheets that we simply filled out and were graded. We received instruction prior to doing them so we’d know what to do. We also wrote a lot of short stories, journals, and other things to keep our writing skills in order and we often did a lot of other things. I was unaware of the actual names of the models. I’ve seen them used obviously but I didn’t know they each had their own specific name that would help educators identify them. I loved the segment on English Language Learners because I went to college in Garden City and worked as a reading tutor as part of the America Reads program at the Alta Brown Elementary school. It was very difficult and challenging for me in ways because I had one second grade class that was a dual language classroom. They spent half of their day learning in Spanish and half learning in English but many had very limited English skills. I enjoyed working with them and teaching them English as much as I enjoyed picking up a little Spanish along the way. SIOP is a great way to make sure these students are getting the most out of every lesson. Reading this chapter allowed me to look at my own education differently. I realized some of the things I was exposed to as a child have shaped me into the educator I am now and hopefully will help me become a better educator in the future. I wondered if there is a particular approach that shows dramatic improvement in reading abilities. The book hit on this but never actually gave an answer.
Tara, I think the literacy corners are a great idea! What kinda of activities did the students do and did they get more on-task time while in these centers? I think switching them out frequently is also excellent because I've seen reading centers that stay the same for months at a time and the children get very bored with them quickly. Do you have any suggestions for literacy centers that worked well for your students in internship?
One of the biggest things I took away from this first chapter was that every teacher will have their own approach to correction of reading disabilities based on his or her literacy philosophy. I loved Figure 1.8 – it gave some excellent activities for teachers to refer to help students learn to read. I also liked the stages that were displayed on page 14. This will be a great resource! I always love information pertaining to ELL students and how to teach reaching to these students. This chapter discussed great strategies to adapt to these students which I found to be helpful. Overall, I found this text to be an easy read and I look forward to reading and discussing the remaining chapters.
The bug tubs sound like a great idea. Thanks for sharing! In my internship, I was in a first grade classroom and they did it very similar to how your class did centers. Each day students stayed at the same center and then rotated throughout the week. During center time, my mentor teacher would call up reading groups to read with her. I agree with you that this methods cuts down on chaos.
I thought this chapter was full of very useful information. I actually enjoyed reading out of this textbook. It basically summed up how important it is for teachers to take on their own approach to teaching in their classroom. A teacher has to come up with their own philosophy for teaching reading. It also gave a bunch of great techniques we could use in the classroom. I will continue to look back at this chapter to get ideas out of it. I didn't have any questions throughout this chapter because it was such an easy and fun read. This chapter really made me sit back and think what my philosophy really is. It took me a little while but I realized that my philosophy would have to do with what children are getting out of reading at home. They may come to school and hate reading all because at home they never get read to, and their parents always talk negatively about reading. Parents have so much influence on their children and they need to realize that their actions can effect how their children learn. I think when I have my own classroom I want to try and get the parents involved in their child's reading habits at home. I want the parents to read with them and quiz their children at home because that could make the reading more enjoyable for the child and it will help them retain the information they are reading.
Kacey F: I also thought that figure 1.8 was really neat. It made me realize how much reading I really did at home while I was growing up and it helped give me ideas on what I can do at home with my own children to help them succeed with learning and to make learning fun for them.
Chapter 1 was almost a review of theories we learned throughout our Reading and Language Arts Methods course. It was good to read about these theories again and get a better idea about how each of them pertains to teaching children to read. But, one of the important things to remember is that all children learn differently and no one method is effective for every student. Methods must be combined and altered when working with students. I also enjoyed learning more about teaching reading to English learners because I will be working with several ELLs in my tutoring group. I do not have much experience with this, but I am very excited about what we will accomplish and learn from each other. One of the methods mentioned in our textbook for ELLs is the total physical response (TPR) on page 13. This sounds like a fabulous way to teach and enforce vocabulary by having students say, spell, and act out each new word. Overall, what I am taking away from this chapter is the question, “What will my teaching philosophy and literacy philosophy be?” Thinking back on all of my elementary teachers, I can remember many different teaching and literacy philosophies. My most ineffective teacher believed only in individual seatwork and worksheets. My most effective teacher used a wide variety of methods and strategies. I can recall completing individual work, whole class work, and small group work, while also creating countless hands-on projects. This is the type of classroom that I would like to provide for my students. Learning that matters.
I enjoyed reading the chapter and I have seen some of the sample center activities implemented in kindergarten and first grade where I work. One thing about the speaking instead of using a tape recorder it would be neat and more cost effective to use the computer and Audacity to record the student's reading. Files could be saved and stored and as the year goes on the child could hear his or her progress. In the first grade and kindergarten classes they use "whisper phones" which would work too. I thought the daily reading materials reading levels were interesting. I really never thought about those items in regards to reading levels. In looking over the reading models, I tried to think about what I remembered as a student long ago, and what I see now as a para. The only thing I remember from my youth was "Dick and Jane". In the classroom now, I see bits and pieces of all three approaches in the Part to Whole model, in the kindergarten through second grades. In reference to the personal reflection inventory, I remember reading my first book at the age of 4, however my mom read it to me numerous times and I memorized the text. I slowly found other books that I enjoyed and I took off reading. I enjoyed reading as a child and do as an adult but I don't know that I would enjoy reading as much or learning to read as much in this day and age. I really find it quite unappealing when the students go to the school library and they are told that they can check one book out for "fun", and one book for "AR". I think to myself, shouldn't all the books you pick have some degree of "fun" or enjoyment?
Kiley A… I also think it is very important that parents provide support for the children at home. This is a great way to shed a positive light on school subjects like reading and math. Unfortunately, every child’s home life cannot be expected to encourage activities like reading. This is why it is especially important to try and establish strong communication with parents and to always portray reading as a positive activity in the classroom and school. Keep up these great ideas about strengthening children’s educations by getting parents involved!
One of the things the first grade class does at our school is send home a reading log. If the child is read to or reads they write it in the log. If the child has read 100 entries he/she gets a bronze medal, 200 silver, and 300 gold. Sadly, I have been at that school for 5 years, so that would be approximately 400 first graders and I would bet only 20 medals have been given and usually it is a handful of children that have made it to gold. It is such a neat idea, but it shows that the involvement is not there.
I really think the center activities were interesting. When I started reading this chapter, I really enjoyed that it started off with a scenario and how it was handled. I really was interested in the different theories this chapter presented. I really liked the quote by Vygotsky on page 7 “What the child can do in cooperation today he can do alone tomorrow.” I think I am really going to take the hierarchy of human needs into effect and have some snacks in my classroom and even extra clothes and stuff. Dr. Walizer taught us about some issues last semester in reading and language arts that some students went through and the teacher did something small for the student and it brightened their day for a long time. Sometimes parents don’t think about the child’s needs and so they often forget what the child needs or doesn’t have. I really found the section on the reading models very interesting. The three reading models mentioned are the part to whole approach, the whole to part approach, and the comprehensive approach. The Venn diagram on page 8 showed the comparison of the three reading models. This of course is another book I am keeping to use later when I teach. I understand comprehension is a huge part in children knowing how to read. I have a 14 year old niece that thinks rushing through everything is the best way to go. We have told her that if she is the first one done but is not comprehending or understanding the reading material or the assignment that she is just harming herself. She won’t listen and still tries to rush through everything. I think she will always rush through life in general. I think she wants to rush into her adulthood as well and we tell her enjoy your younger days because once they are gone they are gone for good. I really liked the section on English learners. I think these types of students are becoming more widely known in the other parts of the world. My mom works at a school in San Diego California and the have a lot of English language learners at the school. She works with many of them daily as she is the bus transportation person. I think they are going to start spreading along the United States and become more known in places they haven’t been before. I think we as teachers need to be prepared no matter where we teach to administer our teaching abilities to them as well. The reflection on reading problems was very informational. That is one thing I have always wanted to know more about. Usually the reason a child does not enjoy reading is because they struggle with it and just give up. I would like to know many ways to help them through that and teach them to enjoy reading.
In response to Royce K – I think the computer would be a great idea to use instead of a tape recorder. I think the students would enjoy listening to themselves later as they get older. My 7th grader enjoys looking back on his school work from the younger days all the time. He laughs at himself and the way he use to do things and does them differently now. I also enjoyed reading when I was younger. I still enjoy reading but I don’t ever find the time to sit and read a book. I lead such a busy life now. I know there is no reason for excuses but after doing my school work in a day, raising three boys and helping them get through school and then their extracurricular activities I am exhausted and just want to see my bed. I agree about the book for fun and the book for AR. My son enjoys it now that he is in junior high because they don’t do the AR program. He is able to read a book that he chooses He is also able to read a book over and over and over again if he wishes. I watched some students in the internship last semester that were reading books so fast and taking AR tests and doing great on them. The mentor teacher and I were busy with a project and finally caught on when he was taking a test on his 7th book in about 15 minutes. He was reading lower level books so he can get more tests done and more points, but what he was not realizing was that he was actually hurting himself because he was not reading at his own level or above and was not getting te higher points like he thought.
I found the center activities on page 4 to be great ideas. I worked in a 2nd grade classroom where the teacher used centers for both reading and math. Her centers were pretty similar to the ones suggested in the book. I think that the best approach for teaching any subject is a combination of approaches. I think that a lot of teachers get stuck in one approach and that affects the students’ learning process because not every student learns the same. My youngest daughter actually gained confidence by reading the Dick and Jane series. She wanted to read like her big sister but wasn’t confident in her ability so we started her on that series. I was particularly interested in the English Learners section of the chapter. The majority of the teachers at the school I am interning at this semester are ESOL certified. I am excited to learn from them about how to effectively teach ESOL students. I think this is going to be a very good book.
April, my daughter often commented last year when she was in 8th grade that the AR tests are too easy and she would often be frustrated that they weren't challenging enough.
In my son's school they can check out books only one level lower. But I believe only one book can be lower and anything else has to be at their level or higher.
The closer I come to having my own classroom, the more I begin to feel like the fictional character, Mr. Hugo, portrayed at the beginning of the chapter. I will enter the field of education with a lot of strategies, theories, and information, but the needs and demands of the school district, the school itself, and the individual students will challenge me to maintain a curriculum that may be difficult to implement as a first year teacher.
My son tried using the “Hooked On Phonics” material this summer, as he was about to enter kindergarten. This commercial product uses the linguistic approach the most. Children are introduced to ending sounds (rimes) and then learn to add the onset sounds to form new words. Some sight words, such as “the” are also introduced. Then, the child reads a short book based on the same approach, with short words from the most recent lesson, and occasional words from prior lessons. Christian really enjoyed working on the material, and learned fairly quickly. However, when school started we stopped working with the material, as I didn’t want him getting confused if the school used a different approach. In fact, the kindergarten class has a lot of focus initially on “popcorn words” (sight words), lots of shared reading, and phonics instruction. I feel that the “Hooked on Phonics” work gave him a great background to use when he actually began the phonics instruction in school, and the popcorn words he’s learning mean he’s increasing his reading ability quite quickly. I was glad to read that there is no one way to learn/teach reading. However, I felt that the textbook seemed biased against the phonics approach (part-to-whole) as the language used in the descriptions seemed more dismissive than the whole-to-part model. The text did not formally state that one was “better” than the other, but the tone was different. Curious.
The most important portion of the chapter, for me, was the section on developing our own teaching philosophy. The DeFord profile was an eye-opener, as I had no idea where my philosophy stood. Many of the suggestions for developing a successful philosophy were extremely helpful, such as looking into my past for inspiration. Of course, much has changed since then, and the addition of growing numbers of ELL students will make teaching much more intensive.
On a final note, it was interesting to read about the four stages of English language development. I know of a student who entered high school knowing no English, and two years later spoke quite fluently. She was very outgoing, wrote for the school paper, and was well liked. When I interviewed her by email, however, I realized that her grasp of written English was still very rudimentary. She was obviously at the Intermediate stage, and it made me pause to think that students like her might not receive all the appropriate language instruction simply because we assume that they can read and write as well as they speak.
In response to Royce K. I have such mixed emotions about AR reading. There has been criticism that the questions asked are only representative of the lowest levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, and that we are in some ways limiting students' exposures to different levels of reading by limiting their choices to a certain range. I agree that it doesn't seem right to restrict students from choosing more books that interest them.
My personal favorite section of this chapter was the section on English Learners. I have not yet had much experience with severe English Learners, so I found it very helpful and interesting to read about some helpful tips, and Otaiba and Pappamihiel’s stages of English language development. In Figure 1.7, each stage was described by its characteristics, as well as what appropriate instructional strategies to use when a student is in that particular stage. One intriguing fact I found out from this figure was how much a student’s conversational burden falls upon the shoulder’s of a tutor. The sheltered instruction strategies were also great to see again. Last semester, when developing my instructional units, I found a website over these strategies that I used to help me create modifications for English Learners within my lesson plans.
While reading the chapter, I took the time to complete the DeFord Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile. It was interesting, yet not surprising, to find out that I view reading as a set of skills rather than a holistic event. I have never thought about my own philosophy much until this chapter. So, it was great and useful to take a step back and really think about how I view things. I know my own philosophy is only beginning to form, but we all need a foundation to begin something great somehow! It is my plan to stop and reflect over my own philosophy on reading many times throughout my educational career. I believe it’ll be interesting to see the development of my philosophy grow from now, being a mere college student, to a new teacher to an experienced teacher to a veteran.
In response to Kim D., I have to completely agree with you! I think centers are a great idea and strategy to implement into one’s classroom routine. When I was in elementary school, we used centers. I can still see them set-up in my mind in my second grade classroom. It was something that kept us all actively involved in our learning for just the right amount of time before switching to another activity. I definitely believe I will incorporate centers in my own future classroom, as well as my tutoring sessions this semester! As you stated, not every student learns the same, so I think Mr. Hugo did a great thing by giving the groups color names. Then having Ziploc bags labeled and prepared that contained reading material that suited each groups’ reading ability level.
#1 I found the reading of Chapter 1 very interesting. I was really interested to read about the Whole-to-Part method of teaching reading and decoding skills are used for students to comprehend texts. It was really wonderful to see the classroom strategies provided in figure 1.6 on pg. 12. I know this page will be very valuable to us when we begin our tutoring. #2 I don’t understand why the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile showed me at low range, saying that I view reading as a set of skills, yet I scored me high on the holistic side. The only comment the book makes is if you scored midrange or not low or high you probably have not given much thought to how you would teach and assess reading. What about if you did score high? #3 The issue I have to look at differently is forming one’s philosophy. I had not thought about how a teacher’s philosophy evolves from their experiences, lectures, discussion or experiences. I hope to develop a cohesive approach to philosophy that enables my students to do their best. #4 When my son was in 2nd grade, he brought home a packet every Wednesday that had to be turned in by Friday. It included site words in it, but he had to write the words, put them in order by noun, verb, etc, then sometimes in ABC order, but usually there were five things per packet. Each student had a different packet each week for almost 6 weeks. I am sorry to say, I do not believe these helped my son, because he did them for one evening, and never looked at them again. If he had gotten the packet again and again, maybe that would have made a difference.
As I read the chapter, there was quite a bit of information that caught my attention. The constructivist theory says, “Teachers provide authentic learning experiences for students, help them build connections, and provide background knowledge for those students who have not yet acquired it.” This is something we should all incorporate into our classrooms; it is very important to “connect” our lesson plans to things that the students are already familiar with. At the same time however, it is important that we also tie new information to help them build on what they already know. During one of my classes in junior high, I remember my teacher introducing us to Kansas history and what we would be learning throughout the year. As he was explaining the different things he had in mind, I remember telling myself that I really didn’t care and that it was going to be VERY boring; however, he had us do a very interesting activity that helped me see the importance of it. We were assigned to make a portfolio of different towns in Kansas and were asked to send a letter to each town to receive some historical information about the towns of our choice. This was a great activity for us to make connections to different towns we had already visited or had already knew quite a bit about; it was fun and I thought it was a great way to learn new information I wasn’t aware of.
Another part of the chapter that caught my attention was the little section about the hierarchy of needs. I’ve never actually seen any problems with this issue in any of my schools, but in my internship last semester I had the opportunity to see how my mentor teacher handled a situation. Since the students were well behaved and their bubble gum jar was full, my mentor wanted to let them have a fun day. She sent a note home with each of them and asked the parents to prepare a sack lunch for each of them. One of the little boys came up and asked her if he could bring a McDonalds happy meal as a lunch because that’s where they ate at ALL the time. She had him go with her over to a quieter part of the room and explained that she could bring a lunchable to school for him to have if he would rather have that. Even though the student was receiving food from his parents, it wasn’t anything nutritious. I felt like my mentor did a great job of providing her students with anything that they needed. I know that during my teaching experiences, I will encounter different situations such as this one and maybe some that are far worse. My classroom is supposed to be a “safe” house, somewhere they can go to be safe and somewhere they will be provided with everything they need. As teachers, it is our job to make sure that our students are taken care of and are provided with all the main necessities they need in order to make it through school. I think this is so important because I come from a family is very supportive and loving; each child deserves this and I want to be able to provide them with that.
One last thing I read about that I have been thinking about since reading methods, has been the phonograph activities. When I was in school, I never remember doing these in the classroom. I felt really dumb when we were doing these in class because you would think that phonographs would be easy right? NO! After going through the method that Dr. Walizer taught us, I felt like this would be a great way to help children learn each of them. Phonographs are good for students to learn because it does help with reading, but sometimes I feel like these would be a little hard for kindergartners to learn. I mean if they were hard for me to grasp the first time we went over them, how can I expect my students to learn them? Even though I feel prepared enough to teach phonographs, I still feel like some methods might be a little to advanced for young students especially kindergartners.
Reading this chapter brought to light the many parts of teaching that I will encounter in my own classroom! I was pleasantly surprised that most of the information that was talked about was not as repetitive as I thought it would be. I am glad that the book gave examples of classroom strategies! I definitely agree with this chapter that a teacher needs to know his/her students to be able to help them learn effectively. I thought the scenario at the very beginning was very interesting as well. I am a very organized person and like to have a plan of action with everything figured out before hand. It was interesting to see what the teacher had to do to change his instruction to help the students in his class. I love centers and definitely plan to implement them into my own classroom in the future! The information about ELL students was also very interesting. I have not had much experience with students who did not already speak English so it was nice to have more information on how to instruct students who didn’t know the language well or at all.
In response to Debbie M….I agree that having your son do a different packet each week for several weeks would not be very effective. It would definitely be more beneficial to have the students start with a few words and work on those for a while and then maybe add more words later on. I also enjoyed reading the classroom strategies on Pg. 12. It is so refreshing to get another opinion or see another idea on how to do things in the classroom!
When I read Chapter 1, I started with the Sample Center Chart it brought me back to the Reading and Language Arts internship that I observed in the First Grade classroom. The First Grade teacher had centers twice week and the students really enjoyed the different activities that were presented. Overall this chapter discussed the importance of communication is reading and writing. It gave the five factors of humans needs such as “Physiological, Safety, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization.” The different models were discussed such as “Part-to-Whole Model and Whole-to-Part Model” which gave me more information about the different approaches of phonics. Effective practices for the student learners I thought were very important and gave great insight on different approaches to teach. Miscues are a very important in the reading material that was discussed in the podcasts also. Ending this chapter it gave the history of education and also the NCLB. I didn’t have any questions on this chapter. I reflected on this reading material that it gave me a review from Reading and Language Arts Class and my internship. This material that was stated such as sight-words and the phonics approach made me think of the internship and lessons that I taught. I thought the most beneficial reading material was the “Effective Practices for English Learners.” I connected the material to my internship and class from Reading and Language Arts.
I agree with Becky H., I also enjoy centers. I think that having the students doing the same assignments for reading does not keep them interested. When I substitute, the first grade teacher has great approaches of centers for his first graders and it is every other day.
In response to Brandy. What a wonderful tutor you must have had. It is nice to hear about success stories with reading. I see several students that are 1, 2 or more years behind in reading and I wonder how will they ever survive high school and get to college. Your experience will make you a better advocate for your students.
I actually did not dread reading this text. The information in the chapter was interesting to me to look through. I really liked Figure 1.6 that was displayed because it provided several different strategies that I feel like could be used in my future classroom. When I read information I automatically think of how I could incorporate that into my classroom, and after reading this text there were several points that I was able to visual in my classroom. Figure 1.6 was the most beneficial to me, and I could definitely see myself using over half of the information provided. My question would be, if someone were to rate the strategies that were provided in Figure 1.6, which would be the top five? I was glad the chapter included information on the Part-to-Whole Model and the Whole-to-Part Model. I sometimes get the two confused and end up mixing them together. I am glad it broke down the different approaches that could be used for each model because it is easier to understand. When I read through the models I could picture my students in the classroom working on the different approaches. Sometimes when I think of a lesson to do, I don’t realize what type of model I am actually using.
I thought this reading was a big review of Reading and Language Arts Methods as well. I think it is good to review like that because sometimes important information can slip the mind. It is neat to relate what you read in the text to previous internships. I was in a first grade classroom as well and my teacher had four centers for the students to work on throughout the week. The students would work on one center each day during the given reading time. When they weren’t working on centers they were working on reading skills with the teacher. I feel like NCLB is being stressed more and more. Great post!
Chapter 1 was a great refresher chapter on what I learned in Reading and Language Art Methods. I particularly enjoyed reading up on the three different reading models. I like the part-to-whole model mentioned. In this model, students learn the basics of reading/phonics, etc. then progressively learn more. In this model there are three approaches; phonics approach, linguistic approach and the sight word approach. Figure 1.1 is a great resource for new teachers to refer to for center activity ideas. Thinking back to elementary school I can't remember my teachers having centers. I remember having a big bathtub filled with pillows in which students could read in during our silent reading time. My step-mom is a teacher and recently got a counseling position at an intermediate school and gave me her bathtub she had in her room along with a wide variety of class materials. With all of these materials I feel equipped to teach. I also liked figure 1.6. All of my elementary education textbooks are jammed packed with so much valuable information and examples. As mentioned in the text, I will most likely use a philosophy from my past experiences. I'm sure once I begin teaching it will change and transform into my own.
This chapter was a good refresher on theories that are important to learning, especially Reading and Language Arts. It reminded me that we need to create learning experiences that make connections between real life and content for students, it all needs to be appropriate for their learning and comprehension level, and that if we wish to be successful in teaching students we must make sure that their basic needs are met first. At first I was impartial to the part-to-whole reading model, because it is how I was taught. I saw my little sister struggle a lot with the whole-to-part model so I didn’t feel like it was an effective approach. Reading and Language Arts along with this chapter has helped me understand the benefits of both approaches and what can be accomplished when the two are used together. I really appreciate the figures and tables that they have in this chapter, especially the lists of effective practices for ELL students. I always wonder how to help students who are not native English speakers. My experiences with the SIOP model have taught me that the suggestions or activities that we use for ELL students are very beneficial to the entire class because it breaks content down. My question for this chapter is, which reading reform has been the most effective?
Shelby H- I usually hate reading textbooks too. This chapter wasn't nearly as bad as what I thought. It was a great way to get back into the swing of things. I think most teachers use a mixture of the different reading methods simply because of the different learning styles of the students. I have found all of the figures in this book to be helpful in one way or another. I think it would be very important for us to keep these books to help build our professional library.
I agree! I felt like I had a pretty good grasp on teaching reading from Dr. Walizer’s class, but just reading this chapter has made me realize how much information I had already forgotten! I think as teachers, reading is the area that we will make the biggest difference for our students in.
Chapter 1 was very informative and a good refresher from Dr. Walizer’s course. In the scenario with Mr. Hugo, he remembered to quotes from his methods classes and these two quotes really stuck out to me, “Teach the child, not the method!, and The purpose of assessment is to drive instruction.” These two quotes really hit home with me because I hope that I can remember these two quotes when I get my own class and I can only imagine if I follow through with doing this then the students will benefit tremendously. The other part of the text that caught my eye was also in the beginning of the chapter dealing with centers and examples of how to do them. One of my questions was how to work with children one on one or in a small group when you have a big variety of skill level and this answered my question. I would like to research more ideas but it provided a great way to start. Does anyone know any great websites to assist in this? This chapter really gave me some insight especially when working with my oldest. She is in Kindergarten and she is starting to do some sight words along with decoding words. I will be able to utilize the different skills in this chapter with her. I remember in grade school doing the part to whole model or a form of it. I think that learning the basics and starting with phonemic awareness and then moving through each of the steps is very beneficial. I personally love this approach. Of course, I am one of the lucky ones I had an amazing first grade teacher who loved reading and through her love we learned to love reading.
I also am more partial to the part to whole model, I do realize the importance of both but I have to admit I am still partial to it. I also thought this was a great refresher, what a great way to get us prepared for what we will be doing. I also agree with you that it is crucial to have the child experience either vicariously or through their real experiences in order for them to really understand. I don't an answer to your question, but I would like to know the answer, therefore if you figure it out before I do, let me know please.
Part to Whole model of instruction highlights the importance of students apprehending letter names and sounds, followed by simple words that are decoded with ease and then reading literature which consist of those same words that are decoded easily. This model is comprised of three important reading instruction tactics which are phonics approach, linguistic approach and sight word approach. The phonics approach stresses learning the alphabet as well as the many sounds linked to each letter. Linguistic approach is all about seeing patterns in words and the sight word approach entails teaching children to identify certain words in a story. The Phonics approach is something that I am familiar with from Kindergarten. I can remember learning the short and long vowels of the alphabet. I think the sight word approach is more feasible for many children because it teaches students to recognize words rather than decode them. For many students … recognition is easier that decoding … from my experience in tutoring in Title 1 reading programs. This chapter confirmed this on page 9! In your opinion, what is the most sufficient tactic or method?
Chapter one was helpful in introducing me to approaches to reading, what works, reflections, and history of reading in schools. On page four, the sample center activities can really be helpful techniques for an educator to use for students reading. Currently, in the classroom I am a para in, they use listening and speaking. They are then assigned to take the book they are working on home to read to an adult. I believe if they were using a few more of the center activities, it could possibly improve their reading skills. Then on page twelve, figure 1.6 included many thoughtful comprehensive approaches to helping readers. If one technique doesn’t, work it would be helpful to try another and keep seeing what works with the group of students or particular students. As an adult, I think it was vital for me to go through the personal reflection of literacy experiences because I did not have good experiences and as a result I disliked reading a lot until I got into college and took a literature class.
In response to Janel - I agree that this chapter refreshes those theories! I also agree that we (pre-service and service educators)must "create learning experiences that make connections between real life and content for students, it all needs to be appropriate for their learning and comprehension level." In choosing literature for students to read; one needs to question, "is this developmentally appropriate?" Too many times we read things to our children that don't create that learning experience because it's not always appropriate. Good Post!
In response to Alisha G: What types of activities took place during the centers in the first grade classroom? I was just curious because I am in a first grade classroom as a para and maybe could spice up centers a bit.
After reading Chapter 1, the first thing that really was interesting to me was the scenario with Mr. Hugo. The school that I am doing my internships at do a similar testing a couple of times during the year to see where students are at regarding reading. I did my internship in Reading and Language arts last semester and was able to help out on the testing that was being done. This helped the teacher decide how to split the students up into reading groups.
There was a quote on page 13 that really caught my eye "Effective teachers model new information, rather than merely explaining it." I think that this is so true. As an educator it is important that we model what we are teaching so that the students are understanding it and succeeding. The classroom strategies on page 12, I thought were very helpful and gave me several ideas that I can use in the future in my own classroom.
I agree with you that this chapter was a great refresher. For our students to relate, the material that we teach them needs to connect to real world experiences. I did my RLA internship last semester and my mentor teacher during reading did the whole to part every day. The students would choral read the story from their basal reading book and then throughout the week they would re-read the book either in small groups or partner reading. After done, they would discuss the story. I could see several of the students' improving in their personal reading skills by doing this.
This chapter brought back so many reminders from Reading and Language Arts Methods. I also think the text is informational and easy to read just like the Shanker textbook. This chapter got me thinking a lot about our internship. I am super excited to use the different methods discussed in the chapter. I really like the part to whole teaching. In one of my previous internships the students begged to go through the phonogram cards. They were always excited to find and learn new phonograms. I found this refreshing. Growing up we didn’t have reading corners and we didn’t participate in guided reading. Most of the time the teachers used round robin reading. We never were taken aside and given direct teaching from the teacher we were always taught as a group. I also love the idea of reading centers. Students like to be active so why not make them active while reading. We have to give students the motivation to read. Round robin reading provides zero motivation and leaves the students panicked. After reading this chapter I am really excited to start the internship. Although I’m kind of worried about correctly indentifying reading disabilities and also creating activities that will help the students learn. After reading the chapter I can see that the book is going to play a key part in my learning about reading.
I really like the idea of sight words for common words that the students will see everyday. I had kindergarteners in one of my internships and they had sight words posted on the board. Many of them were short common words such as I, he and the, but they also had the color words because they used them regularly.
Chapter one introduced some great ideas that I feel are extremely important being an intern and a future teaching candidate. I liked that the chapter began with the scenario of Mr. Hugo. This may very well happen to us when we are first year teachers so it was interesting to read his story. I also appreciated that on Page 4 there were various sample center activities given. In my reading and language arts internship, my mentor teacher had the students do centers for the reading curriculum and it ran so smoothly. The students knew exactly what centers they were to complete each day and they learned an immense amount of material by participating in a wide range of activities. The chapter discussed various theories related to literacy assessment and instruction such as the constructivist theory, zone of proximal development, and the hierarchy of human needs. I thought that the material on English Language Learners was vital information that will really help my success both in the internship this semester and in my future as an educator. There are many approaches for literacy assessment and intervention as well. The comprehensive approach is one that I feel like is important for reading success. It integrates skills with literature-based reading and process writing instruction. I really enjoyed reading this chapter because it focused on the essential need to form a personal philosophy for effective and personalized reading instruction. I thought that all of the figures in the chapter were meaningful and have a distinct place in reading disability instruction. Figure 1.10 was great in showing miscues that do or do not hinder comprehension. I really didn’t have any questions about the chapter. I thought it was a great introduction as to what I need to do to form a personal philosophy for reading instruction and assessment. Does anyone have any personal stories or advice on forming a philosophy or planning activities to help with reading disabilities?
In response to Larissa Whit—I agree that Chapter 1 really helped my nerves as to what we would be encountering in this course and in our internship this semester. I agree with you in that by reading Figure 1.8 one is able to form a general idea of their personal philosophy. I also enjoyed reading Figure 1.10 and the information on miscue analysis. I think it may be difficult to determine when to correct or ignore a problem in a students’ reading. With practice, I am sure this becomes easier. I felt that all of the figures in this chapter had a great purpose that really helped me in identifying a plan for my personal philosophy and also gave great tips for reading instruction.
I have really enjoyed the DeVries text! I love textbooks that don’t put me to sleep and that actually gives me information that I am excited about implementing in my classroom! I really enjoyed reading the Scenario with Mr. Hugo. One of my biggest concerns that I have about teaching is how to reach each and every student – on level, below level, above level, those with disabilities….I appreciate how Mr. Hugo reflected and asked for help! I think that as beginning teachers, it is vital to use ALL of your resources to help you be successful and to be the best teacher that you can be.
I also liked reading about the different methods of teaching is more effective. I think that a lot of that has to do with each teacher’s strength and weaknesses. It also depends on each class. One year you may find that a comprehensive approach may work best but then the next year a linguistic approach may work better. Like the text says, one method is not better than another…it depends on each individual reader. I love the quote in the text that says “there is no ‘perfect method’ for teaching reading to all children…the answer is not in the method but in the teacher.” WOW! That puts a lot of pressure on me! I do not plan on teaching elementary so teaching reading may not apply to me as much. I live in Texas and I am choosing to get certified in 4th through 8th grade. I still believe that reaching each and every students is a goal of all teachers, no matter what the subject.
I really enjoyed your post! I found this Chapter to be an easy read and it contained a lot of information that I could relate to. I appreciated the Mr. Hugo scenario. I really liked how he reflected and asked for help! I really think that it is important that we ask for help when we need it, especially our first few years in the classroom! I am concerned about how to meet the needs of all levels of learners in my future classrooms. I am looking forward to this book helping me with that question. I also like the section on ELLs. Living in Texas, we have a very high population of ELL students! Good luck this semester!
I really enjoyed reading this chapter and I took a ton away from it. The beginning story was great and an eye opening experience for me. I worked with centers in my previous internship and I think they are absolutely amazing. It was nice to see all the different types of reading centers and a few of them were new to me. Looking closer at the reading models was helpful and I became more familiar with the components of each. I found the part-to-whole approach to be my favorite because that is where the beginning knowledge of reading occurs. However, focussing on comprehension will be so beneficial in the later grades. I'm glad this chapter talked more about ELL students and the correct practices when working with them. A teacher's own philosophy is important because every teacher's class is different. No teacher can teach the exact same way and everyone has different opinions about teaching styles and techniques. I'm so glad this chapter gave a list of different classroom strategies to approach reading. Some I had heard of and learned in Reading and Language Arts Methods but some were new to me. I think they're all great techniques and I know I'll be referring back to this book in the future. I found the first chapter to be really easy to read and understand so I'm looking forward to reading more throughout the semester.
In response to Melinda, When I was in grade school we did round robin reading and that was it. There was no buddy reading or one on one reading with the teacher. Reading was incredibly boring to be growing up and my mom would have to force me to read. I never want my students to feel that way about reading. I agree that they need to be motivated and they wont be motivated with the same repetition every single day.
I think I am really going to enjoy this book. By skimming it, it looks to be a lot of information but very useful.
Chapter 1 As a teacher in training, as I like to say, I have found that I have been exposed to a number of different teaching philosophies. Some of those I like, some I don't, and some I really love. Your own philosophies depend on who you are as a person, the education experience you have had, and what you have learned.
When we get our own rooms our philosophy might not be clear, but as we progress and learn more about our teaching abilities through the first year or two we will develop a grasp of what our own is and will be able to build on it.
When it comes to teaching philosophies the thing that worries me is: Having it formed by the school or district you work for and not being able to build your own. How can you still have your own while at the same time maintaining the schools or districts?
I know that this is not very long, but I am still trying to get use to the blog thing. I am better with verbal expression than written sometimes.
Kelsey M--- I too like the scenario. Reading those will give us ideas of things we might possible face as we become teacher. It also helps us think about things before it happens.
Melinda-- I too see the connection Reading and Language Arts Methods in this book.
After reading chapter 1, I really got to thinking of what model would be best for me to teach as. After thinking about just one model I think for me I would use a little bit of all or some models. While in my internship for reading and language arts I became really close to my mentor teacher. As a sub I was running to her for everything! She told me as a teacher you have to go by what you feel is right and how you feel is an effective way to teach. I took her advice and found that I need to develop my own model and use what I know to build my own teaching techniques. Chapter 1 gave me so much information about reading literacy and what are some good ways to introduce new ideas in the classroom. My mentor teacher also said when she first started teaching she had her teaching philosophy but once she started teaching that philosophy changed and you just have to go with the flow. I think these internships are great. I actually get to know the teachers really well and form really good friendships with them!
Holly D-Yes I love centers also! In my reading and language arts internship my mentor teacher had to do centers all the time. She had a combined first and kindergarten class and it was important to help those kindergartners learn to read at their level. I agree with you the book really talked about some good strategies to use for different grade levels.
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading the assigned chapter(s) as outlined in the course schedule, candidates will POST his or her comments, thoughts, ideas, questions, possible applications at http://teel481f10.blogspot.com. The post is not a summary. A total of two (2) points will be given for posting the assigned daily requirements in the blog. Candidates will re-visit the blog, read other threads, and REPLY to ONE colleague. Discussions are an integral part of the course and internship agenda. A total of two (2) points will be given for replying the assigned daily requirements. The instructor will look for:
1. Analysis of the reading/issue.
2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue.
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently?
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
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I found the same center activities on page four in the text to be very helpful. It is a really great idea to have one center for each of the areas of reading to help students. I completed my reading internship in a second grade classroom and they used a similar method while giving individualized tests. The problem was that it was unorganized which resulted in a great deal of noise, confusion among students, and students staying at one station and not actually doing the activity. Mr. Hugo, the teacher in the sample had a much more effective approach.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading about the approaches to reading instruction I feel that the comprehensive approach is the one which I would use in my classroom. I feel that it is necessary to teach students the basic phonics and linguistics of reading, but I feel this is more effective when reading authentic texts. I feel that it is important to have a large and diverse classroom library. We can take interest surveys of our students and find many books of interest at multiple reading levels. If students are not able to self-select books or read in authentic situations they may not develop a joy for reading, especially if reading does not occur at home. This is vital to reading success. I do agree that we must teach the children, not the method. We should get to know our students and then implement different techniques and ideas.
I took the personal philosophy ‘quiz’ and I learned a lot about myself. I scored at the in between level. The text says people who score this score usually do not know how they will teach reading and what methods will be used in their classroom. I think that is partially true, but I also feel that it is hard to make these decisions before actually having students in class. I feel that a combination of methods and creative ideas must be used each year for different students.
This is an easy to read text book and I look forward to continuing in reading the material. I am also starting to feel really excited about this class, and the amount of skills and information we are going to learn and use throughout the semester.
This chapter reminded me a lot of my mentor teacher from my reading methods course. Her class is done in groups of 6 and the students are grouped by their reading levels. During reading the students do their bug tubs (centers) they are in their bug tub for the entire duration of reading time. Which during that time their group may be called to her reading table for their reading time with her or they may be called out in the hall to read with the instructional reading para. Each day the groups will go to a new bug tub center and complete the task in that center. An example of what would be found in the bugs tubs are: word family activity, writing specific letters and sentences, spelling puzzles, bingo, etc. Each week the bug tubs are change and each tub has a specific skill that they are working on. During their bug tubs the students are to complete the task and they will record their task on their recording sheet. If time allowed, they would get their own black and white little reader out to read. They are to read their book and then color the pages. I like this idea as a whole it seems to work a lot better than rotating through all the centers during that reading time. I also volunteer during my daughter’s kindergarten reading time and all I can say is that it is very chaotic and I think it’s because they rotate every 15 minutes in their reading centers. Whereas the first grade class that I just mentioned stayed in the same center then entire time.
ReplyDeleteI also did not know the all 3 major parts of reading. I enjoyed reading about them and being able to take my background knowledge that I had and learn more about what I already knew and learning a lot on what I didn’t know. As I was reading this chapter I began to think about my own daughter who I think struggles with reading herself. After reading this chapter it makes perfect sense why my daughter is struggling at school but not at home with me. She is more of a part to whole vs. the whole to part, which is what they have been doing in her kindergarten class.
Jaclyn C,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this chapter as well. Something that I liked was the scenario with Mr. Hugo. I think that most all first year teachers will experience something pretty similar to to what he experienced. I liked how he was able to turn is classroom around fairly quickly. I liked some of the center ideas on page 4 too. I also found on page 12 there was a look of good activities that went along with the comprehensive approach, that I think could be adapted to any of the of approaches mentioned in this chapter!
Chapter 1 was a great start to help ease my nervousness in the internship! It gave me motivation that every teacher will have a different approach to correction of reading disabilities because of his or her literacy philosophy. I thought it was interesting that each teacher needs a philosophy in order to be effective at helping the students. Figure 1.8 helped me recall some of the activities my teachers used to help me learn to read and I could form a pretty good philosophy just from answering some of the questions the figure gave. I also took the short quiz in Figure 1.10 about miscue analysis and it gave great information about when to ignore or correct a student. This figure gave me a lot more information than I have previously learned about miscue analysis and I believe I could administer one easily.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brooke W,
ReplyDeleteThe reading methods mentor teacher I interned for rotated every 15 minutes and I agree, it was chaotic...but most the time it depended on the day. Some days students would be hyper because it was Friday and other days (especially the Monday after Halloween) students would be so tired they didn't want to work at all. I'm not sure if first graders and Kindergarten are old enough to rotate so quickly. I felt each group would have finished more work if they had 20-25 minutes in each session.
I found chapter one to be both exciting and enlightening. After taking the quiz on which I scored in between or undecided, I was a bit disheartened. I wonder however if this isn't somewhat common for a beginning teacher though. There are all these different ways to teach reading and there is not a clear cut best method. As a beginning teacher I wouldn't want to discount any method as children all learn in their own unique ways. I particularly liked the stages displayed on page 14. I am going to definitely refer back to that one. There are some students that I see in the classroom that I can now pinpoint their stage development. I feel the text was very good at explaining the 3 main models for teaching. I have tried bits and pieces of each just to help my own children read. The historical overview was very interesting. It made me wonder why the changes in reading were so dramatic in 4th grade and yet the changes weren't that significant in the eighth grade and high school age students. To me I think that perhaps the schools are pushing their students to read faster and better earlier, but the evidence shows that they are no better off for learning it earlier. Either that or the middle schools and high schools are not pulling their weight. I would be curious as to what the rest of you think.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brooke W.
ReplyDeleteI like the bug tub idea. This sounds like a good way to keep it organized changing the tubs would be very easy to do. How exciting to be able to verify how your child learns best.
In response to Brookw W...
ReplyDeleteThe bug tub idea is a wonderful idea, but I think that the students could benefit from being grouped together not only by the same reading ability, but also by different reading abilities at times as well. Students learn from each other and perhaps students would see what their classmates are doing and be able to apply their strategies or adjust their own. Additionally, it would provide students with an opportunity to do some peer tutoring and work together as a team.
Ashley R, they have plenty of other times when they are not in there specific reading level groups. This is only for reading. They spend their day in groups at their tables which they are randomly put. So the students are with all their peers throughout the day. The teacher also does peer tutoring as well. She will pair them up in different levels and they will do reading activities together. The class has very high reading levels. There is 24 students in this class, 8 students are above level (4th grade and up), 6 students are at or above level (below 4th grade to first), 4 students are at level (first grade), 3 students are below level and 3 are below level and require instructional reading. With that being said there is more higher level reading students than lower, so having the bug tubs in place allows the teacher to really focus on the students who need extra help.
ReplyDeleteI took the personal philosophy profile, which categorized me as midrange. I was two points away from viewing reading as a “set of skills” and that phonics should be taught and I was two points away from believing that “reading is a holistic event.”
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the chapter and taking the profile quiz, I find it interesting that they would say I haven’t given much thought to how I would teach reading. Because I have given it a lot of thought and believe that every child is different and therefore if I had only one view of how I will teach, then I will be doing a disservice to those students who may need a different approach in learning how to read. I believe that we need phonics as well as using stories that students have read and enjoyed. We can incorporate both! I want my students to learn how to read and at the same time, enjoy what they are reading.
I remember from the Reading Methods course last semester about miscues, but I was never sure how to use them. I like how the book explains what we should correct and why and what corrections don’t need to be addressed. I read a story in my internship class last semester and I mispronounced the word rhinoceros. The Para in the class corrected me, and for the first few sentences I stumbled over some more words because I was embarrassed and nervous about making more mistakes. I reflected on that situation later that day and decided that unless the student is having severe difficulty with a word or is not pausing/stopping at the appropriate times, then I won’t correct them while they are reading. If correction needs to be made, I will do it at the end of the reading and will make a general statement about any corrections and not point any fingers.
I really enjoy reading this book and especially the scenarios. It certainly brings teaching into focus and gives us examples to guide us when we teach.
Janet H.,
ReplyDeleteIt does sound so far that beginning teachers are in the midrange category. It will be interesting to take this quiz again after teaching for a couple of years.
The Maize school district focuses on Reading and Math only for K-2. I wonder if they did studies on emphasizing only those two areas.
Brooke W.,
ReplyDeleteWow, what a wonderful mentor teacher you had last semester. I love the idea of the bug tubs and how she relates the reading curriculum and develops activities to go along with the curriculum so that the students are not just doing "worksheets."
I enjoyed reading Chapter 1 both for the reintroduction to many of the ideas and theories discussed in other courses, and for the new information presented. The information presented on the three major reading models was nice to read to get me back in the swing of things after a busy winter break. As I read through these models I found myself thinking about my preferred model and philosophy and thought the reading profile assessment was interesting. I found the list of strategies used in a comprehensive approach to be very similar to those used in my reading internship class last semester, and mirror many of the strategies I hope to incorporate in my own classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have been very interested in teaching reading to ELL students and was pleased to see a good portion of this chapter devoted to this topic. The change in the makeup of students in the classroom has led me to realize how important it is to be ready and capable to teach to these students. My reading internship class did not have any ELL students so my hands-on experience working with these students is limited. Reading is a subject that is so important in the education of students and was instrumental in my education. I look forward to the remainder of this text to prepare me for my own classroom.
Response to Janet H:
I think many students and beginning teachers will fall into the undecided or in between category when taking this quiz. It is difficult to know exactly what theory or philosophy one believes in after only taking a few courses in the subject and with minimal hands-on experience teaching. There are many ways of teaching and I personally think that a comprehensive approach makes the most sense. As for the historical overview and changes in reading abilities I think maybe this is the result of focusing on reading more at the younger grades more than in the upper grade levels. It seems to me that when I was in school once I reached middle school the focus shifted more toward other subjects and the increasing number of extracurricular activities takes some of the focus away from academics.
Tyler
Christine,
ReplyDeleteI had almost the same score after taking the personal philosophy profile. I also was surprised to read that they feel that means that I have not thought about how I will approach teaching reading in the schools. I feel that teaching should encompass many different strategies. I also feel that our approach to teaching reading may change depending on the students we have in our classroom. If we become set in only one method we lose flexibility as teachers. I do understand that most people lean towards one method or another, but like the text always says teach the student not the method!
Janet,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like many of us scored in between rather than to one side or the other. I do believe this could be because we are beginning teachers and we haven't been in the classroom to experience a great deal of reading instruction. I feel that once I get into the classroom I will develop more of an understanding of how to teach reading based on the students that I have in my classroom. It is very difficult to say which methods or techniques I feel are best when I do not have students to base my answers on.
I felt that the stages were very helpful as well. I will also refer back to that!
Jaclyn C,
ReplyDeleteYes, I like that quote, "teach the student, not the method."
Christine
This first chapter does a nice job blending information about the theory and art of teaching with real-life, practical applications. Super ideas regarding centers. The information reminded me of the Tompkins Mini-Teach assignment with Dr.Walizer last semester (I was assigned to "teach" Literacy Centers). My favorite information was in figure 1.6 regarding many options for classroom strategies for the comprehensive approach. It got me really thinking hard about ideas I want to try with my tutoring group already! I have to admit, I've never taken the time to reflect on my own personal literacy experience until now. I found the historical reading reform of interest as well. The scenario with "Mr. Hugo" certainly sounds like something we will all be able to relate to in the next year or so. I can imagine how the reality starts to sink in with first year teachers about the real-world challenges of the wide range of readers we will have to reach in our class. The scenario reminds us how important it will be to rely on the advice of mentor teachers, a positive attitude, and varied, creative resources to get us through.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLike most students have mentioned so far, I too scored in the midrange category in the philosophy profile questionnaire. Although I know this is a common score for a beginning teacher, it makes me feel unprepared when I want to be confident and put together. Perhaps it is just the nervousness speaking. Reading to me is seeing, hearing, reading, and understanding individual words that form sentences and understanding these sentences that form paragraphs, and understanding these paragraphs form student comprehension. Reading is being able to laugh at what you just read because it was funny, it is being able to feel while reading something, it is being able to apply what is read into physical movements, etc… I want my students to be confident in their reading abilities, and I am looking forward to learning methods and strategies in this class that will help me provide my students with the best reading experience possible. While this chapter did release some of my tension, reading it and applying it are two different things. Which will also be true for the students we work with, and it is up to us to teach them while meeting their individual needs.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brooke W...
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a wonderful mentor teacher - thanks for sharing those great ideas. I think your last comment about your daughter is fantastic - you found out that part to whole really works for her - that is an amazing personal connection! Thanks for your comments - Julie
In response to Jaclyn C...
ReplyDeleteI have been in a few classrooms where reading centers were in attempted use also. I think the principle is right, but they have to be monitored often. I have seen when the centers just turned into a social gathering and nothing productive was being accomplished. I also think the way the students are grouped can make a big difference in a setting like this.
I think you make a good point when you say that we have to get to know our students and then learn methods and approaches that suit their needs.
Well I definitely feel for Mr. Hugo. I have always been amazed at the pressures and demands placed on teachers and students and often wonder how they all maintain the level of sanity they do throughout the year. My mentor teacher last semester said his first year of teaching generally placed him in strictly survival mode. He said he was so overwhelmed and every time he thought he was making progress in his methods or with his students abilities, something would remind him how far he yet had to go. I have noticed throughout my internships how vast the skill levels often are among just three or four students in one class. It really is a challenge to meet all their needs continually when they are spread out in ability level. My mentor, like Mr. Hugo from the chapter had to re-evaluate their strategies and remember it was vital to reach the child and not focus on one universal method, since clearly children are not in any way characteristically universal. I often wonder how I will cope my first year of teaching. I know I am going to have to be extremely reflective, aware, open-minded and organized, organized, organized. There is a section of the chapter that discusses the methods in which children learn to read which I found really interesting. I think phonics is so important and teaching a child the patterns and sounds of letters and letter groups is invaluable. I still run across words when I am reading that I have never seen, and without this skill I could not pronounce, decipher, and decode the word. I know that all people learn many words by sight, but that method cannot be used alone. If it were I think children would have a limited vocabulary. I think it is extremely important for our students to be analyzed for specific needs, and then it is our responsibility to determine which method will most benefit them. I want my students to know the importance of reading and enjoy it. Their ability to read is what will make them functional in a literate society.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading chapter one, I found myself wondering if these approaches were used when I was younger. It seems as though that the theories were there but no one knew what to do with them. This chapter discussed the importance of literacy and how much it affects us everyday. I would have never thought that I would need to be able to ready at the 10th grade level to understand information on medicine.
ReplyDeleteMy question about the text is about the sight word approach. How is it effective to have a student memorize words? I think that memorization does nothing for you, honestly. I remember memorizing information for tests and as soon as I was done with the test, I forgot everything that I had studied. When a student memorizes a word, they are not learning it. They are not learning any of its components.
My favorite part of chapter one is the comprehensive approach. This approach allows students to be exposed to different forms of text. The students are enjoying what they are reading. I also like that students are grouped differently for various tasks. I think that having students of different abilities work together can create success for everyone in the group.
My elementary school experience was not exactly peaches and cream. I hated school. I went because it got me out of my house for 8 hours. I struggled, constantly. I felt like no one would help me and honestly, no one did until the 3rd grade. My teacher realized I had problems with math, so she set me up with an after school tutor. Now mind you, I didn't like this teacher because she was mean. The only time I remember receiving praise from her was when I knew how to spell the word 'restaurant'. But my tutor, she was wonderful. She realized I had more than just problems with math. The whole reason I didn't understand my math work was because I couldn't read the directions. Wow. It took her a whole 20 minutes with me to figure that out. Now, reading is completely different for me. I love to read and it was because one person took interest. My tutor used the Phonics program to help me. I had to learn all of the sounds that letters make and then I had to put them together. She used games and things that I was interested in.
Overall, this chapter helped me decide which approach I like the most and why. But it also gave me ideas that I can use in my classroom every day.
In response to Ashley R:
ReplyDeleteI love how you think about reading. That it is so much more complex than some people think it is. Most of us do not even think about how to read, we just do. I want to be able to give that to my students. I want them to have understanding of a whole jumble of words. Comprehension is so important. Sure you can read the words, but can you understand them.
I found Chapter One engaging. I didn’t know about the part-to-whole, whole-to-part, or the comprehensive reading approaches. After I read through each one, I realized that I have had experience with them. My school used a combination of these three. We had phonics instruction about once a week, we did shared reading, and we did a lot of writing. I also found the section over English Learners very interesting because I want to go back and teach in my hometown and I know that there are some students there who don’t know English very well. The most important thing that I found in this chapter was the all of the examples (Figure 1.7, 1.12, ect) that they used after a certain passage. After reading the chapter I realized that I still have a lot to learn about reading instruction. It’s all up to me to help students learn how to read because if they don’t, then they will struggle throughout the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Shylah,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the pressure that teachers have to face every year. It's a wonder that they get anything done. My cousin is a 2nd year teacher and he struggled throughout his entire 1st year of teaching. He thought that he was doing a really good job and then his principal told him that he couldn't teach. Teachers also have to watch out for other teachers. My cousin had to deal with another teacher who was trying to cost him his job. I believe that every effective teacher needs to figure out their students skill levels with reading as soon as they can so that they and the students will have a good year.
In response to Janet...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you....I don't believe the HS especially pushes the students to read harder. I substituted in HS English and the students were reading Dracula...yes it is an old classic, but not only did they not want to read it, a few of the students had the attitude that they were not even able to read it.
What does that say about the way we are teaching our students to read???
In response to Jaclyn C.
ReplyDeleteI too agree that it is hard to decide what teaching approach best defines you as a teacher because you don't know which approach will best influence your students. We all know that different students learn best with techniques and strategies that meet their needs. Being familiar with all learning approaches is what I have decided to do and pull for those to create an teaching approach that serves all the students in my class.
I found this first chapter very interesting and really enjoyed reading it. It also sparked a major question for me regarding the internship portion of this class. After reading this chapter the lingering question for me was how do I know what my students needs are going to be? According to the chapter the best way to meet the reading and writing needs of your students is to provide them with books and instruction that meet their specific needs. For some students that do not know who will be in their tutoring groups this may be hard. I understand that the interest inventory will address some of these concerns. I think knowing your students and their interest will help drive your instruction but I also think that providing parallel instruction is important as well. Reinforcing what is being taught in the classroom is also important. This is where my questions arise. I would like to implement things into my tutoring that the students are doing in class. Therefore I need to have a relationship with the grade level teacher to provide this instructions. Is this okay?
ReplyDeleteWhile reading I found that ideas given for the assessment centers to be a great idea. Last semester in my reading and language arts internship the mentor teacher was having a problem with her students being off task during guided reading time. They were to silent read, write spelling words, or literacy worksheets. I could see that what they were doing was not engaging so we decided to make literacy corners. The items were only available during guided reading and switched out twice a week. The corners worked great. I love the idea of a readers theater. When I taught Pre-K we had several books that we would read throughout the year and each time we would read the book different students would act out the book. They loved this. I would love to use this in intermediate grades and I am sure I can implement this into my tutoring! This chapter made me realized how far I have come in a year when I took childrens literature. I know have a definite philosophy on how I want to teach students how to learn. I definatley take a comprehensive approach but realize that I need to be familiar with all other approaches as well because I do see the advantages to using them in the classroom. The more I read the more I can see my classroom transforming into a place where students are immersed in reading, writing, speaking, viewing and listening.
Like most of the other students have reported I also scored mid-range. I learned a lot in this chapter about the three reading models and, like Janna stated, realized that I was introduced to these in grade school. I can remember sitting in first grade working on a “phonics book” that contained worksheets that we simply filled out and were graded. We received instruction prior to doing them so we’d know what to do. We also wrote a lot of short stories, journals, and other things to keep our writing skills in order and we often did a lot of other things. I was unaware of the actual names of the models. I’ve seen them used obviously but I didn’t know they each had their own specific name that would help educators identify them. I loved the segment on English Language Learners because I went to college in Garden City and worked as a reading tutor as part of the America Reads program at the Alta Brown Elementary school. It was very difficult and challenging for me in ways because I had one second grade class that was a dual language classroom. They spent half of their day learning in Spanish and half learning in English but many had very limited English skills. I enjoyed working with them and teaching them English as much as I enjoyed picking up a little Spanish along the way. SIOP is a great way to make sure these students are getting the most out of every lesson. Reading this chapter allowed me to look at my own education differently. I realized some of the things I was exposed to as a child have shaped me into the educator I am now and hopefully will help me become a better educator in the future. I wondered if there is a particular approach that shows dramatic improvement in reading abilities. The book hit on this but never actually gave an answer.
ReplyDeleteTara, I think the literacy corners are a great idea! What kinda of activities did the students do and did they get more on-task time while in these centers? I think switching them out frequently is also excellent because I've seen reading centers that stay the same for months at a time and the children get very bored with them quickly. Do you have any suggestions for literacy centers that worked well for your students in internship?
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest things I took away from this first chapter was that every teacher will have their own approach to correction of reading disabilities based on his or her literacy philosophy. I loved Figure 1.8 – it gave some excellent activities for teachers to refer to help students learn to read. I also liked the stages that were displayed on page 14. This will be a great resource! I always love information pertaining to ELL students and how to teach reaching to these students. This chapter discussed great strategies to adapt to these students which I found to be helpful. Overall, I found this text to be an easy read and I look forward to reading and discussing the remaining chapters.
ReplyDeleteThe bug tubs sound like a great idea. Thanks for sharing! In my internship, I was in a first grade classroom and they did it very similar to how your class did centers. Each day students stayed at the same center and then rotated throughout the week. During center time, my mentor teacher would call up reading groups to read with her. I agree with you that this methods cuts down on chaos.
ReplyDeleteI thought this chapter was full of very useful information. I actually enjoyed reading out of this textbook.
ReplyDeleteIt basically summed up how important it is for teachers to take on their own approach to teaching in their classroom. A teacher has to come up with their own philosophy for teaching reading. It also gave a bunch of great techniques we could use in the classroom. I will continue to look back at this chapter to get ideas out of it.
I didn't have any questions throughout this chapter because it was such an easy and fun read.
This chapter really made me sit back and think what my philosophy really is. It took me a little while but I realized that my philosophy would have to do with what children are getting out of reading at home. They may come to school and hate reading all because at home they never get read to, and their parents always talk negatively about reading. Parents have so much influence on their children and they need to realize that their actions can effect how their children learn.
I think when I have my own classroom I want to try and get the parents involved in their child's reading habits at home. I want the parents to read with them and quiz their children at home because that could make the reading more enjoyable for the child and it will help them retain the information they are reading.
Kacey F:
ReplyDeleteI also thought that figure 1.8 was really neat. It made me realize how much reading I really did at home while I was growing up and it helped give me ideas on what I can do at home with my own children to help them succeed with learning and to make learning fun for them.
Chapter 1 was almost a review of theories we learned throughout our Reading and Language Arts Methods course. It was good to read about these theories again and get a better idea about how each of them pertains to teaching children to read. But, one of the important things to remember is that all children learn differently and no one method is effective for every student. Methods must be combined and altered when working with students. I also enjoyed learning more about teaching reading to English learners because I will be working with several ELLs in my tutoring group. I do not have much experience with this, but I am very excited about what we will accomplish and learn from each other. One of the methods mentioned in our textbook for ELLs is the total physical response (TPR) on page 13. This sounds like a fabulous way to teach and enforce vocabulary by having students say, spell, and act out each new word. Overall, what I am taking away from this chapter is the question, “What will my teaching philosophy and literacy philosophy be?” Thinking back on all of my elementary teachers, I can remember many different teaching and literacy philosophies. My most ineffective teacher believed only in individual seatwork and worksheets. My most effective teacher used a wide variety of methods and strategies. I can recall completing individual work, whole class work, and small group work, while also creating countless hands-on projects. This is the type of classroom that I would like to provide for my students. Learning that matters.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the chapter and I have seen some of the sample center activities implemented in kindergarten and first grade where I work. One thing about the speaking instead of using a tape recorder it would be neat and more cost effective to use the computer and Audacity to record the student's reading. Files could be saved and stored and as the year goes on the child could hear his or her progress. In the first grade and kindergarten classes they use "whisper phones" which would work too.
ReplyDeleteI thought the daily reading materials reading levels were interesting. I really never thought about those items in regards to reading levels.
In looking over the reading models, I tried to think about what I remembered as a student long ago, and what I see now as a para. The only thing I remember from my youth was "Dick and Jane". In the classroom now, I see bits and pieces of all three approaches in the Part to Whole model, in the kindergarten through second grades.
In reference to the personal reflection inventory, I remember reading my first book at the age of 4, however my mom read it to me numerous times and I memorized the text. I slowly found other books that I enjoyed and I took off reading. I enjoyed reading as a child and do as an adult but I don't know that I would enjoy reading as much or learning to read as much in this day and age. I really find it quite unappealing when the students go to the school library and they are told that they can check one book out for "fun", and one book for "AR". I think to myself, shouldn't all the books you pick have some degree of "fun" or enjoyment?
Kiley A…
ReplyDeleteI also think it is very important that parents provide support for the children at home. This is a great way to shed a positive light on school subjects like reading and math. Unfortunately, every child’s home life cannot be expected to encourage activities like reading. This is why it is especially important to try and establish strong communication with parents and to always portray reading as a positive activity in the classroom and school. Keep up these great ideas about strengthening children’s educations by getting parents involved!
In response to Kiley A.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things the first grade class does at our school is send home a reading log. If the child is read to or reads they write it in the log. If the child has read 100 entries he/she gets a bronze medal, 200 silver, and 300 gold. Sadly, I have been at that school for 5 years, so that would be approximately 400 first graders and I would bet only 20 medals have been given and usually it is a handful of children that have made it to gold. It is such a neat idea, but it shows that the involvement is not there.
I really think the center activities were interesting. When I started reading this chapter, I really enjoyed that it started off with a scenario and how it was handled. I really was interested in the different theories this chapter presented. I really liked the quote by Vygotsky on page 7 “What the child can do in cooperation today he can do alone tomorrow.” I think I am really going to take the hierarchy of human needs into effect and have some snacks in my classroom and even extra clothes and stuff. Dr. Walizer taught us about some issues last semester in reading and language arts that some students went through and the teacher did something small for the student and it brightened their day for a long time. Sometimes parents don’t think about the child’s needs and so they often forget what the child needs or doesn’t have.
ReplyDeleteI really found the section on the reading models very interesting. The three reading models mentioned are the part to whole approach, the whole to part approach, and the comprehensive approach. The Venn diagram on page 8 showed the comparison of the three reading models. This of course is another book I am keeping to use later when I teach. I understand comprehension is a huge part in children knowing how to read. I have a 14 year old niece that thinks rushing through everything is the best way to go. We have told her that if she is the first one done but is not comprehending or understanding the reading material or the assignment that she is just harming herself. She won’t listen and still tries to rush through everything. I think she will always rush through life in general. I think she wants to rush into her adulthood as well and we tell her enjoy your younger days because once they are gone they are gone for good.
I really liked the section on English learners. I think these types of students are becoming more widely known in the other parts of the world. My mom works at a school in San Diego California and the have a lot of English language learners at the school. She works with many of them daily as she is the bus transportation person. I think they are going to start spreading along the United States and become more known in places they haven’t been before. I think we as teachers need to be prepared no matter where we teach to administer our teaching abilities to them as well. The reflection on reading problems was very informational. That is one thing I have always wanted to know more about. Usually the reason a child does not enjoy reading is because they struggle with it and just give up. I would like to know many ways to help them through that and teach them to enjoy reading.
In response to Royce K –
ReplyDeleteI think the computer would be a great idea to use instead of a tape recorder. I think the students would enjoy listening to themselves later as they get older. My 7th grader enjoys looking back on his school work from the younger days all the time. He laughs at himself and the way he use to do things and does them differently now. I also enjoyed reading when I was younger. I still enjoy reading but I don’t ever find the time to sit and read a book. I lead such a busy life now. I know there is no reason for excuses but after doing my school work in a day, raising three boys and helping them get through school and then their extracurricular activities I am exhausted and just want to see my bed. I agree about the book for fun and the book for AR. My son enjoys it now that he is in junior high because they don’t do the AR program. He is able to read a book that he chooses He is also able to read a book over and over and over again if he wishes. I watched some students in the internship last semester that were reading books so fast and taking AR tests and doing great on them. The mentor teacher and I were busy with a project and finally caught on when he was taking a test on his 7th book in about 15 minutes. He was reading lower level books so he can get more tests done and more points, but what he was not realizing was that he was actually hurting himself because he was not reading at his own level or above and was not getting te higher points like he thought.
Jaclyn C.
ReplyDeleteI also liked that quote "teach the student, not the method".
I found the center activities on page 4 to be great ideas. I worked in a 2nd grade classroom where the teacher used centers for both reading and math. Her centers were pretty similar to the ones suggested in the book. I think that the best approach for teaching any subject is a combination of approaches. I think that a lot of teachers get stuck in one approach and that affects the students’ learning process because not every student learns the same. My youngest daughter actually gained confidence by reading the Dick and Jane series. She wanted to read like her big sister but wasn’t confident in her ability so we started her on that series. I was particularly interested in the English Learners section of the chapter. The majority of the teachers at the school I am interning at this semester are ESOL certified. I am excited to learn from them about how to effectively teach ESOL students. I think this is going to be a very good book.
ReplyDeletein response to April B.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the Hierarchy of Human needs is important and something I will take to heart as a teacher.
In response to April B,
ReplyDeleteApril, my daughter often commented last year when she was in 8th grade that the AR tests are too easy and she would often be frustrated that they weren't challenging enough.
In my son's school they can check out books only one level lower. But I believe only one book can be lower and anything else has to be at their level or higher.
Christine
The closer I come to having my own classroom, the more I begin to feel like the fictional character, Mr. Hugo, portrayed at the beginning of the chapter. I will enter the field of education with a lot of strategies, theories, and information, but the needs and demands of the school district, the school itself, and the individual students will challenge me to maintain a curriculum that may be difficult to implement as a first year teacher.
ReplyDeleteMy son tried using the “Hooked On Phonics” material this summer, as he was about to enter kindergarten. This commercial product uses the linguistic approach the most. Children are introduced to ending sounds (rimes) and then learn to add the onset sounds to form new words. Some sight words, such as “the” are also introduced. Then, the child reads a short book based on the same approach, with short words from the most recent lesson, and occasional words from prior lessons. Christian really enjoyed working on the material, and learned fairly quickly. However, when school started we stopped working with the material, as I didn’t want him getting confused if the school used a different approach. In fact, the kindergarten class has a lot of focus initially on “popcorn words” (sight words), lots of shared reading, and phonics instruction. I feel that the “Hooked on Phonics” work gave him a great background to use when he actually began the phonics instruction in school, and the popcorn words he’s learning mean he’s increasing his reading ability quite quickly. I was glad to read that there is no one way to learn/teach reading. However, I felt that the textbook seemed biased against the phonics approach (part-to-whole) as the language used in the descriptions seemed more dismissive than the whole-to-part model. The text did not formally state that one was “better” than the other, but the tone was different. Curious.
The most important portion of the chapter, for me, was the section on developing our own teaching philosophy. The DeFord profile was an eye-opener, as I had no idea where my philosophy stood. Many of the suggestions for developing a successful philosophy were extremely helpful, such as looking into my past for inspiration. Of course, much has changed since then, and the addition of growing numbers of ELL students will make teaching much more intensive.
On a final note, it was interesting to read about the four stages of English language development. I know of a student who entered high school knowing no English, and two years later spoke quite fluently. She was very outgoing, wrote for the school paper, and was well liked. When I interviewed her by email, however, I realized that her grasp of written English was still very rudimentary. She was obviously at the Intermediate stage, and it made me pause to think that students like her might not receive all the appropriate language instruction simply because we assume that they can read and write as well as they speak.
In response to Royce K.
ReplyDeleteI have such mixed emotions about AR reading. There has been criticism that the questions asked are only representative of the lowest levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, and that we are in some ways limiting students' exposures to different levels of reading by limiting their choices to a certain range. I agree that it doesn't seem right to restrict students from choosing more books that interest them.
My personal favorite section of this chapter was the section on English Learners. I have not yet had much experience with severe English Learners, so I found it very helpful and interesting to read about some helpful tips, and Otaiba and Pappamihiel’s stages of English language development. In Figure 1.7, each stage was described by its characteristics, as well as what appropriate instructional strategies to use when a student is in that particular stage. One intriguing fact I found out from this figure was how much a student’s conversational burden falls upon the shoulder’s of a tutor. The sheltered instruction strategies were also great to see again. Last semester, when developing my instructional units, I found a website over these strategies that I used to help me create modifications for English Learners within my lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the chapter, I took the time to complete the DeFord Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile. It was interesting, yet not surprising, to find out that I view reading as a set of skills rather than a holistic event. I have never thought about my own philosophy much until this chapter. So, it was great and useful to take a step back and really think about how I view things. I know my own philosophy is only beginning to form, but we all need a foundation to begin something great somehow! It is my plan to stop and reflect over my own philosophy on reading many times throughout my educational career. I believe it’ll be interesting to see the development of my philosophy grow from now, being a mere college student, to a new teacher to an experienced teacher to a veteran.
In response to Kim D., I have to completely agree with you! I think centers are a great idea and strategy to implement into one’s classroom routine. When I was in elementary school, we used centers. I can still see them set-up in my mind in my second grade classroom. It was something that kept us all actively involved in our learning for just the right amount of time before switching to another activity. I definitely believe I will incorporate centers in my own future classroom, as well as my tutoring sessions this semester! As you stated, not every student learns the same, so I think Mr. Hugo did a great thing by giving the groups color names. Then having Ziploc bags labeled and prepared that contained reading material that suited each groups’ reading ability level.
ReplyDelete#1 I found the reading of Chapter 1 very interesting. I was really interested to read about the Whole-to-Part method of teaching reading and decoding skills are used for students to comprehend texts. It was really wonderful to see the classroom strategies provided in figure 1.6 on pg. 12. I know this page will be very valuable to us when we begin our tutoring.
ReplyDelete#2 I don’t understand why the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile showed me at low range, saying that I view reading as a set of skills, yet I scored me high on the holistic side. The only comment the book makes is if you scored midrange or not low or high you probably have not given much thought to how you would teach and assess reading. What about if you did score high?
#3 The issue I have to look at differently is forming one’s philosophy. I had not thought about how a teacher’s philosophy evolves from their experiences, lectures, discussion or experiences. I hope to develop a cohesive approach to philosophy that enables my students to do their best.
#4 When my son was in 2nd grade, he brought home a packet every Wednesday that had to be turned in by Friday. It included site words in it, but he had to write the words, put them in order by noun, verb, etc, then sometimes in ABC order, but usually there were five things per packet. Each student had a different packet each week for almost 6 weeks. I am sorry to say, I do not believe these helped my son, because he did them for one evening, and never looked at them again. If he had gotten the packet again and again, maybe that would have made a difference.
As I read the chapter, there was quite a bit of information that caught my attention. The constructivist theory says, “Teachers provide authentic learning experiences for students, help them build connections, and provide background knowledge for those students who have not yet acquired it.” This is something we should all incorporate into our classrooms; it is very important to “connect” our lesson plans to things that the students are already familiar with. At the same time however, it is important that we also tie new information to help them build on what they already know. During one of my classes in junior high, I remember my teacher introducing us to Kansas history and what we would be learning throughout the year. As he was explaining the different things he had in mind, I remember telling myself that I really didn’t care and that it was going to be VERY boring; however, he had us do a very interesting activity that helped me see the importance of it. We were assigned to make a portfolio of different towns in Kansas and were asked to send a letter to each town to receive some historical information about the towns of our choice. This was a great activity for us to make connections to different towns we had already visited or had already knew quite a bit about; it was fun and I thought it was a great way to learn new information I wasn’t aware of.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of the chapter that caught my attention was the little section about the hierarchy of needs. I’ve never actually seen any problems with this issue in any of my schools, but in my internship last semester I had the opportunity to see how my mentor teacher handled a situation. Since the students were well behaved and their bubble gum jar was full, my mentor wanted to let them have a fun day. She sent a note home with each of them and asked the parents to prepare a sack lunch for each of them. One of the little boys came up and asked her if he could bring a McDonalds happy meal as a lunch because that’s where they ate at ALL the time. She had him go with her over to a quieter part of the room and explained that she could bring a lunchable to school for him to have if he would rather have that. Even though the student was receiving food from his parents, it wasn’t anything nutritious. I felt like my mentor did a great job of providing her students with anything that they needed. I know that during my teaching experiences, I will encounter different situations such as this one and maybe some that are far worse. My classroom is supposed to be a “safe” house, somewhere they can go to be safe and somewhere they will be provided with everything they need. As teachers, it is our job to make sure that our students are taken care of and are provided with all the main necessities they need in order to make it through school. I think this is so important because I come from a family is very supportive and loving; each child deserves this and I want to be able to provide them with that.
One last thing I read about that I have been thinking about since reading methods, has been the phonograph activities. When I was in school, I never remember doing these in the classroom. I felt really dumb when we were doing these in class because you would think that phonographs would be easy right? NO! After going through the method that Dr. Walizer taught us, I felt like this would be a great way to help children learn each of them. Phonographs are good for students to learn because it does help with reading, but sometimes I feel like these would be a little hard for kindergartners to learn. I mean if they were hard for me to grasp the first time we went over them, how can I expect my students to learn them? Even though I feel prepared enough to teach phonographs, I still feel like some methods might be a little to advanced for young students especially kindergartners.
Reading this chapter brought to light the many parts of teaching that I will encounter in my own classroom! I was pleasantly surprised that most of the information that was talked about was not as repetitive as I thought it would be. I am glad that the book gave examples of classroom strategies! I definitely agree with this chapter that a teacher needs to know his/her students to be able to help them learn effectively. I thought the scenario at the very beginning was very interesting as well. I am a very organized person and like to have a plan of action with everything figured out before hand. It was interesting to see what the teacher had to do to change his instruction to help the students in his class. I love centers and definitely plan to implement them into my own classroom in the future! The information about ELL students was also very interesting. I have not had much experience with students who did not already speak English so it was nice to have more information on how to instruct students who didn’t know the language well or at all.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Debbie M….I agree that having your son do a different packet each week for several weeks would not be very effective. It would definitely be more beneficial to have the students start with a few words and work on those for a while and then maybe add more words later on. I also enjoyed reading the classroom strategies on Pg. 12. It is so refreshing to get another opinion or see another idea on how to do things in the classroom!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Chapter 1, I started with the Sample Center Chart it brought me back to the Reading and Language Arts internship that I observed in the First Grade classroom. The First Grade teacher had centers twice week and the students really enjoyed the different activities that were presented. Overall this chapter discussed the importance of communication is reading and writing. It gave the five factors of humans needs such as “Physiological, Safety, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization.” The different models were discussed such as “Part-to-Whole Model and Whole-to-Part Model” which gave me more information about the different approaches of phonics. Effective practices for the student learners I thought were very important and gave great insight on different approaches to teach. Miscues are a very important in the reading material that was discussed in the podcasts also. Ending this chapter it gave the history of education and also the NCLB. I didn’t have any questions on this chapter. I reflected on this reading material that it gave me a review from Reading and Language Arts Class and my internship. This material that was stated such as sight-words and the phonics approach made me think of the internship and lessons that I taught. I thought the most beneficial reading material was the “Effective Practices for English Learners.” I connected the material to my internship and class from Reading and Language Arts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Becky H., I also enjoy centers. I think that having the students doing the same assignments for reading does not keep them interested. When I substitute, the first grade teacher has great approaches of centers for his first graders and it is every other day.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brandy. What a wonderful tutor you must have had. It is nice to hear about success stories with reading. I see several students that are 1, 2 or more years behind in reading and I wonder how will they ever survive high school and get to college. Your experience will make you a better advocate for your students.
ReplyDeleteI actually did not dread reading this text. The information in the chapter was interesting to me to look through. I really liked Figure 1.6 that was displayed because it provided several different strategies that I feel like could be used in my future classroom. When I read information I automatically think of how I could incorporate that into my classroom, and after reading this text there were several points that I was able to visual in my classroom. Figure 1.6 was the most beneficial to me, and I could definitely see myself using over half of the information provided. My question would be, if someone were to rate the strategies that were provided in Figure 1.6, which would be the top five? I was glad the chapter included information on the Part-to-Whole Model and the Whole-to-Part Model. I sometimes get the two confused and end up mixing them together. I am glad it broke down the different approaches that could be used for each model because it is easier to understand. When I read through the models I could picture my students in the classroom working on the different approaches. Sometimes when I think of a lesson to do, I don’t realize what type of model I am actually using.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Alisha G:
ReplyDeleteI thought this reading was a big review of Reading and Language Arts Methods as well. I think it is good to review like that because sometimes important information can slip the mind. It is neat to relate what you read in the text to previous internships. I was in a first grade classroom as well and my teacher had four centers for the students to work on throughout the week. The students would work on one center each day during the given reading time. When they weren’t working on centers they were working on reading skills with the teacher. I feel like NCLB is being stressed more and more. Great post!
Chapter 1 was a great refresher chapter on what I learned in Reading and Language Art Methods. I particularly enjoyed reading up on the three different reading models. I like the part-to-whole model mentioned. In this model, students learn the basics of reading/phonics, etc. then progressively learn more. In this model there are three approaches; phonics approach, linguistic approach and the sight word approach. Figure 1.1 is a great resource for new teachers to refer to for center activity ideas. Thinking back to elementary school I can't remember my teachers having centers. I remember having a big bathtub filled with pillows in which students could read in during our silent reading time. My step-mom is a teacher and recently got a counseling position at an intermediate school and gave me her bathtub she had in her room along with a wide variety of class materials. With all of these materials I feel equipped to teach. I also liked figure 1.6. All of my elementary education textbooks are jammed packed with so much valuable information and examples. As mentioned in the text, I will most likely use a philosophy from my past experiences. I'm sure once I begin teaching it will change and transform into my own.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was a good refresher on theories that are important to learning, especially Reading and Language Arts. It reminded me that we need to create learning experiences that make connections between real life and content for students, it all needs to be appropriate for their learning and comprehension level, and that if we wish to be successful in teaching students we must make sure that their basic needs are met first. At first I was impartial to the part-to-whole reading model, because it is how I was taught. I saw my little sister struggle a lot with the whole-to-part model so I didn’t feel like it was an effective approach. Reading and Language Arts along with this chapter has helped me understand the benefits of both approaches and what can be accomplished when the two are used together. I really appreciate the figures and tables that they have in this chapter, especially the lists of effective practices for ELL students. I always wonder how to help students who are not native English speakers. My experiences with the SIOP model have taught me that the suggestions or activities that we use for ELL students are very beneficial to the entire class because it breaks content down. My question for this chapter is, which reading reform has been the most effective?
ReplyDeleteShelby H- I usually hate reading textbooks too. This chapter wasn't nearly as bad as what I thought. It was a great way to get back into the swing of things. I think most teachers use a mixture of the different reading methods simply because of the different learning styles of the students. I have found all of the figures in this book to be helpful in one way or another. I think it would be very important for us to keep these books to help build our professional library.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Janna
ReplyDeleteI agree! I felt like I had a pretty good grasp on teaching reading from Dr. Walizer’s class, but just reading this chapter has made me realize how much information I had already forgotten! I think as teachers, reading is the area that we will make the biggest difference for our students in.
Chapter 1 was very informative and a good refresher from Dr. Walizer’s course. In the scenario with Mr. Hugo, he remembered to quotes from his methods classes and these two quotes really stuck out to me, “Teach the child, not the method!, and The purpose of assessment is to drive instruction.” These two quotes really hit home with me because I hope that I can remember these two quotes when I get my own class and I can only imagine if I follow through with doing this then the students will benefit tremendously. The other part of the text that caught my eye was also in the beginning of the chapter dealing with centers and examples of how to do them.
ReplyDeleteOne of my questions was how to work with children one on one or in a small group when you have a big variety of skill level and this answered my question. I would like to research more ideas but it provided a great way to start. Does anyone know any great websites to assist in this?
This chapter really gave me some insight especially when working with my oldest. She is in Kindergarten and she is starting to do some sight words along with decoding words. I will be able to utilize the different skills in this chapter with her. I remember in grade school doing the part to whole model or a form of it. I think that learning the basics and starting with phonemic awareness and then moving through each of the steps is very beneficial. I personally love this approach. Of course, I am one of the lucky ones I had an amazing first grade teacher who loved reading and through her love we learned to love reading.
In response to Janel,
ReplyDeleteI also am more partial to the part to whole model, I do realize the importance of both but I have to admit I am still partial to it. I also thought this was a great refresher, what a great way to get us prepared for what we will be doing. I also agree with you that it is crucial to have the child experience either vicariously or through their real experiences in order for them to really understand. I don't an answer to your question, but I would like to know the answer, therefore if you figure it out before I do, let me know please.
Part to Whole model of instruction highlights the importance of students apprehending letter names and sounds, followed by simple words that are decoded with ease and then reading literature which consist of those same words that are decoded easily. This model is comprised of three important reading instruction tactics which are phonics approach, linguistic approach and sight word approach. The phonics approach stresses learning the alphabet as well as the many sounds linked to each letter. Linguistic approach is all about seeing patterns in words and the sight word approach entails teaching children to identify certain words in a story. The Phonics approach is something that I am familiar with from Kindergarten. I can remember learning the short and long vowels of the alphabet. I think the sight word approach is more feasible for many children because it teaches students to recognize words rather than decode them. For many students … recognition is easier that decoding … from my experience in tutoring in Title 1 reading programs. This chapter confirmed this on page 9! In your opinion, what is the most sufficient tactic or method?
ReplyDeleteChapter one was helpful in introducing me to approaches to reading, what works, reflections, and history of reading in schools. On page four, the sample center activities can really be helpful techniques for an educator to use for students reading. Currently, in the classroom I am a para in, they use listening and speaking. They are then assigned to take the book they are working on home to read to an adult. I believe if they were using a few more of the center activities, it could possibly improve their reading skills. Then on page twelve, figure 1.6 included many thoughtful comprehensive approaches to helping readers. If one technique doesn’t, work it would be helpful to try another and keep seeing what works with the group of students or particular students. As an adult, I think it was vital for me to go through the personal reflection of literacy experiences because I did not have good experiences and as a result I disliked reading a lot until I got into college and took a literature class.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Janel - I agree that this chapter refreshes those theories! I also agree that we (pre-service and service educators)must "create learning experiences that make connections between real life and content for students, it all needs to be appropriate for their learning and comprehension level." In choosing literature for students to read; one needs to question, "is this developmentally appropriate?" Too many times we read things to our children that don't create that learning experience because it's not always appropriate. Good Post!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Alisha G:
ReplyDeleteWhat types of activities took place during the centers in the first grade classroom? I was just curious because I am in a first grade classroom as a para and maybe could spice up centers a bit.
After reading Chapter 1, the first thing that really was interesting to me was the scenario with Mr. Hugo. The school that I am doing my internships at do a similar testing a couple of times during the year to see where students are at regarding reading. I did my internship in Reading and Language arts last semester and was able to help out on the testing that was being done. This helped the teacher decide how to split the students up into reading groups.
ReplyDeleteThere was a quote on page 13 that really caught my eye "Effective teachers model new information, rather than merely explaining it." I think that this is so true. As an educator it is important that we model what we are teaching so that the students are understanding it and succeeding. The classroom strategies on page 12, I thought were very helpful and gave me several ideas that I can use in the future in my own classroom.
In response to Janel....
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this chapter was a great refresher. For our students to relate, the material that we teach them needs to connect to real world experiences. I did my RLA internship last semester and my mentor teacher during reading did the whole to part every day. The students would choral read the story from their basal reading book and then throughout the week they would re-read the book either in small groups or partner reading. After done, they would discuss the story. I could see several of the students' improving in their personal reading skills by doing this.
This chapter brought back so many reminders from Reading and Language Arts Methods. I also think the text is informational and easy to read just like the Shanker textbook. This chapter got me thinking a lot about our internship. I am super excited to use the different methods discussed in the chapter. I really like the part to whole teaching. In one of my previous internships the students begged to go through the phonogram cards. They were always excited to find and learn new phonograms. I found this refreshing. Growing up we didn’t have reading corners and we didn’t participate in guided reading. Most of the time the teachers used round robin reading. We never were taken aside and given direct teaching from the teacher we were always taught as a group. I also love the idea of reading centers. Students like to be active so why not make them active while reading. We have to give students the motivation to read. Round robin reading provides zero motivation and leaves the students panicked. After reading this chapter I am really excited to start the internship. Although I’m kind of worried about correctly indentifying reading disabilities and also creating activities that will help the students learn. After reading the chapter I can see that the book is going to play a key part in my learning about reading.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Irv,
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of sight words for common words that the students will see everyday. I had kindergarteners in one of my internships and they had sight words posted on the board. Many of them were short common words such as I, he and the, but they also had the color words because they used them regularly.
Chapter one introduced some great ideas that I feel are extremely important being an intern and a future teaching candidate. I liked that the chapter began with the scenario of Mr. Hugo. This may very well happen to us when we are first year teachers so it was interesting to read his story. I also appreciated that on Page 4 there were various sample center activities given. In my reading and language arts internship, my mentor teacher had the students do centers for the reading curriculum and it ran so smoothly. The students knew exactly what centers they were to complete each day and they learned an immense amount of material by participating in a wide range of activities. The chapter discussed various theories related to literacy assessment and instruction such as the constructivist theory, zone of proximal development, and the hierarchy of human needs. I thought that the material on English Language Learners was vital information that will really help my success both in the internship this semester and in my future as an educator. There are many approaches for literacy assessment and intervention as well. The comprehensive approach is one that I feel like is important for reading success. It integrates skills with literature-based reading and process writing instruction. I really enjoyed reading this chapter because it focused on the essential need to form a personal philosophy for effective and personalized reading instruction. I thought that all of the figures in the chapter were meaningful and have a distinct place in reading disability instruction. Figure 1.10 was great in showing miscues that do or do not hinder comprehension. I really didn’t have any questions about the chapter. I thought it was a great introduction as to what I need to do to form a personal philosophy for reading instruction and assessment. Does anyone have any personal stories or advice on forming a philosophy or planning activities to help with reading disabilities?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Larissa Whit—I agree that Chapter 1 really helped my nerves as to what we would be encountering in this course and in our internship this semester. I agree with you in that by reading Figure 1.8 one is able to form a general idea of their personal philosophy. I also enjoyed reading Figure 1.10 and the information on miscue analysis. I think it may be difficult to determine when to correct or ignore a problem in a students’ reading. With practice, I am sure this becomes easier. I felt that all of the figures in this chapter had a great purpose that really helped me in identifying a plan for my personal philosophy and also gave great tips for reading instruction.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed the DeVries text! I love textbooks that don’t put me to sleep and that actually gives me information that I am excited about implementing in my classroom! I really enjoyed reading the Scenario with Mr. Hugo. One of my biggest concerns that I have about teaching is how to reach each and every student – on level, below level, above level, those with disabilities….I appreciate how Mr. Hugo reflected and asked for help! I think that as beginning teachers, it is vital to use ALL of your resources to help you be successful and to be the best teacher that you can be.
ReplyDeleteI also liked reading about the different methods of teaching is more effective. I think that a lot of that has to do with each teacher’s strength and weaknesses. It also depends on each class. One year you may find that a comprehensive approach may work best but then the next year a linguistic approach may work better. Like the text says, one method is not better than another…it depends on each individual reader. I love the quote in the text that says “there is no ‘perfect method’ for teaching reading to all children…the answer is not in the method but in the teacher.” WOW! That puts a lot of pressure on me! I do not plan on teaching elementary so teaching reading may not apply to me as much. I live in Texas and I am choosing to get certified in 4th through 8th grade. I still believe that reaching each and every students is a goal of all teachers, no matter what the subject.
In response to Kelsey M.:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post! I found this Chapter to be an easy read and it contained a lot of information that I could relate to. I appreciated the Mr. Hugo scenario. I really liked how he reflected and asked for help! I really think that it is important that we ask for help when we need it, especially our first few years in the classroom! I am concerned about how to meet the needs of all levels of learners in my future classrooms. I am looking forward to this book helping me with that question. I also like the section on ELLs. Living in Texas, we have a very high population of ELL students!
Good luck this semester!
I really enjoyed reading this chapter and I took a ton away from it. The beginning story was great and an eye opening experience for me. I worked with centers in my previous internship and I think they are absolutely amazing. It was nice to see all the different types of reading centers and a few of them were new to me. Looking closer at the reading models was helpful and I became more familiar with the components of each. I found the part-to-whole approach to be my favorite because that is where the beginning knowledge of reading occurs. However, focussing on comprehension will be so beneficial in the later grades. I'm glad this chapter talked more about ELL students and the correct practices when working with them. A teacher's own philosophy is important because every teacher's class is different. No teacher can teach the exact same way and everyone has different opinions about teaching styles and techniques. I'm so glad this chapter gave a list of different classroom strategies to approach reading. Some I had heard of and learned in Reading and Language Arts Methods but some were new to me. I think they're all great techniques and I know I'll be referring back to this book in the future. I found the first chapter to be really easy to read and understand so I'm looking forward to reading more throughout the semester.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Melinda,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in grade school we did round robin reading and that was it. There was no buddy reading or one on one reading with the teacher. Reading was incredibly boring to be growing up and my mom would have to force me to read. I never want my students to feel that way about reading. I agree that they need to be motivated and they wont be motivated with the same repetition every single day.
I think I am really going to enjoy this book. By skimming it, it looks to be a lot of information but very useful.
ReplyDeleteChapter 1
As a teacher in training, as I like to say, I have found that I have been exposed to a number of different teaching philosophies. Some of those I like, some I don't, and some I really love. Your own philosophies depend on who you are as a person, the education experience you have had, and what you have learned.
When we get our own rooms our philosophy might not be clear, but as we progress and learn more about our teaching abilities through the first year or two we will develop a grasp of what our own is and will be able to build on it.
When it comes to teaching philosophies the thing that worries me is:
Having it formed by the school or district you work for and not being able to build your own. How can you still have your own while at the same time maintaining the schools or districts?
I know that this is not very long, but I am still trying to get use to the blog thing. I am better with verbal expression than written sometimes.
Kelsey M--- I too like the scenario. Reading those will give us ideas of things we might possible face as we become teacher. It also helps us think about things before it happens.
ReplyDeleteMelinda-- I too see the connection Reading and Language Arts Methods in this book.
After reading chapter 1, I really got to thinking of what model would be best for me to teach as. After thinking about just one model I think for me I would use a little bit of all or some models. While in my internship for reading and language arts I became really close to my mentor teacher. As a sub I was running to her for everything! She told me as a teacher you have to go by what you feel is right and how you feel is an effective way to teach. I took her advice and found that I need to develop my own model and use what I know to build my own teaching techniques. Chapter 1 gave me so much information about reading literacy and what are some good ways to introduce new ideas in the classroom. My mentor teacher also said when she first started teaching she had her teaching philosophy but once she started teaching that philosophy changed and you just have to go with the flow. I think these internships are great. I actually get to know the teachers really well and form really good friendships with them!
ReplyDeleteHolly D-Yes I love centers also! In my reading and language arts internship my mentor teacher had to do centers all the time. She had a combined first and kindergarten class and it was important to help those kindergartners learn to read at their level. I agree with you the book really talked about some good strategies to use for different grade levels.
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