Thanks to everyone for giving a "book review" today. Just a reminder that we will be meeting in the NEW ROOM starting next week, May 23, in EDB 7600 (front half). Also, note the NEW START TIME - 1 p.m. (From now on, class will run from 13:00 - 16:50.) Also, if you could bring your CMCM textbook to class next week along with the photocopied chapters I handed out today for our next activity.
Hope everyone has a great Victoria Day weekend!
25 comments:
Christine H wrote:
Our discussion today about the development of thinking skills used in reading and the book sharing reminded me of a workshop I attended. It was about the power of reading non-fiction. I tried a writing activity that was introduced with my grade 2/3 class during 401/402. The book Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest by Steve Jenkins explores wonders of the natural world. Each page tells a fact, such as the tallest mountain in the world. I asked for predictions of where in the world they thought the highest mountain was. After sharing a few guesses, I read the fact to the class. The students wrote the fact on one side of their journal. On the other side they wrote their reaction to that fact. We did a few examples of what some reactions could be. The reactions ranged from expressions and questions, to connections. I encouraged them to think of different reactions for each fact. It was a great activity because they made predictions based on their prior knowledge. Their reaction allowed them to link the new information to old information and make connections or ask questions. This is also a great book to introduce a weather unit. There are amazing picture collages and can also be integrated into Art.
Carmen wrote:
First of all, I missed the notice to introduce myself last time when I posted a blog. I completed my 401/402 practicum in Panama (grades 5 and 2). That was pretty wild and fun. :) I did my 405 practicum at Newton Elementary in Surrey, in grade 3/4. I really enjoyed all of these age groups, and I would love to teach any grade between 2 and 6. Probably grade 3 or 4 would be my first choice.
We spent some time in class today talking about the importance of connecting new information with prior knowledge; we also had fun looking through a variety of children’s books. During my practicum, my SA suggested using children’s books as a means to relate new learning to what student already know. For example, when teaching about story starters in writing, we looked at stories at a very early reading level. After reading the first two sentences of each book, I asked my students if they wanted to know what happened next. This way, they began to understand what makes an introduction exciting and captures the reader’s attention. It also allowed them to feel confident because the level of the sample books was within their writing ability levels. I think this activity could be effective at any age. Of course, if I was using it with grade 7 students, I would choose higher level books for sample stories, but the general activity would be the same.
Reading Journal Entry 2
Considering the issue of whether or not it is beneficial for students to write before they are able to spell words is an understandably controversial subject. I understand the concerns of parents who don’t want their children developing the habit of spelling incorrectly. As I mentioned in class, at 40 years old my husband still spelled the word “if” “iff”. Once a word is programmed in your mind to be spelled a particular way, it is hard to change. My response to these concerns, though, is that when children are very young, the excitement for learning is there, undiminished by negative influences. Writing reinforces reading skills, so if a child is encouraged to write, without criticism, they will feel proud of their accomplishment and will want to write more. The more they write and develop their reading skills, the more proficient they will become. Spelling, I believe, is something to worry about once the love and pleasure of reading and writing has been established.
I sat in on a kindergarten class during my 401/402 practicum (I was in a grade 7 class). The teacher in this class had just completed her Master’s Degree in literacy. She had the children write in their journal each day. They would draw a picture and write a couple of sentences to explain their picture and use the best “spelling” they knew how. Some children would use just a letter to represent a word, some children would be able to use a couple of letters that sounded like the word (eg. stc for “stick”), some students could spell their name, and some were just getting close. The children were encouraged, when asking how to spell something, to sound it out. The teacher would sit with them for a moment and guide them into using some letters they knew, and would move on. She never gave them the actual spelling. She said this was developing their phonics and phonemic awareness, which is an important first step for beginning readers. This was also building confidence in their ability to write without being told they are doing something wrong, and was giving them the pleasure of writing and sharing their story. I see so many positives to early writing that far outweigh any concerns. This teacher really inspired me. Even at the upper levels, I think I would first encourage students to just get their ideas down, then revise and check, and then use spell check.
I just wanted to make one more comment about the readings. The text went over all the ways that parents can begin to develop reading skills with their children simply by reading to them, and that it is important to remember that students come from all types of backgrounds and have varying levels of experience. I think this makes it even more important at the kindergarten level to center a lot of attention on reading and writing to develop those skills for the children who had limited experience and to enhance the skills for the children who had multiple reading and writing opportunities. The more practice a child has at an early level, the stronger his/her skills will be developed and the earlier a disability could be identified.
melindapark said...
I too, enjoyed the variety of instruction and activities from yesterday's class. It reminds me of the value of having dynamic lessons that appeal to the different learning styles of each student. I was interested to hear once more, that students should be allowed to write freely first, and then edit later. Although I have followed this method in my own lessons, it is difficult not to give in when the students are anxious about their accuracy from the start. I believe that there needs to be a balance of these teaching ideas that is sensitive to the individual students and their learning needs.
In Chapter 2, on page 45 of the CMCM reader, it mentions that it might be useful to accommodate the ESL learner by writing the translations "...as well as a bridge to remembering the English." I disagree. Translation interferes with the brain's ability to retain and develop comprehension of concepts in second-language acquisition. When students translate, they are less likely to retain the word in their memory. When I teach ESL, I give students the opportunity to use the language in context, and this enables them to apply and retain it based on their need to use it.
It was informative to share our ideas about the different uses for the books yesterday. I will definitely consider some of the titles in future lessons.
May 17, 2007 2:28 PM
Ray said:
Reading log 1 – Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Topic – phonemes
- okay so this seems to be rather straight forward to me in a very logical sense. ‘This’ being that in order to be successful at reading it really does help if you first understand the basic building blocks of not only reading, but language. Sure, I’m certain that there are people/children out there who ‘spontaneously’ come to be able to read, but for me on a very basic intuitive level (own personal experience of learning, my experience as an educator and father, all contributing to this intuition) tell me that creating an environment where the basic concepts and skills are fostered, learnt and understood lends well to future success in any skill. So, I ask, why would reading or language acquisition be any different, and, just so you know language acquisition happens from the ground up as well. … word bits, word relations tied to life experience, and then word meaning.
Anyway … I need to be more open with this topic, as I tend to get very resistant to discussing it in a manner that is productive, as I’ve already formed an option that has suited me fine and done me well.
- and now that I’m thinking about it again. Why is it so strange that when people are having fun… they are more likely to learn, purely because they want to. Why why… is this a new concept? And, if its not, then why is it presented like a new concept. It seems to be that this is just an example of academia taking what should be common sense to anyone who was a student (and who remembers being a student), would know, and thus have the sensibilities to apply as a teacher/educator. Why do we need to have academia tell us this is so? … is it because academia has replaced the role of cultural Elders in modern western society? AH, wouldn’t that be an interesting topic to argue about.
Topic – book styles
- right so the second part of class was looking at different books that you may use/encounter in the class. Thinking about what the may be used for in your class, and how you can use them.
- this was pretty good. The exposure to the different style of books was really nice, and having people voice their opinions on how and why they would use the book that they chose was really valuable.
- I noticed that as I was looking at the books that I was fairly wiling to use any book at any age level. I could see how the book could be used across several skill levels. Even beginner books, I can see being used in the middle school level as tools to demonstrate explicitly, and through discovery learning the different elements that make up reading and the process of learning to read. You could fore example have a middle school class in groups write and illustrate a beginning level reader. When I think about books as tools to teach about reading, it makes sense to me that at the upper levels you would talk about the mechanics of books/stories, just as you talked about the mechanics of words at primary levels. And, then on the flip side, using ‘older’ books for younger kids as examples of what can be done, as read alouds so that the students are exposed to more complex ideas and more ‘mature’ concepts.
May 16, 2007 11:48 PM
Our lecture on Wednesday reminded me of and reinforced some of the strategies I used while teaching ESL overseas and in Canada. Both reading and writing are taught together in order for students to increase their ability to communicate through different mediums. When I taught my classes I also linked up my student’s prior knowledge with themes and topics relevant to what they were interested in learning. This was very important overseas as English classes began after the regular school day or later in the evening. This linking kept classes motivated to learn thus gaining language proficiency without realizing it. In my opinion, reading and writing are natural partners and should be learned side by side in interesting and stimulating content.
The book review activity was very helpful to me as it highlighted various books I could use not just for teaching students who are having difficulty reading at the high school level but also various level ESL students. The presentations made by everyone shared tonnes of information about activities and lessons a teacher could do with one little book. It was nice to look at the variety of themes, genres as well as level of difficulty to get a good sense of what is out there. I wish I had a selection of books such as this while I was overseas to integrate into my lessons with children and adults. Nonetheless, the activity has reduced my feeling of being overwhelmed when choosing appropriate books for students.
I was lucky to have been placed in a literacy focused module for PDP; so much of what chapters 1 and 2 talked about were discussed in our module work. We were introduced to and tried many teaching strategies to be used with reading. I definitely think the key is to have a balanced literacy program in your class and learning has to be enjoyable. I loved getting to look through all of the books in class. What it reminded me of is what our FA’s explained in module that you need to have around 1500 books in your classroom library and they must be at a variety of levels. I have been collecting books (no where near 1500) at a variety of levels. I realized that I actually need to read all of the books if I am going to be able to suggest to my student’s books that they would like to read.
In my 405 practicum my reading group was doing literature circles using the new Faye Brownlie method called Grand conversations. The key to this program was to have students make connections including text to text, text to self, and text to world connections. Students would also respond to the novels in a format of what happened on one side of the page and my thinking on the other. Under my thinking, students would need to use connections, questions, inferences, and predictions. I found that it wasn’t hard to motivate the students to do the reading and sit in a circle and talk about it( the novel we were reading was Tales of a Fourth grade nothing by Judy Blume), but it was the written responses that were hard to get out of them. So, I’m hoping this course will help me find ways to keep the motivation of reading going with the writing part being just as fun for students.
I WISH YOU WOULD….
As a child I was a slow reader; it took me forever to finish the book and most of the time I was reprimanded by the librarian for keeping the book to long. At home I have been endlessly teased for not reading enough, even though I have heard about the importance of reading a lot. My parents and my language art teachers did not put enough effort to show me what the books are all about, so I have to discover this on my own. Despite the fact I presently read a lot more I am still not very good at it.
When my son was born I have made a conscious effort to bring books to his life as early as possible. With the support of my husband who is an avid reader it was somehow very easy for me this time. Everything written in Chapter 1 and 2 of CMCM sounds like the steps I have already experienced with my own child. Lap reading, magnet letters on the fridge, solving puzzles with words, listening to the audiotapes accompanied by the books, belonging to the reading club, regular visits to the library, reading contests and on, and on.
My son Konrad reads so much that he often has to be reminded about the world around him. We bring tons of books from the library every week, this is why I have been very familiar with more than half of the books introduced in the classroom, even though I did not grow up on them. Being eleven he reads fluently not only in English, but also in my mother tongue Polish. I am truly surprised and happy knowing how far he has come. The ability to read with ease is a door opener for life. One day he came to me with the remarkable revelation to announce “Mom I think I will never be bored because I can always read another book.” I wish you would hear these words from your own children and many students from your classrooms. It is an overwhelming emotion to know that may be you have something to do with child’s discovery of enjoyment that comes from reading.
Sherman wrote:
Comments week2
As a child reading did not come easy to me. I didn’t seem to remember or be able to retain the concepts of what was being taught. Maybe what was being taught wasn’t very interesting and I got frustrated. Today in our 473 class is was nice to see the linguistic terms that represent the process of learning to read, it gave me the spark to want to know as much as I can. I think the teacher has to be fluent in these concepts to be able to impart the connections of reading skills for the student. The teacher also has to give out the positive effort to make the children be more comfortable, starting from their level, giving them time to read, having fun with the reading program. I will be writing about the start up of a reading program for my topic of interest because I think the pieces of the puzzle won’t fit together unless you have a well thought out structured reading program, that all children can participate in. I think the connections that children make when reading are very important for them to learn well. This helps the child by supporting their prior knowledge, sharing your own experiences, which creates a picture for them. I leant that there are so many variables in a child’s ability to read staring from their home life, to their early experiences before school. Pre-school gives them a good running start for example.
I found the time we spent last class exploring the many books to be a wonderful strategy to use with kids in the classroom. For me, establishing a class library full of books covering a range of subjects and levels isn't quite enough. I find that all too often, children stick to books they know and are reluctant to attempt new ones they are unsure of - this was especially true of struggling readers who I found spent all their reading time choosing books. I think it's so important to spend a few minutes every week talking about some of the books in the library and introducing new ones. For me, this is a great way to pique students' interest in books they might not have otherwise picked up and to encourage them to explore literature. You could even give students an opportunity to 'talk up' books they've recently read with the class. In fact, your biggest issue to deal with might be kids fighting over books that excite them.
In addition to talking about books that live in the classroom, I think it's critical to constantly be bringing in new books. In this way, you can capitalize on interest areas of reluctant readers and ensure that children are exposed to a great variety. To supplement my science unit on habitats and, in particular, animal and plant adaptations, I brought in plenty of extra books and magazines. I introduced this section of the unit with a text pass which I found worked like a charm in feeding on natural curiosities around the subject. Students were given a mere 40 seconds or so to look through a book before having to pass it on and look through another. They quickly developed a keen interest in the set of books and, by association, the unit. These books and magazines lived in the class for the remainder of my time there and served as a great resource not only for their science projects, but also for independent reading. They were constantly coming up to me eager to share new facts they learned about animal/plant behaviours and structures. What started out as silent reading quickly became shared reading where students would share new bits of knowledge with those around them, and I often saw kids reading books together or pointing to facts in each others' books. I also set up posters where students could post sticky notes with 'Did you know...' facts and 'I wonder why...' questions. Having these texts around was instrumental in getting students to celebrate the diversity of mother nature, and also to develop a sense of inquiry in the world around them. There is a wealth of fabulous non-fiction books out there for all levels.
For me the most enjoyable part of literacy is having the students at the carpet for a read aloud. I went through a bit of carpet withdrawal during my final practicum. I walked into my new room only to find an open space without a shred of carpet and ceilings high enough to ensure my voice would be drowned out. I tried the 'walk about the room style' read alouds but quickly found myself walking into desks, chairs, students and losing track of the text. I moved towards having the students clear their desks to the side and arrange their seats theatre style. I was surprised how well this worked in capturing the attention of students and I found that it was the struggling readers who I had reeled in the furthest. They showed a real love for my stories, and were very open to and successful in their responses. This was in contrast to their abilities/habits in responding to text they were to read on their own. There is such power in story!
I had a chance to think about the concept of not correcting spelling as a means to have students explore their own imagination within writing. If we are quick to point out spelling mistakes, then some students may become focused on these technical aspects of writing rather than build up a creative thought process to writing. Students can become quite affluent at writing research papers and the like, but may develop an aversion to creative writing. I think it is especially important to have a good use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling as well as sentence structure at the college and university level. It is much more persuasive to read a well put together piece of literature, no matter what the genre. However, the concern for a younger child to persuade others will probably be very low on his/her list of priorities. The young student will become a happier writer if they are allowed to explore their own creative side, and will likely become more interested in writing and reading in general; they will enjoy being successful.
I'm finding much of this very intuitive. Phenome awareness, variety of books, drawing attention to environmental print etc. are all things that I have done naturally as a parent and as a caregiver. But I come from a literate background, one where books have been valued for centuries. What is interesting to me as a future teacher is just how important early lit exposure is. There are so many studies out there, pointed out in this class, as well as learning disabilities, that suggest that children who come to school without book knowledge are at a great disadvantage. For example, we know that the single biggest predictor of school success is knowing the names of the letters in kindergarten. This is rather depressing in some ways. It certainly does not do much to narrow those social gaps. It makes me wonder if preschool should be publically funded or if there should be more emphasis on content rather than play in the kindergarten year...
I think as teachers it is very important that we remember the privileged position most of us come from, and find creative and real ways to teach reading in our classrooms. Allowing children to have those early exposures to print that they might have missed out on is quite the responsibility.
I really enjoyed this week’s class. It gave me so many ideas that I never had before. I love learning about books and how they can be used in educational settings. To me reading was (and is) always something done for the sheer joy of it. To immerse myself in another world and travel to foreign places and other times was so wonderful! As I read I never thought of the educational value of what I was reading, it was always just fun. To look back at these books now and realise that they all taught me something amazes me! I never really realised how educational Dr. Seuss actually is! To me his books were always just fun, pure and simple. To realise that he was teaching me things while I was having that much fun just blows me away.
In addition, to learn all kinds of new books that can be used in teaching was a great learning opportunity to me. Looking at various kinds of books makes you understand that there are so many educational resources out there that are not completely obvious. It was also very educational for me to see the wide range of different types of books that are out there. Books have come so far over the years in their creative presentations. There are so many books that will appeal to so many different age groups. I have found it hard to walk into a library or a bookstore and know where to start. I know what I liked, but that is not what all of my students will like. So to have some ideas presented to me that I can take with me and expand upon was wonderful!
Neha wrote:
Regarding last week’s class, I thought it was really interesting to learn how children approach reading. I learned that reading needs to be something that is enjoyable to students, and this can be enjoyed in the way that they feel about reading. If children feel good about reading, then they will not hesitate to develop their reading skills. If they have fears about reading, then they will not persist in their reading development. They need to believe in themselves in order to become good readers. I understood that students can only feel good about their reading abilities, if they have fun when they are reading. I think it is really important for teachers to spend time individually with students as they read, and help them feel more confident about their reading abilities. It is a good way to bond with students, read along with them, and see what reading level they are at.
It was a lot of fun looking at children’s books in class today. It brought back a lot of childhood memories. Looking at those children’s books with a new ‘teacher lens’ was quite helpful. I was able to see how a story could be adapted so that it fit into the classroom curriculum, and how teachers can use stories with different subject areas and unit plans.
Melinda wrote:
I too, enjoyed the variety of instruction and activities from yesterday's class. It reminds me of the value of having dynamic lessons that appeal to the different learning styles of each student. I was interested to hear once more, that students should be allowed to write freely first, and then edit later. Although I have followed this method in my own lessons, it is difficult not to give in when the students are anxious about their accuracy from the start. I believe that there needs to be a balance of these teaching ideas that is sensitive to the individual students and their learning needs.
In Chapter 2, on page 45 of the CMCM reader, it mentions that it might be useful to accommodate the ESL learner by writing the translations "...as well as a bridge to remembering the English." I disagree. Translation interferes with the brain's ability to retain and develop comprehension of concepts in second-language acquisition. When students translate, they are less likely to retain the word in their memory. When I teach ESL, I give students the opportunity to use the language in context, and this enables them to apply and retain it based on their need to use it.
It was informative to share our ideas about the different uses for the books yesterday. I will definitely consider some of the titles in future lessons.
May 17, 2007 2:28 PM
Mollie said...
In PDP I was placed into a literacy focused module, therefore we covered a lot in the module work as what we talked about in Wednesday’s class. In my module I had the opportunity to learn about many different reading and writing strategies which I implemented in my practicum. It was so amazing to see how engaged the students were and how much they got out of the activities. I believe that it is important to have a balanced literacy program in your classroom because students need to have reading and writing activities incorporated together. I also think they need to be given many opportunities to show off their work or ideas if they feel comfortable. In my opinion shared reading and writing activities are excellent ways to model to students what a good reader and writer do first.
I really enjoyed looking through all the books during Wednesday’s class and hearing about what others would do with them. I love to teach all my lessons through books so it was great to hear of other ideas. I strongly believe that a classroom needs to have a good variety of literature to meet the needs of all the students. It is also important to get to know your students so you can go to the library to pick up extra books that you think would spark an interest to students in your class. I did this with my students each week and we would spend 10-15 minutes going through the books and the students were so excited and could not wait to read them.
In class we had a discussion about being able to write and spell words correctly. I support the view that children should begin to spell words by emergent writing. When children are freely writing in a journal or writing a story they should not be worrying about their spelling. The child should sound out the word and try their best to spell it. I want them to feel proud and confident writing to not to get worried that they are spelling something wrong. In my grade one practicum the teacher was all about emergent writing and I really liked it. I found that the children came up with some interesting ideas. In my grade 2/3 practicum I found that the students were all really concerned with their spelling that they would always ask me to spell words for them. I would have a line up of students wanting me to write down a bunch on words on a piece of paper for them. I was concerned that they were not going to be able to write freely and they would loose their train of thought. If they got stuck on a word they would sit there until someone told them how to spell it. I wished they would continue writing and getting all their ideas out. I personally would rather them freely write with spelling mistakes to get their ideas out and then they could go back and proof read. I do believe that children should learn the site words and may almost need to memorize. In my grade one class we taught them the words by chanting them with them. (Tap your arm a / t then clap and say at at at). This seemed to work well and then the words would be put up under the letter of the alphabet.
May 20, 2007 3:50 PM
Jami wrote:
Recurring Themes
Having a science-based background, I was a little unsure about what to expect coming into this reading course. However, I definitely enjoyed the first class. There were many different components to the class: teacher centered lecture, individual reading and reflection, and interactive small and large group discussions. Having to brainstorm ideas that stem from an image or a picture is one of my favorite ways to begin a lesson, next to using science demonstrations or reading a current events article out loud. I also noticed that there are a number of reoccurring themes that I first noticed in 401/402 such as “there is no right way to teach”. I am a strong believer in this statement and thoroughly support the idea that it is all about the teacher and their ability to deliver a the topic.
When it comes to the ‘reading’ portion of the class, I have only in the past two years began leisurely reading, something I haven’t done since the middle of high school. This is, of course, when life changes dramatically for most people and reading just for amusement is very often low on the list of priorities. I am definitely looking forward to learning about different ways that could help encourage reading among adolescents and young adults.
“Have you noticed and heard others remark on “how different the children are?” One child must have a clearly defined routine and set of rules while the other child does better if allowed more flexibility and self-determination. One child is neat; the other a slob. .. One child has a restless, creative, problem-solving mind and personality. The other child is as smart (perhaps smarter on standardized tests) but less imaginative.” – Pg. 15 CMCM
My answer to the previous question is “Yes I have noticed how different they are!” I’m a twin myself, so I hear that question all the time. Once people find out that I have a twin sister, they automatically assume that we are identical (with looks and personality). I’m the restless, creative, problem-solver, while my sister is smarter but less imaginative. She is the avid reader; always enjoying a good novel or short story. On the other hand, I’ve always been more interested in people, sports, and movies. I completely agree with the statement that parents and teachers should recognize the differences in their children and adjust their rules, routines, interactions, and teaching methods accordingly. As teachers, we must use many kinds of literary instruction for all of the different personalities that we will encounter in our classrooms (and families). Throughout elementary school, many of my teachers had one (maybe two) kinds of literacy instruction; which often worked for one of us. As a student, I would find it very frustrating if I could not relate to the lessons and have success – especially if the lesson or instruction could be modified (or even changed up occasionally) so that different students show improvement in their reading skills. Teachers need to switch things up once in awhile and accommodate to all the different learning styles – otherwise I think the gap between great and not so great readers will widen.
CMCM also points out that “Learning to read early is associated with four home factors; the home includes a range of print materials, adults and older children are readers, children have easy access to writing materials, and people in the home respond to the child’s reading and writing efforts.” - Pg.26
As a twin, my sister and I came from the same “home factors.” We both had support and encouragement from our parents when it came to reading. So I just wonder - Why did my sister receive almost 100% of the “love of reading” gene from my parents? Where does this joy come from?
I was never a strong reader growing up, and I still do not consider myself a strong reader. (as it has taken me centuries to get through this week’s readings) But after reading Chapter 2 of CMCM on emergent reading, I now understand the importance of introducing not only ‘reading’ but books in general to children at an early age. I found it interesting how every little stage and progression of ‘reading’ matters so much in producing a stronger reader. It was hard for me at first to get through this chapter and read about the progression of reading, because I did not recall going through any of those stages myself. I know that I should not consider myself a reading failure just because I did not progress through the stages as a child, afterall, I survived this far in my career. This brings me to the important point that as teachers, we should recognize that indeed there could be a wide span of leveled readers in our classrooms. And indeed, our students come into the classroom with a range of support from home on reading. But it should be our job to support all learners as readers regardless of level and support from home by igniting that interest in reading in all students; finding the types of reading materials that students can relate to, and build that interest in reading for pleasure.
I especially enjoyed the book review of last week’s class. Being a high school teacher with a background in science, I have not come in contact with children’s literature since….well since I was in elementary school. It definitely brought back a lot of memories. I had an urge to run to my local library after class to get all the books I loved so much as a child just to re-read them. (But alas, it’ll have to wait until the semester ends!) The book review was also beneficial to me as a teacher. It made me realize how so much reading at the early ages is based on illustrations. Reading is largely what appeals to our eyes. As with dense high school textbooks, I see the need to bring in more lively diagrams and illustrations demonstrated in the text to help students comprehend the concepts. If that was how children were introduced to reading at the early ages, there should be no reasons why as they grow older, it should be taken out of their reading. This form of reading would probably make textbook concepts more related to students and tap into other parts of their imagination.
First off, I would like to say that I totally agree with what Melinda wrote as far as having ESL learners not writing translations in order to help them. I used to work in Japan and by having them actually write English words in English made them remember them so much better and their pronunciation was so much better that way as well.
As for the class itself, I thought it was really informative. Coming from a science background, I was very nervous taking a reading class. Let me explain why. I’ve always enjoyed reading and I still do and I usually fall asleep each night with my book open and my reading light on with the stupid bookmark nowhere to be found (so the next day I spend the first 5 minutes looking for where I left off and soon after it’s zzzzzzz!). My concern has always been writing. Being an ESL student myself and coming to Canada knowing only how to spell the word “dog,” I used to skim through books to try to find the word dog to read for my parents in an attempt to impress them. They found it amusing and encouraged me along and eventually my vocabulary expanded. However, my vocabulary never expanded to the degree of my friends around me and it still isn’t as high. I think because I started building my vocabulary so late that I was discouraged to pursue the English classes or essay assignments. That’s why I love this class. I can write a children’s story all about dogs and it’s ok!
I agree that it is so important to build that interest of reading in students at a young age. I also agree that it is important to build the interest of writing in students at a young age and during my time as an elementary school student, I felt the push to write was sometimes ignored. We had book days when we could buy hundreds of books from different book companies. We had reading marathons where we had to read a book for as many consecutive days as possible. We had carpet time where we were read to. How about a day where we could show off our writing skills? How about a writing marathon where students had to write in a journal or diary for as many consecutive days as possible? I’m not sure how the curriculum is now for elementary school because I haven’t been in one for ages and I don’t have any kids to see what they are studying, but I hope it’s changed since I was a student.
By the way, I loved the book resource share and it made me go home and clear the dust off the Tintin books I had in a box in the corner of my room.
As a secondary teacher, I have never really given any thought about what it takes for a young child to learn to read. I have almost taken for granted the fact that when students reach high school, they should already know how to speak, read and write. High school teachers rely on the elementary teachers to teach the students the basics so by the time they reach higher grade levels, more diverse topics and concepts can be introduced. However, this does not mean that secondary teachers can sit back and not worry about whether or not the students have successfully gained these skills. In creasing literacy skills should be a hidden agenda for all disciplines, not just English. Most students by grade 7 or 8 have established phonics and can easily write, sound out words and fathom their meanings or definitions. However, there are still some students who when after reading a paragraph or even a sentence, cannot make sense of what they are reading. I think that these students definitely will tend to read less and less as their frustration with this task grows. It is then definitely up to the secondary teachers to help these children either in their basic reading skills and once they have accomplished this, encourage them to read. This may mean finding out what the students like and what they may be interested in reading about. There are many books in the world and there is bound to be something for every individual. As we saw in class, there are many topics of books to choose from and for various reading levels. If teachers in all disciplines encourage students to read and help them work through their difficulties with reading and help them find enjoyable material, secondary students may just stay interested in reading or begin reading simply for their entertainment.
After class last week on the Thursday I had the opportunity to read a bed time book to my friend’s 4 yr old daughter. It was such an awesome experience as we went through the book. It was obvious that she had read it many time because she was aware of what was going to happen and even predicted the words I was going to read. What a clear way for me to see what it really means to lap read with and emergent reader. I have done this before but never with the emphasis of watching the child as we read. The cool thing about the book was that at the end of it, I was about to close the book but I was ‘told’ by the little girl that I had to finish the book by reading out loud and pointing to the list of barn yard words that were at the back of the book. She said each word out loud with me as I read the words to her. This was an immediate real world application of what we had talked about in class, I was excited.
It was interesting to discuss the question of why reading is important in schools today in class. In my practicum, I was placed with the Vice Principal of my school and she was SO focused on teaching reading strategies. She was not only the ambassador for teaching in the classroom, but also throughout the school. I learned a lot from her about the importance of teaching reading and strategies for helping those students at every developmental level. I appreciated the thought that was posted today on how in contemporary educational society, we are in the "You can't teach every student the same way" thinking. This rang true in my practicum and is great to hear it being reinforced in my learning as well.
From the textbook it was interesting to interact with the idea of how emerging readers understand print. This second chapter challenged me to think like a child: how would I like to learn? Is this the process that I went through to understand print? From these seven concepts presented in this chapter, the most important seems to be the idea that students need places to connect the information to. As teachers, we need to choose stories to read and books to discuss very purposefully so that children have a greater chance to become engaged with the material. In my practicum, I learned how to pick age-appropriate material not just because students would enjoy it more, but because it is real to students and allows them to make real-life connections to the stories. This seems to play a large in role in the process of teaching reading.
I found this weeks reading on Teaching Phonemic awareness to be incredibly interesting and useful. The ideas presented for teaching reading to children used the same basic principles that are useful in teaching science and math at the secondary level. I found this to really confirm my beliefs that teaching is an art, and that a strong educator can teach any subject. The idea of using rules as a means of teaching was questioned for the cases in which the rule doesn’t hold, as confusing students. This parallels with the school of thought that teaching math as a series of algorithms and steps, actually limits a students ability to think mathematically, and may even limit the amount of pleasure and success a student feels in completing the material. Rather by allowing the students to discover the steps and determine the method on their own, they will feel a greater joy and motivation to excel in the subject matter. In addition the thought of invented spelling shows that students are more motivated when they are doing the discovering themselves. This idea should be taken into account for all subjects and educating purposes. The idea of Action Phonics which, “requires students to move their bodies, which tends to reinforce students’ memories of the letters and sounds”, also parallels the theory of learning styles. We are told time and time again in science and math of the need to appeal to kinesthetic learners, and the same is true of learning to read. I really connected with this article, it showed that learning needs to be eclectic and fun to be successful.
(REPOSTED from May 22nd – sorry everyone, I certainly need to get better acquainted with technology! I had posted my first two blogs under the comments section at the very bottom of the page as I had not yet realized that there was a place to post on each of the “after class” pages that Susan creates! ☹
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The “Pleasure Factor”
By now we have all learned or come to realize the crucial role that early literacy experiences play in a child’s life. While some children are read to in the womb, others may not even know what a read-aloud experience feels like when they arrive for their first day of formal schooling. I was fortunate enough to be on the first end of this spectrum growing up. My family home was as “print-rich” as a kindergarten room, offering me the opportunity to engage in a plentitude of diverse reading and writing experiences. I loved to scribble down notes on index cards at the pretend library my sister and I created amongst the pillows in the living room. And my, how we cherished our bed time story read alouds tucked under our parent’s comforter with a generous pile of books lingering at our toes. You would think, after hearing about my early literacy encounters, that I have taken pleasure in reading countless books from the time that I entered grade school. Sadly, although I did explore and enjoy many novels in elementary school, it was often only because my parents still read with me at night. By the time I entered high school, aside from holidays I was pretty much only reading the books that I had been assigned in English class or my texts from other courses. Both curricular and extra curricular demands meant that there wasn’t a lot of time left over for reading with my parents before bed, and I didn’t seem to possess the same passion for reading that I had exhibited in my early primary years. I wasn’t reading for pleasure, but only out of necessity. How is it, that a child who knew every nursery rhyme and begged her parents for just one more story at bedtime, didn’t persist to become a life long reader?
We have touched on the “pleasure factor” in class, and the enormous influence it can have on helping students to develop in to life long readers. Our text chapters also illustrate the importance that “feeling” plays in making both reading and writing an enjoyable activity for children. While I was always involved in choosing my own literature at the library growing up, my parents did have some rules about the books they wished to see my sister and I read. Quality literature that consisted of acclaimed Canadian authors was on the top of their list. While I feel thankful for the places these wonderful books took me to, I do have to wonder if I would make more time to read today if I had been permitted some more time with Betty and Veronica or the works of RL Stine? I feel that my personal experience raises some questions for us prospective or current educators. I think that many of us would argue that any kind of reading is optimal to no reading. How do we create a balance though, between books that we know will draw children in and works that will further expand students’ scope of the world and the English language in the classroom? Do we need to ensure that children are reading “quality” literature? What is “quality” literature? Last class we were able to take a closer look at a wide variety of children’s books, and gave some thought to how we might use various works when helping children to develop literacy skills. What was interesting to me was that we were all able to come up with reasons as to why we thought a particular book would be enjoyable or helpful (out of such a diverse collection). Does this fact then support the idea that all literature is equally valuable in literacy instruction?
Just a few thoughts to ponder over☺. - Laura
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