Through these readings I have learned what truly matters in a classroom when it comes to reading instruction. When I think back to elementary school, I often think of sitting on my very own rug while my teacher read aloud to the class. The studies which were mentioned in the readings pointed out many things that made a classroom successful. Reading aloud to students was something that was happening in each of the effective classrooms. The teacher's reading had a large affect on students and tended to spark their interest. One thing that was stressed was the importance of choosing different forms of literature such as magazines, information books, series, etc. The reason various forms of literature is important is because it must be something everyone in the classroom can enjoy or show interest in.
I really enjoyed the idea of reading parties, reading conferences, and dedicating the last 15 minutes to students sharing their readings in small groups. I hope to have a classroom which students feel interested and fascinated by reading. These readings helped me to see the importance of focusing on each individual student and making sure that I shed a positive light on the importance of reading and writing. This assignment really made me think back to my experience in school and see how each of the strategies mentioned really impacted me.
What did your teachers do in elementary school which impacted your reading and writing the most?
You brought up several good points! I remember my teachers using some of the strategies listed in the reading like independent readings and reading in groups. Overall, I think one thing that impacted me most that my teachers did was exposing me to different types of reading materials. I remember being in 4th grade reading newspaper clippings about what was going on in the city. We also were allowed to explore educational and recreational reading materials, like comics and picture books. I feel like that exposure allowed me to be more open in my reading choices, and further expand my my reading capabilities.
ReplyDeleteYou're right! Thinking back to elementary school I remember doing a lot of different activities centered around reading. We also sat on rugs or bean bag chairs while we listened to the teacher reading and in 3rd grade we each got to sit in the "comfy chair" and share a book we had read. It felt like we were the teacher for those 10 minutes which we all looked forward too. For writing, our teachers had us write different stories or reactions to events we experienced.
ReplyDeleteLooking back my first grade teacher, the teacher I give the most credit to when it comes to me learning to read, she always got the students excited to read by group reading and having the students share interesting books. I think that is a great way to keep students engaged and actually wanting to read for fun.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on that reading aloud to your students was a point that both chapters and the article all pointed out. It showed that this is one of the biggest motivators in getting students engaged in reading and writing. I also, like you, really enjoyed the idea of reading parties, reading conferences, and using the last 15 minutes of school to engage the students in reading whether that is through small-groups, reading conferences, independent reading, etc. I always remember my teachers reading to us while we sat on the carpet and I also remember meeting in small groups and taking turn reading out loud.
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