Kim Anderson- Blog Post 5- Teach with a Sense of Urgency-(Routman)

Before I read this chapter I had a preconceived notion on what it would probably be about, but soon after I began reading I realized that it was nothing like what I expected. Teaching with urgency is what most teachers do daily.  It is deliberate. It is engaging our students so that they gain the most from each and every moment inside our classrooms. It is being mindful of each and every student and meeting their needs as individuals. It is making sure we are prepared and making sure that our students find a way to take some responsibility in their own learning. It is setting our expectations high and push our students just a little farther each time we step in front of them.
We need to draw our students into our teaching, so that they become part of the teaching experience. We want our students to become independent learners so that even when no one is in front of them teaching they are still learning. It is often better for students if you integrate smaller skills inside challenging more relevant information. For example, grammar can be integrated into narrative writing. This way students can not only work on grammar but work on it using their own writing. I also believe that when other subjects are integrated into reading the students have a better understanding of that subject. Such as social studies integration into language arts. Our fifth grade team has been doing this for years and I truly believe it helps student grasp the information better and apply it in different ways.
I love the section about interactive reading. I believe you can tell more about what a student understands by talking with them during certain portions of reading. Allowing them to discuss it with their peers and as a group helps with comprehension and vocabulary development. 
Also the connecting reading with writing is something I do daily. We practice  "Reading like Writers". We scavenger hunt or sentence stalking for sentences that we think are amazing. We talk about what makes them amazing and how we can utilize what makes them great sentences in our own writing.
Taking the time to create an environment that is conducive to our students success is of the utmost importance. We can do this by setting our expectations high and our students will meet them.  We can model and support our students through their learning. We can make sure they take responsibility in their own learning as well. Making sure we are prepared and mindful and our students are engaged and understand our high expectations will help make sure they are successful.