Blog #5-Section 3 But That - Emily Hammett

This chapter reassured my beliefs in teaching reading. It stated that you should begin a reading lesson with a focus lesson and then students are sent off to practice the focus lesson while reading. I have been working hard on creating meaningful mini lessons that the students can then practice while they read. Throughout the past two weeks we have had mini lessons on making predictions while reading, what to do when we come to a word that we don't know, and determining figurative language such as similes and metaphors. After the mini lesson we will read a picture book together and talk about the strategy that we are focusing on. This way the students are able to see it being modeled. Once the modeling is over students will read their books and complete the task on their own. During this time I make sure to pull small groups of students to the back where we round table read and talk about our strategy. After the 30 minutes for reading is over we come back together to see if any of the students found the task while reading. Right now my students are reading Roald Dahl books, so they are seeing a lot of similes and metaphors. We make sure to talk about those skills after we read. I hope this has really helped my students read more fluently and visualize what they are reading.

At the beginning of the school year I felt that a lot of my students were getting hung up on what the words meant or what the sentence said. When they were focusing on these things they were losing meaning of the whole story. The concentration was lost and we spent more time trying to remember what happened rather than enjoying the story.

I really enjoyed the part of the chapter where it talked about finding time for independent reading. Sometimes I feel so rushed throughout the day. I always try to make sure I get everything accomplished for the day, but sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day. I don't want to leave a subject where the students don't understand the concept taught. I want them to understand fully and if they don't I always blame myself. So sometimes I find myself breaking schedule times to make sure the students understand what I taught. If I stuck to my schedule maybe I would have extra time for more IR. That is something that has been added to my "TO WORK ON" list. It's a never ending list! :)

Riddle, Organize an outstanding classroom library

"Value 'Light Reading'" is my favorite advice in this article.  I explain it to my students as chapter books and nonfiction books and heavy books (mentally not physically) are equivalent to the meal.  You want a meal that will stick to your ribs and energize you for a long time.  However, there are also those times when you just have to have a hershey kiss: Those no-brainer reading materials that keep you entertained and very little else.  "Snacks," we call them.

This meal analogy also relates to the variety suggestion of this portion of the book.  You wouldn't want to continue to eat sandwiches every day.  Why read the same genre day in and day out?  Mix it up.  

I drive my students crazy with the "Top 10" list.  When we come across a book that I adore, they can tell how much I love it by where it falls on my list.  "Top 20" or "Top 5"...I couldn't possibly REALLY narrow it down to a top 10.  At the end of last year my class had picked up the habit of ranking their favorite things.  I over heard one of them say, "That's my top 20 singer."  :)

After our class discussion on vocaroo I am very excited to get my students into recording their book reviews.  They love to share their opinions anyway.  We tried it out last week and found that a couple of our computers need microphone work.  Never fear though, we will push forward and try it again.  

I can't believe that California has pressured some teachers to remove their classroom libraries!  That does not make any sense at all! My class gets tons of mileage out of my library.  

Overall this chapter reiterated some excellent points on keeping a classroom library, many of which echo a school library.  One thing I want to try is getting the kids involved in organizing the books.  That's a scary bit of control to let go....

Keri Lyles-Post 5- Reading Essentials Chpt. 8

     A few years ago (when I was first able to teach reading instead of SRA) I realized that my students struggled with comprehension because they really had no idea what proficient readers did while they read.  They did not understand basic strategies-even though I had assumed that they would.  I knew then that I would need to incorporate some strategies into my reading time-and structure my reading block so that students had opportunities to practice the strategies through authentic reading.  I appreciated Routman's discussion of the key strategies readers use to monitor comprehension.  I was happy that we have discussed these with our kids and continue to do so!  However, I also think that I need to re-emphasize to my kids that I don't use these strategies in isolation.  I use most of them simultaneously.  I need to make sure that my students know that "It's impossible to read for understanding and only make connections or only summarize or only ask questions" (p. 129).  However, I agree with Routman that when teaching these skills it is appropriate to have our students practice them (briefly!) in isolation.  We must also make sure to emphasize the importance of using them all.
     Something else that stood out from this chapter is the importance of modeling the strategies I use as a reader to help my students understand that proficient readers always use strategies to make sure they understand their reading.  I have worked very hard to help my students understand the importance of self-monitoring.  While reading Outlander I have often taken my book to school to share a sentence with students that demonstrates how I had to use a skill we have discussed.  For example, I did not know what "choler" meant before reading the book.  I was able to determine the meaning using context and I talked with my kids about how I knew that I needed to know what that word meant because it kept coming up.  After making my prediction using context, I googled the word and found that I was correct.  I also shared with them a section where the main character was gathering lichen (connection) and my prediction for what she was going to do with it.  Sharing my reading strategies with them gives us a lot to talk about together and provides an example for them of how the strategies we discuss in class can be used!  I love to have them share their reading thoughts too!
     I also love the teaching tip about fluency on pg. 128.  I have been trying to find ways to help my students improve their reading fluency.  I think we may start doing a "Fluency Fun" activity once each week!

Angela Speer's Blog Post #6-Routman Ch. 8; Teach Comprehension- January/February

         Routman begins by discussing teaching comprehension instead of just assessing it. She also discusses that "just because students can read smoothly and can retell what they have read with some details,  does not mean they are able to go further." (117) I find this to be truly evident with my ESOL students because they are able to just tell you what they read, but are not able to "read between the lines." During Balanced Literacy, I try to work on going deeper, but have found that the students go back to what they comfortable with when reading independently. Another issue where I find evidence in my classroom is that student's comprehension lacks " having the background, prior experiences, or knowledge of the way texts and authors work." (118) Some of my students have never even been to Westgate mall, which is less than a mile from our school. They only go home or the nearby store to shop. It makes it hard for some of them to truly understand some of the meanings behind the vocabulary first then the meaning because of this.
        Routman talks about the students being able to word call, but not all of my students are able to. I feel that they also have not always had the opportunity to read freely from a classroom library until this year. I do however, know that they have been read to a great deal. I know this will change for future students because our English Language Arts has changed for the good. I feel that this issue has limited my students comprehension because it has always been so guided. They have not had many opportunities to work independently. Routman states, "If we want readers to be critical thinker, inquirers, and problem solvers, we need to introduce them to challenging, interesting texts." (118) I agree with this and I have asked my students to get more challenging books to practice with a friend or parent at home. I also encourage them to read easy books over and over in order to be able to ask questions and think about the story.
     Routman also talks about focusing on questioning, connections, and summarizing only can cause students to forget how to identify the main focus of the story.(119) My goal is to teach these things while also hitting main idea hard. The reason is because I have noticed that most of my students struggle with telling me the main idea of the story. Without the main idea the students are not able to complete the other assignments.I also agree with Routman on page 120 when she discusses that , "we teach our students strategies, but they do not always apply them. I find this in my classroom as well. I like to teach comprehension in a mini lesson, and review it a great deal in Balanced Literacy. I find that the students isolate it for only that day or lesson and cannot seem to revisit it strongly. It worries me, but also makes me work harder with those students to get them to understand. Routman talks about strategies that we, as teachers, implement, but may or may not always do ourselves. (121) Out of the whole list, I can say that I do highlight (underline, circle, use highlighter pen, sticky notes) when reading articles or books that I need to gather information from. I may connect, but do not ever think about it when reading, it's just second nature as are most of the strategies on the list. I am trying to teach my students these strategies in order to be college and career ready. I need to be expressing them more! Last year, I would assume that my students were getting the meaning just because they could read it fluently. Routman talks about this on page 121 of her book. Routman, just as others, talks a lot about modeling what you want students to do!!! (122) Modeling in isolation and with all of the steps will teach students! If they can relate then they will learn! Routman also talks about writing..."writing in the margins, note to return later." (123) I was just teaching this to my students. I want them to highlight important information and write what they understand in the margins. I find that I model asking basic comprehension questions to get my students talking, but struggle with getting my students to ask significant questions throughout the text. I model, but do not know how to get them to independently ask them. Just as Mark Anders from Mesa, Arizona, I believe that I too would find that my students only asked literal questions. (128) I feel that this is one area that I want to work on. I want my students to be independent critical thinkers that are able to comprehend on a deeper level!

Rosie Vargas. Blog # 5 Routman (2003) Chapter 9: Emphasize Shared Reading

Rosie Vargas. Blog # 5 Routman (2003) Chapter 9: Emphasize Shared Reading

        I have always enjoyed shared reading. I like teacher directed instruction because I feel like I have more control of the classroom and I know what everyone is doing. I am able to practice shared reading in my Spanish classes, after school reading groups and adult English class. In the lower grades I am the main reader and I expect the students to follow along. I usually provide a copy for the students to follow along with.  Routman explains that as the teacher progresses word by word and line by line with a pointer or sliding piece of paper, students should join in visually and/or orally. In my adult English class I have them join in orally. Routman goes on to say that these repeated readings build confidence, fluency, and word familiarity as well as provide practice in phonemic awareness and phonics (Routman, p 131.)

In the upper grades I usually begin by reading it first but then I allow the class to read also. I usually pick volunteers to read first. Most often the students that raise their hand to volunteer tend to be strong readers and it works well. However, if I see that the reading is not flowing well I will continue reading it myself. Routman explains that one of the advantages of shared reading is that it moves at a brisk pace and it helps students stay engaged and focused, so if we start losing that flow then students become disengaged and meaning is lost. During my Spanish classes I like to use books on tape or I find an online reading of the story. This way the students will continue to hear a strong, model reader and it gives me a break from having to read the story over and over again.

Something that has always concerned me about shared reading is that occasionally I have a student that is pretending to be following along but they really aren’t. However, Routman gives some really great cloze and evaluation activities to help with this. The author suggest to let students know upfront that you will occasionally pause in your reading and expect them to fill in the next word. This sets expectation for students and lets the teacher know if students are following along. Two other evaluation possibilities that I am taking away from the readings are to draw an important or favorite scene or have the students read the last page independently or with a partner and then discuss as a class how the story ends (Routman, p.137). I have enjoyed reading this chapter on Emphasizing Shared Reading and I am looking forward to trying out some of these strategies in my classes. 

Katherine Malmquist, Blog Post 5, Routman Ch. 6 & 7:

There are two reasons I chose to read these chapters.  The first reason was to see Routman's ideas on Independent reading, and how those ideas match what I am seeing in the classroom as well as the students behaviors when they come to the library.  The second reason is because when I was flipping through I saw "Just Right" books (p.95) and wanted to know more; I didn't really have much interest in chapter 7 but sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

I love that Routman begins the chapter with a story about how great a teacher was at teaching reading, but wasn't providing enough time for independent reading.  This meant not only were they not spending the time reading, but they were not receiving feedback on their reading.  As an educator, I can see how this happens in my personal life (never enough time to read) and how students may loose out on their reading time because they are receiving the extra help they need to support their educational needs.  I love that I am able to go into the classroom and read with several of our students because it provides time where I can interact one on one with them and talk about what they are reading.  Even though it is a structured reading program, and they are not given choice about what they are reading, we are reading together and we are able to problem solve when they don't know a word, and they are growing and making connections as readers.  In a perfect world, we would be able to do that daily with every student in the school because (IMHO) it makes a HUGE difference in their reading even when it is not immediately obvious in their test scores.  Since that isn't possible, Routman's discussion about independent reading activity makes sense.  I also love that a checklist is provided on page 86, showing that independent reading is more than picking up a book and reading silently.  There are deliberate choices that make reading even more enriching than just picking up a book for thirty minutes.

One thing I have been thinking about for my library is implementing centers where students can accomplish different learning objectives.  This chapter opens a great debate (in my head) about having a spot for the students to read independently/partner read, but also not duplicating what they may be receiving in the classroom during their balanced literacy stations.

My favorite section of the chapter is about establishing selection guidelines.  I LOVE the examples of "just right" books presented because we are individualizing our instruction when we have students finding the books that are just right for them.  Just right books for one student may be completely different from another student, even if they are in the same grade level and have the exact same reading score for Star.  The first question I always ask my students is, does this book interest you?  Why are you reading it?  If a student just wants to read it because it is "on their reading level", they haven't bought into the love of reading, and they may not give the book a fair chance-all because it is not something they are interested in.   I remember hating the books we were assigned in high school English classes because someone decided it was a book I had to read.  The books didn't interest me, and when the teacher could not sell me on the book I did not give the book a fair chance.  Going back and reading some of the same books as an adult has given me an appreciation for the literature because they have become more interesting to me.

My favorite part of library is when I have student checkout.  The time always goes too quickly, and it's probably (maybe definitely) louder than people expect, but my goal is to give students time to find books that interest them AND are good fit books.  Do they find books that are inevitably too difficult for them?  Yes.  Do they still sometimes get those books?  Yes, but they have to also find a book that is a good fit for them.  Does this sometimes take forever?  Yes, but it is worth it.   The students [are supposed to] read the pages to themselves first to check and see if they can read/understand the words.  Do I sometimes question their book?  Definitely.  Then they read it to me, and often they can make the decision that the book may not be right for them yet, and sometimes they surprise me.  We are helping our students grow as readers, and they need to learn to take the time to examine books and make the decision that a book may not be right for them.  When they go to the bookstore, they aren't going to be able to ask for a book that is a ___ level.  While they can receive recommendations for students in grades ___, it's not going to be a guaranteed good fit.  

If we are spending time on independent reading, it is natural to expect some type of assessment to go along with it,  Which is why it make some sense to partner a chapter about assessment with independent reading.  I like that on page 102 the statement is made that, "While you will want and need to meet with your struggling readers weekly...for most of your students once a month is sufficient." I think sometimes we become overwhelmed with the idea that we have to meet with so many students in a set amount of time that we lose some of the value of our conferences because they become rushed.

I also think it is very true that talking about a book with a student doesn't mean you have to read the book first; it is pretty obvious when a student has been reading a story and when they have not.  Some students are better about repeating a story verbatim, while others can provide the gist of the book.  It has been my experience that students can't wait to tell you what they love about a book, or if you ask them why they did not like a book they have a few things they can tell you about it.  It's also true that you can tell when a student has no clue what they are talking about because of the language they use, as well as the flow of the conversation.

Cassie Heinz #5- Routman Ch. 12 "You Only Have So Much Time"

I chose this chapter of Routman's book because balancing time is something I always feel like I struggle with. I teach full time and work part time at Barnes and Noble. With all of that time spent at work, I feel like I don't always set aside enough time for myself. I enjoy going to the gym, reading, spending time with family and friends, watching tv shows, talking on the phone to people far away, and most importantly- sleeping. Sometimes I feel as though it is challenging to balance my time effectively and efficiently especially during the holiday season or when it is busy at school. I even feel guilty at times for taking time for myself to socialize or do what I want to do even though I have school work that needs to be done. I enjoyed reading Routman's insight into this matter when she said "we are not only role models for learning; we are role models for living." I want my students to know that yes it is important to work hard, but it means nothing if you aren't able to enjoy yourself. I share stories with them about my friends and my family and events that happen to me outside of school and the students love listening to these stories because it relates to them. In turn, I always give them time to share events that happen in their lives.

In this new year, I am committing myself to spending more time at the gym and reading for pleasure more often. I was able to read 2 books over Christmas break and remembered exactly how much I love reading. I also almost couldn't wait until we were back at school to share the events of Serafina and the Black Cloak  and The Nightingale  with my students. My class and I also set reading goals and came up with a list of books we would like to read this year. I chose to do it with them because even as an adult, I have reading goals too- like reading more nonfiction and reading daily. They enjoyed hearing about my goals and the books I want to read and I enjoyed hearing about theirs.

Routman emphasizes the importance of integration of reading with science and social studies. I feel as though this is one of my strong points as a social studies/ science teacher- I read aloud to them often in my lessons and I provide a text set for students for each unit, which I encourage them to read when they are able. My students particularly enjoy reading Letters from Rifka  each year. This year we moved our novel studies from our reading block to after school in order to give them more independent reading time during the day. The students would ask daily if I was teaching after school so they could read the book. This set up created a lot of anticipation and excitement toward the novel.

Lastly, it was refreshing to see Routman say "our students' literary needs and interests must be our priorities- not prescribed programs and test scores." I wholeheartedly agree with this statement and I wish the people higher up in the educational system would agree. I spend tons of money every year on books for my students. I pick out a variety of texts based on the reading interest inventories we do at the beginning of the year and the conferences throughout the year. I just bought a Minecraft set of books- something I never would have thought I would do, but my kids are crazy about them! They are learning new vocabulary and are so eager to read. This is my favorite part of my teaching (and B&N job)- putting books in people's hands they are excited about and will encourage them to love reading.

Blog Post #5: Lyndsey Gantt's Routman Chapter 8

I chose to read chapter eight from Reggie Routman’s Reading Essentials. The chapter is about teaching comprehension. It validated everything we are doing this year in reading. In the past we taught the direct instruction program, Reading Mastery also known as SRA. SRA taught students phonics, fluency, and word calling with very little comprehension on a deep level. Routman introduces this chapter discussing the emphasis on word calling, automaticity, and fluency in the early grades. He says that it is often at the expense of understanding. I have been saying this for the past nine years. I do believe Reading Mastery helps students learn to read but I don’t think it’s the best approach because students are not learning how to comprehend or understand text and especially not high interest, realistic text. I agree with Routman that in the past we were turning out lots of superficial readers. The key word here is past. This year we decided it was time to use a reading workshop model to meet each of our students individual literacy needs. So far it has been extremely hard and exhausting but very rewarding with lots of student growth. I know what I need to work on for next year after reading this chapter and that is teaching students to apply their strategies. It’s more than just teaching them a strategy, it’s about practicing and applying the strategy. Routman also discusses thinking deeply about our own reading processes, and trust what we do as a reader to guide our teaching. I think teaching for understanding will improve students reading comprehension further than in the past. I kind of thoughts students for the most part, read for meaning. Now I am learning that according to Routman, students do not automatically read for meaning. So reading for meaning has to be demonstrated and applied. Another topic touched on in this chapter that I want to really focus on in the future is making sure students are reading books that are authentic but also on their level. If students are struggling with words and concepts they can’t read for meaning. I loved this chapter because it states the things teachers should be doing to foster reading and help their student understand what they read. Reading this helped me feel good about the hard work we are putting in this school year. I will be setting my future goals based on this reading and I can’t wait to apply what I learned from this chapter to my classroom.

Dawn Mitchell's Share Your Reading Life Regie Routman's Chapter 2

Dawn Mitchell's Share Your Reading Life Regie Routman's Chapter 2

During the month of January our application we are working on learning about Socio Cultural Learning theories and strategies that help support student talk.   In our required reading this month Richard Allington identifies student talk as one of the essential components that characterize the most effective teachers’ classrooms. 

In January’s blendspace you will find a variety of resources we’ve included for you including the four theories that we are sharing with you such as Owocki and Goodman’s kidwatching excerpts that focus on sociocultural learning and talk and Chorzerpa’s suggestions for utilizing Socratic Seminar to promote active student engagement in learning.  You will also find in our blendspace an example of an award-winning podcast in the link to NPR’s “This I Believe” podcast series as well as a link to try out a very user friendly podcasting tool for students called vocaroo (vocaroo.com) 

This month for my blog post, I have chosen to read chapter 3 “Share Your Reading Life” from Routman’s Reading Essentials for many reasons.  First of all, I believe that this directs to the importance of talk in our classroom.  How many of us love to read and love to talk about what we are reading?  I know that many times I have read a book that has deeply affected me as a reader and I have immediately wanted to share that experience with another human. 

When I was in the second grade and read, Charlotte’s Web I remember sitting beside my best friend at the time, Amanda Ravan just a crying over the loss of Charlotte and the heart warming knowledge that I at 8 had experienced the joy of friendship.  When I was in the fifth grade and read Where the Red Fern Grows I remember vividly having to re-read it at night to my twin brother because I wanted someone else to know those two coon dogs, Little Ann and Ole’ Dan that had stolen my heart and made me love the outdoors all over again.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit to you that in college when Greg and I first met I read Nicolas Spark’s The Notebook and was so smitten by the idea of a love like that I asked him would he please read because I hoped that the new love we had found might grow into a lasting life time love like the two characters based on the author’s grandparents had found.  I know cheesy right! 

As readers we connect to what we read and we are compelled to share our thoughts with others.  When Lily Grace figured out what Severus Snape’s heart was really about in Harry Potter she had to run downstairs and tell me that he wasn’t all bad and she couldn’t believe I had let her peg him wrong all this time when I knew he actually helped save Harry in the end!  I told her that I was waiting to see her reaction and I didn’t want to spoil the discovery of loyalty in his character for her.  We then both concurred that J.K. Rowling had magical writing abilities to draw out his character development.

Our students need time to talk about what they’ve read, to transact with others who may affirm their thoughts and more importantly, who may challenge them and open them up to a new way of thinking.  In my first summer of the Spartanburg Writing Project, my book club that read and wrote under the influence of Barbara Kingsolver’s work that summer challenged my thinking and my writing in ways that grew me. 

In this month’s article, Allington states,  "..if we want to increase substantially the amount of reading that children do (and would I argue that this is one absolutely crucial step toward enhancing reading proficiency), it is important to give children books they can read and choices regarding which books they will read. Likewise, crafting a supportive conversational environment in which students talk to their teachers and to their peers about the books they are reading is an important component for sustaining increased reading. And active teaching of useful reading strategies expands the array of books that children are able to read. Finally, shifting evaluation to focus on effort and improvement enhances students' motivation for reading."  (Allington, 2002 pg. 8)

One of the strategies that Routman made in this chapter is to share your now and your next book and to have a record of your reading.  In my writer’s notebook I have a running list of books I’ve read so I can remember them for mentor texts and for the memories.

Each month I visit Mr. K’s Used Book store in Greenville (in Verdae Shopping Center off the Motor Mile) and buy my stack for the month.  Below is my picture of my Now Book stack.  Every single book in this stack was recommended to me by a friend.  Keri Lyles from Arcadia 
recommended Outlander (she was right, it is full of adventure, history, suspense, and a little romance too!).  A friend of mine I met in Kentucky when Tasha Thomas and I presented at a Writing Conference there recommended The Goldfinch to me on facebook and The Martian was highly recommended to me by my parents. 

Here is a picture of my Next Book Stack and both books on this list made the list through talking with others.  The Rick Bragg book is on my next stack because he is an all-time favorite of mine and two friends, Susan Cox and Pam Ray recommended this one to me recently.  The ESV Bible was given to me for Christmas by my husband Greg because two friends of mine recommended this translation to me.

Other take aways for me from this chapter include:

*Favorite Author Area – page 30

*Baskets of Recommended books – page 30

*Keeping a Simple Reading Record – page 35

*Demonstrating How You Read and Your Love For Reading – page 36

Routman says on page 24 that it is important that we share our love of reading with our students.  “I want students to know I am compelled to read.  It is almost impossible for me not to read.  It’s much more than enjoying a well-told story, increasing my knowledge about the world, following directions, or say, understanding philosophy.  Reading pervades my life and sustains me the same way friendship and love do.  Reading gives me joy, comfort, perspective, new ideas, questions to ponder, and connections to other lives.  I want nothing less for my students.” (Routman, page 24)

I agree whole-heartedly.  #readersareleaders

Sincerely,

Jessica Amsler December blog post 5: Routman Chapter 5 Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

This chapter was inspiring yet discouraging at the same time.  While reading this book I’ve felt, for the first time, that I am doing what I was supposed to be doing and didn’t need to completely revamp my classroom.   As I read chapter 5 I felt inspired and encouraged to better my classroom library but it also made me feel that this is something that I cannot achieve.  Chapter 5 is titled “organize an outstanding classroom library”.  This is my eighth year teaching and I still have no idea how to effectively and efficiently set up a great classroom library!  I have TONS of books but they are not great books for students to read, they are great read aloud books.  Routman discussed having a great “reading nook” or designated area for students to read in.  I try but my reading corner is so small that when my students go to the area they are so close that it makes it hard for them to get comfortable and read.  I love the ideas in this chapter but I feel so negative when I think about applying these things in my classroom.

Routman suggests getting more books based on student interest.  I think this is a wonderful idea but where is the money going to come from?  She provides ideas about where to get money such as PTO or parent donations but these two things seem impossible here at Arcadia.  Our PTO is still growing and doesn’t have funds to buy books for each classroom and not many of our parents are going to donate books.  I spend so much of my own money on books and other supplies in my classroom already.  I simply can’t afford to buy anything else.

I enjoyed reading over the checklist on page 66 but the questions made me feel like my classroom library was inadequate.  My classroom library does not jump out at you when you walk in, it is squeezed into the only corner that I had open.  We have such a small classroom and it is hard to fit all of the things we need, never mind a beautiful, inviting classroom library.  My books are old and some are falling apart but I used my money to buy other things for my classroom.  It would take a lot of money to have a great classroom library and I do not have that kind of money.  My students were not involved in the selection of books or organization of the books and they cannot comfortably sit and read in the reading corner.  I have a rug and a few pillows for them to sit on and read but they are squished together and do not have enough space.  I look at Pinterest and dream of having a couch or a loft for them to sit in during read to someone, but it wouldn’t fit.  I think my students still have the desire to go to the reading corner but it is frustrating as a teacher to continuously read what I should be doing but don’t have the space or resources to do it.

I hope this doesn’t come across as a negative reflection to the chapter.  I thought the ideas were great and I wish my classroom library was better.  I would like to think of this as a realistic reflection rather than a negative reflection.  I guess I have a hard time prioritizing where my money (money from my pocket, not the money given to us at the beginning of the year) is spent for my classroom.  Do I buy supplies for the new math curriculum?  Do I buy supplies for hands on science activities?  Do I buy books for my classroom library?  Which is the most important for student success?   I’ve done Donor’s Choose grants in the past and a Junior League Grant but I can’t rely on applying for grants to get supplies that I need.  The last grant I got for books took almost a year to get the books after we awarded the grant.  I will do whatever I can to help my students! They mean the world to me and I want them to be successful, but can I do that with a limited classroom library?  I keep reading about giving them choice and having high interest books in my classroom library but where will the money come from?

Southerlin December Blog: Inquiry based learning

Inquiry based learning is unfortunately something that I struggle with as a teacher. I have learned many more ways of implementing inquiry into my lessons but I would love to do more with it. It amazes me how much my students know and how much they can do when I simply step back and allow them. One of the biggest ways I use inquiry based learning is through introducing new books and topics of study. I show students the cover of a book, the title, and we take a picture walk without looking at the words. Then, based on what we have seen the students are encouraged to discuss what they believe will happen throughout the book, what will happen at the end of the book, who may be our main characters, and any questions they may have about the book before we begin reading. During our reading, we infer about what we believe will happen next based on our reading and our picture walk. It is amazing how many students can accurately guess what will happen in the story. I would like to figure out how to get my students to ask questions about their reading, such as; I wonder why the character is doing that?, or I wonder if this will happen next, or I wonder if the characters are going to go to this place and so on. I want them to also make connections to their reading and relate it to their lives so they can dig deeper into the book and ask more questions (I hope this makes sense). Another way I have implemented inquiry based learning is in science. I learned how to make a wonder station during our professional development at the district office and used the strategy to introduce my matter unit. The kids did an incredible job of asking questions about the items on the table. Then, after discussing the questions and talking about the items, the students were able to hypothesize what we were going to be learning about. It was quiet remarkable to see in action. I would love to learn other ways to implement inquiry based learning. I want to know what the students know and what they want to learn about through their own initiation, not through me forcing them to learn about something required.

Angela Speer's December Blog Post #5; Routman (2003), Ch. 3:Share Your Reading Life

To begin, Routman discusses "examining your own reading life" to begin the year. (23). In this course, we began writing about our reading lives in order to relate to the students that we were going to be teaching. Prior to reading this article, I found that I too, have told my students that reading will make them smarter, their vocabulary will become strong, they are preparing to the be the best third graders and they will learn more and more. These ideas were similar to page 24 of Routman’s book. My goal in education is to educate my students to be the brightest, most well rounded, readers. I know and understand that those students that develop “lifelong habits” of reading will grow to be all of these things plus more. (Routman, 24). I agree that we, as educators, need to allow the students to see our reading life come alive. The students need to know that I read every day even on the internet, the newspaper and books from my home library. I feel that they also enjoy listening to me talk about being a writer. They ask questions about my writing and I gladly discuss it with them. One thing that I notice now that I have Easton, is that they all want to know about his library and his love for reading. While he is only 15 months old, he loves to listen to me or his dada read books aloud. He loves my expressions throughout the stories, and he enjoys helping me turn the page and point to the words. I am growing a lifelong reader!!! 

I have found that the students loved watching me read books at the beginning of the year, I especially had quite a few take note that I would read multiple books throughout the reading workshop to display exactly what Routman discusses on page 26.She wants us to allow the students to see that we read multiple text at the same time.

Routman discusses, “Help that student find a book that interests him [or her].” She also discusses when “teachers and students work together to establish rich and diverse classroom libraries, finding a book to read ceases to be a problem.” (26) I agree and want to know what my students are interested in. They are allowed to bring in books to share and add to our collection at any time. Even if the book is too hard for most of the class, I want them to be lifelong readers, and I must allow their interest to come first at times.

Routman talks about her personal library at home on page 27 and I laugh because if you all saw my library, you would like that we are pack rats. We have so many books in our bookcases that they are packed in every way possible. I do, however, find that Easton’s is becoming the same because I want him to have every children’s book on the face of the planet. Routman states, “Kindergarten students who do well in school own more than fifty book, at a minimum!” (27). I too agree with this statement and want Easton to be the smartest student in all of his classes. In my class, I encourage each parent that I have met with to get a library card for their student. So that their libraries are as a door of opportunities. This is due to most of my students not having the money to buy loads of books.

Routman discusses talking about book clubs.(30). I want my students to be part of one so in our classroom we are working on reading great books and sharing through "Book Talks" or share times. I feel that this has encouraged my students to want to read books and to write about what they read. I have also found that in the beginning of the year, my students were reading the same books over and over, which is fine for a while, but they needed to “read a variety of genres” (32) We discussed this through mini lessons and then made a chart of the genres of our classroom library again. We also discussed different genres that we may encounter while reading. Routman created a fifth-grade genre list and I also did this with my second grade class.(33) I had to help with some because they only felt comfortable with fiction and nonfiction. Some are still only comfortable with these two, but at least they have be exposed to more.

I hope that by the end of this year, I will feel confident that my students have learned to love reading and appreciate the books that they read. I also pray that they read their little hearts out to continue to grow over the summer. I hope that they will grow as readers until one day, they too can pass it on. I also pray that Easton loves reading and that our home library continues to grow until we cannot fit more books in our home.