Lori Lonon- Blog #7 R. Routman, Reading Essentials, Ch. 5: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

Lori Lonon- Blog #7

R. Routman, Reading Essentials, Ch. 5:  Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

I intentionally skipped over this chapter when rereading this book, mostly because I feel I have a pretty good classroom library (that has certainly evolved over the years.)  However, I have “relearned” something with every chapter so I figured this is good timing since I will soon be packing away the baskets of books and thinking of how I can make my classroom better than ever for next year’s second graders.  In the first part if this chapter Routman makes the case for WHY we need more expansive classroom libraries.  Her suggestions include summer reading programs in which the school provides materials.  What a great way to make use of discarded library books.  I think our students would be more inclined to participate if there were incentives- like a Barnes & Noble giftcard.  Some of the other suggestions are things that our school is already doing (YAY) like helping families sign up for public library cards.  But we certainly could offer summer reading lists- something that I’ve never seen go home with my students for summer since I've been at Lone Oak. 

 

The checklist for evaluating your classroom library is quite helpful.  I was able to check off most items, but I found areas in which I can improve, like books that portray a variety of cultures.   The author recommends that teachers find out what authors and specific titles their students like and add those to their classroom libraries.  I have tried to do this each year and as a result I find interesting new books and authors that I’d otherwise never know about.  Routman also encourages teachers to get students involved in organizing and maintaining the classroom library and gives several suggestions for displaying books.  She concludes by making the connection between organized classroom libraries and the ease of implementing guided reading and conferencing, noting that students who have been trained to use an organized, plentiful classroom library properly are more likely to remained focused on independent or partner reading so that the teacher can hold small groups or conferences without interruptions or misbehavior from the rest of the class.  I can honestly say this is true.  When students are allowed to choose from books they love and know how to find books they CAN read, they become so engrossed and excited about the time given to read to self/someone that I seldom have to stop small group instruction to deal with a behavior issue.

Raegan Shaw Blog Post #7: Chapter 12

One part of this chapter that I fell in love with was the page about making time for personal and professional reading.  I had not realized until I read this page how often I neglect reading.  For a while, I felt like I read all the time for plans, this course, and so on, but I did not realize how nice it is to sit down and read this chapter.  It's even more nice to read a personal book on my own spare time.  I can totally relate to teachers not "having time," yet I guess I have more time than I think.  I need to spend more time making time for reading.  I loved this page especially because it reminded me of the last D6 University that I went to this year.  One of the literacy coaches there, that was teaching a class to us, asked us to spend about 20 minutes reading a novel from her table.  In that moment, I was for the first time in years asked to drop everything I was doing and read.  At that point, I had no excuse.  As if only seconds later, she asked us to stop reading.  I looked up and it was time to answer questions on our book.  Words cannot describe the happiness I felt from reading that book for even that short amount of time. I was so lost in it that for moments, I forgot my responsibilities and worries that I constantly carry on my shoulders as an adult.  Reading has the magic that takes us away from our problems, thoughts, and worries.  Not to mention, it makes you smarter! This is exactly what I want to teach my students.

This chapter has also made me feel more at peace with my bad timing.  I realize now that most teachers struggle with timing and efficiency and that we all just need to take a big breath and figure it out!  I definitely need to work on being more efficient and wasting less time during the school day.  Maybe this summer I will sit down and think a lot of my daily routines through and find ways to improve them.  From all that I read in this chapter, the part that spoke to me most was the part about building in time to reflect.  I was asked to do weekly reflections with student teaching and clinicals, and I loved it.  Even though it was a lot of writing and something extra to do, I appreciated the fact that reflections were assigned and mandatory because each time I wrote one, I felt better about my career, even if my reflection was somewhat negative.  I feel that next year, I am going to start a notebook or even a word document and reflect each week, if not each day, about my practice.  I'd like to see how much daily reflecting helps now that I have a real teaching job.

Vinyard Post #7

I am not going to lie, my first year I feel that I was doing it all wrong! I'm sure I was doing just fine, but after this year I learned much that the book was suggesting about how to teach without exhausting yourself. I'm not going to lie, I'm still very exhausted, especially from just going through SAFE-T, but I have grown so much as a teacher. I still have those times during the week where I have to miss things that I would like to do, but I do not let work overwhelm me as I use to. I love the advice the chapter gives about how to think about what YOU want them to know and learn instead of relying on text books and other pre-made tests and such. Last year, I was not supplied or given many resources at all and actually came up with a lot of notes and tests and quizzes on my own. I like that the book says that you need to keep work meaningful and to create tests that are meaningful to your students and tailored to their needs.
Often times my students get frustrated with me when I pair them to read or work with each other because they are not working with their "friends". I try to explain to them that reading with different partners will strengthen their readers and help them!
Like the author said, I spend a lot of time thinking about my lesson plans. Often times I will be riding in the car and an idea will pop in my head for a great lesson on one of our standards. I will take the time to write it down before I forget and soon it grows into an entire lesson. I love the idea of making lessons tailored to your students and making them your own instead of getting them from a book. Although being a teacher is exhausting, knowing your students and creating meaningful lessons is most beneficial to students. I think that over the years teaching will become almost a second nature. I have taken every bit of advice over the past 2 years in order to not completely exhaust myself!

Vinyard Post #6

I was just writing about this in my I believe section and I agree with the author when she says that reading is such a huge part of her life and that beginning the school year and showing your students that you are enthusiastic about reading is very important. When you are modeling reading you should always show enthusiasm as well! I never want to overwhelm or poke fun or embarrass my students but during our ELA when we are in Lit circles and/or doing our novel study I often times stop my students when they begin reading because they are reading with no enthusiasm and avoiding exclamation points and such. I model for them what the paragraph or sentence should sound like when reading aloud.
I also let students know when and where I read and the students love to hear my opinions on books and know which books I have read. Its easy to communicate and talk with students and get them excited about books and about reading when you do that yourself. I have always been a reader and its easy to show my students how to really get "into" 'a book.
I like to give my students reading inventories and have them do quick writes on their favorite stories or what they are reading at the moment. I like to have them share some of their favorite books and some of their favorite series as well. I love the idea of having a folder of "Books I want to read"!

Kelli Donald's Blog Post #7: Routman Chapter 8--Teach Comprehension

Notes	Thinking
We need to begin teaching comprehension by thinking about the texts students are reading as well as the texts we want them to be able to read and write. (p.118)	Are my students reading appropriate level texts?  Are they reading something just because everyone else is, and can they really understand what they are reading?
Placing emphasis on individual comprehension strategies can actually make learning to comprehend more difficult.  The students become so focused on looking for the one concept they miss the overall meaning. (p.119)	I totally agree with the author’s words.  We tend to become so focused on making sure the students understand sequence of events, making conclusions, etc. that we sometimes make the overall meaning of the text a mystery to the students.
When given the opportunity to reread material, reader’s comprehension almost always goes up. (p.122)	This is so interesting and so accurate.  I think of all the times I, myself, as a reader has had to reread something to understand it better.  This is sometimes a practice that students are very hesitant to do.
Surveying is an invaluable practice, especially with non-fiction text. (p. 123)	I always have my students complete a story walk before reading any text, fiction and non-fiction, in my classroom.  Glad to know this is as important as I have always thought it was!
Students can’t read for meaning if they are struggling over words or concepts.  Most of the time students should spend reading is spent taking the time to pronounce and define words. (p.127)	I thought it was interesting to note that the author said even leveled text can contain words that can hinder the student’s comprehension.  I am glad to know that in order for someone to fully comprehend what they are reading they should know 95% or more of the words.

Chapter 7 Krystal's blog post #7

Chapter 7Make Assessment Instruction’s Working Partner

With implementing a better independent reading program for the rising school year (see previous blog post), I will design more effective ways to assess students’ independent readings.  Currently, I hold independent reading conferences with each child.  The disadvantage of this is time.  Time plays the major part of why plans tend to fail.  I would like to be able to maximize my time with students, so that conferencing with be both beneficial to the student and myself.  In this chapter asks teachers to reflect on questions that will begin this process like: Is this a valid and useful assessment for students at a certain time, Does it work with our curriculum and standards?, How am I using this assessment for subsequent instruction or to celebrate the student’s strengths?, What goals and I setting for the students and myself?, Who else do I need to inform?, etc.  Careful and thoughtfully using these assessments can tremendously effect who I structure my ELA block during the school day.  So instead of using independent reading as a separate entity, incorporating it with the lessons being taught might seem to be beneficial and correlate with reading workshop.  I will definitely create the opportunities for students to independently conference with me as well as small group conference, while being able to assess them more effectively and provide the necessary feedback.

Chapter 6 Krystal's Blog Post #6

Ch. 6 Plan for and Monitor Independent Reading

With the schedule tightness this year, squeezing in independent reading has been a challenge.  Students have 15 minutes to independently read in the morning and 15 minutes to independently read in the afternoon time.  There are times when students who complete tests and quizzes in all content areas can independently read, but that time only works for those who finish early.  That eliminates other students’ chances to have more extended times to independently read.  Because of this, independent reading assignments are assigned each night for homework.  From the text and my teacher knowledge, I understand that struggling readers need more time to practice independent reading.  Trying to plan and balance this out with schedule has been deemed challenging this school term.  With added assessments, in school programs, band/orchestra, etc it has been difficult to consistently allot for independent reading times.  With this in mind monitoring independent reading is just as equally if not more challenging.  “Ironically, when teachers are pressed for time, independent reading is usually the first thing to be cut (Routman, 2003).  I am guilty of this statement.  With the independent reading at the end of the day, if I have not finished a math lesson with students, I typically use their independent reading time to finish.  Although, I understand the importance of independent reading, I tend to think about the opportunity for them to independently read for homework each night.   After reading this text, I have realized I need to work smart, not hard on accomplishing effective reading time.  With this in mind, I plan to sit with my team members to design a better schedule and for the upcoming school year that will support the independent reading program.

Lindsey Layton - Blog Post #7

Lindsey Layton:  Blog Post #7 – Chapter 9:  Emphasize Shared Reading

I really enjoyed reading this chapter because I think it is a great way to share reading with our students and even our own children.  Shared reading allows the teacher to model reading and also allows students the opportunity to read with their own peers. 

            During Shared Reading time, both the students and the teacher have responsibilities.  The students’ main responsibilities are for them to listen, talk with others, respond to the teacher, and think about what is happening in the story/book.  The text that the teacher chooses should be text that will keep the students engaged and interested.  In my classroom, my students thoroughly enjoy reading The Magic Treehouse books because Jack and Annie are younger children about their age.  I feel the students are able to relate to Jack and Annie; therefore, they are more engaged during the reading.  I have found that if my students are engaged and feel successful at reading, than they are more likely to want to read more work harder in the classroom.

            During Shared Reading in my own classroom, I allow the students to turn and talk to each other.  This allows the students to share their ideas with each other, ask questions to each other, and gets them thinking outside of the box.  When we do Share Reading, I will show my students what I am thinking so they realize they should be thinking and asking ideas to themselves while they are reading on their own.  I definitely want to incorporate additional shared reading in my classroom because I feel it is an excellent way to model reading to students. 

Ch. 12 Krystal Blog Post

Chapter 12 You Only Have So Much Time

It is so true that some teachers feel exhausted after teaching all day and still bring work home to complete.  I have experienced this for myself.  It is very difficult to tell friends “no” when asked to hang out during the weekdays because I am either stuck at work until 6-7 PM or working on assignments at the house.  However, I do know it is not beneficial for the students, when I am feeling exhausted.  I have always planned out at the beginning of the year, how I would spend my time more effectively in the classroom.  It sounds like a great plan until the school year actually begins.  That’s when programs, grades, evaluation assignments, professional developments, grad courses, etc begin to happen.  Trying to find that balance between my career and my personal life has always been a struggle for me.  I throw all of my energy into my career and let my passion drive me.  Unfortunately, that means my family and friends suffer from my absence most of the time.  This chapter has truly opened my eyes to how I am really most likely doing a disservice to myself as well as students.  Feeling burnt out should not be happening.   Although I may not see it, I am probably not utilizing the time in the classroom to the best of my ability.  In future planning, I will reflect on my current teaching schedule and modify or adjust for the coming school year.  I will also spend my summer catching up with those I neglected during this current school year and readings I have thrown to the side.  I will take time out to find out how I can become a more effective teacher and establishing and maintaining a balance between my career and personal life.

 

Routman Chapter 12: Jeff Young

Chapter 12 of Regie Routman’s book Reading Essentials is entitled “You Only Have So Much Time.”  As teachers, we know that to be so true!  Routman gives a set of questions for teachers to have in the back of their minds as they are teaching and preparing:  “What do I want them to know and understand, how can I help them understand it, how will I know they understand it, and what are my new expectations for students?”  Routman emphasizes the need for the work students are assigned to be meaningful.  When students can connect what they are doing to the real world, they are more motivated to learn and accomplish tasks given.  We all may be guilty at one time or another of assigning activities to just fill time, but Routman asks us to assess how the activity will “help my students become more independent as readers, writers, and thinkers.”

 Instead of administering time consuming assessments, Routman suggests making ongoing evaluation a priority.  (There may be some assessments that are required, but we are to assess the evaluations we have control of).  Another key in making time count is by allowing for active participation, which Routman explains, will promote higher learning and maximum participation.  I have found that students are eager to engage in the lesson if they can have an active part in it. 

Another interesting point to ponder is to ask yourself how effective are you using the walls in your  classroom.  Too often it’s easy to find colorful posters to paste up, but Routman says that walls, carefully used, with accessible helpful information such as content area words or vocabulary can benefit students.  Routman also encourages teachers to examine their daily schedule to maximize beneficial activities.

Lastly, Routman gives a few keys to being an exemplary teacher: read a lot (personal and professional books), reflect on one’s teaching, and invest in creating a classroom that nurtures the love of learning.  Routman’s suggestions, if carried out, can really change a classroom and school in significant ways. 

Schmidt Blog Post #7

Routman (2003): Chapter 9- Emphasize Shared Reading

April 11th, 2016

        Shared reading is a great way to demonstrate good reading to young learners. They get the chance to watch the teacher model, and work on skills that are essential to successful reading and fluency. Then they get the chance to read with their peers and work together. It is a fun way to learn reading.

        When doing shared reading in the classroom, there are different roles. The teacher gathers the materials, models to the students, asks questions, and provides demonstrations to the students. The role of the student is to listen, talk with others, respond to the teacher, and think about what is happening. The text that the teacher chooses is a text that is very engaging, and is worth the students' time, a book that they will enjoy and remember. (In our classroom, that would be the "Jack and Annie" books, Magic Treehouse . There are many purposes of shared reading, but one that I find to be extremely important is the give all students a chance to be successful. If students feel successful, they will work harder to achieve more goals. There are also many advantages to shared reading. All voices are encouraged to be heard, there is a lot of teaching and practice in not a lot of time, it is effective, it builds confidence in struggling readers, and it goes beyond just listening to a text.

        When doing shared reading in the classroom, there should be a lot of turn and talk. Many questions are to be asked, questions that help build comprehension in students, really getting them to think. It is important for teachers to "show" students what they are thinking, so that they get an idea of what to be thinking when they are reading a text on their own, or with a partner. Most importantly, students should get the chance to see what should be done, and have the opportunity to practice what they have learned. In the end, it will help students become more successful readers.

     I most definitely want to do this more in the classroom. I think it would help if I saw it modeled myself, but I know this is something I eventually want to incorporate in my classroom on a regular basis.

Teresa Knox Chapter 12 You Only Have So Much Time

As I was reading this article, the first quote stood out to me from Routman. "We are not only role models for learning; we are role models for living". This explains why we need to use real-life experiences in the classroom because it teaches our children how to live their daily lives in school and outside of school. When students are in school, they become better at what we teach them if teachers spend more time on instruction and have lots of time to read and talk about books or math problems. Another example that was stated was "To trust your own judgement and knowledge as you teach". When we teach, we should use the knowledge that we learned throughout our educational classes and apply that information into our planning to make it more interesting for our students. We should not rely heavily on textbooks to tell us how to teach. I try to use the resource books for a guide of how to get started and then create ways to teach the concepts by adding technology, writing, etc. This strategy will continue to keep work meaningful so that more value will come from the students.

Keeping work simple that students can do without the teacher's assistance will help the teacher observe how their students work and be able to help some students in a small groups if needed. When teachers teach a skill and assess, they check different levels throughout the day. During shared reading and writing, you can notice strengths and weaknesses to move a student forward to build confidence. Teaching that keeps students engaged saves time for the teachers and energy. Sometimes you can find yourself spending too much time discipline a student in the middle of the lesson when that time can be used for something else.

Jan/Feb blog-Ferguson

Blog Post: Jan/Feb

Emphasize Shared Reading

Below I have used a table that I saw on Dawn Mitchell’s post for a previous chapter. When I saw this I immediately showed my SRA reading group because I had them complete this same table for one of the chapters in our novel study.

Author’s Words	My thoughts
“Shared Reading is an important missing piece in many reading programs, especially in grade 2 and above.”  P.130	This first thought in the chapter really caught my attention. This statement is so true. I tend to stay away from shared reading because I want to give them all the time to read. I need to spend more time in my classroom reading to them and modeling good reading!
“In shared reading, a learner---or group of learners—sees the text, observes an expert (useullay the teacher) reading it with fluency and expression, and is invited to read along. P.130	(Before reading I thought) *What is shared reading???? Then I found this quote (see left).
“Shared reading is also powerful because it helps teacher and students bond” p. 130	I think trust and a relationship is so important between teachers and students. Rotuman states that  shared reading helps form bonds. I can totally see how this could help form relationships. You can learn a lot about students as they make text to self connections. As I think back I can recall several times when I have learned something new from student when reading with them.
“…we see that shared reading is not just a pleasant frill but a critical learning context for demonstrating and scaffolding learning”  p.131	Scaffolding is such an important thing even in the second grade. The more I model and scaffold learning the more success I see in my students. Shared reading would help me scaffold a larger group (or small group) and provide me more time for them to read during our small group instruction time.
“Shared reading is ideal for showing how any text works…” p. 132	Shared reading would be a great idea for introducing students to new text. I will be adding shared reading  to my lessons when introducing new text.
*Checklist on page 133	Great list to keep handy for trying to incorporate shared reading into a lesson.

The next section of the chapter provided a framework for shared reading. This framework will help me to make sure my shared reading is meaningful. I have done shared reading several times but never knew if what I was doing was meaningful and help students become better readers. I believe so much in scaffolding and modeling, that I am very interested in completing shared reading as a way to model and teach students.

The next section provided example lessons. I really learned a lot from the informational book shared read aloud lesson. I loved the way the teacher got very excited about the book. I liked the pace the teacher took with reading/thinking. I like that towards the end she got the students involved in the thinking/talking.

I am eager to get started using shared reading in my classroom! 

Chapter 5: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library Blog # 7! Tori Miller

While reading Routman chapter 5, Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library, I focused on evaluating my classroom library using the chart found on page 66-67. I decided to evaluate my classroom library so I could focus on things I needed to improve on for the next school year.

1.       My classroom book nook does jump out at me and others that come into my classroom. Many times this year others have walked into my room and commented, “I love your reading garden.”

2.       My classroom library does look beautiful and contains an inviting display of plentiful reading materials.

3.       My classroom library does include a variety of genres and literary forms. Poetry would be the least that I have so I do need to focus on getting poetry books for my kindergarten room. Any ideas where to find any? Or suggestions of good poetry books for a kindergarten classroom?

4.       Yes, most of the books in the library are written by well-known children’s authors such as Bill Martin, Eric Carle, Mo Willems, Lucille Colandro, and Dr. Seuss.

5.       I have current books that accurately and aesthetically portray other cultures but not enough. I definitely could use more of these!!

6.       Like number five I could use more books that have the students’ language and culture in them, I have a few Dora books that have Spanish words but do need to increase my books selections for this.

7.       I have made all of the selections and organizational decisions about the design of the library and how books are to be grouped and what reading materials to include. I do change out the books based on our studies at the time and the students’ interest but I haven’t let them give much input on the grouping and design. This I will try to change.

8.       Struggling readers can easily find books that they can read and want to read. I have books that just have one or two words, sight word books, picture books, and leveled readers that are leveled by letters (A-D) and colors (red, blue, green).

9.       There are comfortable areas for students to sit and read. I have a child size Adirondack chair with a lime green pillow in it, lime green rugs on the floor with pillows for the students to sit and read, a floor chair with a Pete the Cat pillow, a child size chair and couch, and a bus tent for the students to read in.

10.   I do add to, change, and rotate to my collection of books based on the needs, interests, curriculum of my students.

11.   My classroom library does include children’s favorite authors, books, and series and is based on the students’ preferences and not mine.

12.   My classroom library is a place that children love to go to seek and find wonderful reading materials. My students love to find the “new books” that I rotate in and see if they can read them. They get so excited when they can read the books!

Through this self-evaluation of my classroom library I have a list of things to improve on for the next school year to improve my classroom library that I might have the OUTSTANDING CLASSROOM LIBRARY that every student deserves!

Lori Lonon- Blog #6 R. Routman, Reading Essentials, Ch. 10: Examine Guided Reading

Guided Reading (AKA “Small Group Reading Instruction”) was one of the hardest things for me to manage when I first learned how to teach reading effectively.  I would struggle with how to group kids, what book to choose, what strategy to teach and what to do with the rest of the class.  With experience and practice my guided reading instruction has evolved. In Routman’s Optimal Learning Model, guided reading falls between shared reading and independent reading.  It is the first step in the gradual handover of responsibility from the teacher to the student. Routman warns about how ability grouping beyond second grade can send a message to students that they are less capable.  I am keenly aware of this and try to mix my groups up throughout the year.  Even my “lowest” group is given a text that closely resembles, in page length and font size, the books that other groups receive.  The author also warns against creating too many groups that can create a management problem.  I personally try to keep 3-4 groups at a time and meet with 1-2 groups on three days of the week..  This means that students of varying levels end up in the same group working together and I actually find that to be a benefit.

Choosing quality books that aid in the instruction of a specific strategy or genre are critical.  Routman’s checklist (pg. 155) is invaluable for this purpose.  She also suggests integrating Science and SS texts into guided reading in order make the most of your instructional time. In addition she warns against keeping the same daily schedule for reading instruction and against trying to meet with guided reading groups daily especially at the expense of independent reading.  Students get easily bored with the same routine.  For this reason I mix up my instruction daily but with purpose-the days I do not meet with guided reading groups I use that time to conference with students about reading and writing.  Routman suggests several methods of checking comprehension of a text used in guided reading, but only after students have done a second reading of the text either independently or with a partner.  I try using variety here as well, since students would become bored with the same reading response tool week after week.  Keeping it fresh also encourages their best effort.

Several pages of the chapter are devoted to managing student behaviors during literacy center time (typically when guided reading will be happening).  Basically she suggests outlining clear expectations, modeling appropriate behaviors, encouraging and giving feedback as the key to management.  She suggests holding group evaluations after guiding reading.  I have been using the Daily Five model for Literacy Centers for several years and find Routman’s suggestions to be in line with that model just not in as much detail.

The most important part of this chapter, in my opinion, is the section that focuses on purpose for guided reading and what “Teacher Talk” would sound like in a small group with focus on decoding vs meaning.  So many teachers do small group instruction because they know other teachers do it, or they read somewhere that they should.  I have personally had teachers ask me “What should my small group be about?” I think this is a common difficulty for lots of teachers, but once I began to conference with students I found that planning guided reading became so much easier.  I used my notes on each student about what strengths and weaknesses were evident and that helped me not only create the groups but also determine the focus.  My students cheer when they see their group is “meeting with teacher” today and I love that they enjoy that time as much as I do!