Raegan Shaw- Blog Post #1

"No More Independent Reading Without Support," Section 1: NOT THIS. Is There Enough Time? And is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading? Miller, Debbie.

Children cannot simply learn to read by themselves.  They need guidance and support along the way.  As a teacher, I realize that the best teachers tell students how to think, not what to think.  I try to keep this in mind when I am teaching reading strategies and skills.  Debbie Miller explains, in this section, how students can't just read on their own.  Teachers need to plan in more time for them to read--but not just that.  Teachers need to make sure that they are actively involved in their students' reading.  Teachers need to know more about their students as readers.

I found the DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) strategy, that was discussed, as ineffective as Miller did because teachers really do not get a good enough view on how their students read or what levels they are on.  How can a teacher possibly know how a student is actually comprehending what they are reading if they just send them off on their own with a book and give them a time limit?  I am guilty of this at some points this year, but what I should realize is that even though I have fifth graders, not all of them are on grade level.  As a matter of fact, most of them are below grade level.  So telling them to "drop everything and read" probably isn't the best idea for my classroom, either.

Along with many other teachers across the country, I agree that it seems challenging to find the time to spend with all of my students on reading strategies and comprehension checks, such as running records, because of all of the other things we have on our plates, daily; however, through reading this section, Miller has opened my eyes to the fact that our days are full of useless chit chat, countless reminders of rules during transitions, and not to mention the "endless browsing in an effort to find a 'just-right' book."  I want to go into school tomorrow and change my entire daily instruction, after reading this part of the book!

It's interesting that this book challenges the popular DEAR and SSR because so many teachers and reading coaches seem to be "all for" them.  What some people fail to realize, as Miller would put it, is that although it's "an intention that's on the right track," it also "misses the mark," (pg. 8, Miller, Moss).  What she most likely means by this is that reading is so much more than just structure and methods.  Reading is so much  more than what it's cracked up to be. Teachers need to be able to share their version of the text's meaning with students and students need to share their own version of the text's meaning with their teacher.  This way, the teacher can gauge where the student lies, comprehension-wise, and the student can learn where their mistakes are and strengths are.  Readers need to know how to become better readers on their own account, too.

After reading this section of this book, my goal is to not just "set children loose," but to actively engage them in their reading, start asking questions about their books, and looking for their understanding (pg. 8, Miller, Moss).  My goal for this year, and many to come, is to teach  my students the life long strategies that they will need to use as readers, so that when they are out on their own, they will find their own ways to comprehend text, even if it is a little above their "just right" level.