Teresa Patterson Blog Post #4 Miller

Teresa Patterson Blog Post #4 Miller Not This “Is There Enough Time?” Section 1

“Children learn to read by reading, but not without instructional support.” Our kindergarten schedule allows time for independent reading in our day so part of this article in finding the time doesn’t really apply to us.  We have cut our calendar time shorter though we still do it, just not to the length and extent we once did.  I have already successfully implemented the students’ choosing their books and am excited about the new leveled readers being purchased for my students. I do conference with students but need to improve in a variety of ways. At the beginning of the year it is more difficult as their attention spans for looking at/reading books is limited. I always see improvement as the year progresses. The more we put books in our student’s hands, the more opportunity arises to become successful readers! 

Schmidt Blog Post #4

Routman (2003): Chapter 8-Teach Comprehension

November 20th, 2015

     To teach students comprehension, it is important to start with texts they are reading. By doing this, students will be more interested to apply the skills they are learning because they enjoy the texts they are reading. However, many times students learn a comprehension skill, and can know everything they need to know about that skill, but they don't actually apply it. It is important as a teacher to make sure students are applying the comprehension strategies they are learning in their reading otherwise they are not going to benefit, or reach their full potential as a reader. One way we can help students apply strategies to their reading is to model for them how to do it: show them a book you are reading and think-aloud while you apply those strategies. Teach them how, and then guide them when they attempt it on their own.

     One of the most useful strategies to teach students is to reread. "When given opportunities to reread material, readers' comprehension always goes up" (Routman 2003). Wow, I knew rereading was good, but I didn't know it was one of the most useful strategies. As a reader, I struggled (and still struggle) with comprehension. I have to reread a LOT! It is important to model this for students. One example I really liked was read a short, but difficult piece with your students. As the teacher, immediately try and recall what was read and rate yourself on how well you think you did. Then reread the same piece and recall what was read, rating yourself again. The second time around should be much easier. Students should be able to see that.

  Other useful strategies to teach students are surveying, interaction and discussion with others, and teach students how to ask significant questions when reading. The most important thing when teaching comprehension is making sure to model EVERYTHING to your students. They need to be able to see how it is done to properly apply it in their own reading. Then students just need to practice, practice, practice! This is not something that can happen over night- it is going to take time. But as teachers, we need to be willing to take the time and provide the patience need to help our students become more proficient readers!

Mrs. Miller's Blog Post #4 Independent Reading Conferences for November

Independent Reading Conferencing:

11/19/15

12:40-1:10

·        Student AVW:

Book chosen- “I See Bugs” by Wiley Blevins

Why did you choose this book?  “Because it has bugs in it.”

What did the bugs do in the book?  “They are the same colors as the leaves and they show me what they do.”

Would you recommend this book to someone? Why?  “Yes, because I like it.”

What did you learn? “I learned that they can change the same color as the leaf.”

Can you point to your favorite part and tell us a little bit about it?  “This green one because it has long legs and I like his eyes.”

Will you read this favorite part for me?  “Yes.” (Was able to read with accuracy and fluency, struggled with the word “bug.”)

Can you tell me anything else about this book? “I saw one of these bugs on the field trip, he was crawling on a leaf just like this one.”

·        Student PG:

Book chosen- “We Write” by Ellen Tarlow

Why did you choose this book? “Because I like it, it was brand new.”

What did the students do in the book?  “Write names.”

Would you recommend this book to someone? Why?  “Yes, because they might like it.”

What did you learn? “That kids like to play and stuff.”

Can you point to your favorite part and tell us a little bit about it? “This one because it is super cool.”

Will you read this favorite part for me?  “Yes.” (Could only read the word “we” on the page)

Can you tell me anything else about this book? “This book is really special.”

·        Student DB:

Book chosen- “Elephants Like to” by Janelle Cherrington

Why did you choose this book? “Because it is about elephants.”

What did the elephants do?  “They get water on themselves and they swim.”

Would you recommend this book to someone? Why?  “Yes, because it’s about elephants a lot.”

What did you learn? “That elephants like to swim.”

Can you point to your favorite part and tell us a little bit about it? “Yes”

Will you read this favorite part for me?  “Yes” (turned to page 3 and read “Elephants like to wash.” It was a picture of elephants rolling in the mud. “I like this page because the elephants clean themselves.”

Can you tell me anything else about this book? “They get water up their noses.”

·        Student JH:

Book chosen- “On a Boat” by Minda Novek

Why did you choose this book? “Cause I like boats.”

What do they do on the boat? “They work.”

Would you recommend this book to someone? Why?  “Yes, because they are my friends.”

What did you learn? “I learn to eat apples.”

Can you point to your favorite part and tell us a little bit about it? “This page because it has “go” and “we” on it. (Turns to page 6 and points to those words).

Will you read this favorite part for me?  Read “We go to a boat.” (The words were-we go on a boat).

Can you tell me anything else about this book? “There pictures in the book about the boat.”

·        Student MP:

Book chosen- “Flowers Have Colors” by Janelle Cherrington

Why did you choose this book? “Because I like it.”

What can you tell me about the flowers? “Sometimes flowers grow and sometimes they are yellow.”

Would you recommend this book to someone? Why?  “Yes, because they are nice.”

What did you learn? “Words.”

Can you point to your favorite part and tell us a little bit about it? “This flower has a little thing that is yellow and this flower is a rose. They grow on vines.”

Will you read this favorite part for me?  Read-“This flower is red. This flower is blue.” These were the words on the page but she didn’t point to each word as she read it. She did random pointing.

Can you tell me anything else about this book? “This book has a front cover and a back cover.”

·        Student EC:

Book chosen- “I See Bugs” by Wiley Blevins

Why did you choose this book? “Because it teaches you about bugs.”

What did they the bugs do in this book? “Just stayed there.”

Would you recommend this book to someone? Why?  “Yes, because it’s about bugs.”

What did you learn? “They are good and they were different colors.”

Can you point to your favorite part and tell us a little bit about it? Turns to page 5 and says, “It is green.”

Will you read this favorite part for me?  “I can a green bug.” “Wait a minute, it says I see a green bug.” (It says I see a green bug).

Can you tell me anything else about this book? “It has numbers right here” (points to page numbers). “This bug right here (points to the green grasshopper) is green and he is on a green leaf.”

During my conferences with my focus group I was able to collect the data needed to work with them on their individual weaknesses. Only one of the six students was able to read their favorite page with accuracy and he had to self-correct his reading. The other five students were able to read certain words but not the whole page. All six students have not started to blend words, when they came to a word they didn’t know they made up a word that went with the picture. All six students were able to use the picture to say a word that fit into the sentence. One of the six students is still struggling with pointing to each word as she reads. This is what I will work on with her during our small group time. I really enjoyed talking with my students and having them make connections with the book and the world around them. This information will help me develop individual goals/plans for these students. 

Gallman November Blog

Chapter 4 Teach With a Sense of Urgency

I was very pleased with this chapter on teaching with a sense of urgency and what it taught me. Routman states that teachers should make every moment in the classroom count. This sounds like it should just be common sense and a natural thing, but it is very hard to accomplish. It seems like a million things often happen in one class setting and before you know it it's time to move on to something different. I love when Routman says that we need to keep our expectations high for our students. I definitely agree that we often require very little of our students and I feel that they need more responsibility with certain things. I am going to start requiring and expecting more from my students in order to help them become more independent readers and writers. However, the biggest responsibility is on the teacher. As teachers, we need to be sure that we are constantly modeling the things we expect our students to do. It is important also for teachers to make sure learning is enjoyable, every minute should count with students having some fun with what they are doing. My favorite part of the chapter was when Routman talked about interactive reading. Whenever I read to my students, I hardly ever give time to talk about the story before I am done reading. Giving them time to interact with each other and talk to a partner during the middle of reading is just one more way to maximize class time and make very minute count. I have learned some things that I can do in my classroom to help ensure that there is little time wasted in my everyday instruction.

Lori Lonon -Blog Post #4 R. Routman, Reading Essentials, Ch. 8

R. Routman, Reading Essentials, Ch. 8:  Teach Comprehension

A few years ago I began teaching "Good Reader Strategies" and my read-alouds have never been the same since.  A book that once may have taken 5 minutes to read to the class, now takes upwards of 20 minutes!  Stopping to think aloud has just become second nature, and I encourage students to use the strategies I model during read-alouds in their own independent or partner reading time.  Routman suggests starting with books students are already reading.  I totally agree as this will grab their interest and they are more than willing to share connections and make predictions when the characters or topic is familiar.  After that I begin introducing genres or authors that I would like for them to explore.  Modelling is crucial for teaching comprehension!  Metacognition does not come easily for all students, so they must see me "think aloud" as I read.  As Routman points out, these comprehension strategies should not be taught in isolation because in reality good readers use them all at different times as they encounter new and unfamiliar texts.
Routman makes a valid case for not just teaching these strategies, but checking to see if students are actually applying these strategies.   I have found partner reading (Read to Someone time) to be the best opportunity for student to make one another accountable for employing the strategies that I have modeled.  I introduce them one at a time beginning the very first week of school (although I use them all during my think aloud sessions as I read to the class.)  Once they have seen me do it, I ask them to practice it with a partner and we come back as a whole group to discuss what we saw our partners do during partner reading.  I find it is easier for them to talk about what someone else did instead of what they did.  This also adds to the accountability aspect because who doesn't want their partner to tell the class something great that they were doing?   

Routman's section on teaching students to ask significant questions is possibly the most significant part of this chapter.   Too often students are only asked to answer shallow questions about texts that they can simply scan to find the answer.  If we want them to develop higher-level thinking skills they must learn to draw conclusions and make inferences about what they read.    The "Read, Check, Switch" (from The Daily Five if I recall correctly) strategy is one of my favorites to have students use with partners, because it forces them to check their partner's understanding before moving to a new page in the text.  I also love to hear the complex thinking that goes into the questions students choose to ask of their partners, which only strengthens their own understanding of the text.  I love the challenge with she ends the chapter- our job as teachers is to provide opportunity for reading strategies to be invoked by our students.  Next year I may let students guide the order in which I introduce the strategies, starting with what they already do just putting a label on it.  Won't they love being in charge of what we learn next?

Yurko Nov post

Chapter 4 Teach with a Sense of Urgency

                When a chapter starts with that title (teach with a sense of urgency) I get very skeptical about reading it.  I was apprehensive to read about teaching with urgency because I don’t like the ways that sounds.  However like any good title should do it drew in my attention and so I read it.  I got to read the chapter it was nothing like that.  It was about reading with a purpose and making every minute in your classroom count towards your instruction and the students learning.  This is what I strive to do every day!! I make sure my student know that no minute in class is wasted with a “filler”. Also that everything they learn is linked together in one way or another.  I tell them that “ teacher are very crafty people and can make Science, SS, Math, and ELA work as one unit and that unit is You ( the student)”

                The reference of introducing the students to all kinds of genres keeps popping up in this course and I guess I was very unaware on how this is not practiced in schools.  I would think it would be common sense to allow the students to search for a topic of reading they like forms all the topics that are open to them.  People do not all read the same or even like the same types of books.  So why would we close off the students to any genres of book if we aren’t closed off to them either. Allow the students the chance to explore the genres on the own independent time.  Also, encourage them to express their thoughts and feeling of the book in a respectful way.

Mandie Allen Post 4: Routman 4- Teach with a Sense of Urgency (Nov.)

"If kids can't apply what we teach them, our teaching is a big So What?"

These words jumped off the page as I read and how true they are!  Teachers are often caught up in the million and five things that come at us each day...  our lesson plans, how similar to Pinterest we can get our classroom, newsletters, parent conferences, school activities, flipcharts, meetings, paperwork, and these are only a few.  Sometimes there seems to be so many other things on your plate, that you look back on your day and wonder if you even taught.  During these precious moments of teaching, we have to ensure that what we do as teachers is for the student's sake and not our own.  If we spend hours planning brilliant lessons and making cute flipcharts, then our students cannot apply what we've taught them then we have wasted our time!

I enjoyed how Routman laid it out for teachers in this chapter by suggesting more efficient activities that will help students apply what is being taught.  Suggestions of integrating a variety of skills in different subject areas rather than confined to the ELA block, modeling what students are expected to do, then releasing them to practice, and the questions teachers can ask when reading different genres were all great and helpful ideas.  I think sometimes we can forget what our students are capable of achieving if we give them the proper tools.