Monday, January 12, 2009
RWEC Ch. 1 Response
You were assigned Chapter 1in your text and asked to read in order to begin to answer questions like: "Who are we as readers? As writers? What are reading, writing, literacy, teaching, and learning? What do we know about teaching children to read and write?" Please post one comment and one question you have based on this reading before Jan. 14.
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I think that this introductory chapter set several great points to think about as we begin to learn how to teach children to read and write. It is obvious that reading and writing are crucial in today's world. The article really stresses to maintain children's motivation for reading and writing by creating pleasurable experiences for students while participating in reading and writing activities. I agree that this is a part of our job as a teacher. However, I know that some schools make teachers teach from specific series of books. How can we motivate students to read fun stuff when we are forced to teach using a book that may be filled with boring stories?
ReplyDeleteEmily Fox
I believe this was a wonderful chapter to start off the semester. Many strategies are given to better understand students and their ability to read and write. As this chapter states, children learn in a variety of ways. This is important to remember when you go into schools and start teaching young children. You have to use a variety of teaching methods and determine what methods work for what student. This is important if you want your students to have a successful educational career. How can we teach everything that is required in one year if we also have to spend time determining how each student learns? Also, how do you effectively use all of these teaching methods at one time in order to help each student grow to their fullest potential?
ReplyDeleteHeather Johnson
A student's early background in reading and writing often effects the attitudes that he/she has toward these activities in school. If children are exposed to books and find pleasure in reading and writing at a young age, then they will often be excited to advance in this aspect of school. If a student, however, is not exposed to reading and writing prior to entering school, then he/she may find it extraordinarily challenging and overwhelming. What are effective ways that teachers can make reading and writing a fun and exciting thing for students to explore?
ReplyDeleteShelby Johnson
This opening chapter really defines the basics of how we learn to read, write, and understand how to communicate in different ways. I know from my own experience as a child learning to read and write were a fascination for me because of many things that I heard and saw as a young child. In order for young children to really become interested in learning to read and write they must be given confidence in themselves. If a child does not have confidence in themselves they may possibly never see a point in trying which can also be seen in many other areas of learning and do an activity (like sports). How would we as teachers approach situations with children who have negative self attitudes about everything they do and no one else in their environment is really helping their negative outlook of themselves?
ReplyDeleteDanielle Epley
Chapter one demonstrates the importance of having literacy skills and being able to use those skills in learning. When children are given the opportunity to succeed through interaction in reading and writing both at school and at home I believe that they have a much greater advantage in learning. Children that have not been read to or introduced to reading and writing at an early will start off behind in school. Teachers who can work with these students and set each child their own individual goals for learning will foster and improve the child's confidence. What are some ways in which early childhood teachers could implement reading and writing into their curriculum so that when children began kindergarten they would have some recognition of books and reading, so that they wouldn't be starting with a blank slate?
ReplyDeleteKatie West
This chapter is about reading and writing. It shows ways that individuals learn to read and write. Many children start Kindergarten knowing how to read and write. However, there are those students who have no idea how to read and write. One of the reasons could be a language barrier at home. These children have to struggle to learn both languages. Since many do no understand, they feel less motivated to want to learn. They feel they cant do it. How do we are teachers break this language barrier and make it easier for them understand and learn the concepts of reading and writing?
ReplyDeleteSiomara Castillo
This chapter is a great introduction to teaching children good literacy skills. It is made very clear in this chapter how important it is for children to start learning to read and write at an early age so they will do better when they start school. It’s important for teachers to motivate their students to read and make them feel self-efficient when it comes to reading or writing. What are some ways to help students want to read and write and have them feel confident in their skills, especially the students who feel behind in class because they might not have a strong support system at home when it comes to education?
ReplyDeleteThis chapter helped introduce the fact that as teachers we are responsible for the reading and writing foundations that children will start building in the early grades. I know as a teacher it will be my job to make reading and writing an important and enjoyable part of my student's lives. Literacy skills are key skills that will be necessary for other subjects and areas in the school day. Children need to be encouraged early in life to want to read and write so they will continue to grow as they progress in school. An important question to think about is, how can teachers make reading and writing interesting to students of all backgrounds, and make it enjoyable for them to want to learn and grow with their literacy skills?
ReplyDeleteThis chapter introduced some of the responsibilities that teachers have to build the foundations of reading and writing within students’ lives. Many students start school with the capability to read and write, but teachers have to be aware that some students are not raised with reading and writing embedded in their lives. It is important to motivate students at a young age to read and write, so that by the time they are in school they will already have a foundation built. Teachers have to be able to teach students with cultural and language differences. This is especially important in this day and age because so many students are ESL. Teachers have to be willing to use a variety of methods, so that each student has an opportunity to learn. Today, many teachers are confined to the books they are allowed to use, how can a teacher make reading interesting for students and motivate them to read for fun outside of school?
ReplyDeleteOne of the key components of this chapter was talking about how children need to feel capable of learning to read and need to have fun doing it on their own. As elementary school teachers, it is extremely important that we make our students confident about themselves and want to learn to read and other things. Students need to like what they are reading and enjoy it to continue with it. It is also our job as teachers to come up with a variety of literacy activities that will keep our students interested and excited about learning to read. As teachers, how can we help our students develop all of the language arts (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) close to the same level so they are not very far behind in just one?
ReplyDeleteLaura Davis
Getting students interested in reading and writing is difficult when that student hasn't been exposed to any type of literacy activity before enrolling in school. Those students who are behind may feel dumb and in response to Sarah's statement above, teachers can have a checkout system where a student can take home one book a day and read it at home or simply look at the pictures and create their own story. If certain activities like writing classroom stories based on field trips or acting out a book fail, what are other motivating activities that can be used to gain student's interest in reading, writing, and storytelling?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this first introductory chapter. The part of the chapter that I felt most strongly about was the part about making reading and writing fun. I feel growing up, I always looked at reading as a chore. I hated having reading assignments, followed by questions or having to write a story. I feel that as a teacher if you set a positive tone in the beginning of class about reading and writing your students will learn to enjoy it and look forward to it. Do not use it as punishment, find ways to make it fun. In what ways can you as a teacher excite your students about reading and writing?
ReplyDeleteHannah Hobson
Chapter one illustrates how pertinent it is for a teacher to possess the knowledge and skills to teach a variety of students who are on various different levels and come from an array of different backgrounds. Each child in a classroom comes from a different home environment than their peers. Many of them have different expectations, different customs, and different routines. This often times can be a setback for one teacher to accommodate 25 bright eyed children that have all have different needs and desires when it comes to reading and writing. Coming from a family who has always found education imperative, it is hard for me to grasp not having the support and encouragement from my parents to do my best in school. A constant struggle for kindergarten teacher is trying to help children who come to school with little or no prior schooling experience. Often times these children cannot write their own name let alone read a book. Learning outside of school begins in the home before a child begins school. Once the parent gets involved, parents and teachers can work together to help the child reach his/her fullest potential. What tools and resources are available to parents to help their child outside of the classroom to make their learning experience especially in reading and writing more beneficial and fruitful?
ReplyDelete-Christin Jones
Before teachers began to teach children how to read and write, they need to understand the basis of it. This chapter goes over six key items that teachers need to know and understand in order to become effective teachers at reading and writing. The first three key items listed are the basis of reading and writing. I have never thought of reading and writing in these terms, but after seeing it, they make complete sense. These primary functions establish a person with the means and understanding of reading and writing. As teachers, we need to make sure that these three components are being met or else reading for children will be difficult or unpleasant. One thing that worries me about teaching reading and writing is the language barriers that we are seeing more often in the schools. How can we make it an easier transition for the students who don't speak English as a first language get over the barrier? Also, how will we be able to tell between students who are slow but just need extra time and the students who might have a disability hindering them from the level they need?
ReplyDeleteI believe this first chapter provides vital information for beginning teachers, such as myself, who are learning the various difficulties facing students who are in the first stages of learning to read and write. The first years of a child's life are the most critical in the process of learning literacy. I believe this chapter adequately describes the diversity within the classroom and the fact that teachers need different ways to motivate students and help them flourish. If we fail to motivate students to learn to read and write, we have greatly limited their potential. We must learn to overcome the possible difficulties we may face and provide students with the information they need and the desire to be a life-long learner. With all of this information, though, how can we make sure we are meeting literary needs of all learners equally?
ReplyDeleteThis chapter helped introduce ways to teach literacy to young children. The idea of the thinking processes really made sense to me and I thought that it was interesting how we think so much while we are reading. It is a lot to wrap your brain around! while teaching, I do agree that it is important to take into consideration different backgrounds and lifestyles that children may grow up with. I really connected to the story of "David" because it reminded me of my childhood. My mom always read to me and I picked up on reading and writing quite easily. I also liked the way that it included the many different ways that we learn to read. I wonder why the book did not also include an example of a child who grew up having trouble with reading and writing? I think that it may have been helpful to see an example of a child with the opposite experience.
ReplyDeleteKatie Stover
This chapter was a good starter for this class because it gave good methods for teachers to use in their classrooms. Reading and writing are 2 very important factors in life and a good teacher knows how to teach every type of student ability. Possessing this trait will give the students a chance to understand and comprehend this necessary skill. If teachers encourage and give students a variety of techniques and opportunities to read then they will do it on their own. The chapter gives many great examples of these techniques. However, if teachers are forced to make their students read books they do not find entertaining or important in their lives, how can teachers motivate their students to want to read them?
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was a good starter for this class because it gave good methods for teachers to use in their classrooms. Reading and writing are 2 very important factors in life and a good teacher knows how to teach every type of student ability. Possessing this trait will give the students a chance to understand and comprehend this necessary skill. If teachers encourage and give students a variety of techniques and opportunities to read then they will do it on their own. The chapter gives many great examples of these techniques. However, if teachers are forced to make their students read books they do not find entertaining or important in their lives, how can teachers motivate their students to want to read them?
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter, the idea that a child’s reading bases has the ability effect the way that a child thinks about their own abilities or inabilities. I also thought that it was interesting that the idea of exposure was spoken of in the chapter, because through working in after schools I have seen and continue to see the correlations that children who are allowed to read and who are read to, have a great advantage over other children who were not exposed to as much. The children who were exposed are typically more excited about reading time, picking up books and looking them, and they are also more willing to talk about things that interested them in the story. My question is, how can we help all of our students become excited about reading, because it is the excitement that lights the fire, and the fire that leads to reading.
ReplyDeleteI thought this chapter was very informative on main concepts that teachers should strive to meet and focus on when teaching literacy to children. After reading this chapter, I found myself agreeing with the statement that thinking is the essence to reading and writing. I can see how if they lack motivation to strive in reading and writing it can affect and hinder their development of their thinking processes. What I would have liked to learn more about in this chapter, is how a teacher can effectively teach students coming into the classroom with limited English and no support at home while still challenging students coming in with a strong reading and writing background.
ReplyDeleteKayla Sizemore
I thought this was a good chapter in which to begin our study of teaching reading and writing. I thought it gave some good ideas to think about and put to use in your own reading/writing and in teaching those skills to your students. One thing that I particularly agreed with was that fact that Kindergartners need to be in print-rich classrooms to help them better learn to read. One question I had was: How can teachers take children with low self-efficacy in literacy and give them the positive experiences they need to boost their self-efficacy and help them learn and like to read?
ReplyDeleteBrittany Norman
This chapter was very informative and i learned a lot. This chapter discussed 6 key items that teachers need to know and understand in order to become effective teachers . Each I could use in my classroom. If children do not have the urge and motivation to read, they wont. It is my job as a teacher to get my students motivated and excited to read. But how do I teach that? What activities could I do to get my students involved and motivated to read?
ReplyDeleteMolly Maness
I thought this was a great chapter to start the semester. I could relate to the trips to story telling at the library because my Grandma took me to do the same thing. I agree that motivation is key to teaching children how to read and write. The chapter said that if a student doubts his or her ability to learn something he or she is less likely to try to learn it. Given this information, what are some ways I could motivate a student who do not speak English into reading and writing in English or even motivate children who hate reading?
ReplyDeleteKarie Steelman
I liked this first chapter, it made me like this book and I look forward to learning more throughout the semester by reading it. One of my favorite parts of the reading was "Thinking is the essence of what we do when we read or write, but feeling determines
ReplyDeletehow much and how often we choose to read or write, and whether we will
persist in reading or writing when we have difficulty." I think I like this quote because it explains my relationship with reading. I can read but have never liked to that much unless it is a book that just grabs my attention. After reading this chapter and hearing good ideas I still have the question, How do you get children interested in reading when they just do not like to and/or are discouraged?
Beth Hicks
While reading this first chapter I have found that it will come in handy when I become a teacher. My favorite part was the story about the boy at the beginning of the chapter because I feel like many children can relate to him. I also liked the eight thinking processes and believe that many children will be able to understand not only their thinking better but also their readings better if they follow them. My question would be how to get a child to keep an open mind about reading even if they do not like it.
ReplyDeleteI though this first chapter was a great introduction to what we will need to do in the classroom to get students interested in reading and writing when they are just beginning to learn how to do so. I thought it was great how the chapter explained that reading is a thinking process but feelings also are an important part of reading because if a child starts to hate reading it will hinder his/her ability to do so. I also really liked how most of the chapter stressed the importance of variety in a teacher’s teaching style because children are very diverse. The chapter discussed students having different interests, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds. It is true that if students are all coming from learning how to read in different ways and have had different levels of experience that it will take a good bit of modification by the teacher. My question is what are some of the different ways that teachers can modify how they teach reading to for different students?
ReplyDeleteLeslie Sheppard
teachers are responsible for the reading and writing of children in the earlier years on school. Reading this chapter is a great introduction to pre-professional teachers because it helps to begin to explain the process children think about while they learn about reading. The boy who hated reading aloud in class is a common fear a lot of children have because they do not pay attention. My cousin had a lisp and hated even speaking aloud in class. Growing up, I loved reading, but now I have learned not to like it.
ReplyDeleteMy question is what are adequate ways to help children not be afraid and enjoy reading?
I thought this first chapter was very informative in that it provided several different insights into teaching reading and writing to young children. I appreciated how the book pointed out how everyone learns reading and writing in different ways. Every child is different and learns differently. The statement that I connected with the most was feeling is the energizer of reading and writing. I remember as a child being so excited about something I was reading and wanted to never put it down because I could "feel" it. I realize that not every student will get excited about the same stories but how do you as a teacher bring in material that will hopefully reach all of your students? How do you get students interested when they are not? How do you motivate a child to read when they do not like it?
ReplyDeleteMegan Cockrum
I thought that this chapter did a good job of explaining the differences in each child's thinking process. One question I have would be is that another way for teachers to understand their child's thinking process other than observing? What about if the teacher had a small discussion time with each student in order to help them understand?
ReplyDeleteJoy Cooper
I think this chapter was a good way to explain reading and writing and why it is good to learn at an early age. I liked the 8 different processes. I never realized the differences. This chapter was a good chapter to start the semester and the book off with. My question is, how do you help a child keep their self-efficacy in a positive way? For instance, if they don't think they aren't good at reading, how do you help a child change their minds?
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with The Pleasure Principle article. It is extremely important to let students read what they want so that they can become interested in reading. When you get to choose your own book, it is more like you are reading for fun than as school work. In the 6th grade my teacher set up a “reading tent”. This was a tent made simply out of a sheet. The tent was filled with comfy pillows and blankets. Students could go to this tent any time we had silent reading or anytime that we finished our work before everyone else. I always loved to curl up in the tent with a good book. When I become a teacher I will definitely provide comfortable places for students to go and read when they have the chance. If you make all of this conveniences to try and get students involved in reading and you still have that one student that doesn’t participate, what do you do?
ReplyDeleteBy reading both articles the main idea that I got out of them is that by allowing students to choose what they want to read they have better chances of liking and enjoying reading. The reading workshop seems like a pretty cool idea. I hope that when I become a teacher I can have something like that in my classroom, where for 30 minutes a day the students can D.E.A.R. drop everything and read. I'm pretty sure that my 5th grade teacher done something like this in her class, but our thirty minutes was always first thing in the morning when we got to school. I didn't like having it then because I always arrived late and I usually tried to use that time to do my homework instead of reading. Other kids in the class would fake read and actually sleep a little longer. So if I do this in my class it will probably be in the afternoon. What I would like to know is how to deal with a child who can never find the right book, thus they don't read.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the website "Reading Fundamentals" and the article. I really enjoyed reading the article and how it discussed having reading workshops instead of your traditional reading classes. I got a lot of this because I always loved to read, but comprehension and class work was hard because most of the time I did not enjoy reading the required material. It also seemed like my teachers only did it or assigned the particular readings because they felt like they had to. I have always wondered how I could structure my reading lessons in a way that I and, hopefully, most of my students would enjoy. This article is definitely a good lead in the right direction for me. I really liked the website and I will most likely refer to it in the future. I appreciated how it gave tips on movtivating children to read by other children. The most useful tips will come from the source itself. I also appreciated the database of hands-on activities on the website. I had a few questions regarding the reading and the website. In the article, the author discusses their dislike of DEAR (drop everything and read) and I wondered why? Also, the website does a great job of helping parents motivate their children to read, but what about teachers?
ReplyDeleteMegan Cockrum
The article by Atwell was very interesting and does prove a point. Children need to have the choice of what they want to read. Many children dont like to read because they are made to read things they do not find interesting. In the article it said that if children chose what they read, they are more likely to read more books and engage in the reading. I like the idea of D.E.A.R. It would be a neat activity to do with the students. Children can have a least 30 min to read a book they enjoy reading. When would be the best time to have D.E.A.R? On the Reading Is Fundamental, it provides great suggestions for parents to movtivate children to read. It also provides other activities they can do with the books. Where are the ways for teachers to motivate students to read?
ReplyDeleteSiomara Castillo
The website Reading is Fundamental had a lot of insight into helping children learn to love reading. I really liked the motivational activity of making a reading chain. I thought it was a really good way to give children a visual of their progress. I think that having a goal is very important when reading. If their goal is to read one page, one chapter, or an entire book within a week they have to be motivated to do so. Atwell's article had some very good points about letting children choose what they wanted to read. I think that is very important. If they aren't interested in what they are reading then they won't retain that knowledge. The article seemed to be against D.E.A.R. which I found surprising. With the time constraints within the public school day what are some ways to incorporate this free reading time that doesn't mimic D.E.A.R?
ReplyDeleteKatie West
I really enjoyed Atwell's article about reading in schools. I also loved the website because it had so many great ideas for teachers. I agree with him and believe that students should be allowed to pick their own book to read. If you assign a child a book that they don't like they aren't going to enjoy it which in turn may lead to them not enjoying reading all together. I took from the article that he doesn't believe in D.E.A.R. reading and wants it to be done with. What could be done to D.E.A.R. reading to make it be a bigger success in the public schools?
ReplyDeleteKala White
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs I was looking at the different links and information available to me on the Reading is Fundamental website, I was in awe of all the helpful information available to motivate children of all ages to read. On this website there were several resources that caught my eye. One resource I hope to use in my classroom one day is having a book graffiti wall where students post information about the book they have read or are currently reading. I feel like this would be a great tool because it would allow children to get excited about reading because they could write something about their book on the wall. I also found the overview section helpful because it allows you to pick an age and it gives strategies to introduce books to children as well as helping build literacy skills. Finally, I liked how this website has an activity search where you can pick the topic and the age group and several activities relating to reading come up. I hope to use this website in the future as a teacher to find ways to motivate students to read. The only question I might have regarding this website would be, are there any other sites this creditable and useful that teachers would benefit from?
ReplyDeleteThe article “The Pleasure Principle,” sparked a new reading strategy that strays away from SSR or DEAR. I remember being apart of SSR in middle and high school and I found it very unbeneficial to me because I would have to sit still for the first 30 minutes of school doing reading something I wasn’t necessarily interested in. Atwell illustrates how reading workshops work immensely in the classroom. I enjoyed reading about how the workshops work. During the workshops teachers express the elements of fiction, how poems work, what efficient readers should do and should not do, etc. I felt as though these workshops would prepare students to accomplish certain goals while they read rather than just read with no goals of improving their skills. I also enjoyed how the author addresses how pertinent for children from kindergarten all the way up to high school to have their own choice regarding what they read. I feel as though most of the time children learn to hate reading because they do not have the opportunity to read what they are interested in. Finally I enjoyed the end of the reading when the author talks about getting into the zone. I like how students said, ‘Absolute silence to help be transported into “The World.” I felt as though this was very interesting because there is nothing better than being enthralled with a good book. A question that I thought of while reading about the workshops was how long to the workshops take before the students start reading on their own?
Christin Jones
I thought the reading was very interesting. I agree with Kala that if you force a child to read a book that they are not interested in then they will look down on reading. I believe that is true with all subjects. There are some things that have to covered with the standard course of study, but try to make it fun and interesting so the students will want to learn, or read. I would love for children to be interested in reading as I was as a child, but sometimes it is hard to keep students interested. How can teachers make reading fun and interesting when the students do not want to read the required reading? Is there a way to get around focusing on required readings for different grades? I also like the other website, it provides good ideas for teachers, students and parents.
ReplyDelete-Heather Heath
After reading the Atwell article I thought it was very thought provoking. I really believe that teachers should attend reading workshops in order to help their students enjoy reading. I also thought the article made a great point is stating that"If a child starts reading a book and does not enjoy it, then that student should not be forced to read the book". That is so true! students who enjoy the book they are reading will get so much more out of it and will learn to love reading. Another point that the article made was that students should be allowed to pick their own books, this will allow them to truly enjoy the book they are reading. I think that those two points are essential when teachers are wanting their students to love reading. In addition I agree with Heather, How are we supposed to get around books that may be required? Is there another option?
ReplyDeleteJoy Cooper
The Atwell article was probably the most important article we as teachers need to take into consideration. I loved how teachers were going to reading workshops to understand how to get students engaged. I enjoyed reading at a younger age, but as I got older I have hated reading. Mostly I do not like it because I rarely find anything I like to read. If I was a student with a teacher that knew how to engage my reading, then I think I would enjoy reading today. I loved how they encouraged teachers at the workshop to let your students skim and skip through the books, and if they do not like them then to let them abandon the books. I LOVED how Joy picked up in the article about the quote, "if a child starts reading a book and does not enjoy it, then that student should not be forced to read the book." This was my problem when I was in elementary school because I was forced to read, therefore I now dislike reading. I enjoyed the website, but like Megan, where in the website does it help teachers motivate students?
ReplyDeleteMolly Suddes
This is for the second reading, first article:
ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting and a useful point in this article was the idea of letting your students have a voice and a choice in the books they read. I never really thought about how much your own choice in what books you read, inspire and motivate you to read. I also really liked that there was no reward system that way the students didn't feel anxious to out read and compete with the others to gain the prize. They didn't have any pressures, just free time to read. According to the article it worked wonders for these students! My question is, How important do you find a reward system, will you implement it in your classroom?
Hannah Hobson
I completely agree with the Atwell article and I think all teachers should read it. Giving the students the opportunity to read what they want is vital for them to enjoy reading. When I was in high school I took a creative writing class where we were allowed to read whatever we wanted as long as we read and I loved it. I think students often get discouraged because they don't enjoy a book or find it difficult to read. Students would put more effort and time into reading if it was something they truly enjoyed. I really liked the "Reader's Bill of Rights." It is important for students to stop reading a book if they don't like it or reread their favorite part. I think the bill of rights captured some of the key points to enjoying a good book. Students dislike some of the required reading, so how can we make required reading interesting for all of our students?
ReplyDeleteTina Dellinger
The Atwell article gave some great ideas and pointers to encouraging students to enjoy reading. I remember my fifth grade teacher allotting time for us to read books of our choice during class on a daily basis.I agree with Kala and Heather when they said that if you force a child to read a book that they are not interested in then they will look down on reading. In my fifth grade class with the "free" reading time I don't remember anyone complaining or being disruptive during reading time. By having the freedom to choose their own books, students looked forward to this time and were disappointed when it passed by so quickly. I hope to have free reading time in my classroom as well. Like others, I would like to know how we could get around required reading? and/or how do you make required text more interesting for students?
ReplyDeleteKatie Stover
One of the tips that I really liked for parents to encourage their child to read was to Leave all sorts of reading materials including books, magazines, and colorful catalogs in conspicuous places around your home. I had never thought about leaving books around the house to get your children interested in reading. This does make sense though because the more they see books the more they will be interested and want to read them. My questions however is what if the child is dead on reading, just like AR reading if you try to get a child to read so much they will begin to hate it. How do parents make homework reading fun?
ReplyDeleteBeth Hicks
I really enjoyed the Atwell article and I think it is important for all teachers to read to make their students better readers and maybe make students actually like to read. I have literally just learned to like reading again on my own time and for my enjoyment because I had so many teachers that made me read books I didn’t want to. Also I hated all the different things we had to do with the required reading and the all the test and quizzes. I had so many teachers try to find the hardest questions to ask about the book or find something little to ask just to trick us. I do understand though that there are required reading that teachers have to give their students. Are there ways for teachers make them enjoyable as well so it doesn't ruin the way children view reading?
ReplyDelete-Sarah Purrell
I liked most of what the Atwell article said. I agree that reading should be made fun for children and they should be able to pick what they want to read and have time to read during school in a comfortable spot. I also liked the section on Reader's Rights. I thought that was a neat list that would help students better enjoy reading if they knew they had "rights". I also liked describing reading into three categories, the Holidays, the Just Rights and the Challenges. A question I have would be what would you do if you still had a child that did not want to participate during the Reading Workshop? They might not want to participate because they can't read well or still think reading is boring. What are some ways you could get them to enjoy thier reading time?
ReplyDeleteI thought the Atwell article was great. It provided us with information on what to do in a classroom such as having book discussions among kids so they can find out which books they would be interested in reading next time. It also provided examples of things we should not assign in the classroom such as writing reports all the time,worksheets, and tests. I also agree that students should have the right to choose what books to read because personally when I have a choice, I will read a book and not want to put it down; whereas when a teacher assigns something I am not interested in, I dread finishing it. I have two questions. One is with the limited time we have in an elementary classroom to complete all the other subjects how and when would be the best time to have students read their personal interest book? My other question is how can we complete the standard course of study for reading when everyone is reading completely different books?
ReplyDeleteKarie Steelman
I liked the article because it gave me good insight into what to look for, for students to enjoy reading more. I know I never really liked to read, especially now because I am forced to read things I do not like. Giving students options on what they read is a great motivator. And like Sarah. I understand that there are required readings that teachers have to do in school. What would be a fun motivator to help the students get through the book? There are many great pointers in the article that will help parents motivate their children to read more. One is leaving the books in random places where the kids go. Giving kids options on what they can read can make a big difference in their willingness to read.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that as for the Atwell article I really do agree with the fact that students do need to have some control of the books that they are reading. When I was younger I struggled with reading books that someone picked out for me, but when I was given the opportunity to read a book of my choice I remember twice the amount of information than if someone else picked it out. I also was able to enjoy the books that I choose better. I hated the AR program and one of the many reasons was that I one was pushed to read books that I was not interested in. I think that giving children the opportunity to read quietly and with freedom they really have time to enjoy something for themselves just like adults like to have time to read to themselves without feeling any pressure. I like the fact that Atwell mentioned how she goes about ensuring that the students are enjoying the books they have chosen to read without making them feel like they have to meet her standard of understanding or comprehending the book. How do you deal with students that just absolutely refuses to read any kind of books even when they are given the freedom to choose anyone one they would like?
ReplyDeleteDanielle Epley
I enjoyed reading the Atwell article. I was very interesting and make me think about reading more in depth. When I was a kid in school, we didn't get to choose our books to read, we only have required books. We would often be reading 2 or 3 books at the same time. With this idea of workshop, children would be allowed to choose their own books to read, that way they enjoy reading and want to read more often. If children like reading, then they wouldn't need to ice cream or pizza parties. If I had my choice of books when I was a child I may like reading now, but because of my younger years, I don't do much reading. My question is, if we want to use this idea of Workshop and letting kids choose their own books, how would be get around having to read the REQUIRED books? I don't want my classroom to be like mine was as a child; Reading a good book while reading a required book.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the Atwell article. It pointed out some very interesting facts about letting students pick out their own books that will be useful to know for my own classroom. I loved how this concept worked and got all the students interested in what they were reading. Outlining what the workshop does and does not do was helpful because it told us what was important in getting students involved in reading. At the end of the article I thought was the most touching and exciting for me when students were describing reading felt to them. Lots of students now do not like reading, so it was so exciting to hear some positive comments about them loving to read!
ReplyDeleteLaura Davis
I agree completely with the Reading Zone idea presented in the Atwell article. I think it is pertinent that we help students find what they enjoy reading. Without knowing that, students miss out on the great opportunity of knowing how to LEARN and DISCOVER. I absolutely loved the website! My favorite part was the kid's zone and seeing what things are available for the students to do. I actually sat at my computer and listened to and watched an animated story about a mouse named Mozart. haha Loved it! I am keeping that site as a resource when I'm teaching.
ReplyDeleteEmily Fox
I definitely think that children will be more motivated to read when they see how reading is relevant to them. Once children realize that they can have fun with reading and that it doesn't always have to be dull and cumbersome, they will often learn to love it! Atwell discusses the importance of allowing students to have a choice in the books that they read. Is this always possible? Or are there some instances when all students should be required to read the same book?
ReplyDeleteShelby Johnson
I agree with the approach spoken of in the article. It seems that most students I know have struggled with reading because it is often used as a form of punishment or homework, not as a task that can be relaxing. I believe that, once children have been able to truly experience the joy that can come from reading, they will be more likely to develop a passion for it. As wonderful as the goals of this article are, however, how can we bypass the regulations and mandates from the state on what students must read to give them the choice and freedom they need?
ReplyDeleteKayla Rash
The Pleasure Principle article highlighted the ideal conditions for reading. I liked how comprehension questions weren't included and students were allowed to pick their own books. The workshops made reading as easy as possible, which in turn makes it more enjoyable. If this method to reading works so well, why isn't it included in every classroom?
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the article, "The Pleasure Principle." I completely agree with the article and how it said that the best way to get students interested in reading is to let them have a substantial amount of reading time without having to worry about tests or reading questions. I also think it is important for students to choose what they read. When I was in third grade, we had reading workshop like this and I loved being able to sit in a corner on a bean bag chair and getting to read whatever book I chose. I wish that I would've gotten to do this type of thing in all grades, especially in middle school. In middle school, I lost all interest in reading because all of the reading I did was teacher chosen literature that involved learning vocabulary or analyzing the text. I also enjoyed looking at the website and seeing all the different ideas it offered for parents, teachers, and students. After looking over these articles, I was wondering what would be the best way to get the students that don't enjoy reading to give reading workshop a chance? I remember students daydreaming or goofing off in my reading workshop and they never got any reading done. What could I do to interest these students?
ReplyDeleteLeslie Sheppard
i really enjoyed looking at the Reading is Fundamental website. It gave me great ideas and insight to how children learn in different ways. One that really stood out to me was using movies. It never occured to me that it might help the children visualize the characters when reading if they see the movie first. How can i help my students that dont live in a "literacy rich" home?
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the other blog posts on this page, that are for chapter two and the extra reading. Allowing a child to chose the particular book that they read, gives them a special sense of power; every child wants to have some input about what they are doing and this allows them to.
ReplyDeleteFor example a teacher could say; "Class today when you go to the library I want everyone to pick out a book about weather, this will tie in with our next unit in science Wild and Wonderful Weather!" By doing this the teacher can make sure that each of her students are getting extra reading outside of class and reading that may help them to understand material that is covered in class.
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ReplyDeleteBlogger joni said...
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Reading Zone idea that was mentioned in the article. I also thought that it was a great way to get kids excited about it cause they can name it whatever they want. You could tell it was a passion of the teachers to get students to enjoy reading. She brought up very good points with teaching what reading is for children and choosing books to read. She said that there are NO rules when reading. You can go however fast, slow, decide not to finish, re-read parts, or whatever you decide. Some children don't understand that is the case with reading and they feel they have to read even the things they don't like. Giving children choices allows for them to get a better understanding of the decision they make.
If we were to have a reading time set aside in class, how do we keep students on task with out making it a bad experience because we would be forcing them to read?
joni little