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Readerly Exploration #7

Park (2012), “A Different Kind of Reading Instruction: Using Visualizing to Bridge Reading Comprehension and Critical Literacy

Big Takeaway: Visualizing can support reading comprehension and critical literacy. Teachers must support students to acquire a range of literacy tools. More importantly, they must create conditions for students to explore the possibilities and limitations of each tool and use the tools to question the word and their wo

Nugget: The concept of reading and literacy was show to me in a new light through this reading when Park said "Reading is not a set of free-floating skills, independent of social context and devoid ideologies. It is embedded in communities, ways of life, and human relationships". I thought that was a special quote and made me think of literacy in a different way.

Readerly Exploration: I decided to view this article through the lens of faith. It is said that we cannot see God, however, we can see Him everywhere. Look at the world around you that you are living in. I use this beautiful creation as a way to visualize God. I try to read my bible outside in nature as much as I can because it's a reminder that the God I am reading about is so real and I can prove that by looking right around me.

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Readerly Exploration #6.

Tompkins, Chapter 12, “Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum"

Big Takeaway: Reading and writing should be connected because reading has a powerful impact on writing and writing has a powerful impact on reading. When students read a text before writing, their writing is enhanced because of what they learned from reading.

Nugget: I always thought that posters weren't as engaging or as beneficial and Tompkins made it out to be. Tompkins says "Students combine visual and verbal elements when they make a poster." It's a great way to demonstrate knowledge. Therefore, I will definitely be having my students make a couple of posters throughout the year!

Readerly Exploration: I decided to make a poster. This poster represents strengthening writing after reading. I made a poster about the cycle of a butterfly after reading a book on the cycle of a butterfly!

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Readerly Exploration Due March 20th

Manyak, et. al. (2014), “Four Practical Principles for Enhancing Vocabulary Instruction

Big Takeaway: Vocabulary plays a big role in reading comprehension. There are four pragmatic principles for enhancing vocabulary instruction that the article recommends. The first is establishing efficient yet rich routines for introducing target words. The second is to provide review experiences that promote deep processing of target words. The third is to respond directly to student confusion by using anchor experiences. The last one is to foster universal participation and accountability. Each of these pragmatic principles target vocabulary in a way that will efficiently get through to the students.

Nugget: I learned different action steps to enhance vocabulary instructions. For example, look over your lesson materials and texts for a week of instruction. You should also plan at least two short periods of review of the words on the word wall for later in the week. Another action I could plan to do is to reflect on what you did that week and consider what kind of adaptations you might make for this kind of instruction to be more feasible or effective in your setting.

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Readerly Exploration:

Pick a song that portrays the same message as the course reading.

I picked the song "Itsy Bitsy Spider" because this simple song has a ton of unique words and is excellent for learning simple vocabulary. All of the vocab words are related to nature and are valuable to everyday life.

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout Down came the rain and washed the spider out Out came the sun and dried up all the rain And the the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout Down came the rain and washed the spider out Out came the sun and dried up all the rain And the the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again

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Readerly Exploration 4. Due Feb 6.

Gambrell. (2011). Seven Rules Of Engagement: What’s Most Important to Know About Motivation to Read.

Big Takeaway: What Gambrell wants the readers to takeaway is that if students are not motivated to read, they will never reach their full literacy potential. So how can we as teachers motivate our students to read? Gambrell explains the seven rules of engagement which are all methods to promote reading. These methods are so important to bring into your classroom because there have been studies done that show students who enjoy reading usually performed significantly better than those who don't enjoy it. More importantly, 37% of students say they don't enjoy reading at all.

Nugget: I wasn't surprised to learn about any of the seven rules of engagement, except for the second rule: Students are more motivated to read when they have access to a wide range of reading materials. There are so many other important materials that ample the students learning experiences other than books. Some examples of this are real life documents, magazines, the internet, etc. This can create a positive effect on the amount and quality of the reading experiences of the students.

Readerly Exploration: I decided to research the author and draw connections between the reading and the motivation behind the reading. I chose this particular exploration because I found the information that Gambrell provided was very helpful. I wanted to continue my research on her and see what her background is.

I found that Gambrell's experience has more than qualified her to teach about engagement and bettering the education system. She has been a professor of education, a director of the school of education at Clemson University, as well as the associative dean for research at the University of Maryland. She began her career as an elementary classroom teacher in Prince George's County, Maryland. (I live right by here!!). Her major research areas are literacy motivation, reading comprehension, and the role of discussion in teaching and learning. These research topics were all discussed in her Seven Rules of Engagement article. Knowing that she has dedicated a career to these research topics, I feel confident that she knows exactly how to engage readers.

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Readerly Exploration 3 Due January 30

Tompkins, Chapter 1, “Becoming an Effective Literacy Teacher”

Big Takeaway: Tompkins wants to ensure that teachers are providing a literacy instruction that encourages students to reach their full literacy potential. To understand how to do this a teacher must know the difference between teacher centered and student centered. They must adopt a balanced literacy approach, differentiate instruction, and link instruction and assessment.

Nugget: Something the author mentioned that I thought was interesting was to create a classroom environment that encourages learning. Sometimes, I get caught up in the idea of making my classroom very aesthetically pleasing, while neglecting the fact that I must also create a classroom that displays strong learning influences. What I learned is that they are many more ways to promote learning through things that aren't decorations. For example, creating a safe, respectful, family involved classroom environment.

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Readerly Exploration: I chose a song that reminded me of the text. The song that came to mind was "We're All in This Together" by Zac Efron. This song came to mind when reading about creating a literacy environment using methods like collaboration with students and students or teachers and parents. Creating that environment means it's a group effort. While teachers promote is, other's helping makes it complete.

"We're All In This Together" (from "High School Musical" soundtrack)

Together, together, together everyone Together, together, come on, let's have some fun Together, we're there for each other every time Together, together come on, let's do this right

Here and now, it's time for celebration I finally figured out (yeah yeah) That all our dreams have no limitations That's what it's all about (come on now)

Everyone is special in their own way We make each other strong (each other strong) We're not the same We're different in a good way Together's where we belong

We're all in this together Once we know, that we are We're all stars And we see that We're all in this together And it shows, when we stand Hand in hand Make our dreams come true

(Everybody now) Together, together, together everyone Together, together, come on, let's have some fun Together, we're there for each other every time Together, together, come on, let's do this right

We're all here (yeah) And speaking out in one voice We're going to rock the house (rock the house) The party's on now (oh), everybody make some noise Come on, scream and shout

We've arrived because we stuck together Champions one and all

We're all in this together (together) Once we know, that we are (that we are) We're all stars And we see that We're all in this together (oh) And it shows, when we stand Hand in hand Make our dreams come

We're all in this together (together) When we reach, we can fly Know inside We can make it We're all in this together (everyone) Once we see, there's a chance That we have And we take it

Wildcats, sing along Yeah, you really got it going on Wildcats in the house Everybody say it now Wildcats, everywhere Wave your hands up in the air That's the way we do it Let's get to it Time to show the world

We're all in this together (oh) Once we know, that we are (that we are) We're all stars And we see that We're all in this together (together) And it shows, when we stand Hand in hand Make our dreams come

We're all in this together When we reach, we can fly Know inside We can make it We're all in this together Once we see, there's a chance That we have And we take it

Wildcats, everywhere Wave your hands up in the air That's the way we do it Let's get to it Come on, everyone

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Readerly Exploration #2. Due January 23, 2023.

Tompkins, Chapter 2, “The Reading and Writing Processes”.

Big Takeaway: Tompkins makes the reader think more deeply about the literacy development in students and how to promote their oral language development. She gives us an understanding of how students learn to read and write and explains the 3 stages the students go through: emergent, beginning, and fluent. My biggest takeaway is knowing the importance of oral language activities.

Nugget: In regards to promoting student's oral language, the most valuable activity is an interactive read aloud. As students listen, they learn new vocabulary and acquire more sophisticated sentence structures. While there are plenty of other activities displayed that promote student's oral language, an interactive read aloud is known to be the most beneficial.

Tompkins, Chapter 6, “Developing Fluent Readers and Writers”

Big Takeaway: In this chapter, Tompkins shares the stages of spelling development that students move through as they learn to spell words conventionally. My biggest takeaway was how to assess student's development. This process includes: choosing a writing sample, identifying spelling errors, make a spelling analysis chart, categorize the spelling error, tally the errors, and identify instructional priorities. This is the best way for teachers to determine how to differentiate instruction while keeping the stages of spelling development in mind.

Nugget: I learned the stages of spelling development, but more specifically, stage 1 the emergent spelling. During this stage students learn the distinction between drawing and writing, how to make letters, the direction of writing on a page, and some letter-sound matches. This stage typically occurs in young students between the ages of 3-5. As someone who wants to work with kindergarteners, I should expect to have emergent spellers in my classroom.

Readerly Exploration

After you read, create a work of art that represents/symbolizes your personal response to the readings.

This drawing represents the exact image I had in mind after reading Chapter 2. I envision myself in my future classroom doing an interactive read aloud with my students. In one hand I have a book that I am reading aloud and in the other hand I have a mini tree figure. The students seem to be enjoying the activity which is exactly what we as educators want for our students.

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Readerly Exploration #1. Due January 16, 2023.

Brighton, et. al. (2015), “Advanced Readers in Reading First Classrooms Who Was Really “Left Behind”? Considerations for the Field of Gifted Education”

Big Takeaway: Brighton explains that below grade-level and on grade-level readers are being taught at the same reading instructional level as above grade-level readers. As a result, the advanced readers reading development is being negatively impacted and the students may lose focus, motivation, and/or interest in school.

Nugget: Teachers need differentiated instruction in order to meet the academic needs of each student. Tomlinson (2003) says that in order to proactively address the readiness, interest, and learning profile of a student the following should be employed: (a) clear learning goals should inform the differentiated tasks in which students engage, (b) all tasks should be appropriately respectful in terms of challenge and perception (e.g., to have some students engage in tasks that are rote and low level while other students are engaging in novel, complex tasks is a violation of the respectfulness principle). (c) assessment should be an ongoing consideration in the differentiated classroom (i.e., data should be thoughtfully collected to drive the instructional process at all stages and should inform resources, pace, and groupings), and (d) purposeful flexible grouping mechanisms should be employed to ensure that all students are considered from multiple vantage points and not limited by one dimension of their academic profile.

This information is important to know so your students can best benefit from your instructions and stay on task and not left behind in their reading development.

Tompkins, Chapter 3, “Assessing Literacy Development”

Big Takeaway: Tompkins clearly states the difference between assessing and evaluating. An assessment is formative and ongoing. It provides immediate feedback that's used to improve teaching and is usually based on student literacy activities. An evaluation is summative, final, and usually at end of unit/school year and is often a test.

Nugget: There are four steps to assessments. The first step is planning which is done at same time as instruction planning. Think about students' learning, their teaching, what assessment tools they'll use. The second step is monitoring student progress: Observations, anecdotal notes, conferences, checklists. The next step is evaluating students' learning: Students' work samples, rubrics, multimodal assessments (look at many ways students participate in reading/writing). Lastly, reflecting: Teachers and students can both reflect.

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Readerly Habit: Read texts deeply in order to interpret, critique, and analyze the various layers of meaning a text might offer a reader.

Explorations of Practice: Learn something about the author of the assigned course reading(s) and use that to draw conclusions about the motivation behind the reading or the credibility/quality of the writing.

After researching Catherine M. Brighton, I learned she has lots of experience in the educational field. The biggest thing is she is a teacher and because of this she has seen the problem of advanced readers getting left behind first hand. She has also been apart of the American Educational Research Association since 2000, giving her an opportunity to spend time reading and learning about the issue of students being "left behind". I can concluded that because Brighton is an educator, she saw an issue in the educational program and began to do research to try and see the reasoning behind it. I can also conclude that her findings are accurate because she is apart of the educational research association.

Readerly Exploration: My experience was helpful in that I can say confidently I learned more about differentiated instruction and it's importance and can confirm the accuracy of the article based on the credibility of the author. I first read the two readings, then I went back and did research on Brighton which widened my knowledge about her as an educator. The easiest part was the readings because I found them interesting. The hardest part was finding information of Brighton that applied to the readerly exploration. To my surprise, I learned how to better implement differentiated instruction in the classroom to benefit students who are above grade-level in reading.

This is a screenshot of the first page of all the information I learned about Catherine M. Brighton on. It was very informative!

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Readerly Exploration: Fischer 2017

Big Takeaway: As teachers, we need to understand that writing in your book as a children promotes a unique response to a text that displays cognitive and narrative practices for early literacy development. We must encourage this interaction between students and the text.

Nuggets: Theses drawings that the students do in the books is a way of expression themselves and the world around them. They're telling a different story through these scribbles that's giving a response to the text. Even the most simple marks or scribbles is an interaction between children and literature.

Readerly Exploration: Based on your successes and struggles reading this text, write down two or three goals for yourself as a reader.

Take notes myself. Knowing now that things such a scribbling can help a child make connections means that any sort of writing about the text will help make connections. I struggle with comprehending what I'm reading my first time through, so writing notes might help me organize my thoughts and see the writing in a different light.

Next time my class does independent reading, I want to encourage them to take notes, draw pictures, underline, circle, etc. any marks that will help them create a connection. It is oftentimes discouraged in the classroom, but it is something that is to be encouraged.

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Rasinski and Applegate. Due November 14. #6.

Rasinski (2012), “Why Reading Fluency Should Be Hot!”

Big Takeaway: Rasinski believes that reading fluency should be refocused on understanding the text of what we are reading. It's too often students get caught up in the speed of which they read the text rather than maintaining an understanding of what it is they are reading.

Nugget: I think it's important to remember the attention span of children and how their energy is spent on figuring out how to read certain words rather than what that word actually means. We need to switch that mindset to actually understanding the word.

Applegate, Applegate & Modla (2011), “She's My Best Reader; She Just Can't Comprehend’: Studying the Relationship Between Fluency and Comprehension”

Big Takeaway: Applegate discusses how reading fluency should be mutually inclusive with comprehension. The most fluent readers should be able to comprehend the text, but this is not always the case. As teachers, we need to change that.

Nugget: Teachers typically judge the reading proficiency of students based solely on the speed, accuracy, and prosody divorced from thoughtful comprehension. This is information I was honestly not shocked to learn because I find myself doing this sometimes. It is impressive when a student can read thoroughly, but can they explain what they read? This isn't always the case, so I'm happy I learned this so I can shift my perspective on how I view reading fluency and comprehension.

Readerly Exploration: Identify a song that communicates the same or similar big ideas of the assigned reading and choose an excerpt that represents those shared ideals.

The song I decided to use is "Blackbird" by the Beatles. The reason I chose this song is because up until about a month ago, I always figured this song was about an actual blackbird. Upon further inspection of the lyrics and research, I discovered the book is not about that at all. It's actually about an African American girl that grows up in the south in the 1960s that faces struggle with racial violence and Jim Crow laws. Because I didn't do any research or really comprehend what I was listening to, I completely missed the meaning of the entire song. This is similar to students who may read at a fast pace and pronounce words well but aren't understanding what they're reading.

#thebeatles #readingcomprehension #readingfluency

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Williams et. al. & Silverman + Crandell - Due November 7, 2022. #5

Silverman , R., & Crandell , J. (2011). Vocabulary Practices in Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Classroom.

Big Takeaway: It is important for teachers to know that there are lots of different strategies to teach vocabulary. There are five strategies to teach vocabulary to students: Speaking the words to children, asking students to pronounce the words, talking about graphophonemic or semantic properties of the words, defining the words, and explaining the words by adding details and children's experiences.

Nuggets: Some research suggests that the effectiveness of vocabulary instruction may depend on children’s initial level of vocabulary knowledge.

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Williams, C. et. al. (2009). Word Study Instruction in the K-2 Classroom.

Big Takeaway: Word study is way different than the memorization of words which is much more beneficial to the students because it helps improve their literacy skills.

Nuggets: As a student in elementary school, I only remember being taught vocabulary through memorization. I would write down the vocab, and bring it home and practice until I remembered. I had no idea that there was so many different techniques to teaching vocabulary.

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Readerly Exploration: Choose an excerpt from your assigned(s) and share with a family member to get his or input on it.

I chose to share this article with my mother because she was the person who worked on vocabulary with me in elementary school. She had the same reaction as me when she read that there are 5 strategies to teach vocabulary. She says, had she had known she would've had tried to implement those methods more when helping me with the vocabulary. She said the most interesting methods is explaining the words by adding details and children's experiences and discusses that, had she had used that method, she thinks I would have understood the vocabulary faster because of my ability to connect school to my life.

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Readerly Exploration: Due October 31. #4

Hanford (2018), “Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read?”

Big Takeaway: Most teachers don't know the science behind how students should be taught to read, and some teachers actually resist it. As a result, millions of kids are set up for failure. Our brains are not wired to read. The written language wasn't invented until relatively recently, so we have to rewire our brains to understand it.

Nugget: Studies show that children who do not learn to read by the end of third grade are likely to remain bad readers for the rest of their lives. They are also more likely to remain low in other academic areas. Those who struggle with reading are more likely to drop out of school and end up in the criminal justice system, and live in poverty.

Wills Lloyd (2021), “Smoke signals in reading education: What is with the spate of articles about changes in reading instruction?”

Big Takeaway: Researchers question whether early reading instruction should consist of teaching the fundamental skills of literacy, like phonics, or if more high order skills should be taught instead. 

Nugget: Teachers should start by teaching decoding. Once students become more comfortable and able to figure out cues through the context, it will be more natural for the students. This sequence of instruction seems to be effective for students which I found to be interesting. 

Readerly Exploration: Hanford (2018), “Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read?”

Explore relationships with other people through reading by using texts as a shared experience with another person/other people or to gain insight into the perspective of another person: Create a character sketch of someone you know that represents the big ideas of the assigned course reading(s) in some way and share with that person.

I decided to choose Handford's reading and further reflect on the idea that children who are not taught to read properly by the end of third grade are likely to remain bad readers for the rest of their lives and how it also means they are also more likely to remain low in other academic areas, drop out of school, end up in the criminal justice system, and live in poverty.

I typically had very good teachers in elementary school, but one teacher in particular I remember very vividly, failing a student, possibly unintentionally. I can not confirm whether or not this student's life was indefinitely affected by their poor reading skills, however, it would make sense, because he wasn't given the education he should have been given.

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Readerly Exploration: Due October 17. #3

Watching Young Writers Glenda L. Bissex

Big Takeaway: The author wants us as teachers to start to appreciate the depth of children's understand, and how they start from the most basic and difficult questions about literacy. We need to start understanding how much they need to know and how much they manage to learn what is beyond the textbooks they read and the worksheets and lessons we plan. If we as teachers do all of this, we will become more aware of the many ways in which children learn about writing.

Nugget: I have always known that young children mispronounced words at an earlier age but I was never quite sure why. Studies of child language development show us that children do not learn merely by imitation since they use constructions and forms of words that are not spoken around them. Once children become aware of plural and past ten endings, they tend to regularize all plurals and past tenses like “mouses,” “goes,” and “wented”. Children have not been taught to do this but have overgeneralized rules learned from these observations of the speech around them and through their own reasoning. They then revise these rules by continuously listening to the language around them.

Enriching and Assessing Young Children's Multimodal Story Telling Christy Wessel-Powell, Tolga Kargin, Karen E Wohlwend

Big Takeaway: By looking at literacy through a multimodal lens, gives teachers a chance to see how different communication modes help children tell more interesting and engaging stories.

Nugget: I was unaware of the Multimodal Storytelling checklist as a whole. I think it serves as a very useful tool for storytelling and teaches the children what makes a complete story. The checklist consists of: making characters, making story backdrops, writing story in script format, considering the story shape, dramatic performance, considering sounds, using movements, showing feelings, and showing perspective.

Readerly Exploration:

Read texts deeply in order to interpret, critique, and analyze the various layers of meaning a text might offer a reader.

Identify a major current event/headline happening at the time the article was published to consider how the text might have been conceived or received.

The "Watching Young Writers" article was published in 1985. While browsing for current events in that year, there wasn't anything outstanding going on, however there were some things worth noting from the education stand point. There were three books published that challenged teachers and parents to abandon faltering old methods. The books are "Breaking Ground" that discusses effective elementary teaching methods, "Tapping Your Child's Natural Writing Ability", and "The Art of Teaching Writing" which is a complete guide for teachers and parents on how to teach writing without killing the joy of it. In 1985, the idea of appreciating and understanding children's comprehension of literacy became a bigger topic. In "Watching Young Writers" the author discusses the importance of understanding the way children comprehend literacy. I believe that because this was such a big topic, that this article was something worth noting because it was very relevant and new at the time.

One of the three books that was published in 1985 that discussed new methods of teaching literacy.

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Readerly Exploration: Due October 10 #2

Fisher, et. al. (2020), Chapter 2, “Whole-Class Reading Instruction: High-Level Support for Learning”

Big Takeaway: The biggest takeaway from Chapter two was whole class instruction is useful for developing skills and knowledge that everyone needs. Whole class instruction in reading introduces new skills and concepts to students and addresses instructional needs that exist for the entire class. There are several methods that are useful to implement in whole class instruction: read aloud, shared readings, direct and deliberate instruction, and close readings.

Nugget: How to plan a successful interactive read-aloud was something new that I learned. You must first select an appropriate text that corresponds to the content being learned and provides opportunity for us as teachers to model some aspect of reading or thinking. There should also be a clear purpose of what it is the book is trying to teach the students. You should also practice and preview the reading before reading it to the students because that will allow you to pause effectively, add emphasis and inflections, and prepares you for any potential questions the students may have. Additionally, the preview will assist in the animation and expression you use while reading the text. Lastly, we need to discuss the text so students are allowed to interact with peers and provides them with an opportunity to think more deeply about the text.

Sipe (2002), “Talking Back & Talking Over: Young Children’s Expressive Engagement During Read-Aloud Storybooks”

Big Takeaway: The biggest takeaway from this text was that there are several reasons as to why valuing and encouraging children's talking back and taking over responses are important in the classroom. Children can make stories their own which is a powerful way for stories to affect their lives. It is also important because we know how to extend our theory of the literary understanding of young children to include these types of response. Lastly, it is also important to emphasize the idea of literacy pleasure and playfulness. By talking back and taking over, children are able to demonstrate a passion through engagement and playfulness.

Nugget: I had never heard of the five conceptual categories that describe the controversial turns that indicate expressive engagement. The first being dramatizing which is when teachers read dialogue and change the tone and volume of their voices to interpret those of the characters in the story. By acting out the story, children extend that performance to include themselves with actions, gestures, and expressive language. The second is talking back this is when the children respond verbally to the characters in the stories. Let's say a character says "I will beat you in the race!" and the children call out "No you won't!", this is an example of talking back. Critiquing and controlling is when children create or suggest alternative plots, characters, or settings. Another example of this is when the children critique the choices the author or illustrator made, or suggesting alternatives. Inserting is when children assume the role of story characters, or shove their classmates into the story. Lastly, taking over which is when the children abandon any attempt at interpretation of the story and treat it as a launching pad for the expression of their own creativity.

Readerly Exploration:

Readerly Habit: Read a wide variety of genres and formats of texts to grow in their knowledge and experiences as a reader.

Practicing Readerly Habits: Identify a song that communicates the same or similar big ideas of the assigned reading and choose an excerpt that represents those shared ideals.

For my readerly exploration, I chose the song Pure Imagination famously known as the song in Willy Wonka. This song reminds me that we were all born with powers of creativity. We use this power to create meaning by interacting with the world in new and different ways. Creativity is necessary for connections with the world around us and with others. I was reminded of this song while reading Sipes "Talking Back and Taking Over" when it discusses one of the five conceptual categories that describe the controversial turns that indicate expressive engagement. Taking over is when the children abandon any attempt at interpretation of the story and treat it as a launching pad for the expression of their own creativity. The children are able to read something as simple as a book and interpret it into their own meaning make out of it whatever they want to. This is the very definition of creativity and pure imagination. The song fits perfectly because the singer is explaining that the world can be whatever you want it to be and you can do whatever you want in this world because of your ability to imagine and create.

Lyrics to "Pure Imagination":

Come with me and you'll be In a world of pure imagination Take a look and you'll see Into your imagination We'll begin with a spin Traveling in the world Of my creation What we'll see Will defy explanation If you want to view paradise Simply look around and view it Anything you want to, do it Wanna change the world? There's nothing to it There is no life I know To compare with Pure imagination Living there, you'll be free If you truly wish to be If you want to view paradise Simply look around and view it Anything you want to, do it Wanna change the world? There's nothing to it There is no life I know To compare with Pure imagination Living there, you'll be free If you truly wish to be

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Readerly Exploration: Due September 26. #1

Fisher, et. al. (2020), Chapter 1, “Defining Balance, Finding Balance”

Big Takeaway: The biggest takeaway from Chapter 1 was how to implement a balanced literacy classroom. Students learn to read and write best when teachers balance literacy instruction. There are steps we as educators need to take in order to provide this balanced literacy classroom and just a few examples that Fisher gives us are having your students speak, write, listen and read, build both skill and knowledge, and implementing the GRR framework into instruction.

Nugget: Some new information I learned, besides this entire chapter, was that it is critical for students to listen, write, speak, and read. All four of these are critical processes that combine to ensure that students progress in their literacy balance. While this is new information to me, it makes complete sense. All of them help students make sense of things. There is something reading can do that speaking can't and there are things listening can do that writing can't. Each is vital in the students literacy development.

Fisher, et. al. (2020), Chapter 7, “Independent Reading: Practicing, Applying, and Extending Learning”

Big Takeaway: The biggest takeaway from Chapter 7 was that independent reading can be more beneficial to students than people might think and should be implemented in the classroom. Students need to spend a concentrated amount of time reading at home and at school. There has been research done between the amount of reading done and standardized reading test scores. Those who read on average 21 minutes, scored significantly higher than anyone who read 5 minutes or below. Reading individually also increases a student's vocabulary. Fisher wants to prove that teachers should implement individual reading into classrooms because of the highly positive impact it has on students tests scores and overall knowledge.

Nugget: I obviously knew that a student reading more would be beneficial to them, however, I did not think reading independently would have such a positive impact on their literacy skills. I always had a negative outlook on independent reading for students in the younger grades because they don't have a wide vocabulary so I thought "How are they supposed to understand or learn what they're reading?". But after reading this chapter, I was proven wrong. Also, after being in literacy class this semester, I understand that children know much more than we think and pick up on cues very easily.

Readerly Exploration:

Readerly Habit: Explore relationships with other people through reading by using texts as a shared experience with another person/other people or to gain insight into the perspective of another person. Practice Readerly Habit: Create a character sketch of someone you know that represents the big ideas of the assigned course reading(s) in some way and share with that person.

For my readerly exploration I drew a picture of Professor Obed Mfum Mensah. After reading both chapters, I looked through the readerly habits and found what I thought would be the most fun for me and also be challenging for me. I've always loved art and thought it would be cool if I could somehow relate it to my course readings. The hardest part was thinking of someone that I could draw. I originally wanted to draw a kid I nannied over the summer who has autism and struggles with reading but is very good at writing. I had a couple of options but I wanted to choose someone that I have personally benefitted from in a literacy aspect. I chose to draw Professor Mfum Mensah because he is one of the few professors that I've read, wrote, spoke, and listened in almost every class I had with him. Because of that teaching style, I was able to learn a lot in his classes. I can relate this back to the readings because speaking, listening, reading, and writing certainly does help with literacy skills and helped me in my essays and presentations for Mfum Mensah's classes. In the drawing, on Professor Mfum Mensah's shirt, I wrote "This Is Balanced Literacy". I decided to incorporate that writing because he did in fact have a balanced literacy classroom.