I also saw them develop literary understandings that led to important gains in reading and literary behaviors that en- hanced success with school literacies
This has helped the students in many ways both in school and life. The students gained the literary skills and social skills along with it.
They decided on a letter writing campaign to the highest level of the gov- ernment, the president
I think this is a great activity. In schools they have you write letters to these people but they don't actually send them and both the teacher and the students know it. I think if it is an issue that really matters to student the teacher should help them write letters and send them.
Responses that exemplified situations that were beyond the realm of a reader as an individual or as part of a grassroots community included civic (municipal, governmental) referents. After relating the issues of drugs, homelessness, and guns to their own experiences and knowledge base, they decided to circulate petitions and write letters to congression- al representatives, newspapers, and television stations.
getting the boys active trying to do something about social issues that are relevant to them is so important. The boys will learn that they can have their voice heard and be active members of their community.
For example, "they" should use more mon- ey to keep the streets safer. When asked who con- stitutes "they," the boys were sometimes able to name them as their neighbors, their police, their government, their parents, or any other group(s) that needed to take action. At other times, the "they" were unidentifiable.
this is an interesting point. The students thought somethings they wanted to see changed were even beyond the capabilities to those they look up to. I think teachers can use this to help develop students self-esteem and make they believe that one day they can be the they that can't be identified. Allow the students to see they can do anything they put their mind to.
Thus, these boys participated in the act of critical literacy-reading the word in order to read the world (Freire, 1970/1993). The connections the boys made to contemporary realistic fiction about social issues and the ways they transgressed bound- aries (hooks, 1994) of childhood as they initiated or enacted social action became synonymous with empowerment and liberation in their own lives
This is great and allow students at a young age to start thinking about issues that are relevant to them is important. I also like this because it shows the students that they are not stuck in this cycle. it allows the students that they have opportunities to change their environments.
As we read and discussed the texts, it became evident that some of the boys simultaneously raised their awareness of societal issues and responded with personal, communal, and civic sensitivity, moving them to initiate and enact social action as extensions of the text
This article is geared to teaching young african-american males but these skills are some which all students can benefit from. Having discussions can open all students to having more civic sensitivity and learn about social action.
groups of readers who work together to understand what they are reading while exploring their own responses will have a richer experience than when reading alone
I agree with this when you are able to talk about what you read with others you have a more well rounded view. Everyone will interpret the text differently and share your view and listening to others will help you understand it more fully.
he made the connec- tion to a life experience, he responded with a broad- er view of the text, statin
connection to their own life helps students understand the text and can even help them understand a difficult concept to graspe about life.
s they responded to the texts, the boys began to discover and supplement the fic- tional information with factual information. They began to scrutinize and interrupt the information through cause and effect, hypothesizing ideas and predictions, inferring or deciphering character traits or identifying the author's purpose, as well as bringing personal insight and their own experience to their literary interpretations.
All the skills the students learned and demonstrated through their responses were important. I believe the fact they began connecting to their own life is the most important. When students are able to connect to their lives to the text they are reading it show a level of understanding and the message will stay with them longer of they can relate.
Books such as these can provide a literary framework for the develop- ment of a sense of personal and civic competency, and the ability to make improvements in our own lives and the lives of other
This book are very important to include in lessons. They are a good example of how books can influence our own lives. Students will remember this books and what to learn more about civic competency.
contempo- rary realistic literature is defined as picture books that are fictionalized narratives based on socially significant even
I was not completely sure what realistic fiction included. this was a helpful definition.
Literature has the potential to make a differ- ence in the lives of African American males; that is, reading, writing, and discussing literature can help them to make sense of and negotiate their life experience
literacy skills make a difference in anyones life. People can learn so much from different works of literature.
As an elementary school teacher, I always found a small group of students in my classes who were not the least interested in the suggested chil- dren's literature listed in the core curriculum.
I feel in most instructional lessons some kids will not be actively engaged without some extra effort. As teachers we need to find ways to spark students interest in a topic. I believe if material is present in the right way any students will be involved in the lesson.
When I introduced a more contemporary version of the tale, he added to his response a discussion of the things that Little Red could have done to protect herself, what her grand-
This is an interesting take on how to teach fairy tales. I like the idea of having students look at what went wrong or the problem and think of ways they could haven been prevented.
when writing the fictionalized bio graphies and diaries is often provided. Children could check the sources to determine if the author has included real letters, dialogue, or opinion
the diaries and bibliographies can help students learn the skill of determining reliable narration
his feeling is not usually found in the third person narratives employed in nonfiction biographie
first person narration can be more personal and students will feel more involved with the text.
hile children can check reference books for dates, places, and names, they should be on the outlook for other factors when reading fictional biographies and diaries of real people.
I think this is very important especially now with the internet so readily available. Quick facts like dates, places and names can be looked up in a second. The diaries or biographies can provide more information.
nts for its accuracy and authenticity. Chil dren can distinguish fact from opin ion, determine whether an author has any bias, and draw inferences about historical climates, settings, or events
Teaching students the idea of reliable narrators can be very important. It will help the student later on to be able to determine fact from fiction.
Fiction that is based on fact has the style children know well from their early readin
Fiction that is based on fact can be very useful for young readers. It takes complicated material and makes it more relateable for students.
For instance, in social stud ies, students may be able to pick out facts (names, places, events), but they often overlook the deeper aspects of such information
I agree with this. Students often skim textbooks to find answers to the question. While this is a skill in itself it does not help student retain information with out the context.
Many fantasy and science fi ction books make their way to the top of award lists
With the popularity of the books it would be a good idea to try and weave these books into school curriculum. The books have proven to be liked by students and allowing them to read what interest them is very important.
always allow alternatives for students who are not comfortable with the text choices
I agree with this because if the student is not comfortable with the topic, they will not be invested in reading it. The book will leave a negative experience for them and possible hurt their relationship with reading in general. As teachers we want to enhance students reading relationship, not harm it.
Great science fi ction or fantasy, however, calls the reader to think critically for him or herself about the issue at hand.
This is an interesting idea and I think reading is a personal thing. everyone perceives things slightly differently and group discussion can help students see others view and allow for some self-reflection.
antasy and science fi ction are amoral or are intended to teach children evil or anti-religious concepts. In short, these genres have gotten a bad rap
this is an interesting point. I would not have thought this would be an issue. After considering it I realize that can happen. As a teacher I would offer an alternative option if the parents were not comfortable with their child studying the book. This makes me realize with the different view on all topics as a teacher you have to be in constant communication with Parents about curriculum and what you are teaching.
In fantasy texts, the most outrageous details can carry the strongest doses of reality.
helping students make the connections between fantasy and culture issues or historical events can allow them to better retain the information in the long run.
adolescents who might be otherwise reluctant to discuss historical and contemporary discrimination fi nd themselves able to more comfortably look at this issue and draw parallels between the text and their own world when readin
This makes a lot of sense and I feel like it would be a good opportunity for teachers to collaborate with each other especially if they teach different subjects. For example the English teacher can use fantasy books to relate to historical events that the History teacher is covering.
tudents can discuss more readily through literature that seems to distance the matter
Literature is a powerful tool that allows people to learn about things they don't understand in their own life. Fantasy books will allow the students to distance themselves from the similar situation and still be able to relate it to their own life to learn from it.
Whatever our fi rst encounters with fantasy and its sister genre, science fi ction, many of us seem to lose sight of its power along the way in school, fi rst as readers, and, later, as teachers
The examples of fantasy books use in this article are ones most people are exposed to in school. I remember my 2nd grade teacher reading Charlotte's Web aloud. I do not remember her telling us it was a fantasy book. I feel as though fantasy and science fiction have bad connotations, but people are not aware of all it encompasses.
he fact that our educational system does not place a heavy emphasis on mythology and folktales does not address the reality that they nevertheless play a large part in our culture
Once teachers start students off in making the first few connection between mythology and their culture students will catch on and begin to make their own connects. Students need to see the behavior modeled so they can assimilate the behavior. Once the seed is planted in the students head they can take it and run with it. Students need to see their teacher invested in what they are teaching so they can become invested to.
A second day of discussion could utilize cine- matic examples of the trickster. These range from the silent-film work of Charlie Chaplin through the Marx Brothers and The Music Man (1962) into the present where the archetype shows up in such works as Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Animal House (1978), Beetlejuice (1988
connecting anything students are learning to pop culture movies can be beneficial to students because it will be something they remember every time they see that movie in the future.
Following a review at the end of the unit, I give an open-note test. Success on the test is directly related to students' ability to take accurate notes.
the student assessment being based off note is a good idea. There is a lot of information in Myths with some difficult name. allowing students to focus on the context and not the small details can benefit the students to learn instead of memorize.
I then ascertain what infor- mation the students gleaned from the telling, lead- ing into a discussion on notetaking
The teacher modeling what is expected of the students is a good idea. This will lower students anxiety because they will know what the teacher is expected of them by seeing an example. It will also show student that you as a teacher are invested in what you are teaching and it is not something students are expected to do that the teacher is not.
The sheet also lists the categories and stories from which the students may select
the students having choice in what story they present will allow them to pick one that interest them. That can be a great factor because if a student is interested in what they are studying they will be more invested in the outcome.
My ninth-grade unit on mythology requires stu- dents to learn and tell stories to the class.
I think the retelling of the myths is very important. Students being able to teach others something is means they have a good understanding of the information and will be able to retain the information longer.
This would consist of two phases: (1) an introductory unit on the ninth- or tenth-grade level illustrating promi- nent archetypes or themes through stories drawn from around the world; and (2) reacquaintance with these archetypes/themes on later levels by showing their appearance in varied works of liter- ature.
I liked the idea of the method of teaching myths be written into the curriculum in a two-phase process. I learned some mythology in 9th grade and forgot it after that. At the time I did not realize how valuable learning the culture of the myths would be. the two part phases will allow the students to return to what they learned and better understand it.
more aware of cultures that have often been better educated about us than we have about them. Knowledge of other people's cultural bases increases both respect for others and an apprecia- tion of our own place in the world
I agree completely with this. The American culture is very ethnocentric and we tend to neglect learning about other cultures. Mythology would be a good start to breaking into learning of other cultures. I believe we as teachers should learn about different cultures so we can accept all students and help them feel comfortable in our classrooms.
That such an approach to myths and folktales is rarely taken stems from the lack of background most teachers have in these areas.
I agree that teachers often lack a backgrounds in myths. I myself am not too fluent in mythology. In my schooling career were studied mythology briefly in 9th grade. I better understanding of mythology can be helpful for other areas in education.
Reading contributes to lifelong learning. However, the small number of adults who continue to read indicates that we need to further encourage our students to become lifelong reade
Most of the articles we have read discuss the importance of encouraging reading to develop lifelong readers. I agree with all of them but find this article unique in saying that picture books themselves should be read through out ones life not just in childhood. I think this is a good message to get across because people may stop reading because they feel as if they should be reading "more adult" books when any book can be beneficial.
has written and illustrated several picture books that are espe cially effective in teaching this sub ject.
I did not think that there would be many books in general to help teach math. I was surprised to see there were some and would like to look into more.
. Picture books also effectively reinforce basic science concep
I think science picture books can be very helpful. The concepts can be illustrated and broken down to help students better understand a topic. Pairing the information with a picture will allow for a visual connection.
Visual literacy, the ability to interpret visual images accurately, is an impor tant subject area
I like this. In one of my other classes we talked about even give students the pictures of a book without the words and having the students write their own words. This helps student to put themselves in another person shoes and understand social situations.
Picture books can also be used effectively to study art history. Stu dents can identify the borrowings from famous painters found in chil dren's book illustration
This reminds me of the poetry article where it talked about students writing a poem with the same style of a famous poem. students can do the same thing with the use of picture books using the same style to create a picture of their own. Also if they want to take it a step farther they can write with a similar style as well.
Share a variety of books using the same medium so that the students can see the versatility possible with a single technique.
I like the idea of using different books that use the same medium but in different ways. This shows students many possibilities of what they can create and show them that there is not just one way. it will help students with their creativity and encourage them to try something different.
Art is another subject area easily taught with picture books.
This is a helpful way to connect different subjects. Students can use terms they learn in art to describe the pictures or they can create their own picture to the words.
A variety of more difficult literary elements can also be discussed through picture books
I never considered picture books being used to teach elements to older students but after this article I believe it s a good way for students to see the elements in use. Teaching with picture books would help both visual and auditory learners.
one popular children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, is written at about a sixth grade reading leve
I was surprised to read the Where the Wild Things are is written for a 6th grade reading level. The book is often found in Elementary schools and read by younger kids. I do agree with Sharp that picture books are beneficial to everyone not just kids. I feel that every book can be read at different times in ones life and a new meaning can be found.
his anthology is a popular source of reading material for the stu dents. Since the teacher selects poems based on the needs and interests of students, the classroom anthology is different each year
I think making a classroom anthology is a nice idea. with each student having a copy they can look back on it later that can expand their love of poetry. I also like it because a teacher can find poems that interest their students in any given year. each class will have a customized version.
ey are free to share things that they have discovered and en joyed in their reading with each other
The students sharing what interest them can help spread an appreciation for reading to pair and encourage them to read it as well. Also allowing students to choose a poem allows them to pick one they connect with. finding one they enjoy instead of being told to read a certain one will allow them to find the joy.
or example, when Jimmy wrote: "My toth fl ot lat nit" (My tooth fell out last night), the teacher wrote back: "Did you put your tooth under your pillow last night?"
I think this is great because it was not correcting the student and making them feel bad for misspellings. instead the teacher modeled proper spelling in her response to to the student.
etry is often neglected in classroom literacy experiences (Denman, 1988). We have discovered, however, that it is a genre that is not only accessible to primary children, but can be the genre that excites children and motivates them to read and write.
I agree with this because poetry is often neglected in schools because it has the connotation of being difficult to understand. I think people often get intimidated by poetry but if they remain open minded they will see it is not too bad. children have great imagination and if they are exposed to it young they will feel more incline to like it,
who not only can read but who also choose to read for pleasure and self satisfactio
I think this is very important to remember when teaching reading. We don't just want our student to know how to read we want them to understand what they read and enjoy reading.
whole, teacher judgment must be exercised. The instructional progression detailed in this article should not be used for all phonic elements, with all children, or with all literature selections. Therefore, use the ap proach selectively, and only for high utility phonic elements or skills (e.g., see research on the frequency/utility of phonic generaliza tions by Bailey, 1967; Burmeister, 1968; Cly mer, 1963; and Emans, 1967). Also, use the approach discriminatingly, that is, only with children who need such instructio
I think this paragraph is very important. Not only just for using Whole-Part-Whole but for any method we learn. As teachers we are going to need to know our student and find what will work best for them. This is why differentiated instruction is important and doesn't always need to only apply to students with support plans. Splitting the class into groups to work on different elements can be very helpful.
nother alternative is partner reading (Whisler, 1976): Working as a team, two students read aloud, alternating pages, and provide support for one anothe
I like the idea of partner reader if the students feel comfortable with their partner. Choral reading can be good occasionally I just feel the less confident readers may be able to hide with this. They may not really be reading and more just worrying that they are behind. With a partner each student is comfortable with Partner reading may be more beneficial.
could use children's literature to teach short a to a group of children who have a demonstrated need for this ski
The example provided of how a teacher would use the Whole-Part-Whole was very helpful. I like how the teacher referred back to how the students heard the short a- sound earlier. So they can see it in use before they try it themselves.
aking this concept a step further, I pro pose a whole-part-whole sequence, integrat ing phonics instruction with quality children's literature as follows
I like how the author explained the whole-part-whole method. I also liked the method of reading as a whole then learning new phonic elements then utilizing the new skills as a whole again. with this students are learning pieces at a time and seeing them in practice.
esearch has shown that children absorb the language they hear and read, and, in time, use that language as part of their own
I think that it is very important to read to children from a young age because aside from just bonding experience children absorb a lot. the children see and hear how the words sound and pick up on it when they begin to read. At first the child may just memorize the books but later on they learn the words and decoding skills.
"Research evidence over the past 70 years indicates over whelmingly that direct instruction in phonics is needed and contributes to better develop ment of decoding, word recognition, and com prehension
The skills that teaching phonics develops is very important for new readers. Learning how to decode and sound out will help students with their comprehension.
This article presents a means to teach phonics in conjunction with children's liter
I like that the article focuses on teaching phonics in conjucture with children literature. I think both are important for students to be exposed too so they can see the phonic skills used in practice.
would have put all the words with r-controlled vowels in bold or another color. I would also like an embed so I could share finished stories on my blog or your classroom website.
I really like the idea of sharing a lesson like the example on a classroom website. if it is online students and parents can access it from home. with the parents able to see it at home they can see what their child is learning and promote the same thing at home or better be able to help their child.
You may however want to connect the writing to learning objective taught during a mini-lesson.
I think this would be a helpful way to continue a lesson. Students can build their skills while taking what they know from the lesson and demonstrating their knowledge. Their project can be used as an assessment tool instead of a test or quiz.
ll of the required tools are there but young users would never be overloaded.
I agree that the site gives a nice amount of tools with out being overwhelming. I think this is a good tool to use with students while they are building their skills. Also I think it would be a good way for students to stay engaged in class because children are very tech savvy.
hare your students'poems. Be sure to find opportunities to share your students' poems. Create displays or anthologies for students,
Sharing or displaying students work can be a very powerful tool. if a student feels appreciated they will want to try their best.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, take a method you've learned somewhere else and try it as you read a poem to your students.
I think this is an important thing to remember for anything you are teaching. Not everything you teach has to be done new. you do not always have to reinvent the wheel sometimes you can use what is already out there.
sk questions of the poe
Asking questions of any text is a very important skill to develop. Writers carefully consider the words they use so ask why they chose to do it like that.
have found through trial and error that even a first grader can write poetry in the style of a favorite author, and that modern, unrhymed poetry gener ally works best.
I find this very interesting because I would suspect that rhymed poetry would be the first place to start. after considering this I realized it makes sense. children have great imagination and can listen to a style of a poet and recreate it using their imagination. With age people tend to lose imagination. Making the rhymed poetry much more suit for them.
matter what our personal feelings about po etry are, as teachers we must endeavor to teach po etry to our students.
this reminds me a lot of what my Math 106 teacher said. She once told me that no mater how a teacher personally feels about math they should find a way to love it when teaching. Often when students see their teacher not like math that feeling will translate to them. Poetry can be the same way. If you see someone else enjoy it you will give it a better chance to enjoy it as well.
The growth the child had throughout the year in writing was fantastic. I do not remember writing that much in first grade. I also like that the teacher keeps the record of the comments made to see if the skill is being developed each month.
eads, the group gives positive com ments, asks questions, and makes sug gestions for improving the journal entry. A
These skills are very impressive for first grade. Their process for sharing and discussing the work is exactly what I do in my creative writing class now. Developing these skills young is very impressive.
he beginning of the year, the time for writing may be about 15 minutes. Later, as the children develop their writ ing fluency, the time may extend to 45 minutes.
I am surprised by the length of time students can write to by the end of the year. I feel 45 minutes can be long for me but if the students are enjoying writing that is great.
e effective way to provide meaningful rehearsal before writing is to have a 10-minute illustra tion time before the real writing period begins. I
I like that the students can draw before they write. Students will get inspiration from their artwork and be able to describe the details in their writing,
urther, children learn a great deal from one another. I
I think that students working together and helping one another is important. If the students can teach what they know to someone else it shows they have mastered the skill. it can also be good for the student being help to see the information in a new way.
The teacher sharing their work is great because that can inspire the students to continue to write even after the assignment. The students sharing their work if they receive positive comments like this outlines will feel good about their work and want to continue.
I think that the teacher modeling and circulating throughout the class is important. Often during independent work teachers will take the time and sit at desk and wait for students to ask questions. but circulating can help students feel more comfortable asking question and allow the teacher to see area's that need clarification.
RGs are made up of students who come together by choice, not assignment, to read and respond to a chosen piece of literature and develop re lated projects
I think that LRGs are underrated in schools an can be very useful. This is like a student book club. In the real world students are going to discuss what they are reading and this is good practice to do so.
eachers need to read for their own purposes and participate in reading with the children.
I think a teacher reading as well would be very helpful for students because if students see an example of someone who reads they will be inspired to do the same. I don't like when people/teachers say "do as i say not as I do" because teachers should be examples of what to do.
his im plies that students be given opportunities to make choices about how they will spend their reading time.
I like the idea that students should have ownership of their time. I believe n student based learning where students pick what is important to them and teachers guide to make sure required elements are covered. When a student is invested and has choice they are more willing and eager to learn.
In an effort to ensure this, many teachers have become trapped into using worksheets as a means of managing reading classrooms (
I can see why teachers would use worksheets to monitor students reading. The article makes some good points in saying that worksheets maybe come too much of a focus and consume too much of the students time. I personally feel that students use the worksheets and just skim text to fill out them so they are just hunting for answers and not engaging in the readings. I don't know a great solution for this but maybe having more free open ended responses to readings.
) a lack of time spent reading, and 2) the use of worksheets to manage the classroom.
I agree that schools need to look at the time they have students spend reading especially in school. I went to an elementary school who provided time for students to read silently every day. While that is great I think teachers have to help students find books that interest them and that are at their level. A lot of that time may not be being used properly if the students aren't engaged in their text.
The students and I spent countless hours creating lists of recommended texts.
Collaborating with students to build a library can be very helpful because they will suggest text that interest them and that will get used.
Culturally relevant books help children discover a passion for reading
As a teacher you want your students to enjoy reading and having books of different cultures will help promote that. I think that they should be provided for students and outlined more in the common core standards.
If we want all children to become proficient readers, we must stock classrooms with mirror books for all children. This change in our classroom libraries will also allow children of the dominant culture to see literature about others who look different and live differently.
A wide varieties of text in a classroom or school library is very important to promote diversity in the room. The variety will expose all children to different cultures as well as allow them to celebrate their own and share it with their classmates.
When the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were introduced in 2009—2010 , the literacy needs of half the children in the United States were neglected. Of 171 texts recommended for elementary children in Appendix B of the CCSS, there are only 18 by authors of color, and few books reflect the lives of children of color and the poor.
This statistic is very sad because we ask students read what is important and matters to them but we do not provide them with books to do so.
Even at age 9 or 10, children can articulate, very clearly, the ways in which gender constrains and defines their experiences; even at age 9 or 10, children are aware that their genitals organize their lives.
I was surprised to see that the ages were 9 and 10. I felt it would be younger then that. My cousins who are 5 are already telling me the difference between the boys and girls in class in how they play.
The effectiveness of these tools in mediating children’s awareness and reproduction of gender norms is apparent in the speed and ease with which even toddlers begin to police the gendered behavior of their peers and themselves
It is amazing how young people learn gender stereo types. I never realized how all the gender specific items can be harmful to someone who feels they do not fit in those categories.
Elementary-aged children are quite capable of interrogating societal norms
I feel people under estimate children's capabilities. Students can be very accepting people who become tainted by societies and their family views. if teachers promote acceptance of all at a young agar it will become ingrained in the students views.
achieving increased support for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA), but it is equally about dismantling misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia so that all people, regardless of their sexual or gender identity, can be free
I think it is necessary to teach all students acceptance both the queer students and the other students. I feel if it was talked about in school more the prejudice against the queer community would lessen.
The first emergency that drives this dissertation is the need to create livable educational spaces for queer bodies.
All students should have a "livable educational space". I think it is extremely important for queer students because so often these students feel out of place and have trouble feeling accepted.
In addition, the students themselves should provide input about the value of these texts. Their voices are noticeably absent in conversations about their literacy-related successes and failures in middle and high school classrooms
I completely agree. student input is under valued sometime when students will be very honest with what works and doesn't work for them.
The literacy development of African American males, both self-generated and school-rendered, connected to larger ideals, such as cultural uplift, economic advancement, resistance to oppression, and intellectual development.
This makes perfect sense to me that students would like that. Reading about topics that are familiar to them can give students hope tools to succeed.
Modifying curriculum on the basis of such texts and creating a responsive environment can foster meaningful discussions among students against an education backdrop of standards and accountability
I agree that this will be helpful for students. I feel all curriculum so be relatable to students so that they and enjoy it.
I think a more meaningful curriculum can be used for to help students with their worries while developing the needed academic skills. If the text the use in school is relevant and relatable the students can look to them to understand and a tool to problem solve.
Students in such neighborhoods are often too consumed with concerns about mortality and safety to think seriously about either schooling or their uncertain futures.
During my observation hours in EDU 200 my mentor teacher told me she has to take care of basic and social/emotional needs of her students before she can begin meeting academic needs. I think this can be a big problem especial in area's with lower socioeconomic status. Students can be expected to focus when have have bigger concerns going on at home.
These students are often subject to disproportionate and sometimes unfounded grade retentions and suspensions because teachers and administrators misinterpret these behaviors and find them offensive.
I have talked in other classes that sometimes teachers fine it easier just to punish students and ask them to leave the class. With all the time spent in the office students who act out lose in class time and fall behind. I think it is sad because falling behind can cause the student to act out more and it becomes a cycle. I feel that there has to be a different way to not allow bad behavior but to do so in away where the student can remain in the classroom.
As literacy educators we should shift the focus from trying to find the right method forteaching children how to read, to determining whether the reading practices and experiencesconstructed in classrooms are addressing the broad repertoire of practices required in today’s society
I agree that there is a wide range of skills needed to be considered literate in today's society. It seams like a lot to include when teaching but it is possible.
The issues raised during discussions ofcarefully selected pieces of children’s literature within the context of contemporary society can invitechildren to make connections to their lives and communities.
I also like this approach because literature can help student understand and relate to complex topics.
Various frameworks havebeen created by reading educators to support these interactions around texts, including book clubs(Raphael & McMahon, 1994), literature study groups (Peterson & Eeds, 1990), focus units (Moss, 1984),literary investigations and invested discussions (Serafini, 2001b), and lively discussions (Gambrell &Almasi, 1996). During these activities, the teacher supports the ongoing dialogue, entering intoconversations with students and helping them reach more complex understandings about the text, theirworld, and their identity. The teacher becomes a member of the discussion group, supporting theconversation, not simply asking comprehension questions and evaluating responses
I like this approach because it is based of student centric learning. The teacher is there to support the students but the students get to discover what they want.
The Accelerated Reader and other programs and practices that align with a modernist perspectiveimpose a “premature closing” on children’s exploration of their responses to literature
I was surprised to see Accelerated Reader is a part of the modernist perspective because I've seen it used a lot. for example my mom's school uses it but they pair it with a lot of projects and discussion to allow students to see different ways to see the text. I think this is helpful because it allows students read at their level but expire it more then just using the Accelerated Reader.
Children’s literature may beconsidered an “add-on” to the primary reading instructional program, a frill available only to thosechildren who are able to get all their other reading “work” done
I feel that it is extremely sad that reading children's literature is considered an add-on for students who get their work done. I was not a child who would get there work done early so if my teacher growing up felt that way I would not like to read like i do now. Growing up we had a lot of time detecting to reading a book of choice and I think that was a key to improving reading skills.
Out of all the perspectives covered I believe in the Transactional perspective most. I agree that people perceive and learn text differently based off their pass experiences. I believe teachers can use this to help their student relate to what they read.
Second, with today’s conservative political educational agenda, teachers are often forced to adoptreading programs that tell them how to teach, regardless of their beliefs and understandings.
Telling teachers how to teacher something is counter productive. Everyone learns differently and teachers know their students best. Not all student may do well learning to read in one way. if teachers were allowed to make their own style of teaching they can accommodate fore all their students needs.
For instance, a university course in children’s literature, let alone a course inliterary theory, is not a requirement for elementary teaching certification in most U.S. states (Hoewisch,2000, online document). Limited experience with literary theory and children’s literature is problematicfor two reasons:
I was surprised to see that a children's literature class is not required in most states to become a certified teacher. I assumed that for elementary or early childhood teachers a course on the books they will be teaching would be needed.
Responding to political pressures, elementary teachersfrequently are forced to adopt instructional practices and commercialprograms that focus on decoding and comprehension strategiesdesigned to raise standardized test scores (Putney, Green, Dixon, &Kelly, 1999, online document). In fact, many commercial publishershave advertised their reading programs based solely on their purportedability to increase test scores.
I feel that this is very sad that teachers are feeling pressured to teach to a test instead of teaching just to learn. If teachers were to see that students can learn and still do well on the test without the formulaic method then I think both the students and the teachers would be happier.
I was surprised to see that students are taught mythology are are expected to relate what they know to different text they read. I do not remember learning anything about mythology until high school so teaching it young will help with other elements in school and literature.
It's really great that students are exposed to different elements of writing and that song is included when teaching literature.
The first grade standards are similar to the kindergarten standards but they are to do a lot of it without prompting.
I am surprised students are to recognize different types of text. I would have thought they were to just focus on developing reading skills and later introduce topic such as these.
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Quoting accurately is a very important skill to have and I think it is great that it is being taught so young. If students are aware of this early on it will be come second nature and they will know how to do it later on,
Overall, after reading the different standards I believe the skills required have increased greatly since I was a student myself. I think the skills are very important to have and that they are being introduced early will be helpful later on. Students will master the skills and use them properly when necessary later on.