Byrnes - Routman (2003), Ch. 3: Share Your Reading Life

Routman (2003), Ch. 3:  Share Your Reading Life

Teaching is different year to year due to many variables, which include student interest, personalities, home life and many more things. This year, I have a much different class than I did last year, due to so many varying levels of experience in my classroom. Having these students in my classroom challenges me to be a better teacher. Part of that requires that I remain positive and encouraging with my students. Let’s be honest, some students make this part of our job challenging. On page 25, the author states, “Our students admire us and seek to emulate us.” This statement really jumped out at me, even though I see it in my classroom every day. I have MANY anxious readers this year, which is so different from last year. I have found that my students truly enjoy Eric Carle books. So I have tried to rotate those books so that they are not bored with just one Eric Carle book. They truly enjoy Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and even have it memorized. I have used this love of Eric Carle my students have used it to my advantage. My students seem to have longer attention spans when one of his books are involved and I like to use my students’ interests to help them retain any information when possible. My students feed off of my love for reading and they get truly excited about reading. I used their love for Eric Carle and branched away from his books to help expose their love for reading. I have learned that if I do not seem enthusiastic about learning and reading, neither will my students. 

Byrnes - Johnson, P. (2006). Laying the foundations. In P. Johnson, One child at a time: Making the most of your time with struggling readers (pp. 13-25). Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

APA Citation:  Johnson, P. (2006).  Laying the foundations.  In P. Johnson, One child at a time:  Making the most of your time with struggling readers (pp. 13-25).  Portland, ME:  Stenhouse.

I was very skeptical when i first read the title of the article. I thought, "one child at a time?!" I'm very glad i read the article anyway. Reading this article made me realize that I truly am helping my students learn to read to the best of their ability! As a 4K teacher, these students do not have the strategies to "figure it out" by themselves. Also, telling my students to "sound it out" just does not work if they are unable to even recognize the letters. The fact that I am using books that the students have made and teaching them to use the pictures to help them figure out what the book is about is exactly what the passage was talking about. We cannot just assume that our students have the strategies they need to figure out words or that they even know where to begin to try to understand what they are reading. This passage reinforced what I have been trying to teach my students. while the passage was talking about older students, it is certainly applicable to my 4K class...especially due to the fact that i have some students that are ready for leveled readers now. If I can help my students with some strategies on figuring out how to read with strategies, I will be setting them up for success as readers...one child at a time.

Mills, H., & Clyde, J. A. (1991). Children’s success as readers and writers: It’s the teacher’s beliefs that make the difference.

Byrnes - APA citation:  Mills, H., & Clyde, J. A. (1991).  Children’s success as readers and writers:  It’s the teacher’s beliefs that make the difference.  Young Children, 46 (2), 54-59.

After reading this selection I firmly believe that we need to teach writing and reading in a way that is meaningful to students. By teaching them in a meaningful way, we will see them rise and meet the potential we know they are capable of reaching. It is important for students to feel that they are being challenged but that they also have control over their learning. If students are in the kind of environment where they are exposed to different kinds of print and different styles of writing, they will have more learning to fall back on and recall when they are attempting to write on their own. As teachers it is important for us to create this type of environment to help nurture what they are learning, and what they could possibly tell us about what they need to help them grow as a learner. I believe Matt had behavior problems in the first class he was in due to the fact that his learning style was much different from the teacher’s. The teachers at the Child Development Center created an environment that nurtured the learning style Matt needed to be successful as a learner. 

Blog Post #3 Foley-Miller Section 1: Not This: Is There Enough Time? And Is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading?

Although Miller’s text is not geared towards 4K, I found the information in section one applicable to my classroom.  Like the teachers Miller wrote about, I too struggle with making all the things I need to teach as well as “do” fit into my daily schedule. Between breakfast, hand washing, late arrivals, and the length of time I am supposed to engage the students in interest areas, I struggle with making sure that my students’ time with me is meaningful. 

At the beginning of the year, my time is consumed with building routines and engaging my students in procedural lessons, like teaching my students to engage in centers and using material appropriately. It is my hope, that by "training" my students, they will build the  classroom strategies necessary to move forward towards learning concepts, like letter identification, sound/symbol correspondence, etc.  

Blog Post # 2 Foley- Routman Chapter 12: You Only Have So Much Time

After reading chapter 12 of Routman, I wondered how purposeful my Creative Curriculum is for my students. When considering my students development at a 4K level, I wonder how the curriculum I have been given best meets their needs.  I feel this way because, Routman strongly believes that student work should be connected to their lives, should be valuable to them, and should provide opportunities to expand their skills, knowledge and thinking. Based on Routman, I wonder if all the activities and assessments I am asked to do with my students are in their best interest as learners.

Blog Post #1 Foley-Routman Chapter 4: Teach with a Sense of Urgency

I agree with Regie Routman that I should be teaching with a sense of urgency and, thus, making every moment count for my students. To do this at a 4K level I would first have to consider each students zone of proximal development. Then I would need to use Routman’s Optimal Learning Model to engage my students in learning across all subjects.  This would involve explicitly demonstrating for my students what I want them to learn. Next, the students and I would engage in a share demonstration of what I taught them after I would provide many guided opportunities for the students to practice. Finally, if learning has occurred students should independently be able to practice what I have taught them.

Blog #3 Cleland Routman Ch. 3 ‘Share Your Reading Life’

So, I will be totally honest….the first chapter of this book kind of frustrated me.  Yes, she wanted to bring the joy back into teaching but she was preaching to the choir, so to speak.  Chapter 3 however, I totally loved!  I love to read…all kinds of books.  My mom taught Kindergarten and Second Grade for almost 30 years.  She has a love for children’s books like no other.  I have tons of access to books as a child and loved them.  She has a personal library, just like Routman, in her home.  When she retired she brought all her books home and they are arranged by category and author in her den.  

When we are there with my kids and something comes up, she says “I have a book for that!” and she does!  The Relatives Came, The Doorbell Rang (she makes my kids chocolate chip cookies and says ‘No one makes cookies like Grandma’) and on and on ….

I guess I inherited that love and when I get to share special books that are my favorites I get excited!  I instilled it in my own children at an early age and now as 7^th and 3^rd graders they are avid readers.  

When I introduce a favorite book to my students I love to talk about when I read it as a child, the memories, the experiences and what were my favorite parts of the book and why.  I tell them all about the books I have at home.  Which ones are my favorites and how I got them.  When we had library time last year the kids would be so proud if they found a book in the library that I had shared with them in the classroom.  I LOVED that!  

When my students parents ask me how they can help with at home with their education I tell them to read with their child.  It is valuable one on one time but it is the single greatest way to help them grow.  More than flashcards and learning games on electronics, reading together can help a student have a great foundation in their educational career.  I loved some of her practical suggestions for getting students excited about reading.   Some are not appropriate for my students but there are few that I hope to use.