Reflection

This has by far been my favorite class I've taken thus far. I LOVE the set up of the class, the choice of books, the activities, EVERYTHING. I don't think I've ever loved an evening class more! I've had evening classes before that just dragged on and on and I never felt that with this class. I've always felt that it moved fairly quickly for a 4:25-7:05 class. I wish I could take the class again because I L-O-V-E young adult literature and finding out ways to think about texts as a teacher. It was a totally different experience than any English/reading class I've been in and I loved it. I don't think I could say I loved this class enough. On top of everything, the textbook actually provided REAL, RELEVANT information that I will actually use in my career. I'm really excited now for the class next semester with Dr. Pytash because I really enjoyed her style of teaching. Happy Winter Break Everyone!

14: Finding the Right Book

I really loved the description for "the right book" because it talked about things I wouldn't have considered otherwise. Things such as white space and and illustrations are often overlooked, I feel, by many teachers. I also really liked "Suggestion 5: Create a Good Books Box." I feel that this is KEY! When students are looking for places to find books they might want to read and are sent to the library, that can be extremely overwhelming because they don't know where to start. This is one MAJOR reason I want to start a classroom library. It is CRUCIAL to have books to recommend to students because otherwise they might not know where to look and just give up. Knowing "good books" to suggest and having access to them is a key thing that teachers should do. Also, "good books" should NOT mean just the teachers favorites. Having access to all types of books is what needs to happen because not all students have the same taste as the teacher.

13: Creating the Confidence to Respond

This chapter contained a lot of valuable information to increase participation. I think the easiest thing to do is on page 265 where Beers talks about students knowing each others names. It makes each student feel valued in the classroom instead of just a person in a seat that no one acknowledges. On top of instilling value in the student, it also makes it easier for students to respect one another. Another point I thought was good was providing various ways for engagement. Just like the online literature circles discussion, providing different methods to participate can really benefit most students, especially if they are shy and do not like to speak out in class. I also LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the section of questions teachers can ask students. By asking the RIGHT questions, participation can be increased and more authentic learning can take place. I plan on using some of those questions in my own classroom and maybe even tape a copy to my podium (if I have one) or in the front of whatever book we're reading in case discussion seems to be lagging.

10: Fluency and Automaticity

I think my favorite part of Chapter 10 would be the "Suggestion #5: Prompt, Don't Correct" section. "Whether done out of kindness, offered out of frustration, or offered because we don't know any other strategies, telling the dependent reader the word encourages more dependence."
I find this statement made by Beers to be the strongest statement that sums up the chapter. Teachers NEED to know other strategies because teachers NEED to teach and not just chug on through the material. If teachers prompt and use other strategies to help the child learn, it will create a long lasting impression on the child instead of instant gratification by receiving the answer from the teacher.

Chapter 9: Vocabulary

Part of me really likes this chapter and part of me does not. I like this chapter because it gives more examples of how to teach vocabulary effectively. Yet, part of me keeps thinking about how Vocabulary is one of the most overdone standards. I remember in my Principles class that Vocab is one of the areas that is over done where as other areas are more likely to be neglected such as "Reading Applications: Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text Standard." I do understand that having a strong vocabulary base is crucial to increase understanding. I really like the strategies such as the Vocabulary Tree to help construct meaning around root words. I found that the strategies given in this section would have benefited me more than just a blank worksheet if I would have used them in high school. I think the reason why I didn't like this chapter quite as much as the others is because my high school teachers never used these strategies and I wish they would have. All they ever did was give us a worksheet of words to define for homework and memorize. Honestly, I feel like it did not help me. They were words kind of like the Vocabulary Casserole recipe. So I guess I'm a little resentful toward them, but this chapter also really helped me realize that I can save some kids in the future from being subjected to Vocab Casserole, which in the long run will make me a better teacher.

Chapter 8: Extending Meaning

I feel that this section is really important because it is after-reading strategies that will help cement the more abstract ideas in a student's mind. When you read a poem, you are only engaged for a few minutes during the reading, but you can be engaged for much longer AFTER the reading is over. My favorite part of this chapter was the scales section. I feel that these can be used multiple times, especially when reading a novel. I hope to use scales so that the students can track their changes in beliefs throughout the story. Maybe at the beginning, the student thinks that what one character did was wrong, then throughout the story the student realizes that maybe what they did was actually right or the only option so their beliefs can change. I also like that in the Likert Scale picture there is no "Neutral" option. I feel like it forces students to pick a side and then you can use these results to potentially debate the subject.

Later on in the chapter I really liked the "Most Important Word" exercise. I feel that if you can get students to identify themes or main ideas, it will be easier to work them down to finer details in the text. You need to start with big ideas then work down toward more specific ideas. By using the worksheet for the Most Important Word exercise, you can help them apply the big ideas to the smaller details, such as characters, settings, plot, and conflicts.

One quote that really stood out to me is in the reflections part of the chapter. Beers says, "I'm most frustrated when I visit classrooms in which the teacher obviously still views comprehension as a product and not a process." From a student's standpoint, I hated it when teachers just expected you to know what to do and how to do it. When you treat comprehension as a process, you would use different strategies and modeling to get the students to where they need to be, instead of just handing them a question sheet and turning it back in as just a homework assignment or just giving a quiz over the previous nights reading at the beginning of class. I feel all teachers should keep this quote in mind when teaching in order to become better educators.

Chapter 7: Constructing Meaning

I feel that this chapter had a lot of good strategies to use in the classroom. The "Say Something" strategy seemed like a nice strategy to use but I would have to see it actually work before I think I would use it. I could see it working with students who know how to make inferences and be engaged with the texts but I am not sure how it would work with students who cannot do these things. I could see student becoming easily distracted if they are not engaged in the text. I liked how Beers pointed out some ways of grading the strategy and using it as participation points, which may be an incentive for students to actually do the strategy. I really like that she was using "The Tell-Tale Heart" because it is by Poe, who is one of my favorite authors.

Another strategy I really liked is the Character Bulletin Boards. I am a firm believer in having visual aids in the classroom. I really hated it when the posters on the walls had NOTHING to do with what we were actually doing. They were just inspiring quotes about success or from famous people. They became more of a distraction than anything else. Instead of adding to my knowledge, they just gave me something irrelevant to look at. If you have the Character Boards on the walls in the classroom, I think that it would help those students who may get bored or become uninterested in the class to at least look at something that pertains to what they are learning.

Chapter 5: Learning to Make an Inference

I found this chapter to be pretty straightforward. It makes sense that in order for kids to be fully engaged in a text that they must be able to make inferences. It found the “Step Inside a Classroom” section gave a great image of what it looks like when kids can and cannot inference. The ones who could make inferences were able to carry on conversations about the text and read into the text. Yet, this image also shows a great divide between Honors English classes and regular English classes. The honors class was able to go more in depth and become involved with the text, thus getting more out of the class. The regular class with the students who have not passed the reading portion of the TAAS shows how they are not being engaged in their texts and not furthering their knowledge. I feel like it’s almost like the saying “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” These kids who struggle to make inferences need to be guided how to make them as well as be exposed to people who know how to make inferences. It can almost be an argument for why tracking hinders kids. Because the struggling students are not being exposed to the students who know how to make inferences, they cannot learn from their peers. In the opposite respect, the students in the honors class who can inference do not know how to defend their inferences against someone who cannot see their inferences.

Chapter 6 “Frontloading Meaning: Pre-Reading Strategies”

In Chapter 6 “Frontloading Meaning: Pre-Reading Strategies,” Beers gives us a couple of examples of ways teachers can get kids to think about the text before they actually read. Instead of just telling the students a little about what the book is about, there are activities that can be used to get their mental juices flowing a bit more. I remember one teacher from high school in specific, who shall remain nameless, who would pass out the books, give a brief synopsis of the book, and assign the reading for the next day. Teachers should try their hardest to get the kids somewhat interested and engaged before they even pass out the book, unlike my one teacher in high school.

My favorite strategy that Beers discussed was the Probable Statement worksheet. I think that this could really be helpful in helping students activate their imagination, which is crucial to have when reading any text. By giving students just key words from the book they can discuss in small groups what they think each of those terms has to do with the story. In addition, the three questions to discover can help the teacher figure out what the students are looking for from the text. The unknown words category is a great way to also introduce new vocabulary. The more developed vocabulary the students have, the better their chances are of becoming a successful reader.

Chapter 4: “Explicit Instruction in Comprehension”

In Chapter 4: “Explicit Instruction in Comprehension,” the part that really sticks out to me is the transcripts of Kate’s classroom discussions. I feel that in high school I came across many teachers that just wanted to talk about what something means instead of teaching you how to figure out what something means. For the independent readers who understand what is going on in the texts when they read them for homework, it’s fine. Yet, the dependent readers will just listen and soak the information in during the lecture instead of trying to comprehend the text on their own. It was nice to see how originally Kate thought one way and then after conferring with Beers, she changed her way of approaching the lessons. At the end of that section, it said that the students noticed when she was not thinking aloud.

I can see how using thinking aloud and other strategies in the classroom could really help students understand more about what is going on in class. Once they start to understand how to read and actually understand what they are reading by thinking about the text by making predictions, comparisons, or other methods, it could then transfer over into other subjects, thus improving their overall school experience. To build off the ideas put into place in Kate’s classroom, I think I would like to make sure my students have a general idea of what they will be reading for the year so they have the opportunity to purchase the books if they want. I know personally I like to write and underline in my novels so maybe I could help them learn to “think aloud” by writing in the margins of their own books.

Chapter 3: “Assessing Dependent Reader’s Needs”

In Chapter 3: “Assessing Dependent Reader’s Needs,” Beers writes a lot about what exactly what “This kid can’t read” means. She gives about a page and a half of bulleted points of characteristics that can describe kids that can’t read. Each individual case will not include all of the bulleted points but it is a comprehensive list of detailed descriptions. I personally loved the chart on page 28. It starts with “If a student…” and lists a bunch of the characteristics, it offers a “then this student needs help with…” paired with a list of possible areas to focus on in order to fix the characteristics in the first part. The “If – Then Chart” also lists the specific chapters where you can go to for reference.

I also really liked Beers’ use of personal experiences with the “Step Inside a Classroom” section. It is really nice to be able to put a picture with some of the different characteristics. For me, this is a great aid to use so that way if I ever come across a kid like Mike, Amy, or Sharamee, I have some sort of reference point to work from and base my instruction off of. It also helps to put real people behind the characteristics listed in the book.

Chapter 2: Creating Independent Readers

One thing that I really learned from Chapter 2 is that anyone can be a struggling reader. It will not always be the students in remedial or regular classes that will be the ones with issues with reading. I found it very interesting to hear about the author’s interaction with Leah and the brass ring. It helped reinforce that every interaction with children, whether it is in the classroom or not, may be an enlightening experience for a teacher. It helped Beers realize that kids who struggle with reading may not be vocal about their questions unlike Leah. As educators, we should be sure to ask questions to our students so that we can continue to pinpoint exactly where the struggle in reading may occur. We need to figure out if they have problems with cognition or if they just have a negative attitude toward reading. Beers talks about this in the section called “Moving Dependent Readers Toward Independent Reading.” Personally, I am an independent reader. Therefore, I have to make sure that I do not make assumptions with my students and assume they can read and figure things out on their own. The assessment we took in class would be a good way to help take a closer look at each individual student who I feel might have problems with reading.

Another really interesting point Beers made is when she talks about how even the AP English student can struggle on page 15. I was an honors student all through high school and even took my college writing one and two during my senior year of high school through PSEOP. Reading Beers’ description of gifted students potentially having difficulties reminded me of when I attempted to read Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It was one of my own personal times as a struggling reader. Therefore, even if I end up teaching an Honors course, I must keep my eyes open and aware of the fact that even honors students can struggle.

Pre-Review

Hello all. My name is Sarah "Sadie" Nedbalski and this is the first pre-entry in my review blog for Teaching Reading with Literature, Thursday from 4:25-7:05.