Reading is Comprehensive

In Chapter 5 of Catching Readers Before they Fall, I found it interesting that Johnson and Keier pointed out that there were two types of read-alouds: traditional and interactive. I think it is important to keep kids engaged in reading and listening to books for the sole purpose of recreation and enjoyment because it makes reading seem less like a chore. Reading silly books, or having time where lessons are not the main focus is very important. I also found it interesting that she mentions a time when Katie, a fellow teacher, was reading aloud a traditional book and it turned into an interactive read aloud that utilized the "making connections" reading strategy all due to a kid making an intuitive observation about the similarity between two stories.

Another point in Chapter 5 that I found to be relevant was the discussion of scheduling groups to meet with the teacher. Having a chart, like the one page 81, allows teachers to be organized and flexible. It also found relevance in the point that struggling readers will need to be met with more often than those proficient readers. This does not mean that anyone will be ignored, and in fact there will be different groups meeting in regards to needs that are always changing. What one student is struggling with one week, might be different the next. This allows the teacher to observe and assess the child's reading level so independent reading time becomes beneficial for every individual.

Another concept I enjoyed reading about was the idea of community writing. Because these pieces are generated from authentic talk and shared thoughts. This makes the idea of writing a little less scary for the shy students because they have friends to back them up. In particular, I like the idea of shared writing. This lets the students orally express themselves while the teacher writes things out. (This would be good for younger grades.) Overall, it is extremely import for the students to be engaged in active literacy through out the day! Writing, reading, storytelling, workshops, centers, etc are all ways to incorporate new strategies for the students to learn and use on their own.

Chapter 6 dives deeper into the importance of utilizing read-aloud time for instruction. The strategy described on page 103 is something I would like to use in teaching. Letting the children talk before, during, and after reading is a great way to hold a meaningful conversation that will greater increase comprehension. Noting that for ELL this is a great time to practice working with the language, talking to a neighbor and working through their thoughts will make the language more contextual. One last thing I liked about this chapter was the discussion of assessing your own read aloud abilities. The model teacher, Katie, explains that she considered herself a good reader and a teacher who made read alouds fun and inviting for her students. But she also mentions that there was a time in her student teaching where that was not always the case. My issue is with slowing down, I need to take my time more when I am reading, this allows students to really absorb the lesson. Its a nice reminder that we can always improve as teachers!