Module 1: Response to Opitz, p.14 - Activity 4

           I chose to read with a first grade student who is new to my school this year, because I don’t have the same information from her previous teacher like I do for my other students.  The book we were reading had a child’s name on every page.  Every time she got to a name she would stop and stare at it.  I pointed out to her that every sentence had someone’s name in it and while it was good to learn how to say a variety of names it really wasn’t important that we say every name perfect in order to understand the sentence.  While reading with me, I could tell she was just trying to identify each word correctly, which according to Table 1.1 on p. 14 is a behavior of a less proficient reader.     

 

            Even though the book was very simple she read very slowly and stopped to sound out most of the words.  I encouraged her to look at the pictures for clues, because every sentence had something to do with the child in the picture.  I also noticed that she wasn’t confident in her reading ability because when I asked her if she wanted to take the book home to continue practicing it she said no.  I then asked her why not, and she replied, “Because I don’t know the words in that book.”  I explained to her that the only way to learn new words was to practice them, and I assured her the words would get easier the more she read them.

            During my summer endorsement class, the text pointed out the importance of read-alouds.  I truly think listening to a fluent reader while tracking the words would be beneficial for this student.  That way she sees the words and hears the words, which I believe will better prepare her to read the words independently.  This student is not a proficient reader, and will require a lot of modeling and guided reading instruction to increase her reading strategies and skills.      

Analysis of a Video: Assessing Reading Skills

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDZlUXUwRYk&feature=related>
Information about this video from YouTube:

Uploaded by wetalearningmedia on May 19, 2008

“Watch & Learn: Assessing Reading Skills”

This video discussed the importance of ongoing assessments.  Through these assessments teachers are able to identify problems and work with the student to correct the issues and become better more fluent readers.  The main goal of reading is comprehension.  This video along with my previous EDRD class have stressed that goal.  Without decoding skills and fluency, comprehension becomes very difficult.  The video talked about readers who exhaust themselves on decoding gain very little meaning from the text.  As a first grade teacher it is my goal to build decoding and fluency skills early, so children can begin focusing on meaning as soon as possible.  It was also interesting that the video pointed out that a high IQ score doesn’t guarantee reading success.    

I am always looking for new ways to reach my students and improve my instruction.  I enjoy using a variety of strategies and tools with my students, and I am looking forward to learning even more throughout this semester.     

Module 1: PowerPoint Response

“Assessing & Correcting Reading & Writing Difficulties”

            As a teacher, it is my main goal to help my students be successful.  The PowerPoint slides titled “Nothing Succeeds like Success” really stood out to me.  Acknowledging success and praising students helps to build their confidence and motivate them to do their best.  Another good way to encourage and motivate students is by building on what they already know and relating lessons to their lives making learning more meaningful.  Making learning fun and interesting all the time can be a challenge, but I think students appreciate and admire a teacher who tries to make learning fun.  Another part that stood out to me was “Never do for a student what they can do for themselves.”  Sometimes it can be hard to allow that “struggle time” for students to think for themselves and problem solve, but those are important skills they need to acquire.  With my first graders, I often find students glancing at assignments/papers and immediately turning to me for answers without even attempting to use any strategies to figure things out on their own or read the material on their own.  I think it is very important to guide students and model while teaching but also create independent learners as well.  While teaching reading to my first grade students I feel it is important to provide instruction with decoding words, strengthen phonics skills, build fluency, and create conversation to reinforce comprehension.