#edrd345

The main thing I focused on on this page was the chart that says "How do readers keep a book talk going?" This was something Daniels talked about his article that I really struggled with when I was younger. While reading, I would think of great connections and questions to ask, but by the time we got in the circle, none of us knew what to say. I forgot everything I wanted to say. A chart like this can be helpful for all students, but ESPECIALLY for those shy little Taylers who freeze up easily. Daniels lines up 11 characteristics of primary grade literature circles, and I feel like this is a great resource to help facilitate almost all of his points.

There are times when it is appropriate for literature circles to have role sheets which give each student a job. It seems like it would be hard to decide what are good jobs and what are jobs that would not work for students. As discussed in this article it is important to evaluate what readers would be doing while reading and what is just unnecessary. Children do not enjoy being given jobs that they feel like are not important and are just artificial. If students are given jobs that seem not important to them then they are more likely than not to put as little amount as effort into it as possible. It is the teachers job to make sure that the roles are important and give the students the chance to practice real reading strategies. It is also important to make sure the roles match the individual needs of the students. If you are aware of your students needs you will know that some students need more hands on or more intensive roles while others do well in less hands on roles.

I think reading logs are a great way to get students to think critically about texts and be able to discuss their thoughts with others. Reading logs help children to have quality discussions in literature circle meetings. I have found that if I don't write down my thoughts or passages that stuck out to me I will forget it when it comes time to discuss with others. When I have my own classroom depending on the grade I have I will get them to do reading logs so that they will get into the habit of writing down their thoughts while reading. I feel like it is important to get students to start young with writing their responses to reading because as they get older the teachers will expect them to be able do this.

Not all children enjoy silent or group reading. It is important as a teacher to remember there are other things we can do to bring texts into the student's lives. Children need to be given opportunities to work with information about the books that they have read. I think a great way to do this is with author studies. This provides students with an opportunity to understand where the book came from and get more information about the books. I remember in elementary school I would become so excited when an author came to the school. It is a great expression to meet the person who wrote the book you are interested in. In my practicum class my teacher is planning on doing author studies with kindergarteners to give them an understanding of where books come from and why it is important to know this information. I plan on doing the same thing when I get a classroom of my own.

More often than not I feel like I observe teachers that view challenging a kid as pushing them to do something they are not ready for. When children are pushed to do something and they feel like they cannot do it frequently they will shut down and do nothing. It is important as teachers to make sure that students have work that is appropriate for their learning level. No one enjoys being pushed beyond what they feel like they can handle. When children and adults alike are given work that is too hard for them it causes them to have negative feelings towards the work which can have a negative impacts on their lives. There isn't anything I can do for the adults but for my students I can make sure that the lessons are appropriate so that learning does not turn into a negative experience.

I personally do not believe in the explicit phonics approach. We have discussed in class how when teachers get students to embrace this approach they turn away from the meaning in the words and focus strictly on how they are saying the words. I agree with the belief our class has which is that a fluent reader isn't always one who strictly sounds out words but one who knows the meaning of the story even if it is just from looking at the pictures. Often times the passion of reading gets lost when teachers force students into the explicit phonics approach because they become so focused on how each word is pronounced instead of the story they are reading. I plan on teaching my students to sound out words if they do not know them and I will tell them it is important to know the sounds that go with letter but I will also emphasize that the story is important too.

In my classroom management class we discussed consequences. I had not realized the difference between a consequence and a maintaining consequence. In this example it is a  consequence because the children actions (the form of their writing) is changing. The teacher is adjusting the lesson to by including mental images and as a result students are becoming more detailed in their writing. This is important because the students are learning an important part of writing and that is making sure their are detailed descriptions in their work. Teaching children this technique at a young age will allow them the opportunity to practice and become strong writers.

A conversation I have had in almost all of my classes is making learning meaningful. Children are not going to have a strong understanding of the materials if the lesson is not significant to them. I have found through personal experience that children enjoy using texts such as picture books to learn. After gaining this knowledge I know that I will have texts in my classroom that cater to their interests as well as relating to what we are learning. Another important aspect of learning is practicing. Children cannot become proficient without practicing what they are learning. I think children practicing creating mental images through artistic, dramatic, and written responses will help them have a meaningful learning experience. I enjoy reading Miller's chapters because I feel like they provide me with good strategies that I can use in my classroom.