Week 4 - Constructing Meaning

When we talked about constructing meaning last week it really hit home for me. I was definitely a sound-it-out type of reader. As long as I could sound out the word and get through it I though I was reading - until I came to college. Yes, it took me this long to realize that all I was doing was going through the motions of what I thought was reading even though I was not taking anything away from

books. Just looking at the words and saying them to myself as I read was what I did. I did not come away with any type of meaning whatsoever. Constructing meaning is more than just reading words and turning each page. I finally realized that I needed to pay attention to what I was reading. I know this blog is more of a personal reflection and not about the readings but I really felt that I needed to share this, and open up about the struggle I had reading. Since I have become more attentive while I read I have learned  to enjoy books now. So I ask myself this - what is a better way to teach our students to think about what they are reading? How should we as educators imply that our students do not need to read books just to take AR tests? We want them to think of reading as a skill they can both use and enjoy.

Week 3 - The Jones Family

After reading about the Jones family, I started thinking about how culture and the region you grew up
in have an affect on your own literacy. I grew up in Bristol, TN, which is a relatively small town, with good public schools. Both of my parents worked so my older sister was usually the one who helped me with my homework. While I consider myself well educated, a lot of people in my high school did not go on to higher education. My older sister is doing an internship in rural Wisconsin this fall, and she said that the schools there do not start back until after their crops were harvested because the families need their children to help out on their farms during this time. Kind of like an all hands on deck type of thing. I never thought about cultural and regional differences affect schooling like this until after Erin had told me this, but it makes so much sense. With these types of families you also have to think, will their children want to move on to higher education? Or will they continue farming with their families? Just something that was on my mind while I was reading about the Jones Family.    

Week 2 - Classrooms That Work Chapters 1 and 2

While reading, I thought it was very interesting that in chapter one the classrooms with the most success were the ones who had the opportunity to talk about and reflect on what they read and wrote. Reflections, like the blog we are doing for this class, are so vital to beginner readers. I know when I am reading and I know I have to discuss I am much more observant and pre-thinking about what I am going to write or talk about while I am reading. This helps me understand different views of the same passage that I read that I probably did not think about while I read. The book also said higher levels of engagement lead to higher levels of reading and writing, which obviously means something. Teachers should give their students the opportunity to talk about what they are going to write about and reflect on something they have read either through small book clubs or just randomized groups each time after reading.