Creating A Home Reading Program

I chose to listen to the podcast on the R4 reading engagemnent method on promoting students reading at home. In this podcast it discussed how to motivate students and parents to implement reading habits at home and how to keep students engaged in reading and to ensure progress and understanding. This podcast discuessed a method created by teachers known as R4: Read Relax Reflect Respond. Following these four R's will help students and teachers keep track of the reading being done by each individual student. I think this podcast had very beneficial information and tips for teachers and parents to use with their children. Reading is a major part of a students education and having the proper support at home is a major factor in a students progress so implementing the R4 program and assigning reading assignments to be done at home are very important and will be very beneficial. By having the students read on their own and then respond to what they are reading I think is a great idea. To have the students respond in their journals as the podcast discusses by either writing a substantial response to what they read or choosing to draw a picture of their favorite character or doing research on the author is a great way to motivate the students and to help the teachers determine the extent of the understanding the student may or may not have. Ensuring that parents are on the same page with the teachers in these methods is also very important I think. With the help of willing parents and the motivation from teachers students will be inspired to read more and this will in turn create good reading habits and better learners. I think this podcast is very important because often it is an issue with students that either they do not have the support at home or they simply are just not motivated to do the reading at home on their own so by implementing an at home reading program I think it is a great way to help eliminate either of these problems and to create positive reading habits

Question:

According to the article on the NAEP exam it states that teachers do not often make sure their students fully understand the text that they are reading, why do you think this is?

The Assessment of Thoughtful Literacy in NAEP: Why The States Aren't Measuring Up

This article talks about the two different exams that are given to study a students reading level, the ones given by the state exam and the NAEP test. This article states that the state tests do not measure up to the NAEP. Across the nation there are so many learners who do not read on their grade level, and in many cases this has not been identified or is identified too late. The article states that nation-wide we are having a problem with teachers not ensuring that thier students fully understand the text they are reading but simply that they are able to read the words. The reason why it is argured that state tests are not as good as the NAEP is becuase that they do not set the bar as high. State tests are not challenging for the students minds. So while the grades of all students across the board for the state test may be good the actual testing itself is not beneficial to the students. By simply just being able to read text and not having the ability to comprehend it is not the quality of good readers and is not what we are striving for for our students. As a teacher it is your responsibility to ensure that all of your students are comprehending and not simply doing just enough to get by. By taking the NAEP test it challenges the students more and will give you a better idea of where their literacy skills are at to make sure that they are the most succesful that they can be.

Response to Intervention (RTI): What Teachers of Reading Need to Know

This article was about RTI, Response to Intervention and its importance in the classroom with struggling readers and learners. The article discusses the significant effects RTI has on students as learners. All too often learning disabilities were being addressed and noticed later on in a students learning experience so the RTI program was implemented as a means to aknowledge and eliminte this problem. RTI's main purpose is for educators to be able to identify students with learning disabilities earlier and to respond to this disability by providing the specific help the students needs. Not only does this article talk about what RTI is it also goes in to detail about the impact it has on students and educators and the process that is taken by educators and how to evaluate the students. RTI has reshaped the education system and has allowed for teachers to offer better and more efficient help to students more effictively and earlier. RTI has allowed students that struggle to have more opportunities to stay on grade level, rather then to fall behind. I believe that RTI has changed the education system for the better. Although it holds the teacher more accountable for each of their students as indivindual learners and may create more work for teachers, it is a very positive system to have been implemented and through the extra time and energy put in by the teachers many students are benefiting from the RTI system.

Reader Assessments

The video I just watched was about reading assessments and being aware of your students reading habits in the classroom. It helped show things that teachers need to be aware of when assessing their students reading abilities and how to test them properly. This video is a useful tool for preservice teachers to utilize in preparing themselves for what to expect when in the classroom with their own students. As teachers it is our obligation and make a point of finding out what grade level each of our students read on as individuals. As teachers we must also make sure to assess the students vocabulary, fluency, context understanding, and the many other aspects that go in to reading. Students need to be absorbing most information possible from the lesson plans and our daily activities and by being aware of our students reading abilities this will help to ensure that this takes place.

Through watching this video it made me realize taht so much goes into assesing a students reading abilities. There are a lot of different steps to take and a lot to be taken into consideration while you are evlauting these skills.

While doing my observations I was able to see the teacher do an assessment on a student who reads below grade level. Watching her assess the student as he struggled gave me good insight into how to stay positive and how to reinforce good habits and good reader skills. The main thing that I noticed the teacher doing was that she was very supportive and encouraging of the reader. This particular student requires extra help with the resource room and one on one reading with the teachers to improve their skills and to try and get them reading on grade level.

Week 2 ELL Survey

Through working, observations, and going to school I have had much experience with different and diverse cultures and linguistic backgrounds. I have work with ELLs and also observed ELL students in the classrooms I have been involved in. I have noticed through my experience that many ELL students have a harder time staying motivated. Since things do not come as easy to them they have a harder time and become discouraged more often. Especially when it comes to reading and writing, these students have low levels of confidence and become embarassed in some cases when doing group work or reading out loud. Teachers have made it their priority in classrooms to give these students the extra help that they need to get these students caught up and on track with the rest of the classroom to keep them motivated and help their performance. Ell students encounter learning difficulties when it comes to reading and writing, which carries over in to almost any subject in school. I have seen teachers incorporate extra reading groups for ELL students, and also set aside extra time to work with their ELL students as much as possible. In one classroom I observed the teacher would provide the students with copies of the directions in their own language along side their language. A strategy I would make a priority in my classroom would be to make sure the students remain confident and motivated in their skills. As ELL students they tend to become unmotivated and embarassed and can fall through the cracks and fall so far behind that they may never catch up and be on level. It is important as a teacher to always promote positivity and offer as much extra help and assitance to the students as possible.