Regie Routman

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Module 3: Activity 3

  This past year my school system implemented a new spelling/phonics program where 
phonics skills and nonsense words are heavily enforced. I teach 5th grade and my students 
should have all the phonics skills they need to become proficient readers by the time they get to 5th grade. I struggled this past year teaching phonics rules, as I am not familiar with them and have a hard time figuring out the rules and how they apply to the words. We have been testing on nonsense words and I do not see any significance in this strategy at all. My kids can not pronounce the words have of the time and neither can I. I always teach my students to look up the definitions of unknown words so they know how to write and read it in context. This is impossible to do with nonsense words. I do think children should have knowledge of how to sound out unfamiliar words, but not to the extent of heavily phonics instruction and nonsense words. Proficient readers do not read letter by letter when reading words so I think relying on phonics skills to build a proficient reader would not be successful. Students need much more than phonics and fluency skills to be able to read for meaning and become proficient readers. I think in today's classrooms students want to see who can read the fastest because they are used to doing running records and being timed on their reading for fluency. This is the wrong approach at building proficient readers, children need to be able to read for meaning.

Module 3: Mock Memo from a Reading Specialist

Dear Teacher,     
  A student that is reading above grade level fluently, but not comprehending the text does not have the skills and strategies necessary to gain meaning from the text. I would first emphasize the importance of comprehension over fluency and rapidness,  reiterating the ability to read for meaning in life in almost all aspects is necessary. There are many strategies I would implement in the classroom to help build reading comprehension. I think first and foremost it is extremely important for children to be read aloud to daily. This not only will help increase their fluency, but also their reading comprehension. Predicting a text before reading using visual cues and skimming short phrases can help build a comprehension. Predicting helps with becoming familiar with a text before diving in to see if the child has any background knowledge of the text. Even if there aren't any pictures or visuals in text, skimming sentences and titles and heading can help the prediction process. Reading in chunks or small sections and then checking for comprehension just as Café and Daily 5 suggest can improve comprehension as well. Reading a page or two in a chapter book and stopping and verbally asking yourself what was just read would make the student think before continuing on. “Thinking out loud” is what I like to call my students stopping and self-monitoring themselves for understanding of the text being read. Students also need to be able read text below and on their grade level and comprehend those texts before reading beyond their level and not comprehending any of the text. Students being able to make personal and real world connections to text helps with comprehending. If students read above grade level material in which they have no prior knowledge of the context, then comprehending the text is going to unlikely. Emerging readers needs to build connections to gain meaning from text or at least have some knowledge of what they are reading. Identifying story elements while reading the text will also force students to stop and think about what they are reading. They need to identify things such as characters, settings, problems, beginning, middle, ending, etc. I would suggest student creating a story map of their text as they read. After reading, I would suggest students summarizes out loud to me or a peer what they just read. I have found this easier for kids to do in the beginning stages of comprehension over writing down a summary.
Mrs. Herndon

Module 3: Reading Reflection

Do you agree with Marilyn Adams (1990, p. 108) who argued that rather than relying on context, Skillful readers of English thoroughly process the individual letters of words in their texts? Why or why not?

From personal experience as a reader, from teaching reading, and after reading Weaver's text I do not agree with Adams. I think that poor readers try to process individual letters of words because they do not have enough skills and strategies to read using visual cues and context to gain meaning. It is said that they eye and the brain work together to perceive data. The eyes receive the data and our brain creates perceptions from the text we read. Skilled readers perceive only some  of the text and still gain meaning instead of each word and sound being identified. Proficient readers can read text with missing letters, and still gain meaning. The exercise on  pg. 91 where a story was given where the vowels were missing is a perfect example of being able to gain meaning from a text without processing individual letter sounds. The beginnings and ending of words are most important, and consonants play a more important role than vowels in word identification. A word can be identified by a proficient readers with missing parts. A story can be comprehending with missing letters in words as well. Poor readers would not be able to identify such type word with missing parts as well because they do not have the skills to pa attention to beginnings and ending of words. Fluent readers do not process words letter by letter  but rather by visual cues. Words can be recognized further away with small letters, where as small individual letters are harder to identify. Every individual letters in the English language also makes different sounds and blends which makes it difficult to say that skillful readers process individual letters sounds every time they read. Research has also suggested the children do not remember all phonics rules, but yet they become proficient readers and gain meaning from text.  I personally am not familiar with teaching phonics. I do not even recall being taught phonics in elementary school. I think that that proficient readers to do read rapidly, but not exact. There are many factors that impact a persons ability to read besides word identification. I believe readers read words to gain an overall understanding and meaning, but I think an overall meaning can only be gained according to individual schemas, learning abilities, experiences, knowledge, etc.

Module 2: Activity 1 & 2

Activity 1 & 2: Module 2

As stated in the text (Weaver, p.56) I used visual cues to try to determine the definitions for these nonsense words. I have no clue what they really mean. This was difficult to do as I had no context to help me gain meaning. I can see how giving students vocabulary words without context is not the best approach to learning new word meanings. Words in isolation are definitely harder to define. Even though I am sure I do not pronounce any of these words correctly, I could have still gotten more meaning seeing them in context.

Creech- reminds me of screech, so some sort of cry or scream

Droogs- dragging something

Glazzies- looking or gazing

Goloss- to lose something

Malenky- a blanket or cover of some sort

Messel- a disease

Millicents- some type of currency

Poogly- ugly or unattractive

Razrez- a razor or sharp object

Skorry- a story or tale

Spatted- to spit

Zoobies- a limb on the body

After reading the first section of A Clockwork Orange I was able to get meaning to a few of the words with the help of the context. The first sentence clearly shows that droogs mean friends, school mates, family members, or people because it lists people’s names. Messel is used in a sentence tht shows it means an idea or a thought. The book uses the word as someone thinking of something and realizing everything was in the past.  Goloss is used talking about a singer and the goloss moves from one place in the bar to another, so this leads me to believe it is the singers voice. “He looked a malenky bit poogly when he viddied the four of us like that, coming up so quiet and polite and smiling, but he said :”Yes? What is it?” This quote shows that malenky  means a little bit and poogly must mean scared or frightened from what I get from the context. I was completely off on the definition of razrez after reading this section. I gain that razrez means to take apart or tear something because it said the book was hard to razrez because it was made when things were made to last.

This was a very difficult text to read to me. I struggled through the entire thing. I found myself skipping words and sentences I didn’t understand and just kept on reading. My definitions of these words may still not be exact but I used all the context clues in the chapter to help me determine meaning.

When I encounter unknown words while I am reading, I often do attempt to figure out the meaning. I do not spend too long trying to figure this out however because I assume I will probably see the word again in the text and may be able to determine meaning depending on the context again. When I finish reading something if I feel like I must know the meaning of that word in order to get full understanding of the text as a whole, I will look up the word. As you can see from my previous attempt of defining the vocabulary words at the beginning of the words, I usually find myself defining a word based on other words that look similar to that word. I do take word parts into consideration when determining meaning as well like I did in the word razrez. I thought this looked similar to razor which is how I came up with my guess of the definition, however this did not work for finding meaning for this particular word.

Helping students with unfamiliar words is a challenge. I do not think there is any right or wrong way to teach this. Contrary to that statement I do not think when a student is learning to read that they should stop reading when they come to an unfamiliar word to look up the meaning from a reliable source. I think they should attempt to read a large portion of the text skipping words they don’t understand first before going back and figuring out the definitions. Sometimes they will find the more they read the text and see the words used again, they will be able to come up with the meaning. I also tell struggling students sometimes when they come to an unfamiliar word to try to replace it with another word that they think may mean the same or similar thing as the unfamiliar word. I have found this to be helpful sometimes, where as some cases the students do not even know where to begin with this process. A child’s age and reading level are huge factors when tackling this process. I do not think a very beginning reader should be exposed to text with as many unfamiliar words as a more proficient reader should.

Module 2: Instructional Challenge

Take a look at the following examples of children's dialect-based miscues while reading and the difference between the child's original response (OR) and expected response (ER). Then answer the questions that follow.

OR: It my little monkey here.	ER: Is my little monkey here?
OR: We got to tell.	ER: We've got to tell.
OR: Frog look at Toad calendar.	ER: Frog looked at Toad's calendar.
OR: A word what sounded good.	ER: A word that sounded good.
OR: hisself	ER: himself
OR: I can come to your party?	ER: Can I come to your party?

Are these children's miscues evidence of proficient or non-proficient reading? Explain. If you were teaching children who made these miscues, what, if any, assistance or teaching would you offer?

I do not feel like these children's miscues are evidence of either a proficient or non-proficient reader. I think these miscues show an emerging reader. Language and dialect have a huge influence on the way a person reads, writes, and interprets text. I think this is especially evident when considering how my English language has so many "slang" terms and to a person who isn't proficient in English may struggle with these types of terms and sayings. I do not however, think that a persons dialect and language can hinder them from gaining meaning from text. I see the ability to code switch and translate are an advantage. Language patterns vary and a persons ability to convey their meaning through writing and reading varies as well. Again, I do not see how there is any "exact" method for reading, writing, speaking, etc. If I were teaching these children who made these miscues I would give assistance based on the grade level and level reader I am working with. A struggling reader I feel like needs to build confidence and while making these miscues, I do not feel like I would bring that to their attention. I do not feel like it would benefit them in any way. I think that as a reader progresses and becomes a more proficient reader is when correction becomes more pertinent.  When children speak and write it is often a reflection of their thoughts and understandings.  So I think that taking all factors that may have an impact of their learning into consideration is important when giving feedback. I know that grammar is important but I feel like it develops with age, and I do not expect any of my students to write, speak, or read without errors.

Module 2: Reading Reflection

After reading Chapters 3 and 4, return to the quote from Harper and Kilarr on p. 41. Respond to this quote on your blog, saying whether you agree or disagree and explain why or why not using ample evidence from the text to support your assertions.

"The major folklore of reading instruction relates to the "theory" that reading is considered an exact process.  In other words, the reader is expected to read everything exactly as printed on the page in order to understand the message of the author.  In general the consuming public, legislatures, courts, and too many educators hold this to theory.  it is like the theory of the world being flat during the time of Columbus" -- Robert Harper and Gary Kilarr

 I do not agree with this quote even the slightest.  I do not think there is one reader in the world who reads everything exactly as printed in the correct order and comprehends exactly what the author tried to convey.  I personally do not ever read anything EXACTLY as printed, and I usually have no problem comprehending the text I read. I have never met an educator who convinced me that they believe this to be true as well. I would be interested to do some research to see who perceives reading like this and what evidence they have to back up this theory. Reading chapters 3 and 4 clearly confirmed my interpretation of reading, which in return does not support this theory at all. I believe reading is on going process that gets better the more you do it. Although I have been reading for many years, I have never thought that I had to read exact. I was always taught different techniques and strategies that help me read quicker, while still comprehending the text. For instance, skimming a passage is something readers do. By skimming a text, I do not feel that is a "wrong" way to read. Comprehension and understanding can still be accomplished through this process, as well as many others.

 (Weaver, 2002, p. 44) states that whether or not words are pronounced correctly, the reader can still get essential meaning from the text. This supports my opinion exactly. Not one reader can pronounce every word exactly as stated. I still have difficult pronouncing certain words, but this does not impact whether or not I gain meaning from the text. We as readers have the ability to use everything we know to understanding unfamiliar words in context which enables us to learn new vocabulary (Weaver, 2002, p. 45). This to me shows how reading expands our vocabulary which is a natural process that helps us become better readers. The theory that readers should read exactly as printed to me means that everyone should know the meaning and how to pronounce every single word in their language before attempting to read a text and gain meaning. This is ridiculous to me. Readers use context within sentences to help get them through text, which makes perfect sense of how we learn as we go.  A reader could not be able to pronounce a number of words in a text, but would still gain meaning by the help of graphs, pictures, context clues, sentence construction, etc. If we were to teach reading as an exact process, then not all people would succeed at reading considering our different cultures, schemas, abilities, etc.

In chapter 4 when reading about miscues so many points were made about readers that I have not even actually thought about before. The fact that I often substitute words, omit words, and even insert words in text when reading shows that I read to gain meaning instead of being worried about reading words exactly as printed. According to the exact process of reading theory this would be an error in reading. I disagree completely.  The goal of teaching reading should not be to accurately pronounce every word, but it should be the effective and efficient use of reading strategies in order to gain meaning (Weaver, 2002, p.71). I do not word identification and pronunciation takes precedence over reading for meaning. A person could have the ability to accurately read every word and have no clue as to what they have read. This happens everyday. Some people refer to this as "daydreaming" which happens even when people read. They have read the text accurately and fluently, but have no comprehension of the text at all.

Module 1: Activity 2

Complete Exercise #5 on p. 39 by reading the passage and answering questions a-g that follow it.

A.      What is corandic?

          A corandic is an emrient grof with many fribs.

B.       What does corandic grank from?

          From corite, an olg with cargs like lange.

C.       How do garkers excarp the tarances from the corite?

           By glarcking the corite and starping it in tranker-clarped storbs,

D.       What does the slorp finally frast?

           The slorp is garped through several other corusces, finally frasting a pragety, blickant crankle,                                 coranda.

E.        What is coranda?

            A cargurt, grinkling corandic and borigen.

F.         How is the corandic nacerated from the borigen?

           By means of loracity.

G.        What do the garkers finally thrap?

            A glick, bracht, glupous grapant, corandic, which granks in many starps,

First off I want to say that this was one of the most challenging exercises I have ever done revolving around reading and literacy. I read this passage over and over and tried to make meaning of what it was saying, but I never could. In order to answer the questions, I simply had to go find each word in the passage from the question and copy what followed in order to answer the question. I can see how children on standardized tests and workbooks are lost when reading a text that means nothing to them. I clearly had no background knowledge of anything from this passage, therefore I could not even begin to make sense of what the passage was conveying. Children are given passages all the time where they have no background knowledge of anything in the passage and also can't pronounce half of the words as well. I could not pronounce any of the words hardly in this passage which made it very difficult to read. I see how giving children texts that do not match their schemas can help benefit them, but only have mastering passages that they can read and understand. After reading this I can see how children would give up reading and begin guessing at answers on a test or worksheet. There is no benefit in reading a random passage and recalling information by going back and looking in the text for the answers. This must be very frustrating for children especially when they are beginning and emerging readers.

 

Module 1: Activity 1

Module 1: Instructional Challenge

Hocked gems financing him, our hero defied the scornful laughter. Think of it as an egg, not a table, he said. Then three sturdy sisters sought proof, forging over vast calmness, and sometimes over turbulent peaks and valleys, until at last welcome winged creatures appeared, signifying monumental success.

1. What are the hocked gems?

I think of the hocked gems as being something precious to someone that has value. I feel as though this is something a person is having to either give up or something that someone wants and has to go to extreme measure to get.

2. What should we think of as an egg and not a table?

I feel like this is saying that things in life are sometimes of great value and sometimes these things are of little value. I feel like the "egg" are things that we may want but do not necessarily  need. A table I feel is in reference to things that are more meaningful in life and have more value.

3. Who are the three sturdy sisters?

The three sturdy sisters to me signify a support group of some sort reassuring us of things that matter in times of trouble and things to not worry about as well. I feel like the three sisters are also there to help us stay calm through the storms in life.

4. What kind of winged creatures appeared?

I view the winged creature as some sort of bird or flying thing that comes in times of need to bring us peace. I thought of a dove to be specific coming to remind us that there is always hope no matter what.

I believe that children should be exposed to literature that they do not always understand and relate with. I feel like this helps children be able to expand their knowledge of greater things by coming out of their comfort zone. I do not think children should spend more time in texts that do not match their interests than they do reading text that do interest them. I think if children spend more time in text that do interest them, then that will create confidence in them  to where they are able to read more out of their comfort zone text.

Module 1: Reading Reflection

  After reading the first 2 chapters concerning 2 different approaches to reading, I am confident that the comprehensive approach is the most beneficial to students. I believe that this approach helps readers at a young age develop into proficient, accurate, fluent readers in life. However, I can see how the skills approach does benefit students in certain areas. I believe that a phonics base does benefit students and helps them become better readers. I think the ability to decode words and sounds will in the long run help a person become a better reader. I was enlightened when I read that a teachers belief of the purpose of reading has a major influence on how developing readers evolve.

   A skills based approach to reading simply requires a developing reader to decode words using phonics skills. I can see how using to help develop language skills that will in the long run help develop a better reader. I can see how giving children books that consists of the basic words and use repetition abundantly can help a child get into the routine of reading basic sentences. After reading the different dialogues of students being asked how they read texts, I can however see how some sounds out words and others skip them. I believe that having a strong phonemic background can be an advantage for children as they build their knowledge of reading. On the other hand, I still feel as though the comprehensive approach to reading has a stronger advantage to building a proficient reader. 

   The comprehensive approach is geared more towards reading for meaning and using all of your knowledge to accomplish reading. I strongly agree that reading something of interest and something that you can relate to helps. I enjoyed reading how writing can be related to a better reader in this approach. Reading a variety of texts through this approach such as poems, magazines, songs, recipes, etc., can help a reader see that reading does not only take place in a school setting from a textbook with informational text. 

  Overall I am astonished at the different approaches to teaching reading. I never understood how a teachers belief and approach to reading is many times the major influence of how students view reading. I as an educator want to make sure that I approach my class in a way that views reading as not only a major building block for life, but also as an enjoyable escape into a way of expressing oneself.

  

Personal model of the theory of reading

  Reading has always been a struggle for me. As a young learner, I hated reading over any other subject in school. I had to work extra hard when it came to reading and comprehending what I had read. I would always find myself reading a book and then getting to the end and not having a clue what I had read. I feel as though this was mainly because as a student I was never given the option to choose what I read.

  As I entered high school and college my view of reading became different from the past. My high school literature teacher gave the students options for novels that we read. I remember the first book that I ever read that grabbed my attention was "To Kill a Mockingbird." From this point forward I found that reading was something I could actually enjoy and wouldn't mind doing in my personal time. I wish my teacher in high school knew what she taught me not only about reading, but the personal connections you can make with a writing.

  As I made my way through college and began taking reading courses, I realized so many different things. Although I knew that I always wanted to be teacher, I worried about teaching reading to elementary age children since it was such a struggle for me. Reading could actually be made "fun" instead of boring. I believe that making a comfortable environment is key to being successful when reading. For a non-reader, I believe that having a safe environment where the student doesn't feel ashamed to make mistakes is important. I also realize that reading doesn't just take place out of a text book. 

  When I became a teacher I am sure you can guess what my number one goal was for teaching reading effectively in my classroom, MAKING READING FUN! I have a classroom with many below grade level readers each year. Many of them come to me feeling as though they hate reading, which I can totally relate. From the beginning of school, all of my students get "book boxes" which is where they keep all of their books. I encourage each of them to choose 2 books that interest them and are on their level, as well as 1 book that is a bit of a challenge. I have implemented CAFE and Daily 5 this past year in my classroom. Doing this helped my students with reading and literacy in many ways. My students have a choice every day as to what they are going to read and each of them has a set day a week to meet with me and conference about what they are reading. I can't tell you how excited they are to see me on their special day. They get so excited about the individual time with me, that they forget they are talking about reading comprehension, fluency, accuracy, and expanding their vocabulary.

  Overall, I have a deep compassion for teaching students reading in my classroom. I believe reading should be something everyone feels confident doing whether it be to themselves, out loud, giving a presentation, etc.  I have seen from my personal experience in the classroom as a teacher how students gain confidence and learn to love reading. I do group reading as a whole class or small group so that some of the lower level readers can hear other proficient readers. I believe reading aloud to my students daily also helped them hear how a fluent reader sounds with expression and emotion. I have grown to love teaching reading so much that I believe I could do it all day long, everyday, and never get worn out!