Module 4: Reading Reflection

   In my classroom I have found that I am doing many of the comprehensive literacy program strategies. I implemented the Cafe and Daily 5 literacy approaches this past year in my classroom which involves many of these same aspects such as read alouds, guided reading, self monitoring while reading, independent reading, individual reading conferences, and journals. I did not do as much of the writing strategies as I would have liked to because our school is departmentalized and I was not the writing teacher for my team. I think reading aloud daily is one of the most important aspects of teaching literacy, as children are able to hear you read with expression and listening to more intense plots that they would not be able to read on their own independently and understand. I also think this allows children to see the importance of reading and they learn to read for pleasure and meaning after seeing and hearing an adult love to read and to read for fun! During independent reading time, I allow my students to choose their own books for this time, as long as the books are on their levels. I think this is very important so that children will be motivated to read. I would like to incorporate more writing so students cant write their own reading. I have always had my students read aloud in the classroom using for instance "popcorn" reading. But, after reading Weaver I see that this is not always the best approach  as some students are scared f being called on, most look ahead to see what is coming up, proficient readers are usually bored, etc. I also would like to move away from so much phonics instruction as research shows that it doesn't produce better scores on reading comprehension. Overall using Cafe and Daily 5 in my classroom has allowed my students to read more for enjoyment, while still learning how to monitor themselves for comprehension while they read, conferencing weekly with each student to see where they are and how they are progressing, etc.