Comprehensive Literary Framework and Assessments

          "If the teachers are going to support their hardest-to-teach readers as they learn to build a reading process system, then the classroom environment must allow time for teachers to do just that." It is important for teachers to set up their classroom in a way that allows for their students to learn as much as possible. To do this they have to construct a literary framework that allows them to do a variety of activities with their students so that they can build their own reading process system. These activities include, read aloud, sharing reading, conferring with readers and assessing them.
           Reading aloud with your students is beneficial to all students, but especially to those who are struggling. Reading aloud to the students gives the teacher a chance to model their own reading process system and the strategies that they use to build that system. By modeling this the teacher is showing the students how they should build their system. It is helpful for children to watch how something is supposed to be done before they attempt it themselves.
           Shared reading is an interactive way to read with the students. "The teacher does the reading and encourages the children to join in on a refrain or some other known part of the text." Doing this type of activity will build the students confidence with reading. It is good for students to read familiar texts because it can support them as they transfer to reading other texts that they aren't familiar with.
            Conferring with readers is another large aspect of the literacy framework. Conferring with students give the teacher an opportunity to see where they students are at with their reading process system. It allows them to see each individuals system and what strategies they are using. Conferring can be paired with other assessments to track the students progress with their systems.
            Each of these aspects are equally important and depend on the others. It is important for teachers to focus on each of them. If one piece is left out the literacy framework becomes incomplete and the students aren't benefitting as much as they could be from the classroom environment. This is why it is so important to set up the framework so it gives you the opportunity to focus and teach each aspect.

Reading Strategies: Beyond"Sound it Out"

       "Word-solving strategies are some of the earliest strategies that students take control of as they begin to build a reading process system." This is why it is so important to teach them good reading strategies as soon as possible. It is important so that don't fall behind. It is important to teach a large amount of different strategies that have varying techniques as to reach as many students as possible. 

       The old idea was that the only strategy readers could use was sounding out the word when they were stuck. That isn't the case any more. The main strategies used today are a combination of meaning, structure, visual sources of information. Beginning readers struggle with using all three strategies so it is important for teachers to help those struggling and get them back on track. It is important for teachers to show them how to use a combination of the three, give them times were it is easy and appropriate for them to use all three, and most importantly to "reinforce their efforts".

   It is important for teachers to model these sources of information during the school day so students become comfortable with using them themselves. It is important for teachers to model what they want their students to do so the students know how to do it correctly. This goes with anything they want their students to do in the classroom. 

      Teaching students to use different sources of information when struggling with reading is a good way for them to become independent readers. If they have multiple ways of figuring out a solution when they are struggling they are more likely to have success when reading independently.  

How Reading Works

                "The children who are not learning to read are often confused, frustrated, and slowly giving up hope on themselves as readers." This is why it is important as teachers to notice when their students are falling behind as readers and how to best help them. There are several way to make sure struggling readers are being acknowledged and being helped. You have to know about the reading process, your students and how they best learn.
               As teachers it is important to know yourself and what you think about reading and how it works. "In order to advocate for these struggling readers, we believe that more teachers need to become knowledgeable about the reading process and hope to support children as the construct a network of strategies." The reading process is a compiled set of processes that are all going on at the same time. It is important as teachers to know each of these processes and to know when one of their students is lacking or struggling with one r more of these processes. "How a teacher understands the reading process determines how he or she assesses, plans, instructs, and supports readers." That is why it is so important for teachers to understand the reading process, because it shapes their classroom and how they teach in it.
             Knowing your students is one of the most important things to do as a teacher. It is important to know your students and how they learn so they can benefit from your teaching as much as possible. Knowing your students ZPD is an essential part of knowing your students and where they are at in their learning development. Students learn best when they are being taught within their ZPD, so it only makes since that teachers would know their students' ZPD so they would know how to teach each of them best.

"What Really Matters: Kids Need to Read a Lot"

              As we all know reading is a major part of school and life. You read something everyday, whether is a menu, an e-mail, or a book. Because it is such a huge part of our lives it needs to be a major focus of elementary classrooms. Reading in classrooms is so important because it will give them a basis and platform for reading for the rest of their lives. If they have a bad experience with reading when they are young they will most likely not enjoy reading as the grow up and in their adult lives. As teachers it is our duty to foster the classroom in a way that make students want to learn and read.
              Although we know it is important to read in the classroom, the real question is how much is enough? There have been multiple studies to figure this out, and there isn't one answer. Because every child is different they need different amounts of reading. One idea that is common among all studies it that more reading relate to higher achieving students. "Kids need to read to become good readers."- Allington. The old saying of practice makes perfect applies here. If teachers want their students to be better readers, as they should, they need to allow time for them to read more.
              To allow time for more reading teachers may have to make a conscious effort to make more time for it. Because it is such an important aspect of school, and life, there should be time carved out of each day for reading. This time should be a combination of silent reading, reading out loud with big groups and with small groups. Having a variety of reading times will keep the students engaged and interested in what they are reading. This will also allow the teacher time to observe the students and their reading abilities. This is an important part of teaching how to read because if you don't know what students are struggling you won't know how to help them.
             Along with making time to read it is also important that the students are reading something that is appropriate for their skill level. If a student is reading something that is too difficult they could doubt their abilities and give up all together. Likewise if they are reading something that is too easy they might get bored. Because of this it is important for teachers to be aware of their students' reading levels. Having the students know their own reading level is also important. If they know their own reading abilities they will be better equipped to pick books that are appropriate for them and in turn they will enjoy more.
            In my future classroom I hope to effectively foster a classroom environment where the students enjoy reading and want to read. I would hope to positively impact their lives in a way that encourages them to read and makes them excited about it. To do this I will strive to give my students adequate time to read every day. I also hope to be lucky enough to have a library that has a variety of books for every level of reader. It is my goal to have students enjoy the time they spend reading and to always strive to be better readers.