Time, yes that's every teachers question, "how do we make time to teach all that's needed?" Knowing that the day is critical, every second counts, as the facilitator I need to be well prepared to have meaning in all my students do. Now in the Horizons Program I want to make reading important & meaningful each day. Reading can help make connections in all our Horizon objectives. Each day we focus on critical thinking within our logical reasoning; even if we are looking at patterns & attributes I feel good writers/readers are able to use their strengths to communicate their reasoning of their answers. Then during affective listening/creative time the practice of reading instructions or listening to directions to simply follow an outline of how to draw objects based on clues gives them time to hear & see reading objectives come to life. Keeping in mind what Miller states in section 1, PRACTICE makes everything better. Don't we agree that to become a better athlete or to loose weight we need to practice more & practice a healthy life style. So like any other skill if we want to improve it then it takes practice.
Miller gave great meaning in the practice theory. It doesn't mean more worksheets or more graded assignments. It simply means PRACTICE! Here is where the IR, independent time, gives each child a chance to read based on selection & freedom. If they have this opportunity to practice each day, ideally, they will improve & in the end read more. I like how Miller makes the statement simple & clean, "just you, your kids, & books." What a relief as a teacher! This can be done with a comfortable environment ready to engage in reading a good book. No fancy flipchart or presentation to prepare, we just need to teach them how to pick good books for them & continue to model. I've always enjoyed reading & when it's done without pressure I was always able to relax more & simple read to read. To make sure students aren't "fake reading" we do need to find a way to support them in their reading development to provide feedback & use our teaching tools to help them see their own growth. So now I'm anxious to read more of her book to find good reading tools to help keep my students engaged & reading!
Great blog, Pitman. I think it is great that you are a Horizons teacher that has taught manly upper elementary and I am an early childhood teacher but we have the same concerns when it comes to getting our students to read. Time is a precious commodity and practice does make perfect in all grade levels. I struggle with the same things during independent reading. I love listening to my first grades laugh out loud during independent reading but get so frustrated when they are fake reading. But I hope this course will help me find ways to get those students engaged who are like to fake read most days during independent reading.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! Going into my first year of teaching, using my time with students wisely was one of my main concerns. What a relief it is to read your post and remember that in order for students to become great readers they need to simply read! Providing that independent reading time to practice reading well is often just as, or probably more important than, a big presentation of information about reading from me with all sorts of bells and whistles. Your post has made me want to read more of what Miller wrote as well! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I love how you are using what you are reading and applying it to your current position. I agree with you about PRACTICE. Research shows that engaged independent reading is the single most important thing we can do to improve a child's reading abillity, If that is so, it makes perfect sense to do just that, give them time to... READ! The more time we can give them to read, the better readers they will become. It sounds like you already have wonderful ideas to launch in your classes. I am so excited to see all the ways you will enhance literacy through our gifted program!
ReplyDeleteHey! I really liked this post. Yes, everybody always struggles with "is there enough time?" Time is precious and with all the new things we get each year I feel like our time gets less and less. I love what you said about "just you, your kids, & books." It does take the pressure away with this simple strategy. Reading is difficult for my students and a lot of them "fake" read when it is IR time. I hope I get more strategies to help me help those students learn to really read and to enjoy it. Thanks Pitman!
ReplyDeletePitman, how many times have we complained about lack of time. Miller made me think about the things I do/did that waste so much time! I agree with you about the tools teachers need for effective reading instruction....just me, books, and students! Makes sense, doesn't it? You know I like simple! Good blogging, my friend!!!! Sheryl Elliott
ReplyDeleteTime management.....I hear and say that in my sleep. I love the simplicity of what Miller is saying here. Just let them be little and let them read. Sometimes we try to cram too many concepts, strategies, ideas into their little minds. Just keep the focus on the books!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love reading all the comments. It is comforting to know that we struggle with time as an issue across the grade levels and positions. I personally love IR time. It is a time when we just slow down and read. I love listening to my students read and talking to them about what they are reading. I enjoy hearing their stories as they make connections to texts. It not only helps me get to know them as readers, but also personally. And they love the one on one attention!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I agree that in order to be better readers students have to READ! They have to have time each day to read for pleasure-not for assignment. Love this!
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the points you brought up in your blog post about the importance of practice, of student choice, and of teacher support of the independent reading block through feedback in the form of conferencing and guidance and through instruction in the form of modeling and strategic mini-lessons. When independent reading is consistent and students are provided with time, with ownership, with response in the form of instruction and feedback, they can't help but grow as readers. Thank you! Sincerely, Dawn Mitchell