Shade's Blog 1: The Habit of Kidwatching

The Habit of Kidwatching- Blog 1

O'Keefe 

      How much are we really informed about reading strategies from an

87% on a comprehension test? O’Keefe poses this question to the reader in this article.  It is a question that caused me to pause. What am I really learning from a comprehension test? A reading comprehension test may show that a child has excellent listening comprehension because the story was read aloud in class. A reading comprehension test may show that a child’s parents worked with him/her on the story all week at home. What I do not see is reading habits of the child. Kidwatching is the best way to get to know these reading habits. O’Keefe suggests quality record keeping as an important part of kidwatching. I loved the description of her clipboard. This clipboard seems like an effective tool for record keeping that does not require a lot of extra time. It seems doable in my classroom. Reflecting upon this article, I believe record keeping is something that I can definitely improve upon. While I constantly meet with students one on one and in small groups and listen to them read, I am not good about recording my observations. Sure, I’ll remember that this student needs  help with decoding their long vowels. Sure, I’ll remember that this student needs some direct instruction about the meaning and uses of quotation marks. I remember in the moment, then I meet with two other groups of students and have quickly forgotten my wonderful observations. O’Keefe’s suggestion of writing a sentence about each student on a clipboard daily is plausible and will be very effective in planning further instruction. Taking notes on the specific reading behaviors of each of my students seems to be a lot of informative than that 87% score on a comprehension test!