The first
statement that grabbed my attention was, “Our students will not become better
readers because we create fabulous projects and centers, give them lots of
paperwork, and grade lots of papers.
They will become better readers it they receive excellent instruction
and have lots of time to read and talk about books.” I have learned so much about this this
year. I have stopped “planning,” and
started listening to my students. Don’t
get me wrong, I still write lesson plans and have my days planned, but my
“planning” revolves around what is best for my students, not what the standards
require that I teach.
I also
enjoyed reading the section about making every minute count. I have been so guilty of creating centers and
copying worksheets that really did not help make my students better
readers. I am now constantly asking myself,
“How will this assignment or lesson help my students become a better reader and
will they enjoy what I have planned?”
Using
transitional times as teaching times is something I need to improve. I feel like I could use a lot more time in my
day more wisely and could benefit my students.
I like the ideas mentioned in the chapter. Moving from one activity to another activity
or place would be a great time for me to review spelling.
Hi Sheryl,
ReplyDeleteLike you I loved this chapter and how Routman really gets to the heart of effective reading instruction by reminding us it is all about our relationships with our students as readers and the meaningful instruction and assessment that we do. You are right - knowing what our kids know and are applying in their independent reading and knowing what they are reading is the most valuable information we have. Using that to guide our instruction helps us to grow them as readers and that makes our planning different but I argue, more effective. Sincerely, Dawn
Sheryl, I think it is awesome that you are planning based on what your students need. I heard something this year that really drove this belief home for me: "We are not teaching standards, we are teaching students." Thinking about the child first, and the curriculum second has helped me grow so much this year, as well!
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