When Kids Can't Read-Chapter 3

One thing I thought was interesting about chapter 4 (pg. 25-26) was the list of reasons why students say they do not know how to read. There is also a chart that is listed to help teachers understand how a student is struggling. The chart has two columns. One column lists what the student cannot do, and the other column lists what the teacher will do to help the student learn.

This chart would be an excellent tool to use in the classroom. It would help the teacher become aware of the needs of his or her students and also show where the student needs help the most. I would use this chart after listening to a student read aloud. I would list some behaviors that I saw in the dependent reader and then suggest a focus for instruction. There are students who need help in one area more than another. By using the chart that the book offers, teachers can identify the struggles of each student and target that specific area instead of working on what they already know.

When Kids Can't Read-Chapter 2

The thing I found most interesting in this chapter was the definition of an alliterate student. An alliterate student is one who can read but chooses not to. The chapter goes on to talk about how these students “range from students who will read if we find them that one good book to students who claim to have never read a book in their lives.” Alliterate students may know how to read they just do not like to.

At first, I thought that an alliterate student was one who was incapable of reading or who struggled greatly. I think that some students who are categorized as alliterate could eventually be good students. Many students do not enjoy reading because they are forced to read books they find uninteresting. If students can get hooked on a series of books or a certain author, then maybe they will have a better chance of becoming literate.

Building a Knowledge Base in Reading-Chapter 3

Through Chapter 3, I learned that “Individual children, whether or not faced with the adverse conditions describing group risk factors, may be at greater risk for reading difficulties…” for many different reasons. Not just low income families are at risk for reading problems; families from all different backgrounds are faced with reading troubles.

Many students have parents with a history of reading problems. If a parent has a reading problem, he or she may not have a desire to read to their children, and reading to children helps them see the importance of reading. If parents do not read to their children, then children may grow up disliking books. In school, some students did not have a very good start such as in pre-school or first grade. Also, students at risk for reading problems are those who have learning disabilities that have or have not been addressed.

Building a Knowledge Base in Reading-Chapter 2

I think that the most interesting thing I learned from chapter 2 was “Vygotsky’s notion of Zone Proximal Development in learning is central to understanding the development of cognitive process. This is the range of social interaction between a novice and more knowledgeable other in which the child can perform with degrees of assistance from an adult that which the child cannot yet perform independently.” In other words an adult helps a child complete a task that he cannot do on his own.

This is important because the student will learn by following an adult’s example. A student will learn how to do difficult tasks with the help of an adult and through this the student will eventually learn how to operate on their own. I think that as future teachers, we must remember that some students need more help than others, so it is important not to abandon those who struggle. By guided practice, we can help students perform difficult tasks and help them get to where they need to be.

Literature Circle Experience

I thought that the literature circle was a fun way to share individual thoughts and ideas about the book, Oddly Normal. Even though I thought the group circle was a great idea, I think it would have been better if it had been guided by a series of questions. There were a few times that my group got of track, and without having a questionnaire it was easy to get off subject. In our circle, we talked about the character, Oddly, and the hard times she faced being a "half-witch." We also talked about the significance of color the author and illustrator chose to use on each page. After discussing the book with my group, I felt like I had a better understanding of the storyline. I think that the literature circle gives the reader a chance to comment about what he or she got out of the story.