Chapter 3 "When Kids Can't Read"

In the chapter the author outlines some of the things that good readers do, such as: "They recognize that the purpose for reading is to get meaning, they use a variety of comprehension strategies, they make a range of inferences, they use prior knowledge" and the list goes on from there. The author is mainly making a point here to help teachers recognize a few things that is imperative that students learn.

By understanding what it takes to be a "good reader" teachers must first learn exactly what it is they do. The author in this chapter is outlining some key strategies as well as some thoughts on how to pin point exactly where a student is struggling. None of this matters if what we do as readers is not grasped. For many teachers they have been reading for so long that it is extremely difficult to know how it was learned and how it was understood. With the chart that the author outlines and some of these vitally important keys to being a good reader I think as future teachers we can have a firm grasp on how to not only help students improve but how to teach us how to understand where they are struggling as readers.

Chapter 2 "When Kids Can't Read"

In the book the author states "that simply improving the cognitive aspects of reading (comprehension, vocabulary, decoding, and word recognition) does not ensure that the affective aspects of reading (motivation, enjoyment, engagement) will automatically improve. Also the story of the little girl not understanding what the "brass ring" was really for stuck out in the text. Just because a student understands what the words are saying does not mean they understand the things that needs to go with is such as"what is it used for and why?"

If we help students understand the questions that they may not be able to formulate on their own yet true learning will come with it. As avid readers ourselves it is important for us to help students understand the important questions that need to be addressed.
I think this part of the chapter stuck out the most to me because I am working with some students now that are able to define and understand the words they are reading but when asked some questions the true comprehension is lacking. Just because a student understands the text (the words) it doesn't mean that they understand the meaning and it also does not mean that they will enjoy reading and do it on their own. It is hard sometimes to understand this, at least for me. Sometimes a student will understand the text but if they are not enjoying it there is no motivation to pick up something else and read it. As teachers I think our goal should be comprehension of the words and meaning but also helping create an environment that will be conducive for them to exploring outside of the classroom.

Chapter 3 "Building a knowledge base in reading"

In chapter 3 there were quite a few interesting ideas brought up. I think one of the most interesting was that culture and literacy are closely related. Another interesting fact it mentioned is that oral language provides the framework and foundation for written language.

I never really thought about how different cultures have different forms of story telling. In some cultures it is very important that storytelling abilities are passed down through the generations. In this case auditory learning and oral learning are a high priority. All of these things together are closely related to reading and help establish a learning pattern that is needed.

Chapter 2 "Building a knowledge base in reading"

Chapter 2 talks a lot about how critical it is that home and school connections are linked when learning to read. It also states that language is the main vehicle of thought.

This chapter was really helpful in thinking about how important it is to make sure that home and school are linked together when learning to read. Together they can help ensure that a child has the best experience in learning to read, and apart it can be very detrimental in their learning process. I also thought it was also very interesting that it mentions that knowledge is constructed by the learner themselves. Every individual constructs what they remember and we as teachers can help show them what to add to their knowledge.

Literature Circles Experience

Being in a Literature circle as a future teacher looking in was something that was interesting. I attempted to think how this would effect students and their love or hate of novels. I have never really belonged to a "book club" but my friends and I enjoy talking about our favorite movies, TV shows or books. To me, this was much like that. Our literature circle did not stay on topic each time, but we did discuss some interesting topics that were related.

In our literature circle we mainly talked about why we did or did not like the book, the main characters and the favorite supporting characters. We also talked about why we did or did not like graphic novels in general. There were also some very interesting questions that came up such as; are there sequels to this book, and why some of the characters disappeared. I enjoyed being in the literature circle because it gave me a chance to appreciate other peoples opinion of the novel and their ideas.

I think literature circles could be a very useful tool in the classrooms. It gives students a feel for how someone else is thinking or what they are feeling about the book. It also helps them to focus on something that they might not have focused on before. I would love to use this tool in my classroom someday and I am appreciative of what it can teach students as a whole about reading.