Angela Jackson Blog Post #4 Routman Chapter 4: Teach Comprehension

In this chapter Routman discusses the different reading strategies and cautions how we should use them to teach comprehension. Further, it warns us that teachers have wrongly made strategies synonymous with comprehension when students do not get the big picture of how it all fits into reading to understand.

The piece explains that many students are held back by too much explicit instruction and too little guided practice. I believe we are all guilty of this and can scaffold our instruction to be more student-led as it relates to reading. The chapter states that we need to be careful about the amount of time we devote to strategy  instruction and that actual reading still needs to be the dominate goal. 

I sometimes feel as if I am fighting a losing battle when it comes to teaching my students to read to understand or read for meaning rather than "read for fun." Our parents also had a hard time realizing that students needed to be deeper thinkers in third grade. Furthermore, making connections to what we are reading is the best way to comprehend what we are reading. It has been painful, yet I am looking with great interest over the next week to see student progress on STAR testing. I am hopeful that something I have taught or the way I have taught it has made a difference.

Blog Post 4: Olivia Boykin’s Routman Chapter 5

 As Jeff Foxworthy might say, “You know you’re going to be a teacher when you buy books from yard sales and library rummage sales for your future classroom library – when you are still in high school!”  That is exactly what I did, though, and still find myself doing 20+ years later.  Routman did state the truth when she wrote, “When classrooms do have adequate libraries, most often, teachers have spent large sums of their own money.”  I honestly don’t want to think about how much money I’ve given Scholastic, Trumpet, Lucky, etc. over the past 15 years and I do wish teachers were given a certain amount at the beginning of the year simply to purchase books for their classrooms.  This would allow students to have a say in what is chosen for the library and would help to keep the classroom libraries more current.  

Sadly, I feel like my classroom library is no longer current.  This is, I believe, partly because I started spending money on my own children instead of books for my classroom.  I can no longer justify purchasing $30 worth of books for my students every other month or so when my own children love to read and need books that interest them and quench their need for literature.  Another reason my classroom library is no longer “current” is the fact that the students’ abilities and interests have changed so drastically even in the past 8-10 years.  I have series books like The Boxcar Children & A Series of Unfortunate Events and books by famous authors like Beverly Clearly that don’t get read anymore.  The students now tend to lean toward reading Arthur books along with other picture-type books.  Seeing one of my students read and/or finish a chapter book is no longer the “norm” as it once was. 

I do like that Routman says, “It really doesn’t matter much what kids read as long as they read and enjoy what they’re reading.”  She even lists “books” like comic books, magazines, and picture books that are more appealing to some students because they seem more “manageable.”  As I was reading this chapter I also thought about my own children and their reading habits.  I have one child who embraced reading in 4K and has yet to stop while my other child loves books but not necessarily the reading part.  What I think is interesting is the correlation between the television and the books….  There have been some words that he has “read” that I know he wouldn’t know had he not watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Ninjago – Masters of Spinjitzu.  He’s proud of himself for reading the hard words and I’m happy that he is feeling some success.  As long as I continue to find books relating to his favorite toys and television shows I think he’ll embrace reading.  Hopefully one day he’ll realize that it goes so far beyond a few television shows and he will loves it just because. 

Our library definitely jumps out at visitors because it does take up a large portion of one wall.  It looks nice but isn’t what I see in my head as the “finished product.”  There are numerous genres in our classroom library and I do stock books by well-known children’s authors.  Are some of the books “dated?”  Absolutely.  L  Have the students been involved in the selection and organization of the classroom library?  Absolutely not.  L  Can the students find/put away easily?  Yes, they can.  J  I normally do rotate book baskets after the winter break so the students have something new to peruse if they happen to have a few “extra” minutes to read.  Again, though, I don’t know how ready some of them are for the more advanced books but we’ll soon see.   Trying to get some of them to read for more than 5 minutes uninterrupted is a major hurdle.  Some students are also down on themselves because of their “level.”  To that I say, “Who cares?”  Level, schmevel.  J  Routman states, “It is disheartening to see classroom libraries in which most of the books are leveled.”  I agree wholeheartedly.  When a child says he/she can’t get a book because it isn’t on his/her level or isn’t an Accelerated Reader book I have some major concerns.  L              

I do think starting a top ten list of books is a great idea.  I am going to try to start that by working on units and finding books that go along with that unit of study.  I especially love it when a student brings me a book to read and I see it’s about something we’ve been studying.  J  I want all my students to be excited about reading and I think a top ten list will definitely help us reach that goal.  I do wonder, though, if Routman thinks the classroom library should be reorganized from head to toe each year so the new students have some ownership.  When I think of how long it takes to organize the library each year and then I think about redoing it I feel a little woozy.  Whew!  J  

Anne Maddox #4 "Teach with a Sense of Urgency"

The title of Chapter 4 "Teach with a Sense of Urgency" suggests to us to teach like we are going to a fire, which I often find myself doing!  Instead of teaching with a fury, Routman hopes to guide teachers to help our students find joy and passion in reading, and further their autonomy in their own learning and problem solving.

The Optimal Learning Model contains four tiers for teachers to aspire to achieve.  I am in agreement with the author that teachers must have a mutual like and trust of their students, along with success with meaningful tasks which will create a love and pride of their work.  Like Routman, I also do most of my teaching as Shared Demonstration and was most pleased to have this method validated as a powerful teaching method by Don Holdaway. It was also a nice validation to have Holdaway state that we should be choosing challenging above level texts for shared reading.  This statement varies widely from school to school. Some schools require that one read texts on level, yet others require that books be chosen  to challenge students above their level.  
 Considering our students' economic level and background, evidence shows that the students who are the farthest behind need their reading, spelling, grammar, and writing all integrated so they understand how they fit together.  This way their knowledge can be applied and used over and over in relevant ways.  Most of our children do not have parents who read each day.  If our students aren't seeing reading at home, then they probably aren't doing much reading at home either.  Teachers are their role models and we have to give them the practice.  I know I need to continue to progress from the Shared Demonstration and use more of the student initiated learning because that is how our students will achieve higher levels of understanding.

Alexis Howlett Blog Post #4: Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

I chose to read and discuss Routman's Chapter 5:  Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library because I agree that all classroom's should have a classroom library, but as a teacher new to the Gifted & Talented program I am struggling how to best set this up in my room.  I completely agree with Routman's statement that "Books contribute more strongly to reading achievement than any computer software does."  I despise AR and STAR for this reason.  There is so much emphasis placed on how much or well a student does on their STAR test that I find a lot of my students are focused on how many points they are getting rather than expanding their reading skills.  Hence, the need for a strong classroom library.  As Routman, points out that access to a classroom helps struggling readers so that they can see how to "light read" or as I like to say for fun.  I also believe this statement can help even GT students gain exposure to titles they might never have considered.

Her suggestions for how to equip your library from using programs like Scholastic points, approaching PTO for funds, and used book stores is essential for us to expand our libraries.  I also agree with her approach to involving students to help design and organize the classroom library.  How cool would it be to have access to a library that actually interested our students and what pride they must have because they helped create it.  I believe a strong, diverse classroom library can open the eyes of a person to a world they only dreamed of seeing.  How awesome is this insight for all levels of readers.

Caroline Josey Blog post #4 - Routman Chpt 2

Bond With your Students

"Through drill and memorization, we can get students to complete assignments and pass tests. But there is a price to pay for such short-term accomplishment."

One of my biggest fears as a teacher is that I am not letting my students think out of the box, or for themselves. I forget that for students to thank for themselves they must become confident in themselves as learners. In order for them to become confident we must "reach into our students' hearts." (Routman 12) Routman says "No one talks about bonding, and we need to." I think we constantly talk about bonding and making relationships with our students. Teachers know they need to have a bond to to reach their students. The question is are we really listening and connecting with our students, are we making them want to become life long learners?
I have a student who reads on a kindergarten level and she constantly says "I can't read." I never know how to reply to her but we have worked together on not saying those words. I do know that she will shut down and not want to learn to read unless I find books that are her "just right books." I loved how Routman promised the students she was working with would be able to read their "We Can" book by the end of the week. I think this would be a great idea to use with students who are struggling to grasp onto strategies they may not be ready for.

Margaret Tiller: Blog # 4: Chapter 4: Routman “Teach With A Sense of Urgency” Reading Essentials

 

For my fourth blog post, I decided to analyze chapter 4 in Routman’s Reading Essentials: “Teach With a Sense of Urgency.” To be honest, I was a bit skeptical about how Routman would support the need to teach with “urgency, “however, I discovered that the author equates urgency with PURPOSE rather that equating urgency with pressure. I agree with the author’s sentiments about making every minute count. So often in this profession, we feel the need to cram each minute, even each second, with as much academic fact as possible. However, I think it’s important to recognize that teaching with urgency does not necessarily mean teaching as much academic information as possible; teaching positive social skills could also fall under the umbrella of teaching “urgently.” I came to this realization after Routman stated that “I teach each day with a sense of urgency [specifically], […] I am aware of the students in front of me” (Routman 41). Sometimes teaching urgently can mean simply taking the time to make sure that the student and I are “on the same page” in terms of goals, strengths, and needs. My personal teaching philosophy is that given the right tools and support, all students, regardless of academic level, can become self-motivated and driven learners. For this reason I was thrilled that Routman mentioned: “The learners are proud of their ability, aware of their progress, and involved in setting new learning goals for themselves. Their reward for their successful learning is intrinsic, personal pride and pleasure in their accomplishments” (Routman 47). It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of testing, etc.; however, it is so important that we, as teachers, remind ourselves of the ultimate goal for our students: is it to cram as much information into their heads as possible, or is it to inspire them to become free thinkers? In my opinion, it is of utmost importance to keep our ultimate goal in mind so that we may continually “teach with a sense of urgency.”

Elizabeth Graham Post 4: Routman's Chapter 8: Teach Comprehension

As I read Routman's chapter entitled, "Teach Comprehension", I connected with ways to employ effective comprehension strategies during library lessons and read alouds. As I am reading to classes I can model and demonstrate by "thinking aloud in front of the class". Some key strategies that I can focus on:

• Predicting
• Questioning
• Creating images - visual pictures 
• Seeking clarification
• Constructing summaries

An important point that may be obvious to most, but was an "aha moment" for me, is that "proficient readers use many strategies". There is not one single step to good comprehension, but many strategies that need to be used together and to be practiced in an authentic way. Media specialists are taught to embed information seeking skills and search strategies within the curriculum, not to teach skills in isolation. Reading comprehension works the same way: students should use comprehension strategies and skills at the point of need, while they are actually reading. 

Link to article by C.S. Adler on Reading Rockets webpage: Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension. Useful resource for teachers and parents.