Reflection on the Teaching Reading Course and Weebly Project
I have learned a plethora of information about reading this semester. Before this class, I had not realized the level of complexity that reading development entails. Now, I understand the purpose of reading and all of the ways I can support my students in their reading. Not only can I create lesson plans and facilitate activities in my classroom, I am now aware of resources and strategies I can use to guide my students through the reading process. It is my responsibility to give strong reading instruction at the levels my students need in order to become lifelong learners and readers.
It is a well-known fact by many that teachers are vital and necessary in children’s reading development. Through this course and website project, I learned of strategies and activities to select to teach that very well may become the basis of my students’ development. Further, I learned that picking and facilitating these activities and strategies can be difficult and takes careful consideration and observation of my students. Knowing and learning the five literacy pillars allowed me to evaluate and choose games, activities, and lessons that most benefited my main goal(s). One challenge was that there are so many resources, textbooks, and references for lesson plans that it sometimes became difficult for me to narrow down which I needed and wanted to implement. I want to make sure that my decisions in the classroom are based on my students’ needs and based on efficient ways to best engage them. Large amounts of time and effort go into lesson plans, and this course allowed me the preparation and resources to pull from in order to successfully meet standards and needs of my students.
Another reflection I have is that I have learned how important a student’s foundation of learning is. In order to comprehend any subject, literacy (comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and phonics) plays a vital role of the education. In other words, literacy is the heart of the education body. In order to supply, engage, and meet my students’ interests and passions, I must know my students. Knowing my students will allow me to effectively understand and instruct their learning habits, needs, and expectations.
The NPR pillars cover a major portion of what is required and needed in a reading curriculum; however, Sharon Taberski’s set of pillars further covers what is needed. The pillars, previously mentioned (comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary), convey every aspect that an effective curriculum needs in order to strive and succeed. Further, Taberski’s pillars revolve around time: time to read, time to write, and time to talk. It is so often that teachers cram in what is required by standards and what is needed in order for students to pass the assessment tests that teachers do not allow time to do what is necessary for the foundation of literacy: time. Time to practice, time to perfect, time to perform.
Taberski’s pillars are: accurate and fluent reading, background knowledge, oral language and vocabulary, reading and writing connection, and repertoire of strategies. In these pillars, phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency are integrated and implemented. The combination of pillars is important and key to teaching literacy. My goal is to help my students comprehend what I teach or what they are being taught, regardless of the subject matter.
This class, along with my website creation, makes me excited for what all I can achieve in my classroom. I now have a deeper understanding and have shown my understanding via Weebly.com (meganscantlen.weebly.com). The days cannot go by fast enough until I can experience helping my students succeed and flourish in their literacy lives. The strategies I have gathered and discussed will change and have changed how I see reading instruction from a teacher perspective.
It is a well-known fact by many that teachers are vital and necessary in children’s reading development. Through this course and website project, I learned of strategies and activities to select to teach that very well may become the basis of my students’ development. Further, I learned that picking and facilitating these activities and strategies can be difficult and takes careful consideration and observation of my students. Knowing and learning the five literacy pillars allowed me to evaluate and choose games, activities, and lessons that most benefited my main goal(s). One challenge was that there are so many resources, textbooks, and references for lesson plans that it sometimes became difficult for me to narrow down which I needed and wanted to implement. I want to make sure that my decisions in the classroom are based on my students’ needs and based on efficient ways to best engage them. Large amounts of time and effort go into lesson plans, and this course allowed me the preparation and resources to pull from in order to successfully meet standards and needs of my students.
Another reflection I have is that I have learned how important a student’s foundation of learning is. In order to comprehend any subject, literacy (comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and phonics) plays a vital role of the education. In other words, literacy is the heart of the education body. In order to supply, engage, and meet my students’ interests and passions, I must know my students. Knowing my students will allow me to effectively understand and instruct their learning habits, needs, and expectations.
The NPR pillars cover a major portion of what is required and needed in a reading curriculum; however, Sharon Taberski’s set of pillars further covers what is needed. The pillars, previously mentioned (comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary), convey every aspect that an effective curriculum needs in order to strive and succeed. Further, Taberski’s pillars revolve around time: time to read, time to write, and time to talk. It is so often that teachers cram in what is required by standards and what is needed in order for students to pass the assessment tests that teachers do not allow time to do what is necessary for the foundation of literacy: time. Time to practice, time to perfect, time to perform.
Taberski’s pillars are: accurate and fluent reading, background knowledge, oral language and vocabulary, reading and writing connection, and repertoire of strategies. In these pillars, phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency are integrated and implemented. The combination of pillars is important and key to teaching literacy. My goal is to help my students comprehend what I teach or what they are being taught, regardless of the subject matter.
This class, along with my website creation, makes me excited for what all I can achieve in my classroom. I now have a deeper understanding and have shown my understanding via Weebly.com (meganscantlen.weebly.com). The days cannot go by fast enough until I can experience helping my students succeed and flourish in their literacy lives. The strategies I have gathered and discussed will change and have changed how I see reading instruction from a teacher perspective.