I made several connections with this reading, which was a much easier read than the first 2 chapters, but the most powerful connection I made was probably in Chapter 4 when Hicks describes Laurie's 1st grade experience. I am a 1st grade teacher and so as I was reading this description of Laurie's year in 1st grade, I was imagining how Laurie would do if she were in my 1st grade classroom. I wasn't thinking about this because I think I am a better teacher than Mrs. Rhodes- I'm sure she's a wonderful teacher. I was thinking about this because it seems as if our philosophies of teaching are different, or it may be that in her school system, she really can't supplement the adopted reading series with other books. The phrase that Hicks wrote on p. 71, "Laurie's teacher understood that the reading selections presented did not match the needs of struggling readers...," really bothered me. I know in my classroom, I ability group and have my students grouped with other students who are reading on the same level and reading books that are on their instructional level. I wondered how the year would have ended if Laurie had been able to read selections on her instructional level instead of only selections from the reading series. I know she had other issues concerning her academic performance (ex. ADD, issues at home), but still wonder if this would have made a difference.
I also made connections between the text and my own childhood. I have always loved reading, stemming from the time I learned to read until now. I can still get lost in a book. I also inherited this love of reading from my mother, with whom I have an extremely close relationship with. My grandmother always told me that one day I would realize that my mother is my best friend- and she is. On the other hand, unlike the description in the text, I have an extremely close relationship with my father as well. I guess I have always been a "Daddy's girl." Besides those facts, I: grew up in a small, rural town, have an older brother who did have different rules than I did growing up, was a "good girl" in school, little money but high expectations for manners, etc.
Overall, I really enjoyed this reading. I really liked reading more about Laurie and look forward to reading about Jake.
Marsha Warren
Comments (5)
I also found myself thinking about how Laurie would do in my classroom. I teach middle school, so my comparison was likely a bit different than yours.
The part that scares me is how unaware that I was in the beginning of my career. As a middle school major, there is not as much emphasis in undergrad on the hows of reading (or even what to do when things don't "go right"). By middle school the assumption is that all of the kids are able to read (how ignorant I was to not realize how much variation there was in this). The greatest thing that I have learned in the last few years (and especially during the grad school process) is how much individuality is really necessary in education even when it is difficult. I am thankful that even teachers still learn!
Posted by Christy Laws | June 25, 2010 12:19 AM
Posted on June 25, 2010 00:19
I think if Laurie was in your first grade class you would definitely see a huge difference!! Even Hicks made reference to the fact that Laurie just needed a little more time before moving on. Being a teacher that groups the children based on their needs, she would have been given that little extra guidance before moving on. In this day and time we know that our students are not progressing in reading when faced with frustratating material. I think now the task at hand is finding material that is interesting for everyone in that group. At least this is where I struggle. It is hard to find books in sets of 6-8 (our school does not supply them), and then to consider everyone's interests makes the job at hand a little more difficult. The more books we can get into our schools (budget cuts!!) the better selection we have to keep our students motivated and working on an appropriate level.
Posted by Angie Sigmon | June 25, 2010 2:30 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 14:30
Marsha,
I agree with you I was very bothered by the comment on p.71. I don't understand how an effective teacher could know that a child was not getting it and then just look over that child and keep going on. I believe that if Laurie had some individual help at school then she would have been more successful. I am also puzzled at why Laurie continued on to the next grade and was not retained. I believe that she was a child that would benefit from another year of instruction with ability grouping.
Angie Somers
Posted by Angie Somers | June 25, 2010 5:09 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 17:09
I also wondered if small ability based groups would have made a difference for Laurie. I also teach first grade and I do guided reading groups everyday. In my county guided reading is expected to be used in classrooms. Even if this was not the case I would still use small groups based on the children’s abilities and needs. I believe that this does make a difference in my students reading abilities.
Posted by Ashley Caldwell | June 25, 2010 8:38 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 20:38
Even if Laurie could not have been ability grouped for any reason, yes she was given that extra pull out time, but is there something else the teacher could have done? Could she have made sure that during DEAR Laurie was given a book on her level? I think that when students are reading they should be reading on their level. There are times when a student can read something that they do not understand but it is much more beneficial for each child to have book on his/her level in their desk for them to select from during that DEAR time.
Posted by Natalie Enns | June 25, 2010 10:18 PM
Posted on June 25, 2010 22:18