Final Personal Model of the Theory of Reading

Catherine Fink

EDRD 7515: Theory & Practice in the Study of Literature

Final Personal Model of the Theory of Reading

17 July 2013

            After completion of this course, in addition to the readings and comprehensive literacy approach assignments, my views of teaching reading have truly changed for the better.  Before completion of this course, I knew that it was important to engaged students in literacy lessons and encourage them to want to read, I was just unsure of the best methods to use in the classroom.  After this course, I feel confident that I will be giving my students the best literacy education possible through implementation of multiple reading elements. 

            The comprehensive literacy approach assignment was a true eye opener as an educator.  I was truly unaware of the importance of the multiple approaches to teaching literacy.  In my classroom, I plan on implementing a comprehensive approach to teaching literacy through implementation of the following: reading workshop, writing, workshop, phonics, comprehension, inquiry, social action projects, and literacy for all learners.  After completion of the Wimba presentations, I was able to better understand the importance of these topics and more importantly how to implement them in my own classroom.  Through this assignment, I learned many methods and strategies to teaching reading and gained a variety of resources which will be very beneficial to my future students. 

            As a kindergarten teacher, this class has been extremely beneficial to the success of my teaching and education of my future students.  I was fortunate enough to explore the topic of phonics in the classroom and the importance of a comprehensive phonics approach.  Phonics instruction fits in a comprehensive program in multiple ways including: whole-class instruction, guided reading instruction, individual instruction and in some cases, extra tutoring help. Weaver explains, “…a comprehensive classroom literacy program is absolutely crucial as the major form of organization and instruction” (Weaver 277).  After completion of this course, I realized the importance of incorporating phonics into a comprehensive program and not teaching phonics concepts alone.  Through the use of incorporating phonics into a comprehensive program, students learn literacy concepts including reading and writing workshop, vocabulary, and comprehension skills much more effectively than teaching phonics alone. 

            As an educator, I have been able to experience multiple ways to teaching literacy and I was truly enlightened after our Wimba group presentation on literacy for all learners.  Through this approach, all students’ literacy needs are being met. I was introduced to a wonderful reading approach called CAFÉ or The Daily Five.  Through this program, students are working with multiple elements of literacy in addition to working at their instructional level.  I believe these programs are wonderful examples of a true comprehensive literacy approach.  In this approach, concepts such as reading, writing, phonics, inquiry, and comprehension needs are being met. I have seen the Daily Five rotation in a classroom and it is truly eye-opening.  Students have the power of choice and have the ability to choose which literacy station they want to start in. This 90 minute rotation allows students to truly engage in all concepts of literacy and allows students to take responsibility of their own learning.             

            This class has been extremely beneficial to me as a kindergarten educator.  Teaching reading is vital to students learning and academic success and it is very important for my kindergarten students to learn literacy strategies which will help them in their future academics.  Through this class, I have not only learned the many ways of teaching reading, but how to incorporate the multiple ways into a comprehensive literacy approach where all students needs are being met  in the classroom.  I am very excited to implement the strategies I have learned this semester into my classroom in the fall! All in all, I am very grateful for this course and I look forward to the many ways in which my future students will be successful. 

References

Weaver, C. (2002). Reading Process & Practice. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann.

Module 6: Instructional Challenge

Instructional Challenge:

Next year, you will be teaching in a school where the vast majority of students did not meet standard on your state's criterion-referenced test and where more than 75% of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. What are some specific universal literacy strategies you may implement to ensure students success? 

*In the beginning of the year, I would assess each students reading level and place them in flexible learning groups.  Within these groups, I would provide differentiated literacy instruction when they are working with me in a small group.  I love the idea of the Daily Five or CAFE program which are great to teaching literacy for all learners.  After completion of this course, I realized the importance of implementing a comprehensive literacy approach to teaching reading and writing.  Within this approach, students are exposed to reading and writing elements through work in reading and writing workshops, computer/eBooks/iPad stations, reading to self or to a friend, writing station, word work and lastly work with the teacher in small group.  Through this 90 minute literacy block, all learners are able to engage in literacy elements and work at their instructional and independent level.  

Outside of class, I would make an effort to learn about student's backgrounds and families. I would look at their student profiles and test scores to determine the areas of weaknesses.  Throughout the year, I wold continuously assess students reading levels and make sure they are in their appropriate instructional learning group.  

Module 6: Reading Reflection

Reading Reflection Prompt:

Does any of the information presented in Chapter 15 influence your personal philosophy of reading? In what ways? How has your perspective this changed since you took the DeFord TORP a few weeks ago?

After completion of the chapter 15 reading, my reading philosophy has changed for the better.  Throughout the duration of this course, I have learned the importance of a balanced literacy approach through the use of a comprehensive literacy approach. Chapter 15 emphasizes the importance of a universal literacy approach to meet the needs of all learners. Weaver explains the importance of a comprehensive literacy approach, "There is a large body of comparative research that has found that children with comprehensive literacy instruction such as shared reading, shared writing, phonics taught in context, and lots and lots of experiences of being read to and opportunities to read self-selected books and write self-selected topics learn to make sense of print better than children with traditional, parts-to-whole reading instruction" (Weaver 369).  As a kindergarten teacher, it is extremely important to expose students to this type of comprehensive literacy approach where they are continuously engaged in concepts of literacy to enhance their literacy achievement. All in all, I am eager to implement the comprehensive literacy approach in my classroom in the fall.    

Respond to the Reading Reflection Blog Postings of two other members of the class. Discuss any connections between your response and theirs. For information about evaluation, remember to see the Participation Rubric.

Module 5: Instructional Challenge

Instructional Challenge:As your school year starts, you realize that you have three ELLs who are newcomers to the United States. Discuss how a comprehensive literacy program addresses their needs, drawing attention to specific components of the framework that are particularly relevant. Then discuss any additional scaffolding you would offer to support these children's needs.

**If I were to have three ELL students in my classroom, I would enforce the comprehensive literacy program approach to teaching literacy.  Through this approach, students are able to engage in a variety of activities and lessons which will increase their language skills.  Through the comprehensive literacy program, these students will engage in activities such as : Whole-class instruction, guided reading instruction, individual instruction and with ELL's in  most cases tutoring will be very beneficial to their development of language.  Weaver explains, "Providing a variety of learning opportunities, in whole-class, small-group, and individual sessions, is probably the most important thing we do can to ensure good reading instruction that will be effective, in time, for almost all students" (Weaver 277).  Scaffolding and collaboration are important activities to plan for ELL students also.  Through the use of providing students with scaffold activities, "the teacher, another adult, or classmates provide temporary support for the learners" (280).  In a classroom it is important to create a community of learners who work collaboratively together.  Through the use of providing multiple opportunities of learning through whole group, small group, and individual instruction, in addition to creating scaffolding lessons, I believe those ELL students will be successful in my classroom.

Module 5: Reading Reflection

Where does phonics instruction fit within a comprehensive literacy program?

As an educator, it is important to provide multiple opportunities to teach reading in a comprehensive literacy program. Through whole-class instruction, guided reading instruction, individual instruction, and in some cases through tutoring, phonics instruction is important to include when teaching reading. Weaver explains, “…a comprehensive classroom literacy program is absolutely crucial as the major form of organization and instruction” (Weaver 277).  Because learning to read and phonemic awareness facilitate each other, it is important to include both in a balanced reading instructional approach as part of a comprehensive literacy program.  

When and how would you teach phonics?

There are multiple opportunities and settings to teach phonics throughout the day as part of your reading program.  Weaver models how phonics instruction can be part of a shared book experience. When students are exposed to phonics in this setting, they can easily break down letter-sound relationships, recognize letters and letter clusters, and use letter-sound knowledge along with prior knowledge to understand how to read (283).  It is important to expose students to phonics in a variety of ways.  Weaver explains, “Meanwhile, suffice it to say that strategies and skills are often taught through mini-lessons, during various aspects of reading workshop, and within whole-class, small-group, and individual settings” (286).  As an educator, it is important to provide multiple opportunities throughout the day for students to engage in phonics instruction as part of a comprehensive literacy approach.

Module 4: Activity 2

Activity 2:

Take a look at the NRP Report Summary:
http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/Publications/summary.htm
and Allington's response:
http://www.hcd.hr/conference/key_allington_eng.pdf
Which NRP topic area(s) or missing pillar(s)that Allington describes do you find to be most vital for children's literacy success? Why?
Post your response on your blog. Name the posting "Module 4: Activity 2."

After reviewing Allington's response, I believe in order for children to be successfully literate, it is important they are placed in an organized literacy classroom.  A classroom which provides time for guided reading small group instruction, in addition to side-by-side individualized instruction will be most beneficial to an emergent reader. Students who are beginning to read should be exposed to at least 90 minutes of reading daily.  In my opinion, teachers who provide time for students to engage in the following: guided reading, writing center, word work, reading to a friend, independent reading, and a listening center will provide a literacy framework for students to be successfully literate. All in all, I believe a teacher who provides whole group teaching in addition to guided reading and one-on-one instruction provide the most effective instruction.

Module 4: Activity 1

Activity 1:

Even though this video has strong religious overtones, (please let me know if it offends you, and I will provide an alternate assignment), it is useful for determining strategies that beginning readers use when becoming literate, even at age 50. Watch the video and reflect on what strategy or strategies Robin used most to help him learn to read.

**I absolutely loved watching Robin's journey to learn how to read! As an educator, this was truly inspiring to me.  Robin used many wonderful strategies when learning to read.  As I was watching the video, I noticed Robin's most common strategy when learning how to read was "chunking" or grouping letters together to make sense of a word.  Robin also used context clues when reading to make sense of a word.  I loved when he first created an email account and it said "Congratulations!".  Robin first noticed the word "rat" and then "grat" and combined "con" and "grat" to gain understanding of the word "congratulations".  As a teacher, patience is a huge factor when teaching students to read. I believe wonderful educators strive for all students to love to read.  A teacher who inspired me to read provided fun, engaging activities and constantly worked in small groups to get more individualized instruction time with her students.  All in all, as an educator this movie was very inspirational and I am grateful for the opportunity to view it and teach reading to my students each day.

Module 4: Instructional Challenge

Marcus is a student who very frequently miscues by substituting words that start with the same letter or first few letters of the word in the text, but his substitutions often are not syntactically or semantically acceptable (they neither sound right grammatically nor make sense). What possible teaching strategies would you suggest to help Marcus?

Post your response to your blog and name the posting "Module 4: Instructional Challenge." Respond the the Instructional Challenge Blog Postings of two other members of the class. Discuss areas of overlap and disagreement with their ideas. For information about evaluation, remember to see the Participation Rubric.

**Marcus is considered an emergent reader and a teacher should address his needs with a 1st grade reading level in mind.  If Marcus were in my classroom, I would group him with other students who are struggling in this area as well.  I would work with those students in a small guided reading group to closely address their needs and practice working with words using the same letters.  For example, I would choose a letter or chunk of letters to provide activities for these students to engage in. 

I also believe students who are struggling with miscues in a text should work closely in a small group in addition to working in a listening center.  Students who can listen to books on tape while following along with a text work on one-to-one correspondence and following along with the reading in addition to using their picture clues to decode the text.  Weaver explains the importance of using books on tape with emergent readers, "It appears that with repeated readings of familiar texts, readers not only add more words they can recognize on sight but internalize letter-sound "chunks" that they then can use in dealing with print words they haven't specifically learned to identify on sight" (Weaver 239).  All in all, through a combination of close guided reading work with individualized attention, in addition to implementing a listening center and writing rotation Marcus' literacy needs will be met.

Module 4: Reading Reflection

 Looking across Chapters 10 and 11, which of the understandings and strategies in the comprehensive literacy program are you already addressing/doing with your students (or have you done, or do you plan to do)?

In my Kindergarten classroom, I am currently engaging my students in a comprehensive literacy program.  Each day, my students complete 90 minutes of language arts.  In the morning, students complete a Daily Literacy rotation in which students have guided reading small group time with me, complete a writing center, read independently, read to a friend, attend a listening center, and complete word work.  ­Weaver explains the importance of a comprehensive literacy program for students who need additional support, “…students who need support and help with reading will flourish best in a classroom that offers them such a rich array of literacy experiences and learning opportunities …” (Weaver 232).  I agree with Weavers statement; it is extremely important for students who struggle with language arts concepts to be exposed to reading and writing in a variety of ways throughout the day. Weaver continues to explain the importance of literacy for readers in need, “Developmentally, whole-word reading comes before dealing with letter-sound relationships, as children learn to read signs, labels, and other words in their environment” (Weaver 235).  In my classroom, I also conduct whole group read-alouds were students are actively engaged in answering comprehension questions and responding to a text while I read to students.  All in all, I believe it is extremely important for students to be engaged in multiple areas of literacy to prepare for subject content standards presented in the upper grades.  

Module 3: Activity 2

*What do you think of this? What do such activities and cracking the code contribute to proficient reading? What else might a reader need to become proficient?

 I disagree with the passage on nonsense words.  I believe the one-on-one tutoring in individual letters and sounds provided in the video is a wonderful resource.  Although the student with learning disabilities was creating words that were nonsense, he was proficiently sounding out and blending words.  (I also love how the teachers provided a slide workmat where he could appropriately place individual letters!) In my opinion, this is wonderful practice.  I believe as an educator it is our responsibility to provide students with as much practice creating and blending words as possible.  I would tell students that the words they are creating and blending are "silly fun words" for the purpose of the activity.  A great example of blending nonsense words would be through the use of a Dr. Suess book. I'd love to launch a lesson using Dr. Suess books and create blending and rhyming activities for students to engage in.  All in all, I believe having students create and blend nonsense words is beneifical to their reading acheivement. 

Module 3: Mock Memo from a Reading Specialist

*Erica, a fifth grader, reads grade level passages at a rate of 177 words correct per minute, or 30% faster than grade level norms.  When asked to retell what she has read, Erica struggles and is able to give little to no information from about the text. Many other children in Erica's class also read well above grade level expectations for fluency rate (or automaticity), but the teacher laments that they struggle with comprehension and using appropriate expression and intonation while they read.

**What is going on here? What advice can you offer the teacher? What a memo to the teacher from the viewpoint of the school's Reading Specialist. Give the teacher an explanation for the phenomenon and offer her advice on dealing with the situation. Please keep the memo to no more than 400 words.


Although Erica is a student who reads on grade level and is a fluent reader, Erica struggles with comprehending the text.  As educators, it is important to note the following points Weaver presents in Reading Process and Practice:

* "Fluent reading doesn't guarantee comprehension"
* "Comprehension doesn't require fluent reading"
* "Thoughtful reading is often-perhaps usually-not fluent"
* "Fluent reading may actually mask a lack of attention to meaning"

If I were the school's Reading Specialist, I would explain to Erica's teacher that Erica may need to be re-evaluated in her reading.  I would explain to the teacher that Erica's proficient level of fluency is not related to her level of comprehension.  Weaver explains, "We need to be sure, however, that when we ask or invite students to reread texts until they can read them fluently, we are not sending them the wrong message about what reading is. Fluency must not replace a focus on meaning as the goal of reading" (215).  The advice I would give to Erica's teacher would to participate in a think-aloud procedure where Erica can think aloud as she is reading a text in order to strengthen her comprehension skills.  I would also remind the teacher to consider Erica's background knowledge. Weaver explains, "...we often do not think about students' probable lack of background knowledge for reading simple storybooks..." (227).  As educators, it is important to help students activate prior knowledge before completing a reading.  I would suggest the teacher activate students' prior  knowledge by completing a KWL chart during the reading.  All in all, I believe Erica's comprehension skills will be strengthened through the use of think-alouds during reading and helping her to activate prior knowledge. 

Prominent Research Theorist (Frank Smith) Paper

Catherine Fink

EDRD 7715

Prominent Theorist Researcher Assignment

28 June 2013

Abstract

After researching Frank Smith, I believe his Socio-psycholinguistic theory is very important for educators to be knowledgeable of when teaching literacy in the primary grades.   My beliefs closely align with those of Frank Smith as he presents them in his text, The Book of Learning and Forgetting. I found Frank Smith’s book very interesting and enlightening and my beliefs closely align with his attitude toward school and learning.  In The Book of Learning and Forgetting, Smith relays how people either believe that learning is something which occurs naturally or unnaturally.  In his text, Smith establishes “two ways of thinking about educational practice-the official view of learning and the classical view” (Speaking Out, Stager).  Some of Smith’s suggestions are somewhat unrealistic and unpractical in the classroom. However, Smith makes a valid argument against the “official” view of learning in the classroom.  I also love Smith’s idea of providing students with more responsibility and encouragement along the way. Frank Smith’s beliefs have helped to open my eyes to a different way of thinking, learning and teaching and I am excited to implement them into my own classroom.

Introduction

Frank Smith is a cognitive psychologist and researcher who studies the way people learn to read and use forms of language.  “His graduate work was done at the Centre for Cognitive Studies at Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in psycholinguistics in 1967, and he has been involved in psychological and educational research ever since” (Comprehension and Learning, Smith 1).   Smith is a literacy theorist who created the Socio-Psycholinguistic Theory.  Smith believes in the social nature of reading and learning to read.  With the Socio-Psycholinguistic Theory, readers draw upon prior background knowledge they process about a topic to gain comprehension knowledge.  The classical definition of learning as a social activity is a new concept to me but after research on the topic, it makes complete sense.   In regards to the social nature of reading, Smith posits that students can encourage (or discourage) each other to engage in reading.   Smith’s point that the amount of background information that students possess about a topic affects the level of comprehension and retention that will occur as well as the social nature of reading and learning are important for teachers to understand.  Frank Smith’s The Book of Learning and Forgetting “explains the history of learning theories and the events that shaped our current educational structure.  Smith establishes two ways of thinking about educational practice-the official view of learning and the classical view” (Speaking Out, Stager).  The official view of learning can be expressed as a theory that learning occurs best when a person is taught; in other words, the only source of knowledge comes from schooling.  On the other hand, the classical view of learning “suggests that people learn all of the time through meaningful experiences and through immersion in a community of practice” (Gary Stager, SpeakingOut).   Both views help readers to understand Smith’s Psycholinguistic Method of Teaching Reading.

   Review and Critique of Related Literature

            Frank Smith’s psycholinguistic theory discusses the process of reading and learning to read.  In an article titled On the Psycholinguistic Method of Teaching written by Frank Smith, he explains the psycholinguistic approach, “…that the key factors in learning lay in the child and the child’s interaction with an informed and informative adult, rather than in the particular materials used” (Smith & Goodman 65).  In other words, Smith expresses how students learn best through previous experiences with informative adults instead of forcing teaching materials on them.  I believe Smith’s theory is correct, that most students who are able to make meaning from a piece of text are able to draw from previous background knowledge and make connections to the text and therefore produce stronger comprehension skills.  Smith explains the importance of interactive experiences with adults in relation to language skills in children, “Together, linguistics and psychology demonstrated how infants can develop a working understanding of language in the first five years of life without knowing or being told the rules they are employing” (Smith & Goodman 63).  Similarly, as proficient readers and speakers of the English language, we read and write without knowing the specific rules of the language.  Smith helps the reader to explore his psycholinguistic theory in his text, Comprehension and Learning.  In this text, Smith reminds the reader of the social nature of reading and learning to read as a natural process where humans process information. Smith explains, “Human learning is rarely passive or accidental; rather, it is always directed towards the purpose of increasing understanding.  Learning is seldom incidental. Human beings are hardly ever content just to let events happen; not even the youngest infant is content to be an unresisting victim of the world’s whims” (Smith 3).  Here, Smith discusses how the process of learning to read is  indeed a process in which will naturally occur by a human’s need to make meaning and gain understanding.  Smith continues to explain how a child’s nature and attitudes toward reading cannot be forced, “Children are not empty vessels into which teachers pour selected skills and nuggets of knowledge. Rather, it is in the child’s nature to express and develop innate intellectual capacities, integrating all experiences…that includes hopes and fears, loves and hates, beliefs and expectations, and attitudes towards other people and towards himself” (Smith 3).  As an educator, I believe students do have preconceived notions and attitudes on reading and therefore it is important that teachers continue to encourage students in the reading process. 

In the text, Understanding Reading by: Frank Smith, Smith explains how reading is a natural activity that should not be forced on students, “If reading is a natural activity, then literacy education should obviously center on aspects of reading that are most natural to us.  The most natural activity for human beings is to engage in interesting experience, the absence of which leads to boredom and withdrawal” (Smith 55).  As educators it is vital to remember not push students too far when teaching reading and to understand that it is a natural process that will occur over time.  Instead, we should find ways to engage students and encourage them to read by planning lessons and activities which interest them.  Smith explains, “People usually accumulate information without trying, in the course of engaging in interesting experiences. The interest is always in the experience, rather than in the information” (55).    With this statement in mind, I am excited to learn the various backgrounds and learning styles of my future students to plan engaging lessons to create meaningful learning experiences for them. 

Contributions to the Field

Frank Smith has made many wonderful contributions to the field of education and has enlightened many educators on his reading theories.  In Gary Stager’s Article, Speaking Out: Meet Frank Smith, Gifts of wisdom for educators, he explains the many insightful works of Smith.  Stager explains, “For those of you unfamiliar with his work, Smith is a 75-year-old psycholinguist, currently living in Ontario.  His many books, including: Insult to Intelligence; Reading Without Nonsense, and Joining the Literacy Club are popular favorites among literacy educators” (SpeakingOut, Stager).  Frank Smith is considered an author of choice and his “beautifully written The Book of Learning and Forgetting explains the history of learning theories and the events that shaped our current educational structure” (SpeakingOut, Stager).  Smith has truly made an impact in the literacy community through his text Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learning to Read Difficult and One Difficult way to make it Easy.  One educator, Ebelechukwu Okafor, posted on his blog “The Pedagogy Garden” comments on Frank Smith’s Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learning to Read Difficult… Okafor explains, “In this essay, Smith ascertains the famous platitude that ‘a man that knows something knows that he knows nothing at all’…When Smith states that the one difficult rule for making learning to read easy is to "make reading easy" I automatically knew that I was going to have to reassess everything that I was taught in the past about chunking, phonics, word association etc...(Okafor, “The Pedagogy Garden”).  As an educator, I too was inspired when I came across Frank Smith’s Twelve Easy Ways…text.  Smith gives educators one simple guideline to teaching reading: “The only way to make learning to read easy is to make reading easy” (Smith 19).  When I first came across this statement, I was humored.  I thought, how can it be so easy? However, after completion of the reading, Smith’s words made perfect sense.  Smith discusses the pressures teachers and parents place on students to read by enforcing rules to reading which make the process more difficult, when reading alone is a daunting task.  I love how Smith compares reading to riding a bike, “Children learn to read only by reading…The skill of riding a bicycle comes with riding a bicycle. We do not offer children lectures, diagrams, and drills on the component skills of bicycle riding…Forcing them to worn-about laws of motion and centers of gravity would obviously confuse them” (Smith 19).  This statement paints a clear picture of how educators and parents can make the reading process much more difficult than necessary by enforcing rules when teaching students to read.  By continuously making critical comments during a child’s reading, forcing students to re-read words how they are pronounced correctly, and forcing a child to slow down or speed up in their reading process is detrimental to a child’s attitude and perspective toward reading. 

Frank Smith beautifully criticizes the rules of reading and offers simple suggestions to encourage emergent readers.  Smith encourages educators to take a step back and let the child take responsibility of their own learning, “…motivation and direction of learning to read can only come from the child…Learning to read is a problem for the child to solve” (Smith 19).  As educators, Smith’s contributions to the field of education and literacy learning encourage teachers to approach reading by his one difficult rule: “Respond to what the child id trying to do” (19).  Smith emphasizes the responsibility of a learner to motivate himself.   In The Book of Learning and Forgetting, Smith challenges teachers, “Students, like teachers, exhibit more responsibility when more is given to them; they take the tasks they are engaged in more seriously and experience far greater satisfaction” (Smith 95).   Smith’s amazing contributions to the field enlighten educators to take a step back and allow students to grasp hold of their learning. 

Conclusion

Frank Smith’s socio-psycholinguistic theory to the social nature of reading and learning to read advises that we can only learn from activities that are interesting and that we are able to make meaningful connections with.  Looking back on my precious educational experiences, I have to completely agree with Smith; when I was enjoying myself and engaged in the learning process where I was making memories and drawing from previous experiences, I retained information.  In regards to teaching students to read in the primary grades, I was inspired by Smith’s approach in Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learning to Read Difficult…As educators it is important to reflect on our teaching and continuously make an effort to allow students to take responsibility of their own learning so they will make meaningful connections.  This research has helped open my eyes and mind to a different approach to teaching reading and I know my students will benefit from this learning experience.  Frank Smith’s theory will serve as a wonderful reference for me as a student and educator and I am grateful for this opportunity to research such a brilliant theorist. 

References

Goodman, K. & Smith, F. (2008). “On the Psycholinguistic Method of Teaching” Revisited.     Profiles and Perspectives, 61-65. Retrieved from             http://andreawiselanguagearts.edublogs.org/files/2008/09/smith-and-        goodman.pdf

Okafor, E. (2010, October 31). “The Pedagogy Garden”: Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learning            to Read Difficult…By: Frank Smith. Retrieved from            http://thepedagogygarden.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-11-           02T10:21:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=7&by-date=false

Smith, F.  (n.d.). Comprehension and Learning.  Retrieved from             http://arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/franksmith3.pdf

Smith, F. (1998). The Book of Learning and Forgetting. New York: Teachers College Press.

Smith, F. (n.d). Essays into Literacy: Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learning to Read Difficult        and One Difficult Way to make it Easy. Retrieved from          http://arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/essaysintoliteracy.pdf

Smith, F. (2004). Understanding Reading. Retrieved from             http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy.kennesaw.edu/eds/detail?vid=2&sid=adb234ee-   c21b-42b5-b349-            482350421070%40sessionmgr111&hid=115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc            2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=nlebk&AN=109930

Stager, G. (2003). Meet Frank Smith: Gifts of wisdom for educators. Speaking Out.     Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/meet-frank-smith

 

 

 

 

 

Module 3: Reading Reflection

*Do you agree with Marilyn Adams (1990, pg. 108) who argued that rather than relying on content, skillful readers of English thoroughly process the individual letters of words in their texts? Why or why not?

 

I disagree with Adams argument that skilled readers focus intently on individual letters when reading a text.  I believe the reading process is so much more than that.  Weaver explains, “These studies, and indeed all the eye movement and fixation studies I have ever read about, show quite clearly that skilled readers do not focus on every word” (106).  Proficient readers do not focus on each single word much less every letter in a passage.  The eye fixation on words in a passage and the speed and fluency also determine how proficient a reader is and how well they comprehend a text.  Weaver continues to explain, “Furthermore-an observation from everyday life-good readers do not read word-for-word or even line-by-line when they choose to read more rapidly than that, as many good readers do, especially when reading for their own pleasure and their own purposes-even when their purpose is to gain information” (109).  When reading, the purpose is to gain information; therefore, I believe people read and look for key words in a passage to gain understanding. 

Module 2: Activity 1 & 2

3 c. We can often get the meaning of a word from context (even though we may never pronounce the word correctly). Try essentially the same procedure again. Write down a definition for these words:

creech:  a small croissant, usually made with egg and bread

droogs: an medical anitbodic

glazzies: a type of cooking glaze

goloss: a high sheer gloss paint

malenky: a thick syrup

messel: a possum-like animal

millicents:  a million pennies

poogly:  a poodle type of dog

razrez: razor

skorry:  a story

splatted: dots spread out, messy

zoobies: babies recently born at the zoo

**Although I did not know any of the above words, I was able to create definitions and gain meaning by referring to how the word sounds an drawing on prior knowledge.  I used this principle by pronouncing all of the words aloud and then creating a definition that made the most sense.

Clockwork Orange: After reading chapter 1 of the text I was able to determine the meaning of the following words:

1. droogs: His three friends
2. glazzies: rainbow stripes, sparkly
3. spatted: associated with
4. messel: image
5. malenky: friend, teammate
6. poogly: confused, questionable

* I finally determined the meaning of the words in the passage by reading the words in the context of the sentences.  Many times, the words presented before or after in the text help the reader to gain meaning when reading a passage.

Activity 2:

1. Who tried to read the words letter-by-letter? Why not?

As readers when trying to decode a word, it is easier to read a combination of letters to break up a word.  When reading a word in chunks, it is easier to try and comprehend and gain meaning.

2. Who tried to read the words mostly by chunking them into syllables?

This is the approach I took when decoding and making meaning from the list of given words.

3. Who tried to read the words by sampling the letters more or less all at once?

When initially looking over the words, it is hard to gain meaning unless you sound them out in chunks to make meanings

4. What words do you know the meaning of, or think you know the meaning of?

I think I know the meaning of extravasate (extravagant)

5. Did pronouncing the words give you insights into their meanings?
Yes, I believe that by chunking a group of letters together, you are able to make more meaning than my sounding out each individual letter.

6. How do you handle unknown words when you encounter them in normal reading?
When I come across an unknown word when reading is continue to read. I look at the word in the context of the reading by viewing the words that come before and after the unknown word.

7. What do you think are the implications of this experiment and discussion for how we should help students deal with unfamiliar print words? 

As educators it is important to constantly encourage students to read and offer positive feedback.  This was a great way to show students that even teachers struggle with unknown words when reading a text but it is important to persevere and continue reading to gain meaning for a word in the context of a text.  

Module 2: Instructional Challenge

*Are these children's miscues evidence of proficient or non-proficient reading? Explain. 

As educators, it is important to gain background knowledge on our students to gain a better understanding of their learning style.  As teachers we need to be aware of the fact that all students come from a variety of backgrounds and will therefore most likely have dialects when speaking or speak in a grammatical structure that differs from Standard English.  As teachers, it is our job to prepare students for the future and teach them how to "code-switch".  I appreciate the Code-Switching/Constrastivist Approach of teaching instead of the Correctionist Approach. I believe it is more respective of students and their family culture to not correct students but to demonstrate and model the appropriate professional language of Standard English.

I do not believe the following statements are evidence of non-proficient reading.  If students can gain the same amount of meaning from the original response as we expect them to in the expected response, they are still reading proficiently.


*If you were teaching children who made these miscues, what, if any assistance of teaching would you offer?

If students in my class were making these miscues, I would respectfully model the Standard English way of speaking when teaching.  I would ask them if they thought their original response is how they would respond if they were going on a job interview or another professional setting.  I would take the time to have students reflect on their responses and re-state their original response if they chose to.  As teachers it is our job to help students take responsibility of their own learning.  In this case, I believe the best way to reinforce Standard English would give the student the option to re-read a passage or decide if that is the best way to make a statement.

Module 2: Reading Reflection

“The major folklore (belief/study) of reading instruction relates to the “theory” that reading is considered an exact process.  In other words, the reader is expected to read everything exactly as printed on the page in order to understand the message of the author. In general the consuming public, legislatures, courts and too many educators hold to this theory. It is like the theory of the world being flat during the time of Columbus. “ –Robert Harper and Gart Kilarr

**Do you agree or disagree? Explain why or why not using evidence from text to support assertions.

I disagree on the authors’ Harper and Kilarr’s viewpoint on the process of reading.  Similar to providing students with a hangman activity or a reading passage with letters missing…students are still capable of using their context clues to read the passage and gain meaning.  Reading is so much more than reading letters and sounds; it is only part of the reading process.  The reading process includes gaining meaning from the words. The purpose of reading is to make meaning; the visual process of looking at the letters and words is only a small part of the reading process. 

As readers, we use context clues such as reading ahead or looking at a previous word to determine the meaning of an unknown word in a passage.  Weaver explains, “…Context is far more inclusive than most people realize. We can and do use our entire personal context of knowledge and experience, our schemas to help us identify words” (43).  Weaver continues to explain the importance of using context to gain meaning from the printed words, “As proficient adult readers, we are often conscious of using context to determine the meaning of words we do not know” (44). 

In the classroom, students often re-read a portion of a text when they have miscues in their reading.  It is truly wonderful when students use their prior knowledge to self-correct their miscues when reading a passage.  I believe when students solely focus on the letters in the text and not gaining meaning when reading, they are a less proficient reader.  Weaver explains, “Syntactic context consists of the signals provided by word endings, function words, and word order…and semantic context consists of the meaningful relations among the words” (42).  As an educator is it important to know the differences between these two contexts when teaching students reading.  It is also important to know students language barriers and how they may have different dialect when reading.  I believe that as long as a student can gain meaning from a text, they are proficient in reading. 

All in all, I disagree with the above quote from Harper and Kilarr’s opinion on the process of reading.  After reading chapters three and four in addition to watching the module PowerPoint, I am determined the reading process is so much more than word identification, or reading the words exactly as printed on the page.  As an educator it is important to take a step back from the benchmarks and when conducting running records or developmental reading assessments due to the fact that these tests promote word correction and document miscues students make.  I believe that if a student can make meaning and analyze a text, they are a proficient reader. 

Module 1: Activity 2

a. What is Cornadic?


Cornadic is an emurient grof with many fribs.


b. What does corandic grank from?

Corandic granks from corite, an olg.


c. How do garkers excarp the tarances from the corite?

Garkers excarp the tarances by glarking the corite and starping it in tranker-clarped storbs.


d. What does the slorp finally frast?

A pragety, blickant crankle


e. What is coranda?
 A cargut, grinkling corandic annd borigen


f. How is the cornadic nacerated from the borigen?
By means of loracity


g. What do the garkers finally thrap?
A glick, bracht, glupous, grapant corandic

**How is it that you are able to answer such questions?
I am only able to answer the above questions by looking directly back at the text.  By asking specific questions, it is necessary to refer back to the text to answer the questions directly.  As a reader, these types of questions force students to look for the question in the text in order to find a specific answer.



**What does this experience suggest about the kinds of comprehension questions found in workbooks and on standardized tests?

This was a true eye-opening experience for me.  At first, I was very overwhelmed with the unknown words presented in the text.  After looking for the answers in the text, they were very straightforward.  I believe that when standardized tests promote questions and passages like this one, it discourages students.  When students do not know a word, they are use their context clues and either skip a word or read ahead.  When questions are looking for specific answers, a student does not even have to know the meaning of a word to answer the question correctly.  These types of questions do not promote critical thinking and there is no room for a creative, opinion response.  These straightforward types of questions only require students to refer back to the text to "spit back an answer".  All in all, I was very surprised by this activity and I believe it is a wonderful tool to see how readers respond.

Module 1: Activity 1

Module 1: Instructional Challenge

Hocked gems financing him, our hero defied the scornful laughter. Think of it as an egg, not a table, her said. The three sturdy sisters sought proof, forging over vast calmness, and sometimes over turbulent peaks and valleys, until at last welcomed winged creatures appeared, signifying monumental success. 

1.   What are hocked gems?

Hocked gems are borrowed jewels or money that Columbus’ king and queen Ferdinand and Isabelle  provided him for his journey. 

2.   What should we think of as an egg not a table?

The Earth’s surface as it is round, not flat. 

3.   Who are the three sturdy sisters?

The Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria ships which were Columbus’ fleet. 

4.   What kind of winged creatures appeared?

Other ships which had already sailed to the New World. Columbus encountered other ships, possibly even Viking ships. 

*If you were to use this passage with students, what schema would you need to activate with them first?

If I were to teach this passage to students, I believe it is first important to active student’s prior knowledge.  Before having students read this passage I would show them a globe and ask them if they know the names of any famous explorers. 

*How can you help teach children whose schema and the tests content don’t match?

It would be a wonderful idea to have students look at map of their school or a map of their own classroom.  It is important for students to be aware of their place in the world.  I would first have them create a map of a place they are familiar with so they could gain a better understanding of how a map is used.

*How much time should children spend in texts that don’t match their interests or schema?

I believe students should be reading on their independent level in order to comprehend a text.  It is important for students to find texts they are interested in so they will be motivated to read and be excited to share information they have read.  On the other hand, it is equally important for students to be able to read and comprehend subject-content texts such as social studies or science textbooks to gain meaning in the upper grades.  

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Personal Model of Reading Theory

Catherine Fink

EDRD 7715: Theory & Practice in the Study of Literature

Personal Model of the Theory of Reading

12 June 2013

            Growing up in both private and public school settings, I have been exposed to positive reading experiences.  I have had experience with both the skills approach to reading in addition to the constructive approach.  After recent completion of student teaching in a year-long kindergarten class, my personal theory of reading is very closely aligned with that of the constructive approach. 

            I believe that in order to engage students and motivate them to want to read and write, they should be engaged and excited about a reading lesson.  A successful teacher will motivate students with whole group lessons by planning engaging, fun activities to follow up a whole group reading.  For example, during student teaching, I assisted my teacher in implementing a 30 day Eric Carle unit in which students actively participated in whole group reading and responded to a piece of literature in their writing.  I would also follow up with students in small groups where we focused on gaining meaning from the text and discussing why the author created the books.   During this time I would bring in some skill related knowledge to help students gain meaning from the text.  I agree with Weaver’s statement on an effective constructive approach, “The teacher and students attend to skill-related knowledge like phonics by drawing examples from the text…using phonics knowledge…not only to identify words but to construct meaning” (Weaver 3). 

From the first day of student teaching in kindergarten, the teacher always encouraged students to do their best and write as much as they could.  I could connect with the author’s quote in Reading Process and Practice when Constance Weaver explains, “Children in the primary grades may be encouraged to write as best they can from the very first day of school, even if their writing consists of no more than marks accompanying a picture they have drawn” (3).  I believe if students can take responsibility of their own learning and have confidence to get their ideas down on paper, they will be more successful reading and decoding words independently. 

During student teaching, I was influenced by the constructive approach and was truly amazed at the work students were able to produce at the end of the year.  Kindergarten students came in at the beginning of the year with little or no letter-sound correspondence and produced as little as a picture in their writing.  By the end of the year, I was truly impressed with students three to four sentences accompanied with a creative, realistic picture to respond to a piece of literature.  I believe that if students are encouraged to read and write independently, they can take responsibility of their learning and become confident in their reading abilities.  Throughout the year, my collaborating teacher and I were constantly encouraging students to phonetically spell or “kid spell” a word out.  One of my first days in the classroom during student teaching, my collaborating teacher was modeling how she teaches writers workshop.  I was surprised that she modeled the words how the students told her how to spell them.  For example, she would provide students with the prompt: “My favorite food is” and students would help her fill in the blank.  When she incorrectly spelled pizza by spelling it out how a student told her, I later realized she was truly encouraging students to write independently.  Through this model, students were encouraged to write sounds they hear in words and get their ideas on paper.  As a result, students were excited and proud of their final product. 

As an educator, I believe our main role is to encourage students and help them gain confidence in their abilities.  After having experience with the constructive approach, I am confident this will be my personal theory of reading.  All in all, I am excited to implement the constructive approach in my own kindergarten classroom and see the many capabilities students have.  

Module 1: Reading Reflection

Question: "What are some of the major differences between a skills approach to literacy and a comprehensive approach or sociopsycholinguistic approach?"


After completion of the reading, I was very interested in the multiple approaches to teaching reading.  The two main approaches to teaching students to read are the skills approach and the comprehensive approach.  There are many differences between the two and they are often considered opposite viewpoints.

First, the skills approach starts with the smallest piece of language (sounds or phonemes) and works its way "upward" to comprehension and gaining meaning from a piece of text.  The skills approach focuses on "going back to the basics" where teachers emphasize teaching letter-sound relationships first and then move onto decoding words letter by letter.  In the skills approach language is broken up into bits and pieces where letter sounds are isolated. With the skills approach, teachers believe that reading means first identifying words and later understanding their meaning.  When teaching the skills approach, teachers main focus is on phonics and fluency before moving onto larger concepts such as comprehension or constructing meaning from a text.

On the other hand, many teachers teach the constructive or sociopsycholinguistic approach.  When teaching this approach teachers believe that the purpose of reading is to gain meaning.  This approach focuses on reading simple stories and rhymes to and with students before concentrating on the actual words and letters in a story.  Here, teachers read to students as a whole group and in small group to help student understand comprehension strategies and help them to be able to identify items in the story such as the main idea, character, setting, problem, solution, etc.  The constructive approach uses phonics knowledge as a whole to construct meaning from the text.  In this approach, teachers encourage students to write as much as possible even if it only means constructing a picture.  The constructive approach focuses on getting students to construct meaning from a text and write down their ideas.

All in all, I have enjoyed learning about the two approaches to reading and I am excited to implement them in my classroom.