Link to Teachers as Reading Leaders

http://teachersasreadingleaders.blogspot.com/

This year I received a grant to allow teachers to recieve books on reading comprehension strategies.  Feel free to access the site and post comments or questions.  I have developed a few lessons for teachers--and I hope that teachers will try them and communicate together.

What I've Been Reading.....

So I didn't get into the deep stuff too much this month.  Too much good stuff out there to sample!  I've read several books that were just fluff and not worth mentioning.  Just finished James Patterson's Alex Cross' Trial and Criss Cross.  A Grown-up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson is FABULOUS!  I loved it so much I an doing a re-read of her book Backseat Saints.  Also just finished John Sandford's Chosen Prey, which was a gift and a pretty good read.  Started Two L by Lauren Willig (she writes the Pink Carnation Series)--that's my bedtime book.  These should keep me busy for the next week.  Wonder why I have so much time to read?  I don't have cable TV.  Yep.

Pre-Treating Clothes: A Necessary Step or a Waste of Time?

I know this is supposed to be about Shanahan's article on Pre-Reading and the possible banning of such.  However, let's take a stroll down memory lane and look in at the home of Beaver Cleaver.....

Mother is preparing to do the weekly laundry.  She notices that once again Wally has grass stains on his baseball pants, Beaver has a nasty ring around the collar on his Sunday shirt and Father has been walking around the house again in his athletic socks.  What's a laundress to do?

While these items will require some extra attention, the rest of the whites are in decent condition.  She whips out her bottle of pre-treatment and goes to work on the offensive stains.  While the remaining laundry will not need this extra attention, these items do.

The other pieces of laundry will not suffer as a result of the pre-treatment--they may even benefit a bit.  But those three (or rather four since there is a pair of socks) items need this extra care.

So what does this have to do with Shanahan?  I agree with him that there are some teachers who misuse the pre-reading activity.  At the same time, there are those who do a pretty sorry job in general--but why throw out the baby with the bathwater?  I feel confident that he will come up with some brilliant suggestions on how to use pre-reading in the classroom and the opposition (David and Sue) will sigh with relief and adopt them as their own.

That won't make the sorry teachers teach any better because if rules were all it took, we would be doing just fine.  We could just tell teachers to spend time doing outside reading and research and hone their teaching skills.

So, in answer to my original question (which you can see was an analogy to Shanahan's own topic), yes, pre-treating the problem is a necessary step.

 

Do Non Readers Exist?

What a silly question--right?  I mean, at first glance it appears that everyone has the ability to accomplish some sort of decoding, whether it be with pictures or symbols.  But I think the question goes beyond that.  While I believe that everyone who can communicate on a basic level can read, the level of reading, the motivation, the skills--these are all factors that must be considered.

First, what is a reader?  I consider anyone who is engaged in reading, both for pleasure and for information, to be a reader.  The skill level doesn't qualify one--it is the motivation that is the determinant.  The materials are irrelevant. Choosing to read makes one a reader.

Thus, choosing not to read, for whatever reason (skill level, interest, fear) is what makes a non reader.  Many students pass through my classroom each year with the skills to read complex materials, but they lack the desire to do so.  I identify these as non readers.  And it is my intent each year to tempt them with at least one excellent piece of writing that they will devour--and hopefully go searching for more of the ambrosia that awaits them on the shelves of libraries or the screens of e-readers.

So, in answer to my own question, yes, non readers do exist.  It is my job to persuade them to try the offerings of the banquet that will fortify their lives.

Content Reading Vs. Domain Reading/Content Knowledge Vs. Domain Knowledge

For such a basic assignment, this was very complicated. 


Content Reading is reading in a particular subject area (usually outside of literature) and includes the text structures used while Domain Reading is the activity/concern/function of reading.  So how are they different?  Content Reading deals with areas such as mathematics, science, technology, and social studies.  It also deals with the different types of text structures, such as charts, maps, graphs.  Domain Reading isn't concerned with subject areas--it is more about the actual reading in the area.

Content Knowledge is the theories/principles/concepts of a particular discipline.  It deals with the teaching process and how students best learn the concepts of the discipline.  Domain Knowledge is the knowledge a specific area.  It is based on experience in that area and includes expertise, trends, key players, and terminology, and is critical for success.  So what is the difference between the two?  While Content Knowledge  is concerned with how to teach so that students can learn, Domain Knowledge is more about knowing about the specific field in order to be successful.

Diagnosis: Reading

Lipson's article in The Reading Teacher, "Diagnosis: The Missing Ingredient in RTI Assessment" is a common sense approach in the intervention process.  The big surprise here is that it had to be said--diagnosis should have been a part of RTI from the very beginning.  One question follows: How else are you going to determine what to do if you don't know what's wrong?

*Statements with which I totally agree ...
"All students deserve high-quality first instruction."

*Statements I know are true but I find to be unconscionable....
"...the school adopts a one-size-fits-all intervention...."
(But of course I know we all do this--it is just so unscrupulous!)

*Statements for which I am not sure if I agree...
"...instruction focused on the wrong thing not only does not help students, but it may actually be harmful." --Aside from the correlative conjunction error--of course it helps teachers if we know what's wrong in order to "fix" deficiencies.

Question: Why have too many students been identified as sped? Because interventions were not put in place to raise students' ability or...what? 

But the article ends with such a positive note.  Here is a recap of what the article says we should do...

Use the QRI-5 (or other assessment) to identify word recognition accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.

Determine if accuracy is affected by phonics decoding, sight word recognition, or both

Examine differences between/among results in comprehension, fluency, and word identification.

Use the student profile form to look at multiple measures to identify areas of concern

Determine if additional assessment is needed (i.e. miscues might warrant a modified miscue analysis or strong comprehension usually indicates that vocabulary is fine)

Determine instruction needed

In conclusion I would like to learn more about classroom interventions and good instruction.

What I've been reading....

Okay, so this isn't for class.  I just wanted to share what I've been reading so far this year.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.  Long but great.  I've love to talk to someone about it.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.  My fav.
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.  Good book.
The Lady of the Rivers by Phillipa Gregory.  Great Tutor tale.
The Art Thief by Noah Charney.  If you love art, this is a great story with mystery, suspense, and a twist!

Currently...
Almost finished with V is for Vengence by Sue Grafton.  I love her!
Just started Double Cross by James Patterson.
Re-reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (for the upteenth time--but I'm having my students read it so I do also.)

I know, a lot of fluff.  I'll get into the more serious books later this month.