Catching Readers Before They Fall [Chapters 5 & 10]

A Comprehensive Literacy Framework

Being a positive, supportive teacher is what I strive to be in the future.  I want to help students reach their fullest potential and allow them to accomplish their goals independently.  We have discussed different strategies to help students with their reading and writing skills in and outside of the classroom.  I think it is important to teach students different ways to practice and improve their literacy.  In chapter 5, it is emphasized that reading to, with, and by children will be most beneficial for beginning readers and is an easy way to introduce the different comprehension strategies.  By incorporating different activities such as:

·       Read-Aloud

·       Shared Reading and Interactive Read-Aloud

·       Guided Reading

·       Independent Reading

·       Community Writing

·       Independent Writing

students who are learning to read or want to improve their literacy skills will enjoy it more when given different opportunities of practice.  Depending on the grade level, you could split the students into groups and have them focus on different lessons.  However, I also think that as you get into the upper grades, students should spend more time independently and will require more one on one time if they are struggling with a specific skill. 

Students shouldn’t spend a lot of time struggling and getting frustrated on something that could be easily solved.  It is important to recognize and know when our students need a little guidance and help.  There should be explicit instruction and plenty of time to “catch” the students “before they fall.”