Current Conditions And Desired Conditions

My early reading experiences reflect the history that Vogt and Shearer (2011) describe in the first chapter of Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches in the Real World. The basal reading programs of the 1970s and 1980s included “leveled readers, phonics activities, and a great deal of comprehension skill practice, usually found on the pages of the accompanying workbooks. The programs also included highly structured, detailed teacher’s guides, with different lesson plans for each of the three instructional groups” (Vogt & Shearer, 2011, p.13).

he most fundamental responsibility of schools is teaching students to read. Indeed, the future success of all students hinges upon their ability to become proficient readers. Recent scientific studies have allowed us to understand more than ever before how literacy develops, why some children have difficulty, and what constitutes best instructional practice. Scientists now estimate that fully 95 percent of all children can be taught to read. Yet, in spite of all our knowledge, statistics reveal an alarming prevalence of struggling and poor readers that is not limited to any one segment of society:

There were three sentences in her sample to retell the story related to the text and all were structured in the same way, the sentence beginning then in the text it says and then evidence given from the text. The student does not get a chance to voice her opinion or provide stronger descriptive words. During reading partners the student is working on retelling mainly the gist of the stories along with learning to sequence and this is then portrayed within her writing. During the retell of many stories, she is able to summarize in words everything she read, when asked to write this sequence down the student is unable to fully and complete write the words without the sentence stems and evidence from the text.

The class as a whole displayed an overall understanding of identifying the main idea and informational illustrations as well as sequencing events correctly in a non-fictional text. A total number of ten students mastered all learning objectives. Seven students were able to meet almost all learning objectives but did provide the appropriate criteria. The seven students all displayed a common error by not providing illustrations for at least five events. One student was unable to master one or more of the learning objectives. The one student who was unable to meet the requirements did not sequence events in the correct order and provide the required illustrations. The student was able to determine the main idea by providing an appropriate title

Reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information which is essential in being a productive member of society. If and when a student missed an opportunity to learn the skills necessary for reading, it’s has a profound impact on their lives. As educators we realize that teaching all children to read requires that every child receive excellent reading instruction. We are also aware that children, who are struggling with reading must receive

Just as the needs of students vary teachers methods of instruction should vary. Meeting the literacy needs of students should be done through a wide variety of instructional strategies that meet the needs of students and meet the requirements of a balanced literacy program. The following information shares 12 instructional procedures to be used in a third grade classroom. The procedures are from the Tompkins’ Compendium shared in the text Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach (6th ed.).

For the statements, “I enjoy reading books and I think reading is very important,” Student N circled thumbs-up. This reflects that the student has a positive attitude when it comes to reading. Student N also circled a thumbs-up for the statement, “I enjoy reading at home.” I asked the student if they read a lot at home and they responded with, “I don’t really read a lot at home. I like video games and watching TV.” I was interested in when or if the student reads at home and what they liked about it. Student N talked about how they enjoy reading bedtime stories sometimes. By their response, I could tell that they preferred reading at home when It involved another family member versus reading on their own. The student also gave thumbs-up responses to “I think I’m a good reader and I don’t have a problem finding books to read.” Student N seems confident in their reading and is aware of what they enjoy reading.

Last but not least, when a student is reading, he or she will lose his or her train of thought if the teacher interrupts to ask a question. The students forget what they just read and want to quit because they feel like they won’t get the gist of the story. Children are required to read at home whether it is a reading assignment from the teacher or a nice bedtime story

The third instrument that I will use will be student summative assessment data in relation to how effective students transition from one level to the next with and without built in intervention to the SRA program all the way through to grade level reading.

Review of Catalina’s fifth grade report card indicates that she met or exceeded grade level expectations in mathematics, science, as well as social studies her first term. However, she struggled in most of her reading and writing skills. Catalina met grade level expectations in acquiring and utilizing varied vocabulary, implementing strategies taught through mini-lessons and conferences, spelling, and writing effort. In contrast, Catalina needed guidance in the areas of reading with fluency and expression, using self-monitoring strategies to support comprehension, critically evaluating texts at instructional level, and reading independently for an appropriate period of time. In writing, she struggled to demonstrate mastery of capitalization,

Children can take more than one of these steps at the same time. This list of steps, though, gives you a general idea of how your child will progress toward reading.” (Helping your child become a reader) While these ideas may seem structured, it is also important to allow children to be creative and use their imagination. Although reading is imperative, too many arrangements and rules can turn a child off and lead to feelings of resentment, anger, and resistance. Reading should be set to the tone and pace of the child.

The curriculum for reading with a group of second grade students is, teaching the students how to interact with the text by asking questions and answering those questions. Having the students learn how to ask “who, what, when, where, why, and how” is the first step for new readers to understand what they are reading. The students are learning how to pick out the key ideas and details within the story to help fully understand the concept and meaning behind the writers words. Students need to be able to describe what they are reading and pay attention to the story’s plot. Second grade students now have the ability to understand the reason behind the characters actions within the stories that they read. This short story in particular serves the purpose of learning how to pick out the key ideas and details for new readers.

Families are often encouraged to provide a variety of reading material for their children, especially at an early age, to give children plenty of options when learning how to read. When children are provided with a variety of reading material at home, they see that a high value is placed on reading. If parents value reading at home, children tend to value it also, and the more a child is encouraged to read at home, the more they will want to engage in reading in general. By being involved in their child’s reading development, parents can give their children a firm foundation to reading prior to entering grade school which will lead to a lifetime of reading enjoyment and

The failure of students being able to read and comprehend what they are reading is a great concern for most schools. When students enter the fifth grade and are not on grade level, they are already behind their classmates. Teachers are then responsible for remediating the students to get them on grade level. Unfortunately, these same students are unable to keep up with on grade level standards teachers are required to teach, because they lack the skills needed. These students will continue to struggle throughout their education because they will not be able to catch up to their grade level. Many educators have realized there is a gap between fluency and comprehension. Because of this realization, special instruction such as guided reading and remedial teaching has been implemented.

In this information–driven age, preparing students to read a variety of texts with complete understanding should likely be one of our educational system’s highest priorities. Understanding is more than just the ability to produce information on demand (knowledge) or the ability to perform learned routines (skills). “Understanding is the ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows.” (Active Learning Practice for Schools, n. d.) A review of the literature in the area of reading comprehension of elementary-age students shows two principle areas of focus. There is a body of literature that examines the development of proficient vs. struggling comprehenders and another body of literature that compares methodologies for teaching