Classroom Libraries

Routman Chapter 5: Does your placement have a classroom library? How is it organized? What are the strengths in this organization and what are the limitations? Are there any changes you would make?

There is a classroom library in my placement. However, I don’t think it’s a fantastic one…

It is organized by reading level (Guided Reading Levels) and the kids know which baskets they can choose books from and which they can’t. I think they are allowed to pick books from their level and below, but never above! I don’t think this necessarily a good way to organize a library because it could make some students at the lower levels feel embarrassed. One of its major limitations is that kids aren’t thinking about how to choose a “just right book”, they just go the bin with their level labeled on it and pick any book. Maybe they would be able to read a higher level book if it was a topic they were interested in or something they had some background knowledge on, but they are not even given the chance to do this.

Another problem I see with the library is that there are a lot of really old books in it. Some books look like they have been there since I was in 5th grade (some them I even remember reading in 5th grade). I do think it’s good to have well-loved books but there comes a time when they books are just too out of date and need to be taken out of the classroom library.

One thing I really like about the library is that my teacher tries to have complete series that the kids like to read. She has many different series and has almost every book in the series! I have seen libraries where there is the first or second book or even just random books from a series. Sure it is a good way to get kids into a series, but I think they should also be able to finish a series (with book from school) once they start it. My teacher does a good job at making sure her students have this opportunity!

Writing

Writing Essentials Chapter 1: Consider the writing essentials listed on page 13. What is your response to these, as a writer and as a teacher? Which do you think are easy, and which are challenging? Does one strike you as being particularly powerful or problematic?

As a writer this list seems overwhelming! How is someone supposed to think about ALL those things at once and still get something down on paper? As it turns out, these are things that come naturally when writing about something that interests us. We don't even have to think about it, it just happens. Looking at the list as a teacher is a little different. It is still overwhelming, but in a different way. It makes me wonder how to go about teaching these things to our students. It doesn't make sense go through each one individually because they all need to be used together in order to produce a good piece of writing. However, it is a lot to focus on at once! There has to me a middle ground somewhere...

I think the easiest one is writing for a specific reader. Depending on the type of assignment, the reader should be pretty easy to determine. If the assignment is to write a letter, then the reader is whoever the letter is written to. If the assignment is a persuasive paragraph, the reader is mom who you are trying to convince to buy you that cool new video game for your birthday. Determining the reader is easy when you give students assignments where they are writing for a specific, meaningful, purpose. I think the hardest one is embracing language. Voice is up there too, but it students are writing for an authentic purpose, their voice will naturally come through in their writing. Embracing language is something that can seem forced. For example, if a student is very concise in the way they speak and just the way they are, it will be difficult and maybe even unnatural for them to experiment with language. It's just not who they are. It's still a skill they need to learn, it just would be more difficult to master.

Writing Essentials Chapter 2: "All students, especially those who begin school with limited literacy skills, need to think of themselves as readers and writers, see the processes as meaningful, and have positive attitudes about literacy before they can successfully engage in literacy practices" (p. 34). How do you respond to this quote? What connections can you make between this quote, your field placement, and/or your own experiences?

Students need to feel confident enough in themselves to take risks. Learning to read and write are HUGE risks to take! There are a ton of mistakes to be made before becoming a fluent reader or becoming a great writer. If students do not see themselves as readers and writers and/or do not have positive attitudes about reading and writing, they will not be willing to take the risks. Above that, the reading and writing they are being asked to do must be meaningful. If it's not, they will be even more unwilling to risk learning how to do it. When writing, especially, has meaning it will give the student more confidence because they will be passionate about it and maybe won't care as much if they "mess up". I have felt unconfident about my writing many times in the past. I could never think of a good way to start anything! It had to be perfect before I could move on which sometimes led me to just give up. Even now I have to really think about where I am heading before I begin writing. My reading experience has been different. I hated reading as a kid! I would choose to do ANYTHING rather than pick up a book. It didn't help that I was (and still am) a really slow reader. Thinking back on it, I never read for pleasure. I was so busy with other activities (mainly gymnastics, then theatre) that I only had time to read the books assigned to be form school. Once I was in college and had a bit more free time, I discovered how enjoyable reading could be. I relished the opportunity to live in someone else's world for a while. Until that point, reading held no meaning or purpose for me which caused me to hate doing it.

Writing Essentials Chapter 3: Routman asks us to examine our lives as writers so that we can more authentically and effectively teach writing. She poses four questions on page 41 for us to explore. Consider these questions and write a response about your writing process and yourself as a writer.

When I write, I have to think about where I am heading. I usually have a general idea so I can get started, then I refine it sentence by sentence as I go. When I don't have another thought, I re-read what I have so far. Doing this usually refocuses my attention and the next thought comes easily. During my re-reading I revise and edit if I find mistakes or things I don't like. By the time I am finished, I have probably read my work at least 5 times already (depending on how long it turns out to be.) When I am writing a bigger piece, I do this process paragraph my paragraph. Once I am satisfied with one paragraph I don't include it in the re-reading again. Once I am completely finished, I will re-read the entire thing (short and long pieces) a few times to make sure my spelling and grammar are correct; to make sure everything sounds right and makes sense. If I am stuck on a certain part and can't quite figure out how to make it sound right, I will read it out loud an few different way until I find the one that works. In general, my method of writing is to revise and edit as I go.