Chapter 14 WK

This chapter focuses on finding the right book. If you listen to children, you will see that they will tell you what they are motivated to read. I learned what features are important to reluctant readers in fiction and nonfiction.

What I found interesting about this chapter was how to sell the books to a reluctant reader. Reading aloud the beginning of a book will motivate the student to finish it at home. I was surprised to hear that if you don't have excitement in your voice while reading, the students will take this as a sign of a bad book. I like the idea of selling the book cover as motivation. We are always told to never judge a book by it's cover, but we all do. It's nice to see this being used. Last, I think it's important to familiarize students with a library. This is a good way to help develop lifelong readers.

Relevant Texts

This article is about what makes a book culturally relevant. Students do much better with culturally relevant stories because they can understand them better and in turn, become more engaged and want to read more. This may also help them understand who they are and where they come from. Readers find it more interesting to read a book that is familiar because their backgrounds can help them make inferences and predictions about the story.

I think it is a great idea to have a rubric that students and teachers can use to determine how relevant a book might be. Having books on all different races and different cultures will allow all students to feel important and valuable. It is important for children to be able to relate to characters and events in a story. They will be able to learn things about their culture that they otherwise would not of had the chance to.

Chapter 1 BK

This book is a highly researched study of children's understanding of the curriculum and education they receive. There is a very close connection with reading, writing, speaking, and listening. BK can act as a teacher's guide on reading instruction.

Learning to read is so important that an elementary school is judged on all student's reading success. The terms reading and literacy go hand in hand. Reading is the most important aspect in education in an elementary school. Literacy is important for critical and creative thinking and needed to participate in the real world. It is important to always continue to develop skills and strategies while engaging in text. It is also important for all teachers to be prepared and knowledgeable about the strengths and needs of their students.

Lit Circles

I have educated myself on Literature Circles by viewing some defining websites on the topic.

Being an extremely selective reader myself, I like that students choose their own reading materials. I think it's a good idea to form small groups of children who like the same books so they can discuss them and grow confident as readers. I also like that children take notes to guide themselves through the books and discussions. This seems to me like this exercise will help them to develop great reading skills and strategies. I think it would be fun to role play, create, and be involved in such an imaginative environment.