#4 Reading Response

I enjoyed the reading in Clay this week. On page 24, it says, "For learning to occur it is very important to ensure that the difficulty level of the reading material presents challenges from which the child can learn and not difficulties that disorganize what he already knows." I am reminded that some of my struggling readers need access to texts that they can be successful with in order to grow as a reader. My classroom has a lot of books, all different genres and reading levels. However, some of my struggling readers are beginning to really notice that they aren't able to read some chapter books like their peers. I have noticed that one reader in particular has been keeping a very large chapter book that is far beyond her independent or even instructional level. She is aware that she cannot read the same books but it has become important to her to "show" others that she can by keeping a harder, bigger text in her book bin. I have talked to her about finding good fit books, but she says that she likes to try the hard books anyway. I let her, but I make sure that I encourage her to read some of the books that she can truly grow from rather than becoming completely frustrated :)

I am excited to administer the Concepts About Print observation survey. This seems like a wonderful tool to use for those kids who are new to print. If I were a kindergarten teacher, I'd definitely use this. I can see how it's important to practice a few times though.

After reading chapter six of Gillet, I am reminded of the importance of the anticipatory set of a lesson. I know very well that it is so important to get students hooked and engaged at the beginning of a lesson, but I sometimes find that I do not put enough energy into this as I should. If my lesson has a purpose, I better arouse my students' interest so that the lesson can be more meaningful.

Heading into the school week, I plan to continue DRA assessments. They are so time consuming! The 1st and 2nd grade teachers got a sub so that they could do their assessments. It's definitely something I am considering! I might even do the QRI, though I don't like how there's only a measure of grade level. The DRA is so specific, beginning 3rd, middle 3rd, and end of 3rd grade. It's so much more detailed it seems. On the other hand, I think the questions on the QRI assessment tell more about the raw comprehension than it does on the DRA. I'm thankful that I at least have access to both the DRA and QRI.