Teaching reading to 4th graders has been a rewarding and insightful journey, filled with both successes and areas for growth. Using the Performance Indicators of Competency 5, I have reflected on my instructional practices, student progress, and my own professional development. One of the biggest successes in my classroom was implementing evidence-based reading strategies that helped students improve their phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Through small-group guided reading, partner reading, and the use of graphic organizers, students demonstrated noticeable growth in their reading skills. I saw significant progress in phonemic awareness and phonics instruction, especially through Elkonin boxes for struggling readers and word study activities for word recognition. Fluency improved with partner reading and fluency tracking charts, while comprehension skills strengthened through graphic organizers, story maps, and text-dependent questions. Additionally, using leveled readers allowed me to differentiate instruction effectively, ensuring all students engaged with appropriately challenging texts.
While I saw many successes, I also identified areas where I need to improve to better support all learners. One challenge was ensuring that all students, including advanced readers, were consistently engaged with increasingly complex texts. To address this, I plan to implement more tiered assignments and literature circles, allowing students to engage in deeper discussions while reading at their level. Another area for growth is enhancing reading fluency for struggling readers, particularly with prosody and pacing. I aim to incorporate more reader’s theater, choral reading, and repeated readings to help students develop fluency in a fun, engaging way. Additionally, I need to improve my use of assessment data to make real-time instructional adjustments. By using formative assessments like running records and fluency rubrics, I can better track progress and tailor instruction to individual needs. Finally, while I implemented some ELL strategies, I want to provide more structured speaking opportunities to support oral language development and comprehension.
This experience has taught me valuable lessons that I will carry into my future classroom. I have learned that explicit and systematic reading instruction is essential for student success and that differentiation is key to meeting diverse learning needs. Teaching students self-monitoring strategies, such as using reading checklists and peer-assisted reading, fosters independence and confidence. Most importantly, I have seen that reading should be engaging and meaningful—when students connect with texts and see the purpose and joy in reading, they become more invested in their learning.
As a professional educator, I firmly believe that teaching reading and literacy is one of the most important responsibilities we have. Literacy is the foundation for all learning, and helping students become strong, confident readers opens doors to academic success and lifelong learning. Reading is more than just decoding words; it involves critical thinking, comprehension, and making connections across subjects and the real world. Strong literacy skills impact all areas of learning, from math (reading word problems) to science (understanding informational texts). Moreover, literacy is a tool for equity—every student, regardless of background or ability, deserves access to high-quality reading instruction.
Reflecting on my experience, I feel proud of my students’ progress and my growth as an educator. This experience has reinforced my dedication to evidence-based reading instruction and my continuous improvement as a teacher. While I celebrate my successes, I also recognize the areas where I need to grow and am committed to refining my instructional practices. Moving forward, I will strive to be more data-driven, incorporate more differentiated instruction, and create a literacy-rich environment where all students thrive. Teaching reading is not just about helping students pass assessments—it is about empowering them with the skills they need to succeed in all aspects of life.