Reflection

ELNG 310 Portfolio Activity Week 9

Teaching Reading

Reflection

Why did you choose to include this activity?

Reading is a very important skill that all people use in their life. Teaching reading can be a challenge. When beginning to teach reading you need to start by learning letter sounds and work on simple words. When the students are just learning short words it is good to give them short little books that are repetitive, so they get the hang of books and reading at a low level. By having level reading books are also a good start for beginner readers. Having books that are at the student's reading level will increase their confidence. When learning to read practice is everything. Encouraging students to read at home with parents and read in their spare time will boost their skills. This activity reflected my own learning as I got to know about the many ways reading can be taught. There is not just one way to teach reading to students which I found very beneficial to learn and discuss.

What course goals does this activity connect to?

How can literacy learning theories be applied in the classroom (including the roles of the cueing systems in language and literacy learning)? When learning literacy the best way is to have multiple opportunities to get a better understanding of literacy and the world around. Literacy is worked on in all subject areas including social, health, band, and art (Edutopia, 2019). Books are a great way to expose children to literacy. Having a variety of books available for students to read is important because they all have different interests and levels they are reading at. Different levels of books with topics that are to the interests of the students will keep them engaged in what they are reading. When students are engaged they are more likely to enjoy reading (Crooks, 2021). Learning reading and writing in the classroom will strengthen an individual's literacy skills.

What course concepts/ideas are reflected in the activity? Include citations

When teaching reading there are many techniques that can be used. Reading needs to be worked on in the classroom every day to improve the student's literacy skills. Doing activities such as the Daily 5 would give students good exposure to many different kinds of reading and literacy (The Balanced Literacy Diet, 2017b). The Daily 5 consists of reading to self, reading to someone, listening to reading, writing and word work (The Balanced Literacy Diet, 2017b). By doing these 5 things every day in the classroom it will give students the basics of literacy. When reading fluency comes from understanding, so if the students know what the words are it will be easier for them to understand what they are reading (Reading Rockets, 2014). By breaking down words it allows children to get a better understanding of the word and the contexts it is used in. Once students understand many words they will have an easier time reading.

How has your thinking about the activity changed over the semester and/or what questions do you have about this activity?

Through this semester I have realized there are many ways to incorporate reading into the classroom. It is a good idea to use all the approaches and use them intertwined throughout the year so students are familiar with them all (Crooks, 2021). By giving students all these opportunities in the classroom their literacy will be enhanced. In my classroom, I will use as many reading techniques as I can so students get a wide variety of exposure. I have always known reading is a very important skill to learn and that I will have to teach it in the future. I learned so much about how to teach reading in a way that will be beneficial to my students. I have learned how important it is to focus on reading, and I know it will be a major focus in my classroom every year with my students!