Sunday, November 16, 2008

Chapter 5: Reading Assessment

After reading this chapter I really felt like there were vast improvements I can make in terms of reading instruction and assessment in my classroom.

When I first began teaching I felt this huge conflict between giving time in class to read independently and teaching the curriculum. I tried everything to get kids to take books home and read independently. It just seemed like none of my students were really readers and it killed me. I eventually gave up having students read independently in class because I felt that I needed to provide more of the required curriculum.

I think what I have taken from this chapter more than anything is that reading is ANY form is hugely important for second language learners. However, not all books and text are appropriate to second language learners.

When I was in college I was assigned to tutor a young man who had recently come to Wisconsin from Rwanda. He had arrived about a month before I began working with him and his story was unbelievable. He was 15 and had spent years separated from his family and moving from refugee camp to refugee camp. His family, believing he was dead, had been sponsored to come to Wisconsin and left Rwanda immediately. About a year after their arrival in Wisconsin they received a phone call telling them that their son had been found and that they wanted to send him to join his family as soon as possible.

The young boy landed in Platteville, Wisconsin of all places. My job was to tutor him three times a week and to help him get through his English classes. I was very surprised and dismayed after our first meeting. The school had decided to put him in English classes based solely on his age and not his ability level. The book that the students in that classes were reading was To Kill a Mockingbird. I really was surprised that this student was reading the book to begin with and even more surprised when the teacher saw nothing wrong with a students, with little or no English base reading a book steeped in Southern culture and language. The student’s task was to read the chapter and then answer comprehension questions about what he read.

I wished I could transport myself back to that moment. I knew that this book was not the best book for this student but didn’t feel that I had the authority to tell the teacher how they should be handling this student or what it is they should be doing with him. The student and I struggle through an entire quarter of this book and tried quite hard to get through it.

One thing I also took from this chapter is that it is okay to change up the reading activities in a class. Right now I do Literature Circles in my class and the response has ranged from positive to negative. I do feel that the Literature Circles are extremely valuable in my classroom. The required journal entries ask for a personal reaction, prediction and reflection on the discussion. In addition to the journal responses, students are asked to complete a job that focuses on one particular aspect of reading. Although I really like Literature Circles I realize now that there are a many more ways I can approach reading in my classroom and provide students with an opportunity to discover books more.

I really want to take a couple of steps back in my reading classroom and begin by giving students a self-assessment. I never really have done this and I’m kind of kicking myself right now that I have no idea what types of books some of my students like. I have one student, in particular, who never really seems to like ANYTHING we read in class. A self-assessment seems to be such an easy way to find this out about him.

I also have gotten so many other ideas for integrating independent reading into my classroom. Students need to have an opportunity to talk, in some fashion, about what they are reading. Literature Circles accomplish that but I also see the importance of personal choice in reading material. Since we have just finished up our first whole Literature Circle book I am going to allow students the time and space to read more independently.

I realize now that when my students lay around on the floor reading that there is something important happening. What we need to do as teachers is to find ways and opportunities for students to talk about what they are reading and to respond to the text.

I also really like the idea of reading portfolios in my classroom. I would love students to have a way to showcase what it is they are reading and to give them an opportunity to showcase their reading for others.

2 comments:

languagemcr said...

Variety can make a huge difference. I really like how reflective you are. I look forward to hearing the changes you make.
Marilee

Theresa Prince said...

Hey Erin,
In observing high school students in my school, I see the reading teacher allowing students to read in the hallways. Like yours, they like to lay on the floor comfortably to read silently, take turns reading in small groups, or follow reading while listening to a reading tape. I don't know about our students reading at home, but my grandson and I take turns reading now and then to keep up our interest in reading.