Emily Metz
FRMS 7331
Double-Entry Journal Reading Aloud and Beyond Ch.1-2
Reading
1. Reading aloud only at primary
levels (p.1) Reading aloud a
variety of texts with students has
proven to be successful, yet it is
only primarily observed in grades
K-3.
2. Extrinsic rewards of reading
(p.3) Many reading programs and
educators connect reading with
extrinsic rewards, like points,
awards, bonus activities, etc. The
students become more consumed
with accumulating rewards than
experiencing the literature they
are reading.
3. Letting read aloud literature
guide curriculum (p.3-4) Instead
of following a strict curriculum,
teachers should use reading aloud
and the topics uncovered from the
texts to drive instruction. This
experience results in the
Thinking
As someone who has taught both at the
primary and secondary level, I can
support this with my own experience.
When I taught 4th grade, every
classroom in my school incorporated
some type of read aloud activity almost
every day. At the high school level, I
dont know a single classroom that does
it on a regular basis or for the purposes
described in this chapter. We read aloud
poems, articles, or pieces of our main
text, but I think most teachers do it
because they believe the students
wont read it on their own, not because
they are trying to develop an
experience alongside the students
driven by the literature.
As soon as I read this, I immediately
thought of all the people who
mentioned AR points in their
introductory letters, including myself!
AR points were such a driving factor to
push many to read as much as they did,
and for some I think it truly did help to
create a love for reading. I agree with
Serafini and Giorgis that these types of
rewards cause young readers to stray
away from reaping the aesthetic
experience from reading literature, but
I dont think I discredit those rewards
altogether. I think those types of
rewards are important especially for
children who dont see the immediate
value of reading, if the teacher doesnt
let the rewards be the end of their
reading journey.
For me, its a scary thought to not have
a detailed plan for my curriculum and to
just let the topics and themes that arise
from reading a piece of text help guide
the instruction, but I can see why this
would be so beneficial for students!
Sometimes the initial plans may not
curriculum being constructed with
the students, instead of just for the
students.
4. Professors conducting read
alouds (p.7) If professors are to
promote teacher candidates to
incorporate reading aloud in their
own classrooms, professors need
to model effective reading aloud
practices in their own instruction.
5. We read what we are exposed to
(p.10) Reading aloud offers an
invitation for students to discover
new titles, genres, and authors for
themselves, and often these
invitations will result in students
picking up similar texts in the
future. Likewise, teachers tend to
use materials they have learned in
previous experiences.
6. Authors as mentors (p.11) Not
only can reading aloud provide
excellent reading experiences for
students, but it can also introduce
address the needs of the students,
whether its the content or the
students interests. I think its scary
because there is so much pressure to
make sure students do well on
standardized tests, not just for them to
make sure they can promote to the next
grade but also because the scores can
affect a teachers career.
I find this way of thinking important in
all aspects of leadership: model the
practices you want to see in your
students/mentees. It reminds me of
how many lectures Ive watched where
the lecturer explains the value of
student-centered learning and
differentiation, yet uses a teacher-
centered approach with very little
differentiation to promote it. Just like
professors need to model what they
want their teacher candidates to do in
their own classrooms, teachers need to
model effective reading practices and
response strategies if they want their
students to utilize them as well.
Many of the texts I either want to
incorporate or have incorporated in my
classroom are ones that I have learned
in a previous class, introduced by a
fellow colleague, or have studied from a
previous teacher. My YA Lit class in my
undergrad introduced me to Walter
Dean Myers and Monster, which I knew I
had to introduce my students when I
learned about the community I teach in.
Not only is it important to realize the
impact educators have on what they
bring into the classroom, but its also
important for educators to realize the
responsibility they have to constantly
seek out new materials/literature/etc.
so that they can expand their own
knowledge library.
I love the idea of using literature as
mentor texts for writing! So often I feel
like I am teaching two separate subjects
when I teach reading and writing, but
students to strong writing
examples and provide mentor texts
that can help students with their
own writing skills.
there is so much potential when
combining them into one. I could review
a detailed PowerPoint about how to
correctly use parallel structure and
colons vs. semi-colons, but the students
tend to view it as a singular lesson and
struggle to apply it in their own writing
afterwards. If students not only see
their favorite author use those skills,
but also analyze the effect of using
specific writing techniques on the
overall story, students can start to
make real connections between writing
skills and communication of their
thoughts/ideas.