I also liked how Collins discussed how reading is important in all environments, not just school Children need to be praised when reading so they develop a love for reading for enjoyment as well as for school. She also talked about how good literacy skills do not just include reading and writing, but also talking and listening. The latter are literacy skills that are the first to develop in children and it is important to remember these when teaching. These skills are important in literature circles and discussions.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Collins’ literacy ideas and will definitely take into effect her approaches to teaching literacy. Her mini-lessons especially were extremely easy to follow and seem totally do-able for young children.

          I feel like informal literacy discussions go on all the time in my placements, even in pre-k. The children love to talk about books they have been read and talk about pictures while flipping through a book. During book time in pre-k, the children willingly volunteer after the book is over to share comments and thoughts. Every comment shared is praised by the teacher – a technique I feel will help the shyer students when they encounter more formal literacy discussions in the future.

          While I like the idea of the student-led discussions, I feel like it will take some practice before students are ready to lead their own groups. Hypocritically, I just talked about the student-led discussions going on in my pre-k classroom! However, in this instance I feel that more formal discussions need to be teacher-led, student-centered until the students feel comfortable taking over a more authoritative role. Once students get an idea of how literacy discussions go and they understand the purpose behind them, they student-led discussions can be extremely beneficial. (In middle and high school I was the shy kid in the class. I hated to talk about books or my writing in front of the teacher. However, we he broke us into small groups I could not stop talking! Hopefully student-led discussions will help students like me who have lots of ideas but are too shy to talk in front of the whole class!)

          This concept sort of correlates with the book, Trading Cards and Comic Strips: Popular Culture Texts and Literacy Learning in Grades K-8, my group is reading in literature circles. The book discusses how teachers and administrators should be more lenient on what children read in and out of class, especially regarding pop culture texts. It argues that children are interested in reading comic strips, Pokemon, and Hannah Montana magazine articles, so why discourage that type of reading by seeing it as inferior to novels and other texts. The same can be said about other nonfiction texts. Obviously, children like reading nonfiction texts or 80% of the books they choose to read would not be this type of literature. From a young age, children need to be familiar and comfortable reading all different types of literature, including fiction, nonfiction, and even texts found on websites and cereal boxes. It is not what children read that is important, it is that they read!

          I really like the idea of Twin Texts. I think it is a great way to include different genres into the classroom and do it in a way that is relevant and exciting for the children. I remember my 4^th grade teacher using Twin Texts a lot in our classroom, especially when we learned about historical events. In my opinion using both nonfiction and fiction during literacy units makes what you are reading about that much more vivid and informative. The nonfiction provides you with facts and valuable information which you will then hold on to as you read a fiction text. It is also a great way to incorporate reading in other subjects such as science and social studies. Not to mention it pleases most children in the class who have a personal preference as to which type of literature they prefer to read.

To be perfectly blunt, I find the subject matter in kindergarten boring. I don’t know why I feel this way, it is not like I went into a kindergarten class with no idea of what to expect academically. I knew I would have to teach counting, the alphabet, phonics, etc. I just did not predict that I would become so impatient and bored while explaining it to children. In addition, I hate writing words in front of the kids phonetically, and not spelling them correctly. I understand the purpose of this, but I hate, hate, hate, writing “I rd hors on Satrda at te frm,” instead of “I ride horses on Saturday at the farm.” I feel like I am lying to them when they ask me if they are spelling everything right. Logistically, yes, phonetically you are doing a great job using the alphabet sounds and writing what you hear. But technically, everything is not spelled correctly. I just want to write the correct spelling above their paper and when I’m doing interactive writing, I want to spell it correctly on the board. It may seem like such a little thing, but it frustrates me to no end!

Finally, I really do enjoy seeing how much the children are growing and improving in such short amounts of time. It really is amazing to see how far they’ve come since the beginning of the year. However, the milestones they are reaching, like being able to write their name, do not make me as excited as I think they should for a kindergarten teacher. As much as I’m excited because they are excited, I keep thinking, “Now break out Charlotte’s Web and let’s discuss it!”

Want to know something interesting? I don’t feel this way in Pre-K. Maybe it is because they are still able to play and learn that way. Maybe it is because we don’t have formal writing lessons or math lessons. Everything is through activities and games. With that said, I do like being in front of the class or in small groups actually teaching a lesson. As long as what I am teaching excites me and therefore spreads off on the kids.

With all that, I am starting to believe that kindergarten isn’t for me. I feel I need the younger kids, infant-3/4 years or older kids, 2^nd grade-ish. As much as a teacher can like her children, if she doesn’t like what she has to teach then I think it will be hard for her to be a good teacher.

My favorite Invitation for the Classroom was on page 187. The activity is so simple yet I have never seen it before. It really is a great why to help students learn about syllables and sound blending. Picture cards like these could also be used to help students put together sentences. For instance, in my classroom our sight words for this week are “I,” “see,” “like,” and “a.” The teacher could take a picture of each child and make a card for them. That card would represent the word, “I.” Then, other cards could be made for each sight word and extra cards to represent nouns and/or verbs. The students could then put the cards together to make a sentence. From that they could write down the sentence they made.

In addition, I found the charts on page 182 and 183 really helpful in getting an overview of the basic reading and writing concepts students need to know at each grade level. It was nice to see it all laid out in one simple chart. Also, I liked the ideas for the reader/writer workshops for beginning readers. It is nice to have ideas that are easily adaptable for children of all strengths and abilities.

Flint did a great job of explaining how a strong literacy development should be started at a young age. Does a newborn baby understand and follow along when you read them Goodnight Moon. No. But reading to an infant lays the groundwork for future literacy development.

I think most people would be fascinated to observe in a well-run infant classroom. Those that run these classrooms are not just ‘babysitters.’ They are legit teachers just like elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Flint did a nice job of explaining the emergent literacy perspective that learning to read and write begins early in a child’s life. Infant classrooms are full of books, songs, and posters. Teachers read books to all the children in a group and individually everyday. By the time the child can move for themselves, they will go to the book shelf, choose a book, and ‘read’ it. Introducing such a positive correlation between children and books is the first step in literacy development.

Unfortunately, this type of enjoyment with literacy is dwindling down in preschool and kindergarten. There is so much emphasis on teaching children to read and write at such a young age that children are no longer being provided with the tool that teaches them the most: play.

While reading from the textbook seems a little boring to be now, I don’t remember not liking it. Maybe it was because that was all I had ever known. Every year in school, all the way through high school, you received a reading textbook and typically a writing notebook. You would read and answer questions, read and answer questions, read and answer questions…that was the name of the game! I will admit I was more intrigued and happy when we got to read novels. Most years students were divided into groups of less than 10 and they all read the same book. I’m guessing now we were divided based on reading level and not interest. However, the small group provided for nice discussion and looking back I remember how fascinated I was that the teacher knew exactly what was going on in each novel…I mean how could she read all those books when it took me weeks just to get through one!?! While all literacy programs have their shortcomings, some more than others, I feel like it is difficult to get to upset about a certain approach. For in a few years we will learn why that program isn’t working and why our kids still can’t read and begin a new one.

Collins’ chapter was interesting in regards to teaching reading and literacy throughout the school. Incorporating a mini-lesson here and there allows students to see how versatile it is and how important it is to every other aspect of school and life. I also appreciated how she mentioned that children should be allowed to read independently after choosing a book that they want to read. Maybe the book is not in their reading level, who cares! If it makes children interested an eager in reading then let them read whatever they want.

In my pre-K class we are still trying to teach alphabet identification. We have yet to talk thoroughly about letter sounds and phonics. However, we still have independent reading time everyday. Can the children actually ‘read’ the books they choose from the shelf? Probably not. But they love looking at pictures and creating their own stories to go along. We also have books on display in every center. The books typically change with the theme for the week, but there are always books related to building and construction in the block center, books about colors and shapes in the art center, etc. While not all the children look at the books, maybe they think they are just on display, it does help to convey the message that there are books on everything and reading is important everywhere you go.

          Anyways, of the four theories, the Bottom-up Theory/ Skills Model, the Top-Down Theory/ Whole Language Model, the Transactional Theory/ Reader Response Model, and the Critical Theory/ Four Resource Model, the first was definitely was the one that I would try to avoid. The concept of teaching literacy in the Bottom-Up Theory is logical and probably effective, however it does not appear to make reading and writing as enjoyable for students as it can be. While this theory is clearly laid out and simple to follow, it does not allow for individual attention and does not provide for much expansion beyond the text. If this is the only model students receive when they are learning to read, then I feel they will loose interest and see literacy as boring.

          On the other hand, the Top-Down theory provides much attention to individuals and does not focus on one system of events. Also, students are able to choose text that they are generally interested in reading. Yet again, this theory lacks an important value in my opinion. I believe that some reading strategies and skills need to be taught to students using an explicit and systematic focus. Structure and overall modeling is important in certain aspects of literacy that will need a predetermined sequence of lessons in order to help the child understand the concept.

          Finally, what I liked most about the last two theories is the connection between reading and the outside world. The Transactional Theory really focuses on exposing children to a variety of texts and showing them the importance literacy plays in their daily lives. This makes learning literacy less of a chore for children, for they can see the logistically needs of literacy from the beginning. Also, I liked the Critical Theory because it requires children to think outside the box. It teaches them from the beginning to challenge their text and see it from many perspectives. While in some aspects this theory might seem a little extreme for younger children, I think it is important to start young when teaching children about the connections and questions literacy brings.

          The Collins text really reiterated a concept that all education majors hear on a regular basis: even though you are teachers, you are still students. Teachers need to be aware and accepting that they are still learning. Not only about themselves as teachers, but about their students and about how to teach. Collins stressed the importance of forming a close professional bond with other teachers that you can use as resources for better teaching. Also, her suggestion about making your classroom a safe and consistent environment is an important factor that I seem to overlook. Children who feel comfortable in a classroom and safe to say what they need are more likely to take risks and challenge themselves in their education. I remember my high school biology teacher never said that anyone’s answer was wrong. If he would ask a question, no matter what you said he would find a way to help you re-word or guide you to the answer he was looking for. This technique always provided plenty of student involvement because no one felt like they would be embarrassed by saying something stupid. Also, setting high expectations for your students shows your students that you believe in them and you truly think if they work hard enough they will be able to reach even the highest goals. It says a lot to a student for their teacher to tell them they believe in them and know that they are smart and successful. Lowering expectations for students with discipline problems or slower learners, only shows them that you as the teacher do not think they can live up to their highest potential. This concept goes hand in hand with creating a safe environment for your students and letting them know that everyone is worthy and able.

            For one, it is not imperative that the reader know what autism is. Catherine briefly explains it in her narration, but even with that, the reader could replace autism with another disability and the overall theme and concept of the book would remain intact. However, the disability described in this book is autism, so a clearer understanding of that disability is beneficial while reading the book and connecting it to the outside world.

The author wrote the book based on her children, one of whom has autism. Cynthia Lord created an excellent novel that explores the world of disabilities and values the importance of acceptance. From the descriptions of David and his actions in the book, it appears as if he is still highly functioning. This was great for making David’s lines humorous and sweet, but the readers should still understand that autism is a spectrum. If an 8-year-old read this book, it might be confusing to them in the long run when they only have one view of what autism entails. While an 8-year-old does not need a complete lesson on autism, they should understand that autism, as well as all disabilities, rarely affect two people the same. Because of this, Rules would be a great book to read with older children and then create some correlation between their lives and the lives of people with disabilities. For instance, during or after a child reads this book, encourage them to volunteer with children who have disabilities. Unless they have a sibling with a disability they will never be in Catherine’s shoes; however, they can at least get a hands-on experiences of the challenges and rewards by sharing their lives with people who have special needs.

Another important message I got from this book is child-first language. This should be introduced to students before they even pick up the book. It is imperative to explain to children that David is not ‘autistic,’ but that he is a child who has autism. No person wants to be identified by their disability, and person-first language will help children understand that no matter what disability someone has, they are still people with feelings.