Module 4: Reading Reflection

While reading chapters ten and eleven in Weaver’s text, I found that I had used several of the literacy programs that were discussed. Throughout my junior and senior year in undergrad, I completed my student teaching experience in every grade except for fourth. It was great experience to see a wide variety of grades as well as teaching strategies.  Throughout almost all of my placements, I was able to complete a read-aloud with my students. As a student teacher, my students loved being able to listen to a story and predict what was going to happen next. Even if it was a busy day with hardly any extra time, I was able to manage to squeeze in a few minutes here and there to read to my students before lunch and even when my students were about to leave to go home. Some of my fondest elementary school memories were when my teachers took time out of the day to read us a story. Another literacy program that I used was the shared reading strategy. I completed this with the kindergarten class that I was placed in during my junior year. I was able to gather big books from the school library to read to the children during calendar time. First I would read the book aloud to the students and during the second reading, I pointed to words and the students would chime in. After reading the story a few extra times, several of the students were able to recite “the common text.” The students were then given the opportunity to read that particular story during one of their literacy centers.

During my third grade placement, I found that several of my students loved being able to read together during silent reading time. Often time’s I allowed students to sit in the hallway and read together if they had completed their work early. This allowed them to see reading as a benefit rather than a chore. Throughout the entire school year in my third grade class, we had literature groups. I was seen as rather a facilitator and the students were able to take turns reading different parts of the story. After reading the text, the students would then begin a discussion amongst themselves as to what occurred in the story. After reading these two chapters, I was amazed as to how many literacy programs I have seen take place. I look forward to having a classroom of my own in order to put these literacy programs into place.