Kaylee Foster’s April Blog: Routman (2003), Chapter 8: Teach Comprehension

This chapter does a great job in breaking down what it takes to teach comprehension and to be successful at it. Routman makes a great point that if we want the end result to be comprehension then comprehension must be our starting point. As I step back and look at my own personal teaching I know that I focus on comprehension a lot but I wouldn’t say that is where I begin (more specifically with my lower reading group). With my lower group of readers I spend a significant amount of time on fluency and word calling. Although we do stop to make connections, predictions, inferences, ask questions, etc. I know that I could spend more time on this. Routman stated that “they learn to read the words, but by the time the focus shifts to comprehension, they have lost years of knowing what real reading is about”. That statement alone was an eye opener for me and absolutely breaks my heart. I don’t want a day to go wasted for my students to know the true joys of reading.

The million dollar question is what is the right way to teach comprehension? Routman starts with balancing explicit instruction with lots of time for application. We do not want to hold our students back by giving too much instruction. They still need more time to apply it. The key processes that we as educators need to focus on is predicting, questioning, creating images, seeking clarification, and constructing summaries. Routman also points at that the strategies we teach should not be individualized but rather strategic reading. I absolutely love how Routman states “effective strategy instruction is about developing readers who actively and independently monitor and regulate their own comprehension”. In other words if we are teaching comprehension the right way we will see the result of this.

            The first question that popped into my head was, how can my lower level readers possibly do all of these things if they struggle over words or specific concepts? As I continued reading Routman had an answer to this, the suggestion was to use text that are easy enough and meaningful enough to support comprehension. It may take work on the teacher’s part to find the best books that will support comprehension but the end result will be priceless. Routman also states that “if students are reading for understanding, they should know 95 percent or more of the words they encounter”. This brings me back to my original question. If I have five students who struggle with any book that is put in front of them (the simple sight words even). What should the focus be? I am not disagreeing with the fact that comprehension should be embedded from day one but when you have readers who still need to learn words like I, the, at, etc. More time is going to be dedicated to teaching the words with comprehension mixed with in. Often times we stop and discuss even after we have read just one sentence because sometimes that one sentence takes us five minutes to read. We will stop, discuss, and recap what that sentence was actually telling us. Routman states that “we need to use common sense in the amount of time we spend teaching fluency”. This is so true, obviously I don’t focus on fluency nearly as much with my middle and high level group. This goes back to there is a time and a place for everything. Teaching fluency is a must with my low level group but I will strive to embed teaching comprehension even more in this group specifically.

Kaylee Foster- March Blog- Routman (2003): Chapter 6 & 7 Plan for and Monitor Independent Reading/ Make Assessment Instruction’s Working Partner

I love the way Routman stated that “Just adding more time and space for independent reading is not enough…I’m advocating a carefully designed, structured reading program that includes demonstrating, teaching, guiding, monitoring, evaluating, and goal setting with voluntary reading of books students choose.” I don’t think this could have been stated any clearer or in a better way. IR is not just a time for students to go and read what they choose. It is so much more than that! We as educators need to be conferencing/goal setting daily with our students. Teachable moments will arise and teachers should take advantage of every single one of them. I personally do our IR time for the first forty minutes of class. I know that mornings are crazy and the responsibilities of the teacher doesn’t go away just because of IR time. However, I have had to learn that it will be okay if my lunch count is a little bit late- I cannot tell you how many times they have had to call and remind me to send the lunch count because I was in the middle of conferencing and lost track of time…but guess what, the cafeteria ladies have a very forgiving heart because they haven’t stopped loving me.

Making all of the things that come along with IR time a priority is key. One of my students the other day was reading the book There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow and she became so excited when I came and sat beside her because she knew she was going to have “her personal” time with the teacher. She started off the conversation by saying “Ms. Foster are you ready to be cold because this is the feeling you will get when I read this to you”? By the end of the conference I had not only gained knowledge on how much this specific reader had grown since the previous conference but I saw that she had gained so much confidence in her reading. The feeling I got was indescribable.  Independent Reading time is great BUT without the conferencing that goes along with it teachers will miss out on these unforgettable moments.

In Chapter: Make Assessment Instruction’s Working Partner Routman talks about the importance of giving an assessment to benefit the student or don’t give one at all.  Unfortunately, there are things that are out of our circle of control like standardized tests but we can make the most of the assessments that we give our students. Routman suggests that we ask ourselves the following questions when evlauting the assessments that we are giving.

1.    Is this a valid and useful assessment?

a.   For this students at this time?

b.   For our curriculum and standards?

c.    To inform my teaching?

d.   To share with the student?

2.    How am I using this assessment:

a.   To note and celebrate the student’s strengths?

b.   To build on those strengths?

c.    To note weaknesses?

d.   To inform and determine my instruction?

e.    To help the student become more competent?

f.     To teach what the student needs to know next?

3.    What goals am I setting?

a.   For myself as a teacher?

b.   For the student?

c.    With the student?

4.    Who else do I need to inform?

a.   The principal?

b.   Parents?

c.    Support Personnel?

Routman makes a great point, that we should make assessments and evaluations a part of our daily routine whether it is an informal or formal assessment. Most of us are already doing this and may not even realize it. A great informal assessment would be the reading conferences that are conducted each day. The formal assessments should be things that are worth the time that it takes to administer it. There is only so much time in a day and if we are giving pointless assessments to just “get” grades, yet it doesn’t provide us with information on what step to take next then we are not benefiting our students the way we should be. When creating assessments we should consider the questions that Routman suggested.

Spiller Gregory's December Post

 Miller's Section 2 " Why Not? What Works?"

The argument for Independent Reading (IR) seems to center around limited instructional time and management of IR with different reading levels in the same classroom.  However, the author states that studies prove the theory that time spent reading independently in school translates to positive academic performance.  Miller then shows us  that the Common Core State Standards explicitly call for students to "read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently". Whereas the standards do not state that IR must occur during the school day, it does make Ir a requirement at all grad levels.  So, that leads us into best practices for effective IR.  Students need to be able to choose material of their own interests, have classroom time to read, have access to a variety of texts, to be able to talk about what they are reading, to have an environment in which they are able to spend much time daily reading, and to have teacher monitoring, support, instruction about the reading process, and assessment.  I found this article to be very beneficial  as it focused on IR activities, such as small-group instruction.  This was found to be particularly beneficial for striving readers as they do need more support than above average and average readers.  I also think that having students to respond/reflect in the small groups about what they are reading really positively affects student comprehension.  

Kristin Humphries December Blog Post 5: You Only Have So Much Time

          I have to say that this is the first saying that many people express when they are thinking of all the things that they have to do, “You only have so much time.” As a mom, wife, and a teacher I can truly say that my time is spent on things that are the most important. It’s hard sometimes to step back, evaluate, and then choose which things that are the most important. For me, everything seems important. Especially when you feel that everything in your life deserves all of your attention. When I read this chapter by Routman, I read some very productive ways to use the time that I have with my students.

Routman advocates many helpful ways to use our time with students. She explains that we should make every moment count. For students to become better readers they need the opportunity to “spend most of reading time reading connected texts (Routman, p.205).” She also explains that students work well when they are actively engaged, like collaborating during a group project. She recommends that teachers need to look at our schedules to see if we can add more time for teaching and learning. Routman suggests that students should have time to reflect each day. When teachers reflect and then grow as educators, we pass on our love of learning to our students.

Kim Plexico: December Blog 5: Routman- Chapter 4- Teach with a Sense of Urgency

In the chapter, Teach with a Sense of Urgency, Regie Routman states the importance of making every moment in the classroom count.  It’s a simple statement and one that I like as a mission statement for life in general!  As teachers we are always mindful of where our students need to go during the school year and how little time we have to get them there.  With this in mind, we are constantly analyzing what we do in the classroom in order to make the needed changes to help our students to achieve their highest potential.  The key ingredient is student engagement!  We support students “in becoming more self-sustaining, thoughtful, independent readers and writers by spending time with shared and independent reading.”  The instruction consists of what kids need and not on the components of a literacy program.   Over time, I have gotten away from making class books with my students.  We write and make books, but mostly as individuals.  The author talked about making books as a shared writing activity and then using the class book to create a book to use during guided reading and word work activities.  I plan on using this in January with my students during our study of the Arctic.  I have been creating books to read and I like the idea of the students helping to create the book for the unit.  By using this model for book making, I will use the plan as denoted on page 44 in the book where you use Demonstration, Shared Demonstration, Guided Practice, and Independent Practice.  As kindergartners, it is so true that they “need strategies, confidence, and knowledge to continue learning on their own.”  Within the Literacy Block, the students have opportunities to develop their language which is also a key ingredient to becoming a reader. The author states “language play, hearing lots of stories, and reading and writing stories and poems are essentials to children becoming readers.” By reading with young children and promoting productive talk about the stories, the children have better language development than those children without these opportunities.  I use “turn and talk” in the classroom a lot in order to give the children a chance to develop oral language, vocabulary, and comprehension.  As a rule, the author says that the students should engage in reading 80% of the time and writing 20% of the time.  She also cautions us as teachers not to “overdo it”!  In conclusion, she reminds us that “only by teaching all of our students with a sense of urgency and joy can we hope to challenge them in appropriate and meaningful ways.” That is my goal for the new year~ to engage students in meaningful ways and bring the joy back to their learning.