My Reading Philosophy
Reading is essential to success in life. It is important for teachers to be effective in the way they teach reading instruction to their students. If they are passionate about reading, they can impart this passion to their students. Teachers have a huge impact on the reading success of their students. To be a literate individual, one must learn to read and write. If an individual is illiterate, they will be at a great disadvantage. Reading and writing is a part of our daily lives. Teachers are crucial to their student’s success in reading, and it is the teacher’s responsibility to do everything they can to ensure success. According to Reutzel and Cooter (2009), the term reading refers to “a set of print-based decoding and thinking skills necessary to understand text.” Reading defined more broadly “encompasses the learning of a complex set of skills and knowledge that allows individuals to understand visual and print-based information.” Reutzel and Cooter (2009) state that being literate is an essential part of being a productive citizen. They also say, “The ability to read is a key factor in living a healthy, happy, and productive life.” There are many advantages of literacy and disadvantages of illiteracy. If an individual is literate, they are able to put into effect their democratic rights as citizens. On the other hand, if one is illiterate, they will not be able to take advantage of all the government has to offer. Being illiterate is also considered a national health risk. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has placed “the inability to read on the nation’s list of “life-threatening diseases”” (Reutzel and Cooter, 2009, p. 5).
In my classroom I will have an extensive library that will include varied titles, genres, and levels of books. I will place them in bins, which are clearly labeled, and the covers of the books will all be facing out so the children can flip through them easily. I will also have posters clearly displayed on the walls that either the students helped create, or were discussed as a class when they were placed on the wall.
In my classroom I will have an extensive library that will include varied titles, genres, and levels of books. I will place them in bins, which are clearly labeled, and the covers of the books will all be facing out so the children can flip through them easily. I will also have posters clearly displayed on the walls that either the students helped create, or were discussed as a class when they were placed on the wall.
Teachers have an enormous impact on the lives of their students, and as a teacher, it is my responsibility to help my students succeed. Ensuring my students success means teaching them to read, because reading is such an important part of life. It is my goal to pass on my passion of reading to my students. If they can read, then they can succeed, and I will do everything in my power to ensure their success. I desire to be the most effective teacher I can possibly be.
The 5 Essential Components of Reading
The 5 essential reading concepts that should be taught to students are concepts of print, alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and the alphabetic principle.
Concepts of Print
Concepts of print include knowing the difference between words and nonwords, print can appear by itself or with pictures, print corresponds to speech, word for word, words are read from left to right on a page, and that lines of text are read from top to bottom on a page (Blevins, 2006, p. 21). These are important because if students do not learn these, they will not be able to read or understand any text. In my classroom I will read aloud to my student’s daily, as well as having discussions with them to make sure they comprehend the material. I will also have large books so the entire class can see the text, and follow along as I read. To assess my students in the concepts of print, I will use the 3-second rule, and the letter-naming test. I will also ask them questions about reading and the book format before they actually begin reading aloud.
Alphabetic Knowledge
As a teacher, teaching alphabet knowledge, I will use the sandpaper letters used in Montessori school programs. I will begin by going over each letter in the front of the class. We will talk about each letter, and then I will pass them around the classroom. The students will then be instructed to say the letter when it reaches them, trace it with their fingers, and write it on their paper. I will assess them by getting them to number their paper, and saying each letter of the alphabet in random order, and they will be instructed to write the letter I say. I believe this would be an effective way to teach alphabetic knowledge to students who are unfamiliar with it, and it’s a great hands-on approach.
Phonological Awareness
“Phonological awareness is a broad term that includes phonemic awareness. In addition to phonemes, phological awareness activities can involve work with rhymes, words, and syllables, and onsets and rimes” (Armbruster, 2008, p. 3). It is important to reading success because if students don’t have phonological awareness they can’t read or spell. The approach I will use in my classroom to teach phonological awareness will be fun and playful. I will use music, and definitely make it enjoyable so the students will want to learn. I will assess the student’s phonological awareness by having them to break their name apart into syllables, and by telling me the first sound in a word.
Phonemic Awareness
According to Armbruster (2008), “Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds-phonemes in spoken words.” It is a predictor of reading success because is it important for students to be able to manipulate sounds in words, so they can read with accuracy. In my classroom, I will use elkonin boxes, and chips to help the student sound out words, and will assess this by giving the a test with the boxes, but no chips, and getting them to break the words apart into the boxes.
Alphabetic Principle
The alphabetic principle is simply, letters stand for certain sounds (Belvins, 2006, p. 21). This is important because to be able to read, children need to understand that letters actually have certain sounds. I will assess this by holding up letters and getting the students to say the sound the letter makes.
