In the comment section below, share at least one "aha" moment (evidence) and "why." Read comments by other group members and respond to posts by at least two other teachers.
One "AHA" moment I had was when they were talking about a little kiddo named Kevin." Kevin helped us see that comprehension is about understanding ideas,not just in text, but in the world." This sentence really made me realize that I always knew this was important, but I personally need to hit harder on it. I know that in sfa I am always pushing the comprehension questions, but struggle to find the time to really take the concept out of the book and relate it to the outside world. Reading these 2 chapters I am feeling like I let the pressure of time rule my reading group. This really hit home when I read this, "asking students an endless string of comprehension questions or asking them to retell what they read instead of to share their thinking- often failed to teach children how to better understand what they read." I teach roots and I look back just these 3 weeks and see how I really killed the strategy of retell and did not have them stop and tell each other what they were thinking about when they read that page.(I know retell is important!) This is something I am going to work on tomorrow in reading group.
I am sold on the importance of teaching students to be strategic readers in order to more fully comprehend what they're reading! There is real power in modeling think alouds for kids and taking the time to think before, during, and after reading! Research has shown the most crucial time to think about reading is beforehand, so I always had my students do what we called "The Three Ps". (Preview, Predict, Purpose) I don't feel time allows for this to occur during SFA instruction, which is a struggle for me. Nicole, your reflections are extremely valid! I think all of us have to wrestle with the issue of time constraints and it's an ongoing challenge to search for that balance we hope to attain. (:
Love your reflection as I think a lot of us used retell as a way of helping students understand comprehension. The challenges will be to find difficult texts to push their thinking. I believe you explained the importance of making "connections" to what they learn.
Nicole, I loved the comment you made about Kevin. It is a true reflection of how some of our students feel. As educators we can get caught up in our agenda and forget the "intent" of the lesson. Kevin gave a great message. The author made a comment about "great readers asking questions as they read". We need to allow more "think time/wait time" for our students while holding fidelity to the curriculum we teach.
I think that this book will be a good companion for us as we move towards the Common Core Standards. I think that the strategies that they talk about will help students with the deep, close reading that they will be required to do. I also appreciated the author's discussion of strategy instruction ~ that the strategies should not be taught as separate skills, but should be integrated into the reading instruction.
That's exactly what I want to figure out how to do, Kathi! I am striving to figure out how to effectively integrate these tried & true strategies into our SFA instruction. (:
I agree completely with you Kathi! Shari, I am struggling with the same concept. I also like how they integrate and it is not a separate skill at a time. :) I am wondering how SfA will change (if they do) to implement the common core?
I had many "aha" moments. The two that stood out the most was that we need to have students learning simultaneously on how to comprehend what they are reading along with learning their letters, sounds, words, and sentences. The other one was when the author talked about students needing to spend an abundant amount of time every day reading increasingly difficult text. This correlates well with the Common Core standards. It makes me think that we want students to understand their reading and not retelling what happened.
I agree with how well this book correlates and follows along with Common Core standards. I was just talking today with a fellow teacher. I mentioned that there are some aspects of how I used to teach literacy that I really miss. One of those pieces is phonics. I loved teaching phonics! I had so many little songs and music videos with all the different sounds we covered. I loved teaching these things simultaneously as you mentioned.
I woudl agree. I am nervous about Common Core and all the work that goes along with it. However, our students need to read and apply those skills, not just retell everything they read. They need to use their skills and understand what they are reading, as well as apply it to other subject areas on the classroom.
I agree completely -- this book will be an excellent resource as we journey through the common core standards. I read his first book book and am anxious for the refresher along with the author's new thoughts.
I appreciated your comment; "It makes me think that we want students to understand their reading and not retelling what happened". The author mentioned "reading is an action sport-action takes place in your minds". I loved that comment. If we can create "action" in our students minds as they read, they will relive, remember and be enthused about what they are reading. The author also mentioned, creating "confidence in one's own thinking". If we create learning environments that allow our students to pariticipate, collaborate and discover, their confidence in their own thinking will benefit.
I admit it! I love coming across affirmation of what I already believe during my reading of books written by the "experts". This excerpt is from the Foreword at the beginning of Mosaic of Thought, 2nd Edition. "Strategy instruction was never intended to be a complete reading program; it was part of a curriculum in which there should be extensive independent reading and regular opportunities to hear great literature read aloud - for the sheer pleasure of it." I believe time for the teacher to read aloud to her/his students AND time for students to do independent reading are very necessary components in a successful reading program. I also loved reading this in the Acknowledgements: "...we thank you for deciding to dedicate your lives to making children's lives better. There is no more important work." Also, at the end of Chapter 1, the authors write, "There is no doubt who the true experts are: those teachers who have a thorough understanding of the reading process and the determination to understand and respond to each child's needs as a reader. When they call upon the comprehension strategies to help their students gain understanding, magic happens." These people know how to win me over! (:
I had read these things in the book, but as you put them together I really began to think. What a great way to group those quotes together. I found this very inspiring just to reread these parts again. I love thinking about "magic happening". Only as teachers do we know how awesome it is to see that happen in a classroom. :)
I did like the way the author stressed the importance of having a caring teacher who understands themselves as to what it is to be a reader and will help students understand themselves as readers, too. Independent reading and monitoring is so valuable.
I love those quotes too! I agree that having a caring teacher makes education much more important in a child's life. The teachers I remember the most from my grade school years were my teachers that actively read to my class and made sure that comprehension was a big part of our instruction. I loved that they takled about independent reading and for the students to hear literature read aloud. I love reading aloud to my class!
I feel that an “aha” moment for me was the part in chapter two, where they describe the difference between school reading and real reading. The book discusses how we are doing all these activities that relate to literacy “centers, projects, and activities about reading”. When we are just drilling those activities and the students are disengaged. They discuss how students need more time just reading. They just need that time to enjoy reading. I would have to say I was very guilty of this at my previous school. I can see now why our AR time is so valuable to the students. The chapter states that good readers have to read. This was just one of those moments where I said to myself, “I know that, but why am I not doing that!”
I agree with you and find myself struggling with AR this year. This is something new for me. I do see how it is very important, and I want the kids to experience and have a love for reading.
I agree! Students need more time just to sit there and enjoy reading. I love that they are able to have such a great library to go check out books from whenever they get the chance. I love that AR is a great time for our students to read the kind of books that they love. I try to make sure the students read as much as possible throughout the day, my early finishers love to get those extra couple of minutes of reading in randomly throughout the day, too!
I agree with this. We need students to be reading for their real life, not just reading to take a test or reading the basal reading series. They need to see teachers and adults reading. I also think that is why we should think aloud while we read. They need to see that we use the same skills and strategies, but us as adults are skilled at it.
Tiffany, I agree completely -- we need to bring back that "joy of reading" by not focusing on activities so much but on lots of reading and sharing "our thinking" with others.
My "aha" moment was while reading chapter two. What I really liked was the paragraph that said that our goal of education children is to make them into real readers. Readers that don't just sit at school and read what they think they need to read to get by, but readers that can leave school and enter real life and pick up a book and be engaged. It was really an "aha" at the end when it takled about teachers making reading a joyful adventure. I also noted how they talked about comprehension in chapter one. How many students could sit there and read words and passages fluently. Then, after reading could not tell you what the passage was about! That is something that needs to be noticed while a child is reading.
I also love the idea of making sure we are making reading a "joyful adventure" for our students. It is certainly our goal in preparing students to be lifetime learners and leaders in their communities to encourage reading, both for pleasure and in their search for knowledge outside of the classroom. Learning that books are not just a tool to use in the classroom is vital for every student!
My aha moment had to do with the joy of reading. I set up my reading classroom using the structure of Daily 5. I have found that this has revived the joy of reading back into my classroom. I originally started using this because I needed something new in my room during reading time that was more effective. By doing this it has restored my students desire to read and they can see why they need to have the skills in their pockets to be successful at reading. They have also been apply to transfer those skills more easily. It also allows me better monitor my students comprehension in a setting where they can easily apply it to literature.
Glad to hear it helped bring back joy into your reading instruction. Since we've gone building wide with SFA, I worry about teachers and students losing the joy of reading. The book has been motivating.
My "AHA" moment was realizing that we never want to lose sight of our ultimate goal as reading teachers: instilling the "joy of reading" in our students. Strategy instruction is important and gives students the "tools" for comprehension of text; however, as the author states, "If we want engaged active readers and citizens, we must make reading a "joyful adventure"! I truly feel that this book will be a great resource as we continue our journey with the common core standards and develop readers who are "critical thinkers" interacting with text, sharing their thoughts with others, and making connections to the real world. Also, the author reinforced that teaching one strategy at a time, but cummulatively, is most effective. Our staff does an excellent job of carring out that plan of strategy instruction.
My aha moment was in chapter 2 when it discussed the need and time for students to talk. Language development is vital in students academic development. Often times we do not allow our students to have the rich, meaningful discussions that are beneficial in our classrooms. It is amzing what ideas students have the ability to come up with given the time to talk. The discussions can allow students to talk and comprehend their reading at their level as well as encouraging their language development. In many of our students' homes they don't have the chance to engage in conversation, if we allow them to have discussions in the classroom they can gain those skills at school.--Shannon
Shannon - good points! Having the time to have disucssions about what they are reading is so important, especially since they don't always have the chance to do that at home.
My aha moment was the connection between what the book was saying about rereading a text, and reading increasingly difficult text, and how that connects so closely with common core standards, and what Timothy Shannahan discussed at CPSI last week. I have also been thinking about how to implement these ideas into my SFA instruction like many people discussed above. Will the novels that we read each year need to change? There are so many things to think about.
One aha moment I had occured after reading this short quote from page 9: "reading is an action sport." It is not just about sitting and sounding out the words or even knowing what they mean. It must also include becoming invested in the story and thinking about our thinking. I think as adult readers it can sometimes be easy to think that students should just naturally comprehend as they read as we do. Modeling thinking about our thinking is a necessary and important part of showing students that our mind is active as we read.
"Our mind is active as we read," is a very simple but great truth, Beth. I like that phrase. As I have observed within my family, one was a fantastic reader of words, but sometimes clueless of the meaning. Sometimes as I read, it seems as if the words become rote and I almost nod off and realize, I have no clue what I just read. Chapters one and two encouraged us to expand beyond just the retelling of the story, but retelling does keep us on track if our mind tends to wander. An 'aha' moment was the statement regarding reading as an action sport with the action taking place in their minds. As I type I can visualize jousting, sliding into homeplate, sniffing a new flower that has poked its glorious blossom through the damp earth and etc. I want to encourage my students to question the story and reassure them that it's okay to have questions different than mine.
As I was reading these 2 chapters I couldn't help but think how similar this is to the Daily 5 that I am implementing in my classroom this year. My aha moment came when I read the section of Mosaic that said that “good readers read more”. In my experiences with various reading programs, not all of them provide enough time for the kids to actually read. In the Daily 5 we spend a great deal of our time with the kids reading books and responding to them, which Mosaic advocates for also. The necessary skills are then implemented and the kids are able to use them more effectively. I am glad to know that what we are doing is the right thing.
I agree that the kiddos need as much time to read at school as possible. It is a challenge with SFA, though I do think all the components it includes are important. I'm interested to see what the interest level in reading of your students is by the end of the year, Kathy!
I loved the first two chapters. Reading through the text confirms my thoughts as an educator; the author talks about learning to read literally, not allowing the student to challenge the text. New thinking in education is promoting facilitation of instruction by the educator, allowing the students to "challenge" the text while applying their background knowledge or evidence from text to support their reasoning. I appreciate the application of thought and "The Power of Comprehension" as it relates to schema theory and comprehension. (discussed in chapter one) We witnesss "aha" moments in the class room as we see our students discover words and interpret their meaning. We are getting away from the "literal, finite truth" prescribed within the text and are now able to take our students to the next level. The author describes that as "looking beyond the text". As I read the first chapter I reflected on the authors comment about reading Collins poem, we have "learned how to read but forgotten how to look". I am hoping the new Core will promote the ability for our students to "look" in to the text.
I am going to try this again and hope I can recall the comments that became lost in cyberspace. This was the first time to read the poem "Books" with its descriptive language that enabled us to visualize different scenarios. Sometimes with SFA I know I stress the importance of being able to decode a word to give the student power over our written language, but then there is always the little one that I stare in wonderment as I try to understand his linkage of puzzle pieces. Sometimes he/she will decode, and other times the words fall gracefully from their lips. One of my aha moments was being able to embrace many ways of knowing a book. I was able to visualize at an early age, but embracing the many layers of a book were revealed to me in college. Hopefully, some of the skills taught will help the student 'read beyond himself and away from himself, straining in circles of light to find more light and to move beyond his own life.
One "AHA" moment I had was when they were talking about a little kiddo named Kevin." Kevin helped us see that comprehension is about understanding ideas,not just in text, but in the world." This sentence really made me realize that I always knew this was important, but I personally need to hit harder on it. I know that in sfa I am always pushing the comprehension questions, but struggle to find the time to really take the concept out of the book and relate it to the outside world. Reading these 2 chapters I am feeling like I let the pressure of time rule my reading group. This really hit home when I read this, "asking students an endless string of comprehension questions or asking them to retell what they read instead of to share their thinking- often failed to teach children how to better understand what they read." I teach roots and I look back just these 3 weeks and see how I really killed the strategy of retell and did not have them stop and tell each other what they were thinking about when they read that page.(I know retell is important!) This is something I am going to work on tomorrow in reading group.
ReplyDeleteI am sold on the importance of teaching students to be strategic readers in order to more fully comprehend what they're reading! There is real power in modeling think alouds for kids and taking the time to think before, during, and after reading! Research has shown the most crucial time to think about reading is beforehand, so I always had my students do what we called "The Three Ps". (Preview, Predict, Purpose) I don't feel time allows for this to occur during SFA instruction, which is a struggle for me. Nicole, your reflections are extremely valid! I think all of us have to wrestle with the issue of time constraints and it's an ongoing challenge to search for that balance we hope to attain. (:
DeleteLove your reflection as I think a lot of us used retell as a way of helping students understand comprehension. The challenges will be to find difficult texts to push their thinking. I believe you explained the importance of making "connections" to what they learn.
DeleteNicole, I loved the comment you made about Kevin. It is a true reflection of how some of our students feel. As educators we can get caught up in our agenda and forget the "intent" of the lesson. Kevin gave a great message. The author made a comment about "great readers asking questions as they read". We need to allow more "think time/wait time" for our students while holding fidelity to the curriculum we teach.
DeleteI think that this book will be a good companion for us as we move towards the Common Core Standards. I think that the strategies that they talk about will help students with the deep, close reading that they will be required to do. I also appreciated the author's discussion of strategy instruction ~ that the strategies should not be taught as separate skills, but should be integrated into the reading instruction.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I want to figure out how to do, Kathi! I am striving to figure out how to effectively integrate these tried & true strategies into our SFA instruction. (:
DeleteI agree completely with you Kathi! Shari, I am struggling with the same concept. I also like how they integrate and it is not a separate skill at a time. :) I am wondering how SfA will change (if they do) to implement the common core?
DeleteI had many "aha" moments. The two that stood out the most was that we need to have students learning simultaneously on how to comprehend what they are reading along with learning their letters, sounds, words, and sentences. The other one was when the author talked about students needing to spend an abundant amount of time every day reading increasingly difficult text. This correlates well with the Common Core standards. It makes me think that we want students to understand their reading and not retelling what happened.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how well this book correlates and follows along with Common Core standards. I was just talking today with a fellow teacher. I mentioned that there are some aspects of how I used to teach literacy that I really miss. One of those pieces is phonics. I loved teaching phonics! I had so many little songs and music videos with all the different sounds we covered. I loved teaching these things simultaneously as you mentioned.
DeleteI woudl agree. I am nervous about Common Core and all the work that goes along with it. However, our students need to read and apply those skills, not just retell everything they read. They need to use their skills and understand what they are reading, as well as apply it to other subject areas on the classroom.
DeleteI agree completely -- this book will be an excellent resource as we journey through the common core standards. I read his first book book and am anxious for the refresher along with the author's new thoughts.
DeleteHi Becky,
DeleteI appreciated your comment; "It makes me think that we want students to understand their reading and not retelling what happened". The author mentioned "reading is an action sport-action takes place in your minds". I loved that comment. If we can create "action" in our students minds as they read, they will relive, remember and be enthused about what they are reading. The author also mentioned, creating "confidence in one's own thinking". If we create learning environments that allow our students to pariticipate, collaborate and discover, their confidence in their own thinking will benefit.
I admit it! I love coming across affirmation of what I already believe during my reading of books written by the "experts". This excerpt is from the Foreword at the beginning of Mosaic of Thought, 2nd Edition. "Strategy instruction was never intended to be a complete reading program; it was part of a curriculum in which there should be extensive independent reading and regular opportunities to hear great literature read aloud - for the sheer pleasure of it." I believe time for the teacher to read aloud to her/his students AND time for students to do independent reading are very necessary components in a successful reading program. I also loved reading this in the Acknowledgements: "...we thank you for deciding to dedicate your lives to making children's lives better. There is no more important work." Also, at the end of Chapter 1, the authors write, "There is no doubt who the true experts are: those teachers who have a thorough understanding of the reading process and the determination to understand and respond to each child's needs as a reader. When they call upon the comprehension strategies to help their students gain understanding, magic happens." These people know how to win me over! (:
ReplyDeleteI had read these things in the book, but as you put them together I really began to think. What a great way to group those quotes together. I found this very inspiring just to reread these parts again. I love thinking about "magic happening". Only as teachers do we know how awesome it is to see that happen in a classroom. :)
DeleteI did like the way the author stressed the importance of having a caring teacher who understands themselves as to what it is to be a reader and will help students understand themselves as readers, too. Independent reading and monitoring is so valuable.
DeleteI love those quotes too! I agree that having a caring teacher makes education much more important in a child's life. The teachers I remember the most from my grade school years were my teachers that actively read to my class and made sure that comprehension was a big part of our instruction. I loved that they takled about independent reading and for the students to hear literature read aloud. I love reading aloud to my class!
DeleteI feel that an “aha” moment for me was the part in chapter two, where they describe the difference between school reading and real reading. The book discusses how we are doing all these activities that relate to literacy “centers, projects, and activities about reading”. When we are just drilling those activities and the students are disengaged. They discuss how students need more time just reading. They just need that time to enjoy reading. I would have to say I was very guilty of this at my previous school. I can see now why our AR time is so valuable to the students. The chapter states that good readers have to read. This was just one of those moments where I said to myself, “I know that, but why am I not doing that!”
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and find myself struggling with AR this year. This is something new for me. I do see how it is very important, and I want the kids to experience and have a love for reading.
DeleteI agree! Students need more time just to sit there and enjoy reading. I love that they are able to have such a great library to go check out books from whenever they get the chance. I love that AR is a great time for our students to read the kind of books that they love. I try to make sure the students read as much as possible throughout the day, my early finishers love to get those extra couple of minutes of reading in randomly throughout the day, too!
DeleteI agree with this. We need students to be reading for their real life, not just reading to take a test or reading the basal reading series. They need to see teachers and adults reading. I also think that is why we should think aloud while we read. They need to see that we use the same skills and strategies, but us as adults are skilled at it.
DeleteTiffany, I agree completely -- we need to bring back that "joy of reading" by not focusing on activities so much but on lots of reading and sharing "our thinking" with others.
DeleteMy "aha" moment was while reading chapter two. What I really liked was the paragraph that said that our goal of education children is to make them into real readers. Readers that don't just sit at school and read what they think they need to read to get by, but readers that can leave school and enter real life and pick up a book and be engaged. It was really an "aha" at the end when it takled about teachers making reading a joyful adventure. I also noted how they talked about comprehension in chapter one. How many students could sit there and read words and passages fluently. Then, after reading could not tell you what the passage was about! That is something that needs to be noticed while a child is reading.
ReplyDeleteI also love the idea of making sure we are making reading a "joyful adventure" for our students. It is certainly our goal in preparing students to be lifetime learners and leaders in their communities to encourage reading, both for pleasure and in their search for knowledge outside of the classroom. Learning that books are not just a tool to use in the classroom is vital for every student!
DeleteMy aha moment had to do with the joy of reading. I set up my reading classroom using the structure of Daily 5. I have found that this has revived the joy of reading back into my classroom. I originally started using this because I needed something new in my room during reading time that was more effective. By doing this it has restored my students desire to read and they can see why they need to have the skills in their pockets to be successful at reading. They have also been apply to transfer those skills more easily. It also allows me better monitor my students comprehension in a setting where they can easily apply it to literature.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it helped bring back joy into your reading instruction. Since we've gone building wide with SFA, I worry about teachers and students losing the joy of reading. The book has been motivating.
DeleteMy "AHA" moment was realizing that we never want to lose sight of our ultimate goal as reading teachers: instilling the "joy of reading" in our students. Strategy instruction is important and gives students the "tools" for comprehension of text; however, as the author states, "If we want engaged active readers and citizens, we must make reading a "joyful adventure"! I truly feel that this book will be a great resource as we continue our journey with the common core standards and develop readers who are "critical thinkers" interacting with text, sharing their thoughts with others, and making connections to the real world. Also, the author reinforced that teaching one strategy at a time, but cummulatively, is most effective. Our staff does an excellent job of carring out that plan of strategy instruction.
ReplyDeleteI agree Marilyn, it's so nice to remember that reading should be joyful!
DeleteMy aha moment was in chapter 2 when it discussed the need and time for students to talk. Language development is vital in students academic development. Often times we do not allow our students to have the rich, meaningful discussions that are beneficial in our classrooms. It is amzing what ideas students have the ability to come up with given the time to talk. The discussions can allow students to talk and comprehend their reading at their level as well as encouraging their language development. In many of our students' homes they don't have the chance to engage in conversation, if we allow them to have discussions in the classroom they can gain those skills at school.--Shannon
ReplyDeleteShannon - good points! Having the time to have disucssions about what they are reading is so important, especially since they don't always have the chance to do that at home.
DeleteMy aha moment was the connection between what the book was saying about rereading a text, and reading increasingly difficult text, and how that connects so closely with common core standards, and what Timothy Shannahan discussed at CPSI last week. I have also been thinking about how to implement these ideas into my SFA instruction like many people discussed above. Will the novels that we read each year need to change? There are so many things to think about.
ReplyDelete(Beth Minner)
ReplyDeleteOne aha moment I had occured after reading this short quote from page 9: "reading is an action sport." It is not just about sitting and sounding out the words or even knowing what they mean. It must also include becoming invested in the story and thinking about our thinking. I think as adult readers it can sometimes be easy to think that students should just naturally comprehend as they read as we do. Modeling thinking about our thinking is a necessary and important part of showing students that our mind is active as we read.
"Our mind is active as we read," is a very simple but great truth, Beth. I like that phrase. As I have observed within my family, one was a fantastic reader of words, but sometimes clueless of the meaning. Sometimes as I read, it seems as if the words become rote and I almost nod off and realize, I have no clue what I just read. Chapters one and two encouraged us to expand beyond just the retelling of the story, but retelling does keep us on track if our mind tends to wander. An 'aha' moment was the statement regarding reading as an action sport with the action taking place in their minds. As I type I can visualize jousting, sliding into homeplate, sniffing a new flower that has poked its glorious blossom through the damp earth and etc. I want to encourage my students to question the story and reassure them that it's okay to have questions different than mine.
DeleteAs I was reading these 2 chapters I couldn't help but think how similar this is to the Daily 5 that I am implementing in my classroom this year. My aha moment came when I read the section of Mosaic that said that “good readers read more”. In my experiences with various reading programs, not all of them provide enough time for the kids to actually read. In the Daily 5 we spend a great deal of our time with the kids reading books and responding to them, which Mosaic advocates for also. The necessary skills are then implemented and the kids are able to use them more effectively. I am glad to know that what we are doing is the right thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the kiddos need as much time to read at school as possible. It is a challenge with SFA, though I do think all the components it includes are important. I'm interested to see what the interest level in reading of your students is by the end of the year, Kathy!
DeleteI loved the first two chapters. Reading through the text confirms my thoughts as an educator; the author talks about learning to read literally, not allowing the student to challenge the text. New thinking in education is promoting facilitation of instruction by the educator, allowing the students to "challenge" the text while applying their background knowledge or evidence from text to support their reasoning. I appreciate the application of thought and "The Power of Comprehension" as it relates to schema theory and comprehension. (discussed in chapter one) We witnesss "aha" moments in the class room as we see our students discover words and interpret their meaning. We are getting away from the "literal, finite truth" prescribed within the text and are now able to take our students to the next level. The author describes that as "looking beyond the text". As I read the first chapter I reflected on the authors comment about reading Collins poem, we have "learned how to read but forgotten how to look". I am hoping the new Core will promote the ability for our students to "look" in to the text.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try this again and hope I can recall the comments that became lost in cyberspace. This was the first time to read the poem "Books" with its descriptive language that enabled us to visualize different scenarios. Sometimes with SFA I know I stress the importance of being able to decode a word to give the student power over our written language, but then there is always the little one that I stare in wonderment as I try to understand his linkage of puzzle pieces. Sometimes he/she will decode, and other times the words fall gracefully from their lips. One of my aha moments was being able to embrace many ways of knowing a book. I was able to visualize at an early age, but embracing the many layers of a book were revealed to me in college. Hopefully, some of the skills taught will help the student 'read beyond himself and away from himself, straining in circles of light to find more light and to move beyond his own life.
ReplyDelete