Reading Is Fundamental

Reading is the process of constructing meaning from text. Whether it be written, graphic, paper-based or digital, we use our contextual knowledge to assist us in understanding what we read, based on our social purpose and cultural background (Winch et al., 2014, p. 5). Traditionally, reading was viewed as a simple visual-cognitive skill and good reading was considered being able to read letters and pronounce words correctly. Comprehension was never the focus; however, we now see the purpose…

How did I feel about the book Unlikely Allies? I had lots of difficulty reading the book, from the sudden changes in scenes to the exhausting writing. It felt like a sloppy mess of sudden twists and turns that would, in most books, keep me intrigued, but this did not interest me at all. If the author added just a little bit of flair to the certain parts of the writing then I think I would really enjoy the book. The book had things I didn’t like, a few things I did like, and a couple things I…

My literacy has mainly improved because of the encouragement that my parents and teachers have given me in the past. My parents and teachers have assisted to enhance my writing and reading skills and also have provided me with abilities that allow me to express my personality using critical reading and thinking. I am very grateful for every literacy experience that made me who I am today and that I can use literacy to communicate with other people for it is a key to success. Though I am…

begin this class, we were assigned various readings to enrich or develop our minds on learning about Multicultural Education. The topic for Module 1 was to learn about the goals and challenges of Multicultural Education and to do this we were assigned the Carger book, Of Borders and Dreams. After revisiting and analyzing my discussion post, I believe one of the biggest challenges in Multicultural Education is the environment. It seemed that throughout the reading, I made connections with how,…

The beginning of Junior year, my second year after I was accepted to the Teaching Academy. We walked to Rio Vista Elementary school to become reading buddies. Preschool caught my eye because I’ve been told they were difficult because of their age and how small their attention span was. The first day we didn’t choose our buddies they decided who they wanted. I was chosen by this girl named Jasymine, she was shy and didn’t talk as much as her classmate did. The second week there was this boy who…

I have always loved reading and helping kids, and because of my volunteer experiences, I have been able to do this while having a positive impact. For the past three summers, I have worked at the public library doing both the STAR volunteer program and the Book Buddies program as well as serving on the Teen Advisory Board. Beyond those experiences, I have gone to Feed My Starving Children twice and served in the philanthropy club at my middle school. Because of my volunteer efforts, I won the…

memorization. While reading, Mr. Jones and Mr. Bones, Mia became frustrated with the unfamiliar words such as “bites, dines, ties, etc.” She was focused on finishing the book and asked very few questions. One of Mia’s favorite books is The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which we read together. She had difficulty focusing on the story because she had heard and read this story many times before. She would flip the pages before I finished or held onto…

education staff. She is the author of the article “Reading Aloud with Children of All Ages”. In her article, she illustrates the importance of reading aloud to and with children of various age groups. Furthermore, she explains the benefits of doing so for example, it teaches children the value of books and reading, motivates children as readers, expands and increases their vocabulary, as well as their attention span. The article also discusses how reading aloud to children awards them with…

Reading: In the fall of 2015, Alante was given an AGS formal reading assessment used to identify the grade level of reading. Alante scored a 12 out of 20 on the sentence comprehension and 11 out of 20 on the vocabulary. His total score on this assessment was a 23/40 placing him in the 5.4 Instructional Reading Level (The level at which a reader can read text with 90% accuracy (i.e., no more than one error per 10 words read). Instructional reading level engages the student in challenging, but…

As educators, we understand the value of reading aloud. It provides students with opportunities to increase their own fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. However, for some students it’s a terrifying event. Flash back to my third grade reading group. I was sitting next to my teacher. She had called on me to read aloud to the group. I began reading, but just I started several students (not in our group) were causing problems in the class. I continued to read and finished my passage.…