Reading Conferences

Routman writes, "It is our job as knowledgeable professionals to ensure that our students are reading what they are supposed to be reading that means that they are effectively using phonics, word analysis, comprehension strategies, and whatever else they bring to the text to understand it. Otherwise we are squandering precioius time."

The above quote resonates with me as it gives the reasoning behind informal reading conferences. As teachers we are not here to simply get children to read or even teach them to read but help with the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. What I also appreciate about reading conferences is that students could pick their own goal for reading make a picture in your mind to help with comprehension, think about why characters act and behave the way they do and many more. I also like that the idea of reading conferences fits it with an optimal learning model of responsibility slowing switching from the teacher to the student. Reading conferences can help with this transition as the teacher helps students focus on certain skills within reading but giving students the autonomy and some of the responsibility by letting students pic there own goal when reading and working towards that. I also like how in general students just get to share what they are reading and in turn I would think teachers can get to know their students better. Overall I feel that the process would also support more student confidence in themselves as readers as students set goals of their own choice and reach them with perhaps some guided help from the instructor.

Precommunicative Spellers

My kindergarten buddy D is a very active young boy. When looking at D you can just see the wheels in his head turning around and around. He wrote a note on the back of a picture for me that if I remember correctly looked like this nIcEToMEETYA. When D wrote nice to meet ya, I think most if not all letters where capitalized without any spaces between them and all the same size letters throughout his writing. In another sample of writing he wrote, “HOWDOYOULIKEOURSCHOOL?” with help from me on spelling or finding words he wanted around the room and then writing them. He seems to be a precommunicative speller in that their is no spacing in between words but other than that he doesn't show any other of the characteristics of a precommunicative speller: mock letters mixed with real letters, pictures more visible than writing, same letter repeated, writing randomly around the page. When D uses resources around the room to spell how close is that to invented spelling? Is it a step before?

In relationship to his writing D seems to be ahead in his reading. We read, "The Giving Tree" and when I asked questions about it his answer showed comprehension of the story. He also did not just repeat words and phrases or paraphrase when he read the "long parts" which he specifically asked to read.

The progressive and relationship of writing to reading is very interesting to me. It seems similar to the chicken and the egg question in that when I ask myself which comes first it seems they both support the other. I am looking forward to the reading assessment to see if my observations will be supported or not. And just to add another level of mystery and consideration for myself as I was leaving on Tuesday D held up his Hh card and proceeded to say don't forget your a Hh and with me, as he made the /h/ sound as he held up his card.