Chapter 6

As I read, I continue to feel more confident about what I am already doing in the classroom. Although still concerned with my students' constant dependency when it comes to independent work, I am doing a lot of the things she discusses in this chapter.

For example, I always try to activate prior knowledge. In fact, sometimes I'm trying to activate prior knowledge from before lunch because I know they have already forgotten what we have done. We anticipate, do charts..especially K-W-L's (they love it!) and really try to bring personal interest from outside the classroom into whatever we are doing.

I always bust out my big book of reading strategies and try to find something that is relevant and meaningful. I never just throw something on their desk and say "do this." We go over directions, answer questions, and mentally prepare for the task at hand the best a group of nine year olds with E/BD knows how.

When it comes to thinking about ways to improve how we go about things, I can think of hundreds. For example, maybe picking one strategy for this entire class of mismatched abilities is the problem. Maybe we need to start breaking into smaller groups to target what's at hand. Maybe I need to slow it down. I feel like we move at a snail's pace, but if my student's aren't comprehending the reading material even with these strategies then maybe an even slower pace is called for.

Chapter 4

The strategies! This chapter was awesome. I would hate to sit and summarize the steps for teaching comprehension when I could be analyzing what I liked a didn't like. As far as teaching comprehension, she really does break it down into the simplest of terms on our end. I enjoy that she gives us prompts (many of which I already use) and some criteria for using Direct Instruction. Teaching strategies in conjunction with the content is always an area of concern for Special Educators, so I loved that she tackled that debate. I had a teacher tell me last week that a child couldn't read and probably would never be able to. He's 9, and as far as I could tell he was doing a pretty decent job. Of course he wasn't reading at grade level, but he most definitely COULD read. If that teacher would just take fifteen minutes a day to do some reading strategies and work on comprehension I truly believe she would shock herself at his fantastic reading abilities.

Chapter 3 -

As I read I realize that this woman must be in my classroom with me, right? She is not describing students she has encountered, but students in my classroom at this very moment. In the section titled "Dependent Reading Behaviors" I was stopping at each one thinking "this is what he does and this is what she does!" The main problems for my dependent readers are:

• cannot state the main idea of a tect
• reads to finish rather than to understand
• has trouble recalling information in the text.

Some of the bullets I haven't even began to tackle because we are still stuck on so many basic comprehension skills. When I got to the second to last one ("says that reading is 'boring' and 'dumb'") I can't help but laugh. My kids say that every five minutes! I feel her regret for not being able to meet with George's parents again so deeply. I worry that after this experience I will have regrets about not being able to combat the dependency these kids have in the short time that I will be with them.

It was encouraging to reread "What Good Readers Do" I had a lot of experience with this is my other Reading and Phonics classes, and even the teachers need to remind themselves of ways to be a good reader. It encouraged me to take these statements into the classroom and try to stop harping on the negative and build on what little amounts of positive we have thus far.

Chapter 2 - Creating Independent Readers

Like so many others have said, the first two chapters have me interested and captivated in what this author is discussing. It is extremely relevant to our lives as teachers. My main focus and interest in chapter 2 came on page 16 when she focuses in on moving this dependent readers toward being able to read independently. This is not only the main goal of my Reading in SPED class project, but it is also something I am struggling with in my current classroom setting. I liked that she broke down the group into three problem areas, all of which I am seeing now.

1. Dependent readers lacking cognitive skills. I experience frustration from students all the time that struggle due to their cognitive abilities. They are the students that say "I can't." When they do, I understand why they feel that way. To them, they really can't. This is why they need the extra assistance in the areas of comprehension and the basic building blocks a child needs to read.

2. Negative attitudes toward reading are another huge problem, especially with students that have behavioral problems. Because teachers see reading as a way to calm oneself, often the children I come into contact with see reading as a punishment. Unfortunately, I agree with them most of the time. Teachers use it in that way and make students develop negative attitudes. Taking away a child's recess and "making" them read in its place is not a way to develop a joy of reading.

A child that is forced to read books that never spark an interest or that lack age appropriate material also cause this emotion in a student that may already have developed a negative attitude for other reasons.

3. Not knowing books to read is also something I encounter. Students aren't taught often enough how to figure out if a book is something they would enjoy, and other times their choices are just too broad to narrow it down. Having an assortment of books that are age appropriate and are directed towards specific interests can help this.