On Reading, from a Teacher-to-be

by Christian Ravard

My last discussion for this class was to take the two chapters we were to read and infuse your own “art” into what you learned and what you understood. This chapter was on Approaches to Reading…….

Literacy is,
Has been,
And will always be,
The tool that develops,
Defines,
And Redefines,
US,
As Individuals,
Based On Our Ability,
To Think,
To Comprehend,
And to Speak.
Reading Requires Knowledge
Skills
And Temperaments
That not only affirm our student’s
Right to
Think,
Comprehend
And SPEAK,
But ALSO
ANNOUNCES TO THE SCHOOL,
THEIR TEACHERS,
THEIR FAMILIES,
And their NEW World .
That they are confident,
ABLE,
And Willing
To take literature
Passages,
And TEXTBOOKS
And CONSCIOUSLY
Deduce them down
To the very facts
AND FIGURES
That they represent
On a LEVEL
Students Understand
and teachers Can
Comprehend!
As a NATION BUILDER
Our approach to reading Instruction
Can
AND WILL
Differ.
Whether your approach is
Literature BASED
Marinated in BASAL
Or Simply Spoken
THROUGH
Language Experience
Our Goals
REMAIN
ONE AND THE SAME.
To continue to Educate
CHALLENGE
AND Inspire!

Thoughts for Thursday # 12: Toni Morrison

Quotes That Strike My Fancy!

“If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you  must write it.” ~~Toni Morrison

Random Ramblings: Special Needs Project (A Bookstore)

Musings that don’t seem to fit anywhere else!

I came across this specialty bookstore while surfing the web for local autism resources.

From their website:

You’ve found Special Needs Project — a unique disability bookstore.  We carry books, videos, DVDs and related items about mental and physical disabilities…for parents, professionals, educators, family members and persons with a disability. We have the largest collection of books about autism spectrum disorders (nearly 800 titles) we know of.

Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic: AND Spelling

In this article How Spelling Supports Reading, Louisa Moats writes about spelling and its connection with reading, and how to make sense of the English spelling system.  Rather long, but worth the read.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

Thus, the spelling of almost any word can be explained if one or more of the following five principles of English spelling is taken into account:

• Words’ language of origin and history of use can explain their spelling.
• Words’ meaning and part of speech can determine their spelling.
• Speech sounds are spelled with single letters and/or combinations of up to four letters.
• The spelling of a given sound can vary according to its position within a word.
• The spellings of some sounds are governed by established conventions of letter sequences and patterns.

Timely Tips #10: Awesome Collection of iPad apps

Tips and tidbits I’ve gleaned over the years from kids, parents, teachers, professional development, and personal experience.

Shannon Des Rochas Rosa has created a wonderful spreadsheet of iPad apps for children with autism (and others, too).

She included reviews, the basic function of the app, and prices (the majority are free or under ten dollars).  Take a look here–maybe you’ll find one that works for your child/student, or even yourself!

(I’m either six days late with this post or a day early–take your pick!)

S.O.A.P. Stuff #7: To Memorize or Not to Memorize?

Social, Organization, Attention, and Processing Stuff

What’s the point of memorizing anything, anyway?  Listen to this podcast for a discussion on this topic.

I would have liked a little more focus on how important it is to get certain kinds of information into long-term memory, so that our working memory can be more efficient.

What do you think? Is it important to “know things by heart?”  What are memorization techniques that work well for you and your kids/students?

Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic: Chapter Books

Author Sharon Taberski has a new blog about comprehension!

She has started a list of “short and sweet chapter books” to help teachers get the right books into kids’ hands so that they can be successful in comprehending what they are reading.

Join the conversation!

Thoughts for Thursday #11: Martin Luther King

Quotes That Strike My Fancy!

‎”Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  ~~Martin Luther King Jr.

Book Bytes: Homework Made Simple

I love to read! I’ll share my thoughts (book bytes instead of sound bites) on old favorites and new books for children and adults here.

I haven’t read this book yet, but some of the author’s tips are in this article from ldonline.

I’ve used the highlighter tape idea with many of my students, not just as a way to note important information, but also as a ‘search tool.’  I’ve asked students to use it to highlight synonyms, vocabulary words, parts of speech, main idea/details, even words/phrases that describe the setting or a character’s traits.

I’ve ordered a review copy of the book, so I’ll let you know what else the author has to say.  In the meantime, you can see some of her suggestions in her videos here.

Random Ramblings: Pepper, My Dog-Niece

Musings that don’t seem to fit anywhere else!