So, I haven't blogged in a little while... I have been busy. Working a full time job, going to school, and maintaining a relationship with your family tends to fill up a schedule. I am, however, done with my observations. My partner, I call him my partner, because while he participated in my BRI he actually helped me complete some of my assignments, was quite a character. I enjoyed working with him and think I could have helped him even more had I spent more time with him. He clearly benefits from one-on-one instruction. Unfortunately, with the lack of time during the day to pull him from instruction and the few days I actually got to see him, we didn't get to maximize our potential for improving his reading ability. I did learn a lot from him, though...

Long day behind the computer... Well, in between football plays and typing up my paper. However, two assignments are done, and I am scheduled to visit my mentor teacher and his class this week. It will be a busy week...!!!

Prezi on Computer Assisted Instruction for Students with Disabilities

You want to view it? Here it is!... http://prezi.com/gbztomzpupic/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

How Children Learn to Read...

It is at an early age that children begin to assemble the skills necessary to learn to read. Within months of being out of the womb, they start to recognize contrasting colors and shapes. This is just the beginning to their journey in life and a skill that will indirectly benefit their efforts to read. They will start to repeat sounds that they hear from older people in their surroundings. They recognize objects from books that are read to them or through direct instruction from a parent or sibling. Their speech becomes quite developed before they begin reading on their own. As they get older, they will go through different stages of developing skills that will help them in their efforts in learning to read. These stages in skill development include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Phonemic awareness is understanding that spoken words are made up of separate units of sound that you blend together to produce the pronunciations of words. Children start by seeing the letters written on paper, and practice putting a sound to that letter. They then move into putting sounds together from a make-up of certain letters, which in turn form a word. As they develop this skill, they learn how to sound out single letters and blends of multiple letters. They will begin to see letters as sounds of speech. As they recognize these sounds, their reading ability increases, because they learn and read new words through this recognition. Upon getting phonemic awareness down, they also begin developing skills in phonics. Young students will continue to understand that sounds have a letter or letters associated to them. These students learn about the rules of our written language and can then use these rules to decode new and unfamiliar words. Students begin reading sentences one sound or one word at a time. When they get good at phonics and phonemic awareness, they start developing fluency skills. When students become fluent, they are able to recognize words within a text quickly and accurately and then process what they are reading in their minds as if it is spoken language. Fluent readers identify words quickly and accurately on their first attempt while reading a sentence. As they do this, they are able to quickly decipher the meaning of the word and how it fits in the sentence. Students only become fluent after much practice and repetition. The more fluent a reader becomes, the better they comprehend what they are reading. Vocabulary is another important component to excellent reading skills. This is one that is forever evolving, even after one becomes an excellent reader. Vocabulary is an important skill in reading, because it enables the reader to understand what they are reading. Having a large vocabulary bank allows the reader to read faster and comprehend more of what they are reading. Many words young students come by while reading have been used orally, but not necessarily been seen in writing. As students sound them out, they use their oral vocabulary to recognize what they are reading in print. As children develop their vocabulary, their reading skills increase, because they are able to identify the word and quickly associate it’s meaning to the context of the sentence. This is another important component that plays a large role in the reader’s ability to comprehend what they are reading. A good reader will be able to construct meaning from what they are reading and make connections to any prior knowledge that they may have to the subject. This is the final goal of reading instruction. Teachers work hard to help young readers learn to read so that they may read to learn. This is really our sole purpose in reading, so that we learn something from it. The more the reader understands about what they are reading, the more they become engaged with the material that they are reading. This leads to the student learning more material and enjoying what they are reading more often. Not all students develop these skills at the same rate. Phonemic awareness and phonics tend to be developed at a very young age, sometimes before they begin school. Skills such as fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension are skills that continue to be mastered long after a student becomes a good reader, even after school. As in most cases, practice and repetition will help a reader improve their skills. Direct instruction, research-based strategies, and modeling are key ingredients for teachers to facilitate exceptional reading skills and ensure their student’s success in reading. References The Learning Pot Associates. (2004) A Closer Look at the Five Essential Components of Effective Reading Instruction: A Review of Scientifically Based Reading Research for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/literacy/components.pdf Johns, Jerry L. (2012) Basic Reading Inventory (11th ed.) Dubuque, IL: Kendall Hunt Publishing

Get Moving!

Here we are, a few weeks in to the semester. I have received placement, and have even been in contact with my mentor teacher. I just need to get myself moving and get over there. It's a shame it is across the state! I did finish my first paper (article review), now I just need to put it into a Prezi. Stay tuned...