Reading Essentials: The Specifics You Need to Teach Reading Well

To buy the book:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/reading-essentials-the-specifics-you-need-to


What Conditions Promote Literacy Development?

As I began reading the book entitled Reading Essentials: The Specifics You Need to Teach Reading Well, I immediately connected to what the author was saying about the stress that teachers are now feeling. With all the mandates that teachers are under, the reading series that we must follow with fidelity, sometimes it is hard to plan lessons that matter to kids in a way that students will enjoy.  This book focuses on just that, bringing to the classroom the essentials that will ensure that students will see themselves as confident readers. 



Reggie Routman begins her book by offering some words of advice as teachers we need to simplify our teaching life.  Instead of becoming dependent on the latest quick fix, we need to rely on what we as professionals know about our classrooms and our students.  Yes, we need to look at current research, but instead of immediately thinking this is going to close the achievement gap or increase student scores, we must question, will this work with the group of students that are in the classroom?  We must take the current research and adapt it to fit the needs of our students. 



Focus on What Matters Most in Teaching and Learning

·         Inspire ongoing curiosity and a love of learning

·         Help students acquire the skills and tools to learn and go on learning

·         Guarantee immediate and continued success.

·         Ensure that learners become thinking, probing users of language

·         Implement challenging and relevant curriculum; and

·         Establish and sustain collaborative and caring communities

Routman states “Bonding with our students is the “human essential”, the intimately personal connection that is the core of responsive, excellent teaching.  We simply cannot teach our students well until we show them we know them, care about them, and connect with them.”



Bonding with our students is:

·         Treating them and their families with respect:  Bring in literature that reflects their culture and beliefs.

·         Acting kindly toward them:  Enjoy your students by getting to know them, watching them grow not only as people but as learners as well.

·         Showing that we care about them:  Be respectful with your students and model respect as well.

·         Listening to them:  Share stories about your life and listen as they share stories about their own.

·         Keeping them safe

·         Celebrating their efforts and accomplishments:  Value their own stories, use their own stories for lessons.

·         Knowing their interests and incorporating those interests into the curriculum:  Learn about their reading lives at home.  Take the time to ask about the various reading material they have at home. 

·         Providing optimal learning conditions

·         Making sure they succeed from the very first day:  Ensure that each child has immediate success, learn what they can do and build on that.

·         Having faith in them as learners and valuing them as individuals:  Have students be part of the decision making process as to how the classroom works, is managed in order to let students know that it is their classroom as well.

After reflecting on the two opening chapters of this book I was reminded of a student in my class this past year.  I had taught her sister 7 years ago.  Her family lives on the reservation in a Hogan with no running water or electricity.  Living conditions are bad.  She had been struggling all year with blending sounds together to decode words.  She had learned all the letters and sounds, could read high-frequency words, but struggled with decoding.  Her birthday came around in April.  Knowing that her parents would not be bringing in a cake as the other parents did the health-aide in my classroom and I decided to bring in a cake and ice cream.  The next week this little girls was decoding words.  I shared this story with a few other teacher and they all agreed it was the cake and ice cream that did it!