From the Literature Institute 2002
By Amy Makishi
Kanoelani Elementary
A friend of mine invited me to take this class with her. I needed some credits and two weeks was not going to impose too much on my family commitments and me. So I agreed, not really thinking about the commitment. I just thought, what a great way to re-connect with my friend, meet new people, build up my network, exchange ideas, expand my horizons...and do it with children’s literature! After all, I do love those juvenile novels and picture books.
At the elementary level we are so involved and concerned about laying the foundation upon which children will emerge as successful readers. Being a 6th grade teacher, I really felt the self-imposed pressure of having to prepare my students to move on to the secondary level as a successful reader. What is a successful reader? A child who, when given the lRI is “on grade-level” or above? A child who can de-code, read fluently, and is able to complete the follow up skill sheets comprised of vocabulary words, finding the main idea, making predictions, and sequencing events. Oh, and the most telling one of all are those “ comprehension” questions... you know the ones. I found that when these things were the focus of my reading curriculum I was experiencing insecurities about my ability to teach reading. I did not know how best to group my students. There was such a wide range of reading ability I did not know how to reach students who “hated” reading, the ones who just pretended to read. They don’t like to read because it’s frustrating. It takes too long (fluency), the words are too hard (vocabulary), the story is boring (interest). I wasn’t confident in my assessment either. Did Megan make gains this year? She seemed to be answering those comprehension questions a bit more thoroughly now. I was not comfortable.
The school at which I teach is a feeder school to one, which has adopted the America’s Choice program. One of the components of this program is the 25 book campaign. All students must read 25 books in a school year and because we are a feeder school, we have also adopted the concept. This past year was my second year of participation. I found myself questioning the value of this activity How meaningful was it to say that you read 25 books? By the end of the year, I really struggled with those teacher-created book reports. Who had time to read them anyway? How was I supposed to know if they really read the book or not? The intentions are well meant...the rewards were hard earned (an ice cream sundae party coupled with board games and music in the cafeteria) while the punishment was to remain in the classroom, reading for an hour or so. What were we accomplishing? I was not comfortable with this school-wide initiative.
For me, discomfort often precedes change and growth. I had to find a way to make reading meaningful. I combed through professional journals, searched the Internet, read some of the theories, implemented some of the strategies of activating prior knolwledge, deciding what’s important in a text, drawing inferences, etc. I had an awareness of the strategies, but not really knowing how to implement them, as they should be. My poor students.
Reflecting upon the past two weeks I am amazed at how much I have grown as an adult reader. I literally was the student. I ran the gamut of emotions the insecurities, frustrations, eagerness, thoughtfulness, failures and the triumphs. Many of the readings and activities made me reflect on who I was as a parent, a wife, a child, a teacher, a total person.
The Literature institute has made me realize that it’s not about me! It’s about empowering the students. It’s about respecting the students as readers, no matter what their reading level. Allowing them to “talk story” about their reading helps to shape understanding. Letting them further explore their ideas instills confidence in their ability to make sense of the text. Doing all of this without the blanket of fear hovering over their heads. Making them feel important. Allowing them to wonder .Wonder creates wisdom. ..giving them the opportunity to go beyond the horizons. They will learm about themselves, about others and about the world.
Oh and about those juvenile novels...we finally looked at some picture books the last few days of the institute. My experience and learning this summer has brought a whole new perspective to these books. I went back and read some of our text sets and began to see the strategies fall into place so naturally. I am so rejuvenated and excited about the upcoming school year. I am ready to empower my students with the skills and strategies to really have “reading” work in their lives. Thank you.
