Say What!!!!

Dear Reader-

How many times have you read something, and just had a hard time comprehending? Sadly, to say this happens to me sometimes, especially when I am reading non-fiction. Now let me add, I read it with fluency and intonation, not having any difficulty with the words, but the information just did not sink in. I might tell myself that what the author had to say, might just have been boring, but here I am not being truthful to myself. The fact is that this genre is difficult, especially without prior experiences that I can relate the information too.

As I am sitting through a Science workshop this summer, I am thinking about non-fiction literature. I am thinking about how important these science investigations are to children. The reason I know this, is that when I begin reading a non-fiction children's books about solids and liquids, I can hear my past students' voices in my head. I hear them telling me, I remember when we did that and then proceed to explain the science that occurred. For example, they tell me that those crystals that are found on the dish, is rock salt because the water evaporated from the solution. You see, my students visit me and then I see them looking around the room to see what they remember from their years in 3rd grade, and their eyes light up when they see the science materials that are found on the counter.

Going back to the workshop, I read that story as a child thinking about the students I have had, and how much information they could comprehend as they learned about solids and liquids. Why? These children had the background knowledge, they understood the terms because they experienced them. They touched, manipulated, observed, discussed and used the terms, with this insight, they could apply it to what they were reading. It makes sense to them. We might think it is play, and maybe a lot faster to just tell them the information, but it might not be as deep. I wonder how much of this "deep" information we take with us when reading? I wonder if our experiences can affect our comprehension? Deep inside, I think it can, as I read today with a child's eyes. How much do our experiences impact our comprehension?

-Maria Creighton

Bittersweet

Dear Reader-

It is the season when school supplies are found on sale in most of the advertisement circulars. The school clothing attires are proudly displayed in the clothing stores ranging from the teen attire to early elementary. This year I need to remember to buy plenty of khaki pants, while we are in the heat of summer because in the cold winter months, there are none to be had. The air is filled with excitement and buzz of the upcoming school year, and I always hear parents concerns about their child's future teacher, in hopes that I would ease their tension with any inside information on who their child may have. Sadly, I remind them that chances are they will find out before I do.

I also have anxieties about the upcoming school year. I wonder which students I will have in my classroom, and hoping that I can provide them with the best education possible. Chances are I will have students with reading difficulties, and wish that when they leave my classroom, they will feel fantastic about themselves. I truly believe that our students will rise to our expectations, and if we can take the time to get to know our students, we will know the best way to reach them. As a I am preparing my classroom, I hope that my new group of students will leave my room feeling like superstars. These "superstars" feed off of our worries and anxieties, and it is our responsibility to transfer these emotions into excitement for the upcoming school year; knowing that they will learn and bloom with new knowledge.

Let us be excited for what is to come, and embrace it with hope :)

-Maria Creighton

Why potS?

Dear Reader;

I am still thinking about all the print that surrounds us in our environment. It reminds me of a moment in time a year and a half ago when we were traveling to Lousiana. Of course the whole family was in the car, and they were beginning to wake up because we had just exited the freeway. It was Thanksgiving and their stomachs were rumbling in anticipation of the juicy turkey that was awaiting them at Mimi's house. Driving slowing through the winding rode, my youngest asked the oddest question. "Mommy, why would they write Pots on all those red signs? That just does not make sense. Aren't we suppose to stop?"

I was very confused because I just did not know what he was talking about. Yes, I saw the red sign, but I did not read pots. I was dumbfounded. Again, he was frustrated with me, and asked me again, "Look Mommy, don't you see P, T, O, S?"

Yes, I did and then I realized that he was reading them the other way. Now, I have never noticed that before. For awhile, I began reading those signs as pots, just thinking about the humor in it. Denial is a wonderful thing, but sometimes these small incidences, wake us up from our slumber. This "pots" sign provided more evidence that supported the teacher's suspension that something was going on. He was having problems in reading, such a small moment in time, but a moment I will never forget. I felt that awful pit in my stomach. Of course, as a family we all joked about it, and looked for words that could be spelled backwards in our return trip home.

-Maria Creighton

Print All Around Us

Dear Reader,

My youngest son has returned from a very LONG camping trip with his grandparents. They went to St. Louis, Mt. Rushmore, and Yellowstone. Wow, the pictures he took just reinforced how much he learned and enjoyed his trip. Of course he was happy to come home, but not as much as I was to see him.

During the trip, they would call home and let us know about their where-abouts. Mimi would always mention on these calls how much his reading has improved, and I would put her comments aside, thinking that she was trying to ease my fears. However, distance helps us view problems in a different light, and shows the growth of our children. Boy, did he grow on his trip; I think that he drank way too much milk and grew a couple of inches. The most remarkable difference that I noted since he has returned home, is the amount of print that surrounds us in our environment. He is attempting to read everything he sees. There are signs that I have never noticed before, and we are taking the time to read them. I love it when he is able to read them on his own, but the one's that he can't become fantastic opportunities for word study mini-lessons. We discuss the letters, where it is located, and what we know about the letter-sound correspondences, in order to attempt to read the word.

He is changing my perspective on reading instruction. The reading instruction that I have used on him in the past, was very prescriptive and now it is becoming natural. I am still meeting some of the same objectives, but I am using the print that surrounds us everyday. Take a moment to just look around, and note how many words we are exposed to everyday. It is amazing when we take the time and observe.

-Maria Creighton

Remember when. . .

Dear Reader,

I don't know who is more excited, my son or I about his summer job. All of a sudden I feel that I have just received a raise. You see, he no longer asks for money because he needs gas or that he needs money for food, which has always confused me. The reason being is that I always have food in the house. However, he mentions to me that the food is not the same as a fast food establishment with the company of friends, or maybe the fact that I might not be the best cook around. Thank goodness he is working and busy; I just hope that he will stay out of trouble.

Yesterday on his way to work, he stopped to say good-bye. He can be the sweetest boy. The funny thing was, is that he stopped in his tracks because I was reading Strega Nona by Tomie dePoala for a Children's Literature class, a book that I haven't read in years. He reminded me how much he loved that book, and how it was one of our favorite books in our home library. Well that is before it was washed away by Hurricane Katrina. Then, my daughter came downstairs and joined in the memories. I had forgotten that I had shared that book with her third grade class in Louisiana. We talked about our memories, and the books that we shared together. It is funny how these books have made such an impression on my children. My oldest who is a senior, and my daughter who is a freshman in High School have such loving childhood memories all revolving around books. Again, it goes back to the power of a story and the vivid memories it conjures. Amazing.

Poor thing, when my oldest left to work; he dragged my youngest child from playing with the dogs because he also had to sit down in the living room with me to share in the literacy experience. He had never had experienced that story. Strega Nona and poor Big Anthony, the power of a book.

-Maria

Going to the Movies

Dear Reader-

Yesterday I went to see the Shrek III with my son and child that I tutor. I think that I enjoyed the movie more than they did because I am a sucker for fairy tales. What can be better to once upon a time. . . and they lived happily ever after? Poor Shrek just did not see the importance of his life, and just wanted to do what he pleases without any responsibilities. How many of us have had those same thoughts?

Now that best part of yesterday was the frozen custard. It has been hot, and the sweet, cool, rich frozen dessert, just makes the heat a little more bearable. While we were enjoying our treats, we engaged in a lively discussion about the movie. Of course we all had different perspectives and thoughts as to what we felt about the characters, their motives, and the big idea of the movie. We were able to take more about of the movie experience by discussing it, and bringing those characters to life. Isn't this what we should be doing with books? If we are to get our students excited about reading, we should bring these experiences to life. Reading is not about just going through the process, but stirring our emotions, and maybe viewing the world in a different light.

If I could have this same discussion about a book with these reluctant and struggling readers, would they enjoy the experience more? Would they get hooked into a good book and taste its sweetness?

-Maria Creighton

Making "movie pictures"

Dear Reader,

Summer is a time when our lives might move a little bit slower. Being from Southern California, summer is synonymous with being at the beach. Sun, sand, and surf alongside with a good book. Personally, I prefer a romance novel that is in stark contrast to my own life. As I read, I am transported into the story that is so far removed from my own reality. Come to think about, I have created a movie in my mind that comes alive.

I am tutoring a child this summer, and we are reading Chalk Box Kid, about a boy who loves to draw, similar to my pupil. As she was reading to me, I tried to picture a movie in my mind, but she was reading way too fast, without any expression. Poor thing, I asked her to slow down and she looked at me confused. You see, she read every word right, decoding like a pro., but reading like a robot. In our state, there is a huge focus on DIBELS, the speed in which children read. Naturally, when I asked her to slow down so that I could imagine the words in my mind, this confused her even more, yet piqued her interest. She is an artist, and loves to create the images in her mind on paper. Poor thing, she was under the impression that reading was simply calling out the words correctly. How can reading be exciting? How can we get excited if we do not stop and make meaning from the words that are written?

Do you create images in your mind when you read? What do you see? What do you think about? There are so many processes that are required of the reader as they read and comprehend text. However, all these processes are being done simultaneously, effortlessly and without thought, as we are enjoying a good summer read.

-Maria

The Summer Slag

Dear Reader-

Summer is thought of lazy days, relaxing in the sun, and sharing moments with those we care for. The heat of the summer causes us to slow down just a little bit, and enjoy the time we have. I especially love these summer months when I can spend it with my family. On this long weekend, we spent it camping and secretly I hid behind a book so that I could watch my children play. As I was watching my daughter do back spring after back spring and be amazed in her tumbling skills. Now, this is coming from a mother who could never do a somersault. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get my feet up in the air. I was so discouraged with tumbling, and felt that you needed some magic talent in order to master the skill. Now, my daughter is quite different, I kept thinking, thank goodness she didn't do a tuck, even though she has mastered this skill on the gymnastic floor. She is good at tumbling, so she continues to practice her skills relentlessly, so naturally she is only getting better and better. This is the same thing with reading. The more we practice our skills, the more proficient we will become. For example, I knew I was never be good at tumbling, so eventually I gave up. Could it be the same way for our struggling readers? Why would you want to perform a task that is so difficult, which then becomes not enjoyable?

As teachers and parents, we see this all the time. Our child was performing, or reading better in May, then in August when they enter school. How frustrating is that, to have to go back before progress can be made. In education, there is a term that is coined: The Matthew Effect. The more a student reads, the better they will be. Imagine that! Therefore, if a child who does not read in the summer, naturally their reading ability will decline, which is the summer lag. Yet, how do we expect those students who do not enjoy reading or find the task to be so difficult, to spend their summer months practicing. Yet all it would take, would be a great book that hooks the child, at a level that is just right, not too hard, nor too easy. How do we get all our students, especially those struggling readers excited about reading? If they could only practice, how much better will they be?

-Maria

Is it how many are right, or how many are wrong?

Dear Reader,

Sometimes we have to reach back into our memories, and think about our own experiences as a reader? Did we love it, or was reading a chore? How did we perform in school?

My oldest son, is preparing to go off to college next year and he was asking me about my experiences taking those dreaded ACT. I forgot that I refused to take them, and he was shocked that I would be so defiant. You see, I am an advocate for education and my diploma has the Magna Cum Laude inscribed, of course I must do well, therefore my test scores should be high. Who knows? Of course his next question would be why?

You see when I was in elementary school, I was not considered to be the best student. I struggled because our primary language was Spanish, and I was enrolled in an American school system. However, my mother made me feel as if I was the brightest student ever. She would always applaude my efforts, and would tell me that at least I answered half the questions right, instead of 50% F :( I loved to see myself through her rose colored glasses, and I think the key is that she still continues to believe in me to this day. She never doubted the fact that I would not do well in school, and always had those high expectations. Yes, I took the longer path by having to enroll in a junior college and take extra classes that helped me tremendously.

I think that as parents and teachers, we need to have those high expectations for our children. Yes, we do expect them to learn, but in their own way and time. They are all superstars, and that number that we place on them does not define who they are. Instead we need to teach to their strengths, knowing that in time they will learn and reach their potential, celebrating what they do well.

-Maria Creighton