Week 5 reading

Chapter 5 focused on the components of a comprehensive literacy framework; or in other words the key components needed to help reach a student's full potential as a reader. These components include read-aloud, guided reading, independent reading, and more. One part of the chapter that really stood out to me was on page 80 and deals with the 'focus' of instruction. The paragraph ends with "...as long as you base the focus on the needs of the students in that group. Remember, we are teaching the readers, not the book." When I first read this I instantly thought about how many times, the exact opposite of that had been done by my previous teachers. So often I think that teachers forget or maybe don't want to go the extra steps in teaching beyond the required or tested material/books that they simply teach to the book or to the tests rather than teaching to the needs of the students. I found it both interesting and good that this chapter described the key parts, but left the method of implementation up to the teachers.

Chapter 10 of Catching Readers Before They Fall is solely about assessments; not simply tests but rather a full range of assessments teachers can and must use in assessing how well they're students are doing as well as in what areas they are struggling. Prior to this chapter I was pretty familiar with the terms reading conference, benchmark assessment, and adapted tests, however the basis of anecdotal notes and running records were both knew forms of assessments I really wasn't too familiar with. Running records seem to be the most important of all because they give the most clear indication of the students progress and struggles if they are kept accurately and accordingly. Running records "give us insights into which strategic behaviors are being used or not used as well as information about what level text is appropriate for a child. To take a running record, you use a coding system to record on paper what a child says and does while reading". Essentially for me, this form of assessment would be the most useful in measuring a students current and prospective abilities, while also noting their areas of struggle. However, it seems as if taking a proper running record is not something that can be done easily but rather something that needs a lot of training and further exploration.