Reader's Theater in the Classroom

Reader's Theater is an excellent strategy to use in the classroom and applies to any grade level. I can see myself using this in an elementary classroom as well as in high school English classrooms. Reader's Theater is simply readers reading a script adapted from any piece of text (story or chapter books work well). This approach is great for developing fluency, engaging students through cooperative learning, and provides a great way to integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It's also fun for students and provides a deeper way to comprehend the text being studied.

Ideally, I would use this in different reading units and have different groups perform different stories. For example, in an elementary classroom, I would have students practice and perform different folk tales during that unit. At a middle or high school level, I would have student groups perform chapters of their book depending on the unit of study. If I were to apply this strategy to a social issues novel study where each student was involved in various book clubs, I would have students pick the most important scene to perform. Students would take on the roles of analyzing the characters and performing for their peers. This would serve as an after reading strategy. If a teacher wanted to set the scene and provide some prior knowledge before launching a reading unit, another approach would be to provide scripts in advance. I believe it provides a bigger challenge for students to create their own scripts using the character quotes and actions pulled straight from the text. If students also know what is expected of them during reading, this will keep them more engaged and active in the reading process.

I think this is a different approach to reading and makes the classroom interactive and fun. I am always striving to make my students feel like they are in charge of their learning and this learning strategy allows for that to happen.

Biopoem

In today's class, we practiced writing biopoems about a character within a story. Biopoems allow students to reflect large amounts of material within a poetic form and organize, review, and summarize what they have learned in a concise, creative manner. I figured I'd try this strategy myself and write my own personal biopoem.

Stacy

Wife, daughter, friend, and mother-to-be

Relative of her loving husband Zach

Lover of teaching, cooking, and family

Who feels excited, hopeful, and anticipation for the future

Who needs nothing but more time in the day with family and friends

Who fears failure, complacency, and rejection

Who gives love, time, and a listening ear to all who need

Who would like to see happiness and harmony in the world

Resident of Houston, Texas

Samet

My Reading Life

My passion is to help my students find books that hook them and foster a love of reading. It is ultimately why I chose my graduate school path in reading instruction. When I reflect on my reading life, I know I don’t always practice what I preach. As much as I love reading, I still struggle with the balance. I find that I don’t devote enough time to reading for pleasure as I always intend to. I am currently working on fixing these habits because I know things will only get put on the back burner more when my baby arrives.

Growing up, I was a good student and took my studies seriously. I enjoyed challenging classes and took many advanced English classes in middle and high school. The book lists for these classes were long and rigorous. I enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that I had read so many classics and could add them to my reading repertoire. High school and college were definitely the periods in my life where I read the most. Looking back now, I don't think I truly enjoyed that and it definitely wasn't fostering a love of reading. I was and still am a good reader, but I had no drive to read for pleasure.

I believe my life as a reader was put on hold when I started my teaching career. I was always busy and involved in a professional book study with my school, always reading children's books ahead of time to prepare for read aloud instruction, and seemed to never have time to read up on current events or simply read for pleasure. When my friends would ask if I’ve read this book or listened to this podcast I would always feel embarrassed because I never could find the time to do it all.

I am much more aware of this now and know that I want to set a better example for my students and also my own children. I have noticed that the environment which I read is crucial. I can't read in bed if I'm tired and I can't have a lot of background noise. Reading outside is ideal if it's a pretty day outside or reading next to a window where there is natural light. I had never really considered the parameters of where and how I read to matter up until recently. When the conditions are right and distractions are removed, I am a much more successful reader.

My ultimate goal is to find the balance between reading books for graduate school, reading books to enhance my personal and professional career, and also read for pleasure just for the escape.

Content Area Reading Reflection

In my classroom, motivation and choice have played a huge role in keeping my students engaged. In my current graduate school reading course, we have learned that self-efficacy contributes to how students perceive themselves as capable readers and overall learners. I have always tried to make my lessons student-centered and engaging where I peak curiosity and interest. Now, in a classroom of young children, students are typically easier to please than in a classroom of young adults. When students are not connected to the content, there won't be much learning occurring.

We have learned and participated in many different instructional practices and strategies such as the jigsaw method and story impressions. Cooperative learning, small groups, and guided discussions are all pivotal components of an active classroom. I enjoy getting to experience these different lessons and looking at them through other lenses other than just an elementary perspective. This is exactly what we want our students to gain when they get to experience working cooperatively as well. Although teachers will be the facilitators in the classroom, it is beneficial for students to play an active role in their groups and contribute. It is evident that the time a teacher takes to plan engaging activities and lessons will spark student interest and hook our students. What more could we want as classroom teachers?

Reflecting on High School

Although it seems like a lifetime ago, high school was the time in my life where I truly learned how to be a learner. This would not have been possible had it not been for teachers that inspired me and pushed me to always learn more. My favorite subject was always English, although it was quite a challenge for me. Science and history were always a challenge for me, so they were never favorites. In fact, my freshman English teacher tried to convince my parents that taking AP English might not be the best fit for me. This only made me persevere and try harder. Reading and writing were both subjects I enjoyed but had never been given time to explore these subjects and learn how to apply myself.

Once I stepped foot into my sophomore year English class, I knew it was going to be different. My teacher was full of passion and energy for teaching. She was everything that you would want in an inspirational teacher and you could tell she was so passionate about her content. Not only was she an expert in the field, but she knew that building relationships with her students was crucial to student success. She took an interest in me and found ways to differentiate her instruction so I finally felt like I could keep up with the AP course demands. Although she had high expectations, I was eager to please and meet those expectations. I felt safe in her classroom and knew that if I struggled with something, I could go to her for guidance. Although I'm sure there were negative things about her classroom and that school year, I can't recall any major negatives. She was the definition of an effective teacher and the one that I try to emulate while I am in the classroom today.

In my classroom, I work hard to build relationships with my students and find out what ignites their spark. A lot of times my struggling readers or ones who don't have an interest in reading leave my classroom realizing what types of texts they enjoy. I have found that by focusing on literacy and providing variety of text choice, my students are more engaged. This is something that I learned from my sophomore English teacher but also my professors. Similar to my high school teacher, I believe that every student can learn and it is a teacher's responsibility to meet the different learning needs of each child. I have had many teachers throughout my educational career, but only the master teachers stick in my mind. I can only hope one day a child feels the same way about me as their former teacher as I do about some of mine.

Reflecting on the Semester

I have always had a passion for teaching literacy, but I had never quite explored the world outside of my primary level comfort zone. I spend my days teaching readers' and writers' workshop and conferencing with my students in order to build their love for reading. This class completely opened my eyes to the world beyond my classroom walls and into the world of secondary literacy. Through Randy Bomer's book, Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classrooms, reading and exploring young adult novels like Wonder and Speak, and getting to research and learn about effective reading and writing strategies, I have an entirely new perspective about teaching literacy at the secondary level.

Through our textbook, articles, and our class discussions, a major theme has been to allow students the freedom to find their own reading and writing life. I believe this class has helped me find my reading life again. It is our job as educators to help our students build this life, as it doesn't always happen naturally for them. This is actually something that helped me greatly this semester. Once I started to carve out more time for daily reading, I started to get my reading groove back. I learned that if I don't make a conscious effort to do so, reading for pleasure just simply won't happen. I also discovered that audiobooks are a great way to enjoy reading. If I want to foster an environment of reading for my students, the good habits have to start with me.

When we were given the choice to pick a book, I was so glad to be a part of the Wonder book club. It had been a long time since I had found a book that I wanted to finish in a day. It was even better to get to discuss and share with my colleagues. If this is the kind of reading experience we want for our secondary students, I love that we got to experience book clubs ourselves. Exploring the multigenre research paper also allowed for endless creativity and an experience to delve deeper into the text. Both of these experiences I look forward to bringing back to my students.

I have just begun my graduate degree work and I am so thankful that this was my first course. I leave feeling excited to work with older students and continue the work I am most passionate about which is molding lifelong readers and writers.

In Honor of National Poetry Month

I Scream, You Scream…

Inspired by: Pregnancy cravings

Eyes gazing through the cold freezer door

Belly tempted for some sweet, frozen goodness

Chocolate, vanilla, mint chocolate chip

“I’m eating for two,” I try to convince myself

Sliding down my throat

So refreshing and smooth

And I’m instantly taken back

To the taste of childhood

Summers at the beach

Chocolate dripping down my cone

All over my smile and my arm

Making a beautiful, delicious mess

Memories that soon baby girl will enjoy
All with the start of a single scoop