How to Create a Successful Reader

Reader Response #6

My biggest take away from reading Chapter 10 and the article “A Focus on the Essentials of Reading Instruction” was that reading is supposed to be an active experience, not a passive experience. Once this idea takes root many new options and activities are available to keep readers engaged in the reading experience.

In Chapter 10 the focus was on how to use the existing text to the advantage of the reader. When students understand how the text is structured it is easier to find the meaning and understand what to read. The textbook focuses on how to use the text to “facilitate” reading. The purpose of the textbook is no longer to copy the information from it and fill in blanks on a worksheet. The different ways to organize the information in the text to find the meaning are explored in Chapter 10. The graphic organizer that was used when I was in school was the linear outline form. This is not as helpful as other ways to organize the information found in the text. It is much more beneficial for students to use a graphic organizer to understand the text patterns. These graphic organizers ask an exploratory question and then must read the text to find the supporting information. I liked the problem-and-solution outline in figure 10.3. I thought it was an easy way for students to put their thoughts down and organize the ideas in the text in a way that makes it easy for them to connect the dots.

Note taking has also evolved since I was in school. It is no longer about copying information from the text, but used to summarize text in the students’ own words and ideas. It is used to respond to the text. I thought the reading logs, T-notes and Cornell notes were helpful tools, but I did not think the annotations are all that helpful. Instead of having set symbols for every student to use, I think it would be more beneficial for the student to come up with their own symbols. Otherwise, I think the student would be too caught up in the symbols and not really absorbing the information. The graphic set up of study and reading guides have also evolved since my time in school. The use of questions to force the reader to actively look for an answer is much better than having them copy facts from the text. Now the questions ask for critical thinking instead of just reciting information. If used correctly study and reading guides can be used to help with a final assessment of the text. The main ideas of the text and the student response are all there for the student to refer to. The suggestions in chapter 10 can be used to help motivate students to read; which is the first part of becoming a successful reader.

The article, “A Focus on the Essentials of Reading Instruction” summarized what we have been discussing in class on the best practices of active reading. I liked how they graded each practice. As teachers, I think we are all a bit of overachievers and we don’t want to get anything less than an A. We are motivated by the success of our students and the practices discussed in the article gave a good overview on how to successfully create readers in our classrooms.