Parent Reading Tip #4

Reading and writing tend to be interwoven in Reading Recovery.  I often remind my students of what they can read in order to assist them with what they're trying to write (and vice versa).  When faced with a "tricky word" in their reading, a helpful way is to remind the child that they know how to write that word.  An example might be, "You wrote that word earlier in the lesson."  This approach helps their learning become stronger, since reading and writing reinforce one another.  It's all about making the connections to help students with learning to read.  

Parent Reading Tips # 3

We all enjoy doing things that are easy, fun, and give us confidence.  In Reading Recovery, we strive to make new learning easy for the child.  It's important to begin with what the young reader CAN DO.  Then build new learning from what the child already knows.  Each time I present something new to my readers, I try to link it to something that the child already knows.  This makes for an easier connection in their brain. This strategy of making it easy to learn helps the child's level of confidence to grow rapidly which I feel is half the battle in reading.    

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Parent Reading Tips #2

Children sometime see the one-to-one learning environment of Reading Recovery as separate and isolated from the larger classroom setting.  As my readers become more competent in using reading strategies, I find myself giving frequent reminders that what they do in Reading Recovery should also be done in their regular classroom.  In order to be a successful reader, the child must be able to transfer learning from one setting to another.  At our school they receive 30 minutes of literacy instruction in a small group setting as well.  Our literacy team, teachers, and classroom assistants make sure we are using the same language and prompts for Reading Recovery and for literacy groups so the students will make the connections.  We get the children to think, "What I do in RR also works for what I do in the classroom, and at home when I read."  

Parent Reading Tips #1

Helping a child at a time of frustration when they are reading, doesn't necessarily mean telling the child a "tricky" word.  Prompting the child to use strategies is more beneficial to reading growth.
Below are a few prompts that you can try at home when working on reading.

"You try it."
"what could you try?"
"What do you think it could be?"
"Do you know a word like that?"
"You said...Does that make sense?"
"You said...Does it sound right?"
"You said...Does that look right?"
"It could be...but look at..."
"Check to see if what you read looks and sounds right."
"Try that again."

Do you believe that authentic assessment is possible in every subject area? Can students at every grade level demonstrate mastery through authentic assessment? Why or why not?

I believe that authentic assessment is possible in every subject area. Making sure that standards are clear and that the assessment relates to goals is necessary.  I think the key is finding what drives students to achieve to their fullest.  Authentic assessment allows teachers to see if students are understanding ideas.  I feel that students at every grade level can demonstrate mastery through authentic assessment.  What’s important is guiding the students to show them the technology that is out there so they can see the endless possibilities of what they can do with knowledge.  I am learning several new web tools. The tools out there seem overwhelming to me, yet I know students will benefit from them.  I just finished watching a video on Assessment Tools for Online Learning by Michele Eaton.  As a teacher it is exciting to learn new things. I can envision students getting excited about these tools as well.  Seeing the possibilities that they can create by using tools such as Animoto, voicethread, Slideshare, Prezi, sliderocket, wikispaces, ToonDoo, weebly, etc.  I really am excited for the future of our kids.  

Watch the video by Daniel Pink (here) on motivation. Although he is speaking about business productivity, consider how his points could apply to education. How might you incorporate autonomy, mastery, and purpose into your professional situation? Choose a particular area and identify a specific way you could increase motivation using Pink's ideas.

In the video of Daniel Pink's topic on motivation, he talks about how reward narrows your focus and that it can actually result in negative performance.  He feels we should approach doing things because they matter and because they are interesting by using autonomy, mastery, and purpose. So I thought about this and how I do this in my classroom.  

When working with my first grade students and teaching them how to read I don't reward them for their reading performance.  I don't give them candy or incentives.  I feel that the reward is being able to perform and problem solve to sound through words, looking for parts in words, re-read to make sure that it makes sense, and be able to understand the story.  The ultimate reward is to read and feel good about yourself.

The first step I take with my students is I have them set goals on what they want to be able to do in reading.  What they want to work on to become better (Autonomy).  I make sure they understand why they are doing what they are doing to help them become better in reading.  Why they should listen to see if what they say makes sense.  Why they should go back and re-read when it doesn’t make sense. Why they should look for parts in words.  (Purpose)

To ensure that the students are getting lots of practice of reading, students re-read familiar books daily to develop mastery.  Each student takes home a reading bag and is responsible for  keeping track of their reading and having their parents sign the log sheet at home.  The books are for extra practice to work on fluency. (Mastery).     

How could you adapt or change one of your current class/course policies to reflect a moving mindset? Is this a change you are willing to make? Why or Why not?


I work one on one with struggling readers as well as first and second grade literacy groups.  One way that I have changed my class policy is to incorporate more technology using ipads.  I video record my students reading so they can hear what their reading sounds like.  Sometimes it takes them watching themselves on video to really let them know how their reading sounds.  Whether it be that it's slow and choppy, or flat with no expression.  I have found this a powerful tool to use with my students.  The first time they play back the video they are usually surprised at what they sound like.  Sometimes even a little embarrassed.  It's amazing out how doing this a few times can really help improve their reading fluency.
Another change that I making to ensure that my students are moving in the right direction is to use more online books instead of the leveled paper back books.  I personally feel that it's important for students learning to read, to be able to use paper back books.  They need to be able to hold them, touch the words, and be able to slide their fingers underneath the words as they sometimes need to stretch through words.  With an ipad, I don't feel that it is the same.  Something about the touch of a book and being able to flip back and fourth through the pages of a paper back book is easier than on an ipad.  But I know children today are comfortable with ipads, computers, etc.  So this is a change that I know that needs to be made so that I can ensure my students are prepared and I can stay up to date with technology.