Blog #2 Wild Reading
While reading Millers book I found myself much more intrigued than I thought I would be going in to it. I was highlighting that book up because I have never seen a book with such great advice relating to children literacy. I was so happy and excited to see ideas for the classroom that weren’t just, make sure the kid reads age appropriate chapter books. I love Millers outlook on giving students freedom of choice when it comes to choosing books to read.
One of the ideas I found extremely interesting was the section on fake reading. I was not always an avid reader. I was a fake reader, and a dang good one. Miller touches on this subject in a way I find extremely humane and effective. Rather than scolding the child and embarrassing him or her in front of class Miller recommends thinking about what you, the teacher, can do to help the student want to read. Miller suggests discussing book choices and setting small goals so the student feels accomplishment and pride in their reading. I went through my entire elementary school career without anyone noticing I wasn’t reading. It wasn’t until high school that I found enjoyment in literature. If a teacher of mine would’ve taken me aside to discuss book choices best for me and not make me feel ashamed because of my lack of reading I would have read more and felt accomplished for reading.
I am so excited to see students in my class completely wrapped up in whatever they are reading. What a rewarding experience, to help a student pick a book based on their interests and watch that book change their outlook on reading. One thing I am afraid of in terms of teaching reading is my students hating to read. I want students to come out of my class with a good outlook on reading on fond memories when looking back on what they read.
One Reply to “Blog #2 Wild Reading”
Hi Audrey! I’m really enjoying this book as well. I made a lot of high lights and took a lot of notes. I also fake read in some instances and looking back it is so sad to me that I did that and didn’t enjoy all the books that I could have. I mainly did fake reading in reading groups in first grade. I look back on it now and it seems like my teacher could have totally caught that and tried to help me. I don’t know if I was just good at it or if she was just ignoring the fact that i wasn’t reading. I agree in the fact that I think it would be so rewarding to introduce one of my students to a novel and watch them enjoy it. Hopefully they would be interested then to read the whole series or stick to books by that author.
I enjoyed the practice aspect of reading. I think it’s so cool that she described practicing reading like practicing any sport. This will make students better learners and will challenge them.