First off, I am currently a middle school science teacher, and I can say unequivocally that a students ability to read, process and apply information is an essential foundation skill for their success in science. If they can not follow lab procedures, read background information, use my board as a reference for the daily plan...then, they struggle with all most all other aspects of the concepts they are trying to learn.
My second perspective is that of a parent. I am the parent to two six year old boys. But, my boys have very different stories of their early life. Both of my children came to our family through adoption and a drastically different times. One son came to us at 8 months but he was born 1lb 7 oz. He spent his first 3 months in an incubator as an orphan, and then the next 3.5 months in an orphanage. While his orphanage care was better than most, the heat was not working that winter so he was often in a smaller room all by himself that was easier to keep warm. From the time he was 6.5 months until he was 8.5 months we were able to visit him a couple hours a day while we waited for the courts to approve our adoption. Why I am telling you this, is that this son, came to us very young, but with serious sensory deprivation for almost 8 months of the first very crucial years of his life. He was cross eyed (as many orphans are due to lack of visual stimuli and hours of laying in a crib.) He had little to no muscle tone, and he could not physically hold on to an adult because he had never really been held.
So back on to reading. With "E" I began imparting my love of reading at a very early age with him and he loved our time together, from a very early age, as we would sit and read through books. Now, it is not uncommon to see him sitting quietly (this is the only time he ever sits) in the bean bag chair intensely flipping through his favorite books. He loves books, he loves the stories, the pictures, the characters. He laughs out loud at the funny parts, and cries during the sad parts. He is immersed in the story and can tell anyone who will listen, all about the book, characters, setting and what he thinks about it. These are skills not usually emphasized for a kindergartner. K5 curriculum mostly seems geared towards letter sounds, long and short vowels, blends, sight words and punctuation. The "hard skills" of reading. "E" really struggles in these areas. He has to work very hard and the details, slowing down to make end sounds to words, recognizing why some letters make different sounds at different times. Should I be worried? According to some I should be. K5 is all about fluency, sounding out words etc. for some. For me though, I am not. What I see is a passion for books, and a child who is going to have to work harder at the details. For his entire life, he has never fit neatly into any category and why should I try to squeeze him into a box now?
My third perspective is my other son (younger by 4 months.) "I" came to us at 3.5 years old, and our home was his 5th! He came into this world with a cleft pallet and hearing impaired. He did time in two abysmal orphanages that were the holding places for "special needs" kids. He then was adopted into his first home, but the family he was initial placed with was not equipped to handle many of his emotional and physical needs. Then he came to be with us. At 3.5 years he weighed 17 lbs, could not sit on anything without a back, walk on uneven surfaces, was mortified of water, and only knew 2-5 words. When we took him for his first developmental screening, he was considered to have the developmental skills of a 12 month old. We were warned that he might be MR, or have PDD, or be on the autistic spectrum. The doctors then asked us to come back in 6 months to see how he progressed while living in a stable home.
We did, and in just six months he progressed to the developmental age of 2.5 years. Still a year behind, but he progressed 1.5 years in just six months. That is resilience, and this resilience has consistently allowed me to be pleasantly surprised as I have watched him grow. Emotionally though he still lagged behind his physical, or intellectual age. I can never guess when he is going to act like a 6 year old or a 2 year old. It makes planning a day quite tricky. Again, how has teaching and parenting "I" effected my perception of reading instruction?
I will confess, I figured he would be delayed in his reading skills. He has so little concept of language, stories and 2D visual experiences. I have been proven wrong. "I" has decoded language beautifully. He can sound out words when he is emotionally with me. He can clearly explain the difference between long and short vowels and apply that knowledge to the words he is reading. When he struggles with a word one day, he will practice this word over and over again, and have it down the next day. He seems to get very basic story lines like "they boy is walking the dog." If I ask him "what was the boy doing in the story?" He can tell me "walking the dog." However, when it comes to more complex story lines, characters, feelings about a book, how he relates to the book, he struggles immensity. One of the key aspects of problem solving and higher level thinking is drawing upon past experiences. When you have a 3.5 year experience deficit, it is going to effect your ability to relate when you are only 6 years old. Am I worried about "I"? Not so much. I know why he struggles. I know where we need to focus our attention.
As a homeschooling parent of two kids we are working through the reading on many fronts. All of which have importance, but mostly I feel that my job right now is to make sure they continue to love the process, the plot lines, the adventures that reading can lead them to, and to continue asking of them what I always have, that they keep moving forward.
How are your children doing with their reading? What would help you support them?
Feel free to check out my products on TpT about reading activities. These are geared more for middle school, but some of them can be adapted for the younger years.
Thinking Chart Great Depression Book Study:
This can be used as an assessment tool or product focus for student literature circles focusing on the theme of "The Great Depression." I have my students read books about the Great Depression and have them meet once or twice a week in their lit. circle groups. During each meeting, students add to their thinking chart showing their knowledge gained. FREE
International Reading Group Projects: $1
After students read books about the world in literature groups, have them put together a presentation about the setting of their book. This packet includes project menu options as well as organizational charts for student presentation.
Where the Red Fern Grows Literature Circle Unit $2.00
I love to start my reading year off with having all students doing literature circles groups on the same book. This unit is designed to help students become confident and capable of meeting in literature groups with specific jobs and objectives.
WW II Book Study Compare and Contrast Essay $1.00
I used this as an essay guideline for my reading students in cooperation with their US history class. When they were studying WW II, I had students read one Holocaust book in a literature circle and then they read another book from a different perspective about WW II. I had students choose one element of their books to compare and contrast.
No comments:
Post a Comment