I began this Master's Program fearful of and wary of technology in the classroom. I am a good teacher, a strong teacher, a successful teacher so if I am going to unleash technology in my classroom, and if I am going to do it in an innovative way then it must enhance what I am already doing with my students. Of my many goals for my students the top goal is that they complete their 2nd grade year as fluent readers. Second grade is the stopping point, in general, for learning to read and then from here on out they'll be reading to learn. So for all my students, but more specifically my reluctant and struggling readers, I wanted another tool in my toolkit that would motivate and engage. What, oh what could that be? E-readers.
So, why do we read? The boring answers, boring teacher and educator answers, for why we read are - to acquire vocabulary, independence, good job, safety, blah, blah, blah. I read because I love it. I love to hold a book, I love libraries, books stores are like heaven. I love to read and I want my students to feel a tenth of what I feel about books. During each school day we have a time called reading comprehension. It is a time of day when I read a novel to my students and they follow along in their copy of the book. This year I have read to my students Pippi Longstocking, The Trumpet of the Swan, Bunnicula, Little House in the Big Woods, and now Charlotte's Web. We talk about anything and everything connected with these books. I have no set agenda such as setting or characters or prediction. It all gets covered but it just flows organically. One subject that comes up over and over again and it ultimately reinforced with Charlotte's Web is how a book makes you feel. I've read Charlotte's Web maybe ten times in my life and I always cry when Charlotte dies. She is Wilbur's best friend, she helps Wilbur in a selfless way because she loves him. I'm tearing up now. I always prepare my students for this. I tell them that books make you feel emotions. Books make you laugh, they make you cry, they make you sad, they make you happy, they scare you, they inspire you. I tell them, "Today you'll hear my voice start to sound funny and you are going to see me cry. I can't help it, this next chapter is sad. You might cry too because that's what books and stories can do to us. And THIS is why I want you all to practice and become readers." Then I read and I cry and some kids can't handle it, it feels uncomfortable, and some kids cry and a new lesson is learned.
Why do we read? Emotions. It is an activity that involves feelings and emotion. Even that science chapter on Mitochondrial DNA evokes some sort of emotion for someone somewhere.
If technology, in the form of e-readers, can help push my students closer to the emotions of reading then I want to employ that tool.
Here is a website which explains Your Brain on Books.
So, why do we read? The boring answers, boring teacher and educator answers, for why we read are - to acquire vocabulary, independence, good job, safety, blah, blah, blah. I read because I love it. I love to hold a book, I love libraries, books stores are like heaven. I love to read and I want my students to feel a tenth of what I feel about books. During each school day we have a time called reading comprehension. It is a time of day when I read a novel to my students and they follow along in their copy of the book. This year I have read to my students Pippi Longstocking, The Trumpet of the Swan, Bunnicula, Little House in the Big Woods, and now Charlotte's Web. We talk about anything and everything connected with these books. I have no set agenda such as setting or characters or prediction. It all gets covered but it just flows organically. One subject that comes up over and over again and it ultimately reinforced with Charlotte's Web is how a book makes you feel. I've read Charlotte's Web maybe ten times in my life and I always cry when Charlotte dies. She is Wilbur's best friend, she helps Wilbur in a selfless way because she loves him. I'm tearing up now. I always prepare my students for this. I tell them that books make you feel emotions. Books make you laugh, they make you cry, they make you sad, they make you happy, they scare you, they inspire you. I tell them, "Today you'll hear my voice start to sound funny and you are going to see me cry. I can't help it, this next chapter is sad. You might cry too because that's what books and stories can do to us. And THIS is why I want you all to practice and become readers." Then I read and I cry and some kids can't handle it, it feels uncomfortable, and some kids cry and a new lesson is learned.
Why do we read? Emotions. It is an activity that involves feelings and emotion. Even that science chapter on Mitochondrial DNA evokes some sort of emotion for someone somewhere.
If technology, in the form of e-readers, can help push my students closer to the emotions of reading then I want to employ that tool.
Here is a website which explains Your Brain on Books.