Reflection 7

As has become standard, I was once more surprised both by what was included and what was not incorporated into reading education and, specifically, fluency instruction. I found that, on this occasion, I agreed with the information Allington proffered in his article about the significance of merely providing students, especially those that are lagging behind their peers, the opportunity to read. While explicit instruction of key reading skills is exceedingly useful and necessary to learning how to read, it is not all that is required. And thus, yet again, it all comes back to finding a balance between the differing dimensions of reading and ensuring they all have their place in the curriculum. Moreover, I thought it was important that there was an emphasis on letting these struggling read and not consistently interrupting with questions and minor assistances. Allowing them the chance to explore a work and attempt words on their own should, for most, go a long way in aiding them in self-sufficient reading. Finally, critical instruction methods to note, that actually also trended through the other readings this week, were encouraging students to reread the same material multiple times, and supplying them time to listen to other fluent readers read. I particularly liked the thought of recording readings of text in order for students to be able listen to it and practice on their own.

From Rasinski’s “Creating Fluent Readers”, I appreciated being presented with an actual definition of fluency and having it stated that it does not simply speak to how fast you are capable of skimming through a bit of text. Rather it encompasses the ability to read accurately, both in reference to the words and the punctuation, as well as interpret and assign meaning to what has been read. I was, personally, drawn to the statement, “‘Tell the story with your voice as well as with your words,’” because I found this to be an essential aspect of truly comprehending what being fluent entails (Rasinski, T., 2004, p. 49). It does not simply regard one’s capacity to read the words, but also whether they are adept at communicating and understanding the purpose lurking behind the letters they decipher as they flip through the pages of a book. Lastly, it seemed worthwhile to remember that reading fluency, just as all of the other aspects of literacy, plays an enormous role in overall reading competency. As a result, if a student does not gain the skill when they are young, it will be a plight that will plague them through the rest of their years in school.

The textbook, to begin, caught my attention straight off by including the mashed-up, all-caps, and no spaces paragraph at the start of the chapter. This example gave a realistic, if quite minute, depiction of what a lack of reading fluency is like. The frustration and absence of reading enjoyment found in students currently incapable of this skill would be easy to understand after experiencing the struggle of reading the introductory sentences. Most similarly to the first of this week’s resources, the text, furthermore, highlighted activities that would utilize such tactics as frequent rereading and reading together to provide a good example of fluency. However, what my focus was actually captured by was the word wall. In the past I recall commenting positively on the book wall and so, too, did I find this classroom addition to be a beneficial one. Having these effortlessly mixed-up, but immensely important terms listed in an easy to glimpse area on the wall permits continuous exposure and a simple way of double-checking one’s work. Likewise, it furnishes a consistent, and routine form of practice if new vocabulary words are added each week and old ones are re-introduced. Generally, I think wall activities or exhibits produce a both a recurring form of review, while also enabling whole class participation.