Sunday, October 12, 2008
Reading is Seeing
I really identified with this chapter on a personal level. I currently work with fourth and fifth grade students in an after school care program. I am responsible to plan a curriculum unit weekly with math, science, drama, music, gross motor and art. I also plan cooperative games for them in the gym. However the time I struggle the most with is homework time that consists of written homework and reading. I have a couple of students that I think are out to give me a headache on a daily basis. Most students don't find this time tedious, but some do. I have a few that refuse to read and do homework. I have heard most excuses, my parents want me to do the homework at home, I didn't bring a book (even thought I tell them on a daily basis they must bring a book to class) I don't have any homework (even though I know who their teachers are and I know they give homework. Anything to get out of the homework. Having anywhere from 30-40 kids in the room at a time can be cumbersome since they don't all have a chair to sit in. I try to work with them to find books that they find interesting since there teachers don't give them required texts to read. These students are allowed to read what they wish. I think some of the students are reading books that might be too difficult for them, hence their lack of enjoyment in reading. They struggle with the text therefore they become frustrated and don't want to read. I'd like to build their confidence so that they will enjoy reading and I won't end up with the daily headache.
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2 comments:
Your blog was interesting and brought back a lot of memories similar to yours. Throughout college, I worked at an afterschool program with K-6 grades. This is entirely the reason I now teach high school. It is incredibly challenging, and even though you're only with them for a few hours each day, I'm sure you leave feeling drained. Like you, I enjoyed playing games with them more than helping with homework, but I realized that a lot of the kids I worked with didn't have someone to read to them or vice versa. Those kids will never forget the time you took to help them. Hope these ramblings help.
I completely agree with you that some of the books mught be too difficult. I tutored a boy over the summer who was a struggling reader. I let him pick out books and he chose books on subjects that interested him. However, if the book was too hard for him, he would just shut down. It's important to find that balance in a book; one that's not too easy or too hard, so the student can enjoy reading and learn something from it.
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