Module 1
Question: How does your view of childhood influence your choice of books for yourself, your students and or your own children?
Question: How does your view of childhood influence your choice of books for yourself, your students and or your own children?
Choice matters! Young children need to be guided to select books that are both a "good fit" and interests them. When I ask my students to select a "good fit" book, they must answer the following questions:
I also believe that children need to have "experience" completing a variety of things. I recognize for some, accessibility to certain activities can be difficult. I strive for my children to select what they what do to. With their real-world passions, they are able to transfer this into their reading. Currently, my son is all about hockey; hence why his room is full of hockey books (fiction and non-fiction). I cannot judge his interests as I want him to find reading pleasurable.
As for myself, I tend to read a lot of book reviews (The Horn Book, School Library Journal, Nerdy Bookclub, or Adrienne Gear) to select a book of interest. Regarding my personal reading, I will pick pictures books or novels from a certain genre or topic. One month was mystery while the next was creativity. On the other hand, my professional reading list is different. I tend to select picture books or chapter books that I can use to integrate with my pedagogy. I strive to use picture books as an anchor for writing or teaching reading strategies. Sometimes, my personal and professional reading will intermix. When developing my lessons, I will conduct a student survey and ask the class about their hobbies and reading interests. My goal is to create a successful reading culture. By tapping in to what the students enjoy, I am able to spark an interest with reading. Hence the reason why my class is full of books!
- Is it interesting?
- Do I know most of the words?
- Do I understand what is happening?
I also believe that children need to have "experience" completing a variety of things. I recognize for some, accessibility to certain activities can be difficult. I strive for my children to select what they what do to. With their real-world passions, they are able to transfer this into their reading. Currently, my son is all about hockey; hence why his room is full of hockey books (fiction and non-fiction). I cannot judge his interests as I want him to find reading pleasurable.
As for myself, I tend to read a lot of book reviews (The Horn Book, School Library Journal, Nerdy Bookclub, or Adrienne Gear) to select a book of interest. Regarding my personal reading, I will pick pictures books or novels from a certain genre or topic. One month was mystery while the next was creativity. On the other hand, my professional reading list is different. I tend to select picture books or chapter books that I can use to integrate with my pedagogy. I strive to use picture books as an anchor for writing or teaching reading strategies. Sometimes, my personal and professional reading will intermix. When developing my lessons, I will conduct a student survey and ask the class about their hobbies and reading interests. My goal is to create a successful reading culture. By tapping in to what the students enjoy, I am able to spark an interest with reading. Hence the reason why my class is full of books!