Reading takes work and since the work goes “underground” the concept becomes daunting for students who need to work harder than others because it is not a visual process. How do we impress upon all students that reading at any age takes practice and work?
As a student myself, I was a strong reader but always struggled with comprehension. I have shared with a few students that were struggling, that I actually have a learning disability in reading comprehension. I have had to learn tricks to help with this over the years and many resources were offered to assist me. I didn't always take advantage of the assistance, but now wish I would have. I try to encourage my students to ask for help when needed and not to be embarrassed if they need assistance and a little extra practice.
-What stood out to you in these chapters?
What stood out to me most was the idea of teaching to the test and how much can be lost in translation in doing so.
-How does the Science of Reading impact your instruction? (regardless of content area)
As a math teacher, I often hear "I thought this was math class, not ELA" when asked to read a scenario or write a response. When I first started teaching, I would always emphasize key words when teaching word problems. Key words do not work in all situations. They also hinder critical thinking and reasoning. After reading a problem, I have moved towards having students ask themselves "does this make sense?".
-What skills are important to be able to read?
Skills that are important to be able to read are phonemic awareness, decoding, comprehension and fluency.