Reader's Theater

I learned about reader's theater in literacy class last semester. I thought it was a great idea to implement into a classroom. Reader's theater allows the student to role play with characters from various stories. The students can better comprehend a story when they have a chance to act out various scenes from the story. The students can also better understand the characters and their distinct characteristics when they role play. Students would love to have the chance to act out their favorite characters from their favorite stories. When I was younger, I would have loved having the chance to act as different characters. I wish my teachers implemented this fascinating concept into their classroom.
As a future teacher, I would want to incorporate the reader's theater because I think it is a great tool to help students develop their fluency, comprehension, and their reading expression. The Joy of Children's Literature states that "the teacher can introduce children to this fun activity and then gradually turn over the responsibility to the students for writing the script, assigning parts, obtaining props if desired, and performing for each other." Once students become accommodated to the reader's theater and its script, the students can start creating their own scripts and props to further their comprehension of the story.
All in all, reader's theater is a wonderful activity for students to participate in after reading a story. Students will be able to learn about their characters, while still having fun role playing.

Reading Aloud

I think reading aloud is very important to a student's learning. In order for students to polish their fluency, they must practice reading aloud. Reading aloud helps the student practice using expression, pausing at punctuation, and speaking in a loud and clear voice. It is very important for the teacher to not force any students to read aloud in front of their classmates. If a student is shy, the teacher should assess their fluency by having them read one on one with the teacher only. Additionally, the teacher must be careful having students read aloud because they may only focus on their part of the reading. Students may be worried about making an error in their reading, so they will concentrate on their part of the text only.
One way a teacher can enthuse his or her students is by allowing the students to read their favorite aloud to their classmates. This helps the students gain confidence in their reading because they are a reading a book they are comfortable with. Also, shy students may want to start following their classmates and choose to read aloud as well.
Another way a teacher can enthuse his or her students is by using expression and enthusiasm in their storytelling. The book, The Joy of Children's Literature, states that "there is no substitute for a teacher who reads children good stories." (Johnson, page 388) The teacher should pick interesting books that the students will enjoy listening to. When a teacher reads aloud, the teacher should entertain the students by using expression and not being monotone. Students will become excited about reading if the teacher can make reading seem amusing! I love reading to children, and I hope I can help my students understand just how fun reading can be.

Author Study: J.K. Rowling

I was thrilled when I found out I was appointed to J.K. Rowling as my author! J.K. Rowling is my absolute favorite author, and I can not wait to dig deeper into her writing style. As a child, I grew up adoring the Harry Potter series. I still love it just as much today. The writing style, character development, and originality are a few of the reasons why I enjoyed reading these books. J.K. Rowling has a simple writing style that caters to elementary aged students. Students may be intimidated by the size of the books, but once you begin reading, the books fly by!
As a teacher, I want my students to be able to fall in love with a book series like I did as a student. Whether it be Harry Potter, or something completely different, I would love for my students to find a book series they can fall in love with. Reading a book series they enjoy may spark an interest in other types of books. I had favorite authors growing up, and I hope my students can find many favorites as well. I will want to have a very diverse library in my classroom that enables every student to find a book they are interested in.

Goodreads

I had not heard of this website until I took this class. After being asked to sign up and explore Goodreads, I was instantly hooked! It is simply amazing how many children's books there are! I really enjoyed this website because it reminded me of all my favorite books I read when i was younger. I want to go back and read all of them, and I wish i had more time to do so! I can't wait to continue exploring the website and finding more books that i have read in the past. Finding books I have read before created nostalgia and it made me cherish my childhood. I sometimes forget how drastically books changed my life as I was growing up. I used to read constantly, and now I barely read at all! It is very sad to me, and I hope this website can help motivate me to start reading again. I really do love to read, but sometimes it is very difficult to find the time. I highly recommend this website, and it will certainly help you find any books you need!

Planning Sheet

At first, the planning sheet was very overwhelming to me! I didn't know how I was going to find so many books. After I found the first five books, however, it became very easy to me. I found most of my books at the public library, but I also found some online. There is such a variety of resources that help you find the book you need! It was very exciting finding different books for different themes and genres. I really enjoyed this assignment because I was able to think about books I would want to implement in my own classroom. There are so many different types of books, and it is exciting to know that there is at least one book that will interest a child! I am really looking forward to reading these books.