Module 3 Learning Summary

Encouraging Enthusiasm for Reading

This video was so touching and inspirational. It opens your eyes to see just how important reading is to a child. By reading to a child you open up the door to a new world they have never seen.  If parents would simply take the time to read to their child a love for reading will grow within them. Often times I will hear my son playing and then all of a sudden he will get quiet. I go to check on him and he is sitting in the middle of his playroom reading a book it melts my heart. My two year old has a love for reading like I have never seen. This love for reading was instilled by simply reading to him as a newborn. Every day I would read to him and now before bed. Often he brings me books to read to him saying, “read mommy.” Yes I may read the same book all the time, but it’s worth it to see him read to himself. 

Using the Smart Table for Collaboration

 I love the smart table!! My principal is considering getting one to pilot at our school! This table is such an amazing tool for collaboration as the smallest one allows four children to work on one activity simultaneously. Students would be able to all be presented the same problem and work together to solve it!

Virtual Filed Trip to Atlanta, Georgia

I enjoyed this module and all that is available right in my hometown.  I knew about  many of the attractions and the videos helped to make me eager to visit them. The video about reading aloud stressed the importance of reading aloud to your children. I fully believe in this. Reading aloud to my son is one of the most amazing times that I get with him. The joy I see in his face when I pull out a book to read is amazing and I truly believe that this love will be forever instilled in his life. Like the video said, to a child reading with their parents is one of the closest times a child will have with them. I truly believe it!

Exploring Social studies and Technology,

There are so many ways to integrate technology and social studies. Some examples include,

·         Research a topic and creating a digital story telling. Digital story telling is a great way to present information in a fun creative way. Digital storytelling includes: voice thread, glogster, kerpoof, storybird, and more.

·         Reading maps, touring a country or place using google maps

·         Virtual fieldtrip

Integrating Science and Literacy in Early Childhood

The most important ways to integrate science and literacy…

·         Reading nonfiction/informational books and books with science concepts—introduce vocabulary as reading and questioning with higher level thinking on the topic

o   Creating schema

Development of Literacy strategies

This powerpoint depicted how informational literacy had developed. The seven pillars model is the basis for information literacy and the progression an individual goes through in order to obtain information literacy. This starts with basic library and IT skills. This progresses as a need to understand is developed and progresses to achieve the final outcome of gaining the necessary information.

Teaching Expository text structures through information trade book retellings

Informational text comprehension is a huge part of a student’s life. Their ability to comprehend more complex texts will have lasting effects on them now and in the future. An understanding of how to read informational texts is a must for comprehension.  Without the knowledge of how to read more complex texts for a quality understanding, students begin to lag behind educationally and it is evident in their test scores. In the elementary grades, the reading of nonfiction texts versus fiction should be 50/50. As much as it is important for students to read informational texts, it is equally important that they are able to retell. This is where many of the graphic organizers we were introduced to at the beginning of this course come to use to help students retell what they have read. It is also important as a teacher to have an understanding of the text structure, as well as, the students.

Effect of explicit instruction on reading preferences

This action research paper was very interesting. I believe the thing that amazed me the most was the lack of student interest in reading non-fiction text. As the paper stated, in today’s world we are surrounded by non-fiction and informational reading especially online. As teachers, I feel that we need to provide a classroom that is rich in both fiction and nonfiction texts. This should be reflected greatly in our instruction. By presenting students with nonfiction texts at a young age we begin to foster a love for reading both fiction and nonfiction.