Post #10 (11-14-11) The Current Classroom

For this week I read the Richard L. Allington and was impressed by his views on how classrooms should be. His example of how we should "support" students instead of "sort" highlights one of the main problems that our school systems possess. The system is not designed to benefit every or even a large amount of students that attend them. Society has changed greatly since the creation of our public school systems and if we are to improve these systems, we must first change the ways in which they function and operate.

Of Allington's many ways to improve the school systems, I most agree with his fourth point on how classrooms need more childrens literature and should be better equipped to increase the initiation of more thoughtful instruction. If children are going to become life long readers, then they must be provided with an vast array of things to read that will interest them. More government funding towards the future intellect of our country would solve a multitude of problems that exist in our society.

Post #9 (11-6-11) Leveling Books

The Rog and Burton article possesses a chart that highlights the different reading levels and what coordinates with them. Understanding what reading level a child can operate on with the most efficiency is crucial to being an effective teacher. By exposing students to reading material that is out of their range, a teacher can cause discouragement pertaining to reading or overwhelm a student with complexities.

There are multiple sources to finding a good book that targets a specific reading level. Scholastic Book wizard is the site that I have been recommended by multiple people. It has a search option that can find a specific book or a plethora of books that are of a certain reading level. Here is a link to this helpful resource.

http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/