Flint, Johnston, and Class Discussion

This week I was able to apply the readings to my reading partners at the Normal Public Library. I have 3 partners and they are all the same age, but each is at a different reading level. One is at grade level, one is above, and one is below. So the readings directly applied to these students. I was able to use them to help me understand and apply the readings. In Johnston, he talked about how students that read below level tend to choose books that are too difficult for them. I have noticed this with my student who is a struggling reader. The books chosen are always above the appropriate level and I end up reading most of the story. I have also noticed that when the students choose a book that pertains to an interest of theirs, they are much more interested in the story and will often interrupt the reading to inform me of more facts about the subject of the story. This is exciting to me because they are so involved in their reading. One thing we discussed in class today was about students who struggle with reading are often immediately asked to "sound out the word". I have found myself doing this all the time with one of my students. This is the go-to response, but in this particular case, I have found that my student is unable to sound out the words, so I become stuck and just fill in the word. This is something that I will have to work on for when I become a teacher. I will need to find strategies that I will be able to use to help students who face a similar situation to this.