In chapter 1, it discusses how literary works can aide in the social development of children. Most think that this process has to be taught by parents, teachers, or other influential adults in their lives. However, children can be taught the right way to treat others, for example in The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco, the Nazis kill a butterfly that a little girl has been gazing upon. She sees these Nazis treating the Jewish community badly and does not want them to cause the same harm to the Jews. Introducing new books to children to promote social development is a great way to further emphasize what the adults around them have been instilling in their minds.
As a mom, I try to read everyday with my kids because I know how important it is in their development intellectually and emotionally. However, after reading chapter one, I really understand how important Literature is. I learned that literature not only opens doors to discovery and provide hours of adventure and enjoyment, it plays a strong role in helping all of us understand and value our cultural heritage as well.
Therefore, as future educators, I strongly suggest that we promote a vast amount of literature in the classroom so that the students will develop a love of books but more importantly, develop their language, social and cognitive skills in the process. I believe with these skills, the students will be able to grow in self-awareness, expand their vocabulary and enhance their reading and comprehension skills.
That is so exciting that you found from this book how important it is to read to your children, even after you regularly read to them! I think that this book is definitely going to help us who are becoming teachers and those that are or are becoming mothers choose the best books for children. Some of my best memories are from when my parents read to me, I believe that children will have a fonder childhood if they spend more time with their parents.
Chapter one was full of information. I think the main idea for the chapter was to inform the readers that reading books helps with the social and emotional development of kids. Reading can help a child learn something new, use their imagination, learn how to cope with something, and much more. It seems that all books, no matter what kind, teach kids something. Even picture books teach and help kids develop. It also told who is responsible for getting children into book, and into reading. Teachers, parents and other adults should encourage kids to read and read often. There is nothing a TV does that a book can't do.
After reading chapter one I am feeling bad for my son. He has a lot of books and occasionally we read to him but since I am a full time student, he gets less of my attention. We are reading less now.
Hi Erin, don't feel bad about reading less with your son. Trying to finish school is something you're accomplishing not only for you, but it's something that's going to improve your son's future. It will get better, believe me, I have two kids and you will have lots of time to make up for it. Your son is learning based on your actions, that education is very important. Good luck!
Some of the most important information I found in chp.1: adults and teachers make kids aware of books. Successful readers get pleasure from reading books that maybe in pictures or words. Superior oral readers in kdgr-1st grade excell in reading and writing in the upper elementary classes. Criticizing is accepted while asking questions and evaluating given informations. annmarie (betty) pulos
I have always known that reading is very important in a young child’s life. After reading the first chapter, I see how important it really was. I never thought the children would learn about emotions from literature. It was interesting to me, to see that children learn some of their cognitive development from books. To think that children literature helps children develop a thought processes is amazing. My parents read to me a lot as a child, and I hope that I do the same for my own children. I'm excited to read the rest of this text book, as I feel that I have already gotten a lot out of it.
Re:Alison M. I am happy to know that you are also a substitute teacher. I did not know that children literature consist of so many different variety of literature for reading and observing. I know how that when I go into a classroom, paying close attention to the reading format will be on the top of my list.
In the reading I found a word that I have never heard before. Bibliotherapy. Wow what a huge word to explain how to share books with chidren so that they might identify with an emotion or character. I have been doing this for years. Planing to share a book on new babies when a child in the groupd was becoming an older sibling. I also found my self looking through the lists of books to see which ones I own or have read. After I figured out that this chapter appears to be an example chapter( little peices from here and there to show expamles in books.) I finally was able to finish readin it.
Chapter 1 shared a lot of great information that makes you realize how important the decision is of what books to read to kids. While children are going through the various stages of development, books can help them learn what they need to learn to progress with their development. I found it very helpful that there were suggested books for different aspects of development and for each age group. In the future when I am teaching, this will come in very handy. It surprised me to realize how limited I have become in the types of books I read now. I love to read, and read a lot growing up. Seeing different titles that I remember reading and enjoying made me think that I need to broaden my horizons as I select books for younger people and for myself. It was also interesting to begin learning about the different genre’s of books, and how each one can be used to help children learn and grow. Since I hope to teach second grade, a lot of the information I am learning will be useful, as children at that age group are learning so much about the world and the role they play in it. I have a better understanding of how much information can really be transferred through such a pleasurable thing such as reading children’s books.
Erin, I like the way you note that every book has something to teach us. It was interesting to consider how books that are targeted at a younger or older age can be applied to every age group with some kind of activity or learning.
Laura A, I found it very helpfull also that the book had suggested readings for each age group. After reading your post, I thought about the books I read, and I also agree with you that I have come to read the same type of books. I hope to be able to branch out a bit!
After reading this chapter, I was amazed at what actually goes into selecting books. I guess it's naivety on my part, but I always just chose books that I thought were interesting or funny. But reading through all of the issues to consider when choosing books for different age groups, it makes perfect sense! In my personal life, reading books to my son, Maddux, is very important. We often find him sitting on the couch, looking through the books we have and pointing out the things we point out to him while reading. Again, I've never really chosen books for him that were 'age appropriate,' but we've made up for this by not so much reading the older books, but talking about the pictures, counting similar objects on a page, or naming what we see (like animals). I found the chapter incredibly informative, especially all of the references to appropriate books and the tables showing this as well. Also, with a heavy psychology background, it was amazing to see so much of it coming out in the ideas in teaching and how to foster appropriate personality development, emotional intelligence, and moral development by the selection of the right books. As I first states, it was never a thought for me, but after reading just this one chapter, something has 'clicked.'
Erin-- Don't worry about not reading to your son. Just the fact that you have books available for him, and he sees you studying your own books will be a huge advantage to many kids. He'll catch on, through watching you as a model, that reading can be fun and enriching. No worries! Sarah
Chapter one gives a lot of information about the developmental stages of children. What I liked most about the chapter was the information it gave on how to pick books that are age appropriate and developmentally appropriate. These are not necessarily the same. I have always been an avid reader. We always had lots of books around when I was a kid. Every child should love to read. Sometimes they need help from us to pick out books they can enjoy.
Sarah, I found it very interesting too that so much psychology goes in to the study of literacy. It's really good to hear that your son has found the inspiration books can give. Fan that flame.
The reading in chapter one was intersting and very informative. I never knew that a book could hold some much meaning and knowledge. It's amazing to me how certain book are incorporated with certain levels of development. I really agree with the poem on page 4 by Eloise Greenfield called Story. A book is like a story you step in it and leave the world behind. I tend to think a book is like a movie in our students mind. It is a movie made up of their imagination and characters. Through reading and books children develope and learn to use their imagination. Chapter one also explained how the stages of language develope through reading. As teachers we need to make sure and take time to read to our students. In doing this we need to make sure and choose book appropriate for the students level of learning. Overall chapter one was a very useful in helping me to understand the levels of learning through books.
Robin, I like your point that age appropriate and developmentally appropriate do not always equate to the same books. It will be important to consider both when selecting books for the classroom.
After reading Chapter 1. I found it to be so informational. Some thngs I never knew. With me being in an emotional behavior classroom, now I know a better way to choose a book. What I mean about that? In the evening the teacher, teaches social skills at the end of the day. The students always have to talk about their feelings and how the book made them feel depending on the book. Which teaches the students social and emotional development. Reading can help a child learn something new whether they read it or being read to. I think all parents, teachers, as well as all adults family and friends should encourage kids to read. I also found out if literature is taught more in the class room the students will learn to develop their language and comprehension skills.
Hi Alison, I am a mother also and really didn't realize how much value a book holds. How my kids can learn about new cultures and open door after door of enjoyment. As a future teacher I will make sure and take into consideration the value of the book we are reading.
I thought that the reading was very informative.It is very important how children respond to books, and this chapter helped to understand their responses a little better. Since I work in an elementary school, the part that I thought was most beneficial for me was the Social Develpment table(p. 30-33).I think that understanding the characteristics and using the teaching recommendations will help me help the children understand the readings that we do together.
Re: Joan S. I agree with you about the term Bibliotherapy. It is important to know how to share books with children so that they can identify with the emotions or character in a book.
Reading chapter 1, allowed me to view books in a different way. I did not realize how personally children related to books, or how books could alter their perception. I’m amazed how a book can impact a child’s understanding of life, depending on the developmental stage they are in and how they are viewing the world in that stage.
I see now, as a future educator, I should take into account the personality and cognitive developmental stages the children I will be teaching are in, so they will have an opportunity to understand what the books will be conveying to them.
I have a BA in psychology, so I’ve learned a lot about the developmental stages children/adults go through. Chapter 1 provided me with useful tools to build into the children I will be educating in the future. Some children develop faster then others, but with the proper resources, such as the right book for the right stage they are in, I feel this will provide those who are a little slower another resource to help increase their understanding of the world. I’ve learned there are some things parents and teachers can’t teach. Some kids need to learn things on their own. Can reading books with valuable messages really fill in the spaces where educators can’t reach? I am looking forward to finding out by organizing my future lesson plans in such analytic ways, and then reflecting on whether my future students discovered the messages I was intending for them to seek out.
Luke I work in an elementary school as well. I will use chapter one techniques in my classroom along with the teacher. In a Emotional Behavior classroom each student has to develop their own Social development skill. Luke please don't worry about not reading to your son. Him seeing that you are with your studies will encourage him to want to read as well.
RE:Sarah C. I related to what you said, about realizing the many different ways children respond to books. Perhaps while reading with your son, you will have some wonderful opportunities to see books through his eyes, and how he perceives the books, depending on his developmental stages. I hope that will benefit you as an educator as well.
Tricia S-- What a great experiment to run in a classroom! I think the results would be amazing, whether or not the kids found their own lessons in the books and equated them to other knowledge in the classroom. Sorry to say, I may copy this idea someday!
Chapter one had a lot of great information in it. First of all, I am glad it gave some great books to read for age groups and different developmentally age levels. As a special education paraprofessional, I will use chart 1.3 more because most of my students have certain personality development areas they need to improve on. I love the idea that it gives you teaching recommendations along with literature suggestions. Most of all, this chapter made me realize there are so many books out there that I don’t know or had any contact with. Because of this, I am going to check out and look for many of these books. They can be great resources either with my students or my friend’s kids. Finally, I can appreciate the fact that my parents did make an effort to read to me every night. It didn’t happen every night, but I treasure the times it did happen. I just hope when I become a parent, and I can follow somewhat in their footsteps. Because of them, I think reading became a new world to me. I definitely appreciate a lot of the ideas in Chapter 1 because it has helped me realize books are very important in every aspect of a child’s life.
Tamika Chapter one I don't have my book yet, but I look forward to reading it. I've read what everyone has to say about reading to children and I think that it is important that we read to them or offer some type of books for them to read. I work with children who have some type of learning disability and what we do is on a Monday we do what we call a picture walk of the book. This gives the children a chance to ask question, and say what they think the book is about. It is like reading the pictures to them. They enjoy this. So it's not about reading to them all the time, sometimes just do a picture walk with them to see what they are thinking.
I was impressed with the text incorporating the latest information on child development into the discussion of children’s literature. The authors seem to care about the children we will teach as much as the beautiful books they recommend. I am a substitute teacher who sometimes works with children with learning and behavior challenges. I was interested in the statement on p. 29, “Personality development in children is extremely important: If children do not understand themselves and believe that they are important, how can they value anyone else?” The authors challenge us to use literature and positive reading experiences as a way to support personality development. When looking for an ABC book I found I Am "Utterly Unique" By Elaine Marie Larson. She is a former teacher and a grandmother of a boy with Asperger Syndrome. Her book celebrates the positives of the syndrome. Examples include “I have a busy brain”, “I am a detail detective”, and “I am a knowledgable Kid”. I didn’t expect to find a simple ABC book that would help me focus on the positive attributes of some of my students. I need to search for more books that help children see themselves and each other in a positive light.
Another section that I found helpful was the information on the basic operations associated with thinking. (starting on p. 11). I see these operations matching up with the questions we ask our students during a reading class. I just hadn’t thought of them as thinking skills. A second grade teacher last week had me check out a book with lots of pictures and a few words which was the same type of story as the one in the reading text. We finished our reading class by reading the simpler story and doing the same kind of analysis. This section gives me a better picture of how to analyze the reading text and be able to pick out a simpler book to help reinforce the thinking skills.
I have to say the Chapter 1 was quite the eye opener for me. I had always realized that books could have a profound impact on older children and adults, but this particular chapter made me realize how much books and the contents of books can affect and impact a smaller child. I had honestly assumed (poorly) that as a small child books where available to just learn the fundamentals of basic ideas. I had totally missed the deeper fulfillment of books. I have always been captured by books, this chapter has managed to deepen the intellectual challenge and my personally love. Now I just need to learn how to share this.
MeredithC. I am happy to hear that you where able to help the student by having a teacher that knew enough about children’s literature to help the child do the same lesson as the other kids. I have a child that during 1st through 3rd grade had a reading disability that the school refused to help or see. Because of this he feel further and further behind and completely frustrated me and my child. Because I didn’t have the money to send him to a private tutoring firm for help over an hour away we felt completely trapped. Long story short they finally found the issue and now as a 6th grader he finally enjoys reading more and has almost caught up to his class. This chapter has given me the tip of the ice berg on how I can continue to help my son and look forward to learning more for my son’s sake and any of my future students.
I, too, am thankful for parents who read to me every night. My daughter wasn't a sit still in the lap and look at the book kind of person, but I still read to her every night as she played in her room and walked around listening! The nights I wondered if I should keep on I remembered what my mother had done for me. Now my daughter is a writer and does fantastic feature stories for the newspaper she works for. When she was in middle school she would sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night to read me a poem she had written. Not only are we reading to future readers, we are reading to the future authors!
As a parent to three young children I have always thought that it was important to read to my kids. And I started very early. From being pregnant with the first one and reading to her before she was born to reading to all three of them daily, books are something that are very important in our family. And not only do we read to our children but they see how important reading is because my husband and I are big readers. Reading can be so beneficial that is why I believe it is important to start young. And children’s books are a wonderful place to start as they teach them so many important lessons.
Laura up until I started working with our head start program I also didn't fully realize the benefits of childrens books. I have always read to my kids but I guess I just figured that I would be helping to give them a head start in school. And I never really even thought about the lessons to be taught from the books until last year. Jolene
Trust me I didn't real every day but I did try to read to my son often. Before they found the problem the only suggestion that people would give me is to read to him. I would read some nights for hours at a time. The problem ended up being that for him to process what he was reading it took him longer than if it was read to him. He is still that way. He still has tests and the occasional assignment read to him. If he is expected to read the assignement for himself he is given more time than the other students. The only reason that anyone can come up with this being his problems it because of him premature birth. He's always just caught onto things in his own time, not anyone elses. It's been a struggle for his whole life to keep him in paces with people in his age group. Laura Powell
Chapter 1 in our text book was, in my opinion, fantastic! It was long, but a great chapter none the less. I believe that this chapter greatly reflects my views on literature in the classroom as well as the effect it has on a child’s development. I have worked in several kindergarten classrooms over the last 3 years and discovered that there is a definite difference in the children who are read to at home and the children who have not had much contact with books. As the author expresses in the chapter, a child’s development can be greatly influenced by the books that are read to him or her or made available to them. I agreed with the author and her discussion of the idea of efferent and aesthetic reading. When I was in the classrooms working with the children, it was vitally important to allow the students to listen to or read books that lead them to question what they were reading. For instance, often times, I would read the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. While I was reading this book, I would allow the students to guess what would happen next or to ask them what they thought would happen if the caterpillar ate all that food. This was very important for the children because they were able to learn about the sequence of a caterpillar/butterfly’s life.
In conclusion, I thought that the author’s view on literature and child development was wonderful. I have found this importance in the classrooms I have worked in and in the development of my young daughter. Even at her young age of 1 year, she loves stories and I realize that reading to her now will only better her in the future.
RE: Laura P. I have worked with many children who have learned skills in their own time. And I have worked with several students that I have to read the test to them each time or at least read it with them while they are taking the test. Don't worry, this doesn't make the child any less smart, it just makes things a bit more difficult, but still very possible.
I loved reading the tests with the students I worked with. I think it is amazing how, if I was sitting there with them, reading to them or with them, their test scores increased greatly, versus if I were to just let them go at it on their own.
Good luck with everything! Every student has his or her own way of learning, none of them better or worse then others, just different :)
RE: Joan S. I agree totally with your response on bibliotherapy. I have always known that books help children deal with things, but I had never heard of this term before and I love it. My husband and I were talking the other night about having another baby in the future and we decided we wanted to wait until our daughter was old enough to understand what having a new sibling would mean. I know that I will be using "bibliotherapy" to introduce the new baby into our lives as well as conversations between our family. I also remember when I was in 3rd grade and my parents got divorced, I was given a book about divorce and remember it helping me to understand the situation going on around me.
Aspen Rank I agree with you Aspen!! You can really tell if a child gets read to at home or not. I think that's why my daughters love to read is because my husband and I read to them at a very early age. My little neice is 1 year old and when we see her, I always try to read her a book and she loves it! It's not to early to start!!!
In chapter 1 on page 20 they wrote "Books can act like windows on the world invitating children to look beyond themselves and to form bonds with characters and circumstances". I really thought that explains it well. Our three daughters all knew how to read before they went to Kindergarten. I think a lot has to do with my husband and I reading to them at a very young age and still today. They all three love to read!!
Reading chapter one made me look at reading in a completely new way. I did think about how reading can help improve language and communication skills, but I never really thought about how it can help socially, emotionally, morally, and more. I love how the text used examples of books and how they help with everyday skills. For example, I love that it used a book called "Stevie." Growing up, I only had one brother. However, we almost always had someone else living with us, whether it was a cousin, a friend, or aunt or uncle. We took in foreign exchange students from all over the world. When I was younger, I got jealous all the time because they were taking away attention from my parents. I think this would be been a great book for me at that time. I love how the author incorporated psychology into reading. Children develope at different paces, but it was interesting to read how different books could help each stage of development. I loved this chapter. At this time in this class, I think it was a great introduction to children literature. It gave great information about how important it is for children to read and to be exposed to literature. However, I feel that this particular chapter, and perhaps the entire book, will be an excellent source to refer back to not only as teachers, but as parents as well.
I loved that statement! I completely agree! I think it is great that you were able to learn more about those books from a teacher. I do agree that there is so much more to reading than what we see. In doing my assignment for the wordless picture book, I felt that I could not find much importance to it. However, after reading the chapter, I now understand why it is so important!
The reading of Chapter one caused me to reflect on my own childhood development and how literature contributed to that development. I have always been a creative person and feel this may have been contributed to and fostered by the literature that I read as a child. I have always enjoyed fairy tales and I remember one of my personal favorites was Rumpelstiltskin. Also, since I was a child I always enjoyed fantasy and science fiction genres, as well as mystery. I have to really relate to a story on an aesthetic basis in order for it to hold my interest, this is as true now as it was back then. I contribute this to my emotional nature. I think more with my heart than with my head, so I have to have some kind of emotional connection with the subject or characters of the books I read. As mentioned in the text, factors like gender, culture, personality, etc. are very important when analyzing literature and when choosing which types of literature to use in your teaching. I feel a mixture of genres in which these aspects are explored, is the best way to teach acceptance and reach every member of the classroom. Many times the social roles of gender and personality contribute to the types of literature children enjoy. For example, my two and half year old daughter is now interested in anything that has to do with princesses. I found her the cutest book, Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots by Carmela LaVigna Coyle that re-examinies the traditional roles of a princess, where princesses play in the mud, hang from trees, and of course, wear hiking boots. In this way, I used literature to expand the gender roles that were being taught by things like Barbies and the Disney princesses. I am curious to know the role literature has had on the lives of my fellow classmates and how such roles have contributed to their decisions to become teachers? For me, I feel my love of art and literature have played a significant role in my desire to become a teacher.
Re:Aspen Rank I enjoyed reading your post because I aspire to be a kindergarten teacher, so I like to hear how you have applied literary techniques in actual classroom settings. I have had experience working with children on a pre-school level so I have seen first hand the effects of literature on children, from teaching them basic concepts, like abc's, colors, and numbers to just plain making them happy. My favorite thins to do was to read a book of my choice and then let one of the children pick out which book they would like to read. It was interesting to see which books intrigued each child and to think of the reasons why, like gender and culture. However, I must say my favorite part is seeing them getting excited when we are reading one of their favorites.
In Chapter 1 it talks a lot of ways literature helps in the development of children and young adults, it even talks about ways it help older adults too. The chapter discuses the ways that literature can help a child learn their vocabulary and influence their language and when they start to talk. It also discuses the way reading helps kids learn their social manners and the type of person they want to be. It also helps when they child reads or hears a book about someone in a different culture and their struggles because it gives them a little insight on what other type of kids could have gone through or are going through when trying to fit in. The chapter told me a lot about how important it is to read to your children both at home and in the classroom. Children learn many things from books that people wouldn't even think to teach in class or at their homes because these things aren't things that we deal with everyday. The chapter also talks about how reading to children is very important so that they know what happen before they came along. No one would know what happen in slavery or during the wars of our country or even the happy things our country has been through if no one read the books to us or taught us to read them ourselves.
Reading is so important for children. With my three kids they must read every night for 30 minutes. My older child hates it but I just tell him in the end you will thank me for it. The book states that literature plays a nurturing role on the imagination because it can take you anywhere that you let your mind go. With young children I just like to sit and listen to what they have to say about the pictures in the book. Each time that I listen to them talk about the same book they say something different each time. This just shows that you don’t have to know how to read all you need to do is just look at the pictures in a book and tell a story for yourself. It is so true that young children's language starts to develop at such an early age. We must read to them as often as possible or let them liten to the stories that are on tape. It may not be the best thing to hearing your voice but it will foster language development. This development can lead to children saying there first word or first 3 to 4 word sentence.
Tricia S- I think your idea is a great one! I work in a special education room and sometimes my children are developmentally behind their classmates. I have found even reading some of these books intended for younger readers have helped my students learn some very valuable lessons. Almost any book can be geared to whatever audience you want to teach a lesson to.
Chapter one had a lot of great information in it. First of all, I am glad it gave some great books to read for age groups and different developmentally age levels. As a special education paraprofessional, I will use chart 1.3 more because most of my students have certain personality development areas they need to improve on. I love the idea that it gives you teaching recommendations along with literature suggestions. Most of all, this chapter made me realize there are so many books out there that I don’t know or had any contact with. Because of this, I am going to check out and look for many of these books. They can be great resources either with my students or my friend’s kids. Finally, I can appreciate the fact that my parents did make an effort to read to me every night. It didn’t happen every night, but I treasure the times it did happen. I just hope when I become a parent, and I can follow somewhat in their footsteps. Because of them, I think reading became a new world to me. I definitely appreciate a lot of the ideas in Chapter 1 because it has helped me realize books are very important in every aspect of a child’s life.
In chapter 1, it discusses how literary works can aide in the social development of children. Most think that this process has to be taught by parents, teachers, or other influential adults in their lives. However, children can be taught the right way to treat others, for example in The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco, the Nazis kill a butterfly that a little girl has been gazing upon. She sees these Nazis treating the Jewish community badly and does not want them to cause the same harm to the Jews. Introducing new books to children to promote social development is a great way to further emphasize what the adults around them have been instilling in their minds.
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ReplyDeleteAs a mom, I try to read everyday with my kids because I know how important it is in their development intellectually and emotionally. However, after reading chapter one, I really understand how important Literature is. I learned that literature not only opens doors to discovery and provide hours of adventure and enjoyment, it plays a strong role in helping all of us understand and value our cultural heritage as well.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, as future educators, I strongly suggest that we promote a vast amount of literature in the classroom so that the students will develop a love of books but more importantly, develop their language, social and cognitive skills in the process. I believe with these skills, the students will be able to grow in self-awareness, expand their vocabulary and enhance their reading and comprehension skills.
Hi Lacy,
ReplyDeleteI agree that books promote social development and can teach life values and discipline to children. Isn't that great!
I believe a literature environment can definitely influence a child's response in many ways.
Great job!
Alison,
ReplyDeleteThat is so exciting that you found from this book how important it is to read to your children, even after you regularly read to them! I think that this book is definitely going to help us who are becoming teachers and those that are or are becoming mothers choose the best books for children. Some of my best memories are from when my parents read to me, I believe that children will have a fonder childhood if they spend more time with their parents.
Chapter one was full of information. I think the main idea for the chapter was to inform the readers that reading books helps with the social and emotional development of kids. Reading can help a child learn something new, use their imagination, learn how to cope with something, and much more. It seems that all books, no matter what kind, teach kids something. Even picture books teach and help kids develop. It also told who is responsible for getting children into book, and into reading. Teachers, parents and other adults should encourage kids to read and read often. There is nothing a TV does that a book can't do.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter one I am feeling bad for my son. He has a lot of books and occasionally we read to him but since I am a full time student, he gets less of my attention. We are reading less now.
Hi Erin, don't feel bad about reading less with your son. Trying to finish school is something you're accomplishing not only for you, but it's something that's going to improve your son's future. It will get better, believe me, I have two kids and you will have lots of time to make up for it. Your son is learning based on your actions, that education is very important. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteChapter 1.
ReplyDeleteampulos@scatcat.fhsu.edu
Some of the most important information I found in chp.1: adults and teachers make kids aware of books. Successful readers get pleasure from reading books that maybe in pictures or words. Superior oral readers in kdgr-1st grade excell in reading and writing in the upper elementary classes. Criticizing is accepted while asking questions and evaluating given informations.
annmarie (betty) pulos
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have always known that reading is very important in a young child’s life. After reading the first chapter, I see how important it really was. I never thought the children would learn about emotions from literature. It was interesting to me, to see that children learn some of their cognitive development from books. To think that children literature helps children develop a thought processes is amazing. My parents read to me a lot as a child, and I hope that I do the same for my own children. I'm excited to read the rest of this text book, as I feel that I have already gotten a lot out of it.
ReplyDeleteRe:Alison M. I am happy to know that you are also a substitute teacher. I did not know that children literature consist of so many different variety of literature for reading and observing.
ReplyDeleteI know how that when I go into a classroom, paying close attention to the reading format will be on the top of my list.
In the reading I found a word that I have never heard before. Bibliotherapy. Wow what a huge word to explain how to share books with chidren so that they might identify with an emotion or character. I have been doing this for years. Planing to share a book on new babies when a child in the groupd was becoming an older sibling. I also found my self looking through the lists of books to see which ones I own or have read. After I figured out that this chapter appears to be an example chapter( little peices from here and there to show expamles in books.) I finally was able to finish readin it.
ReplyDeleteRe: Betty
ReplyDeleteSome of the est books I've ever read were shown to me by librarians and teachers. Adults really influence what children read!
Chapter 1 shared a lot of great information that makes you realize how important the decision is of what books to read to kids. While children are going through the various stages of development, books can help them learn what they need to learn to progress with their development. I found it very helpful that there were suggested books for different aspects of development and for each age group. In the future when I am teaching, this will come in very handy. It surprised me to realize how limited I have become in the types of books I read now. I love to read, and read a lot growing up. Seeing different titles that I remember reading and enjoying made me think that I need to broaden my horizons as I select books for younger people and for myself. It was also interesting to begin learning about the different genre’s of books, and how each one can be used to help children learn and grow. Since I hope to teach second grade, a lot of the information I am learning will be useful, as children at that age group are learning so much about the world and the role they play in it. I have a better understanding of how much information can really be transferred through such a pleasurable thing such as reading children’s books.
ReplyDeleteErin,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you note that every book has something to teach us. It was interesting to consider how books that are targeted at a younger or older age can be applied to every age group with some kind of activity or learning.
Laura A,
ReplyDeleteI found it very helpfull also that the book had suggested readings for each age group. After reading your post, I thought about the books I read, and I also agree with you that I have come to read the same type of books. I hope to be able to branch out a bit!
After reading this chapter, I was amazed at what actually goes into selecting books. I guess it's naivety on my part, but I always just chose books that I thought were interesting or funny. But reading through all of the issues to consider when choosing books for different age groups, it makes perfect sense!
ReplyDeleteIn my personal life, reading books to my son, Maddux, is very important. We often find him sitting on the couch, looking through the books we have and pointing out the things we point out to him while reading. Again, I've never really chosen books for him that were 'age appropriate,' but we've made up for this by not so much reading the older books, but talking about the pictures, counting similar objects on a page, or naming what we see (like animals).
I found the chapter incredibly informative, especially all of the references to appropriate books and the tables showing this as well. Also, with a heavy psychology background, it was amazing to see so much of it coming out in the ideas in teaching and how to foster appropriate personality development, emotional intelligence, and moral development by the selection of the right books. As I first states, it was never a thought for me, but after reading just this one chapter, something has 'clicked.'
Erin--
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about not reading to your son. Just the fact that you have books available for him, and he sees you studying your own books will be a huge advantage to many kids. He'll catch on, through watching you as a model, that reading can be fun and enriching. No worries!
Sarah
Chapter one gives a lot of information about the developmental stages of children. What I liked most about the chapter was the information it gave on how to pick books that are age appropriate and developmentally appropriate. These are not necessarily the same. I have always been an avid reader. We always had lots of books around when I was a kid. Every child should love to read. Sometimes they need help from us to pick out books they can enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting too that so much psychology goes in to the study of literacy. It's really good to hear that your son has found the inspiration books can give. Fan that flame.
The reading in chapter one was intersting and very informative. I never knew that a book could hold some much meaning and knowledge. It's amazing to me how certain book are incorporated with certain levels of development. I really agree with the poem on page 4 by Eloise Greenfield called Story. A book is like a story you step in it and leave the world behind. I tend to think a book is like a movie in our students mind. It is a movie made up of their imagination and characters. Through reading and books children develope and learn to use their imagination. Chapter one also explained how the stages of language develope through reading. As teachers we need to make sure and take time to read to our students. In doing this we need to make sure and choose book appropriate for the students level of learning. Overall chapter one was a very useful in helping me to understand the levels of learning through books.
ReplyDeleteRobin,
ReplyDeleteI like your point that age appropriate and developmentally appropriate do not always equate to the same books. It will be important to consider both when selecting books for the classroom.
After reading Chapter 1. I found it to be so informational. Some thngs I never knew. With me being in an emotional behavior classroom, now I know a better way to choose a book. What I mean about that? In the evening the teacher, teaches social skills at the end of the day. The students always have to talk about their feelings and how the book made them feel depending on the book. Which teaches the students social and emotional development. Reading can help a child learn something new whether they read it or being read to. I think all parents, teachers, as well as all adults family and friends should encourage kids to read. I also found out if literature is taught more in the class room the students will learn to develop their language and comprehension skills.
ReplyDeleteHi Alison, I am a mother also and really didn't realize how much value a book holds. How my kids can learn about new cultures and open door after door of enjoyment. As a future teacher I will make sure and take into consideration the value of the book we are reading.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the reading was very informative.It is very important how children respond to books, and this chapter helped to understand their responses a little better. Since I work in an elementary school, the part that I thought was most beneficial for me was the Social Develpment table(p. 30-33).I think that understanding the characteristics and using the teaching recommendations will help me help the children understand the readings that we do together.
ReplyDeleteRe: Joan S.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the term Bibliotherapy. It is important to know how to share books with children so that they can identify with the emotions or character in a book.
Erin I totally agree with chapter one and your opinion. It does help with social and emotional development for children. Please stay encourage.
ReplyDeleteReading chapter 1, allowed me to view books in a different way. I did not realize how personally children related to books, or how books could alter their perception. I’m amazed how a book can impact a child’s understanding of life, depending on the developmental stage they are in and how they are viewing the world in that stage.
ReplyDeleteI see now, as a future educator, I should take into account the personality and cognitive developmental stages the children I will be teaching are in, so they will have an opportunity to understand what the books will be conveying to them.
I have a BA in psychology, so I’ve learned a lot about the developmental stages children/adults go through. Chapter 1 provided me with useful tools to build into the children I will be educating in the future. Some children develop faster then others, but with the proper resources, such as the right book for the right stage they are in, I feel this will provide those who are a little slower another resource to help increase their understanding of the world. I’ve learned there are some things parents and teachers can’t teach. Some kids need to learn things on their own. Can reading books with valuable messages really fill in the spaces where educators can’t reach? I am looking forward to finding out by organizing my future lesson plans in such analytic ways, and then reflecting on whether my future students discovered the messages I was intending for them to seek out.
Luke I work in an elementary school as well. I will use chapter one techniques in my classroom along with the teacher. In a Emotional Behavior classroom each student has to develop their own Social development skill. Luke please don't worry about not reading to your son. Him seeing that you are with your studies will encourage him to want to read as well.
ReplyDeleteRE:Sarah C.
ReplyDeleteI related to what you said, about realizing the many different ways children respond to books. Perhaps while reading with your son, you will have some wonderful opportunities to see books through his eyes, and how he perceives the books, depending on his developmental stages. I hope that will benefit you as an educator as well.
Tricia S--
ReplyDeleteWhat a great experiment to run in a classroom! I think the results would be amazing, whether or not the kids found their own lessons in the books and equated them to other knowledge in the classroom. Sorry to say, I may copy this idea someday!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteChapter One
ReplyDeleteLisa White
Chapter one had a lot of great information in it. First of all, I am glad it gave some great books to read for age groups and different developmentally age levels. As a special education paraprofessional, I will use chart 1.3 more because most of my students have certain personality development areas they need to improve on. I love the idea that it gives you teaching recommendations along with literature suggestions. Most of all, this chapter made me realize there are so many books out there that I don’t know or had any contact with. Because of this, I am going to check out and look for many of these books. They can be great resources either with my students or my friend’s kids. Finally, I can appreciate the fact that my parents did make an effort to read to me every night. It didn’t happen every night, but I treasure the times it did happen. I just hope when I become a parent, and I can follow somewhat in their footsteps. Because of them, I think reading became a new world to me. I definitely appreciate a lot of the ideas in Chapter 1 because it has helped me realize books are very important in every aspect of a child’s life.
Tamika
ReplyDeleteChapter one
I don't have my book yet, but I look forward to reading it. I've read what everyone has to say about reading to children and I think that it is important that we read to them or offer some type of books for them to read. I work with children who have some type of learning disability and what we do is on a Monday we do what we call a picture walk of the book. This gives the children a chance to ask question, and say what they think the book is about. It is like reading the pictures to them. They enjoy this. So it's not about reading to them all the time, sometimes just do a picture walk with them to see what they are thinking.
January 25, 2009
ReplyDeleteMeredithC
Chapter One
I was impressed with the text incorporating the latest information on child development into the discussion of children’s literature. The authors seem to care about the children we will teach as much as the beautiful books they recommend. I am a substitute teacher who sometimes works with children with learning and behavior challenges. I was interested in the statement on p. 29, “Personality development in children is extremely important: If children do not understand themselves and believe that they are important, how can they value anyone else?” The authors challenge us to use literature and positive reading experiences as a way to support personality development. When looking for an ABC book I found I Am "Utterly Unique"
By Elaine Marie Larson. She is a former teacher and a grandmother of a boy with Asperger Syndrome. Her book celebrates the positives of the syndrome. Examples include “I have a busy brain”, “I am a detail detective”, and “I am a knowledgable Kid”. I didn’t expect to find a simple ABC book that would help me focus on the positive attributes of some of my students. I need to search for more books that help children see themselves and each other in a positive light.
Another section that I found helpful was the information on the basic operations associated with thinking. (starting on p. 11). I see these operations matching up with the questions we ask our students during a reading class. I just hadn’t thought of them as thinking skills. A second grade teacher last week had me check out a book with lots of pictures and a few words which was the same type of story as the one in the reading text. We finished our reading class by reading the simpler story and doing the same kind of analysis. This section gives me a better picture of how to analyze the reading text and be able to pick out a simpler book to help reinforce the thinking skills.
I have to say the Chapter 1 was quite the eye opener for me. I had always realized that books could have a profound impact on older children and adults, but this particular chapter made me realize how much books and the contents of books can affect and impact a smaller child. I had honestly assumed (poorly) that as a small child books where available to just learn the fundamentals of basic ideas. I had totally missed the deeper fulfillment of books. I have always been captured by books, this chapter has managed to deepen the intellectual challenge and my personally love. Now I just need to learn how to share this.
ReplyDeleteMeredithC. I am happy to hear that you where able to help the student by having a teacher that knew enough about children’s literature to help the child do the same lesson as the other kids. I have a child that during 1st through 3rd grade had a reading disability that the school refused to help or see. Because of this he feel further and further behind and completely frustrated me and my child. Because I didn’t have the money to send him to a private tutoring firm for help over an hour away we felt completely trapped. Long story short they finally found the issue and now as a 6th grader he finally enjoys reading more and has almost caught up to his class. This chapter has given me the tip of the ice berg on how I can continue to help my son and look forward to learning more for my son’s sake and any of my future students.
ReplyDeleteMeredith C says
ReplyDeleteto Lisa W
I, too, am thankful for parents who read to me every night. My daughter wasn't a sit still in the lap and look at the book kind of person, but I still read to her every night as she played in her room and walked around listening! The nights I wondered if I should keep on I remembered what my mother had done for me. Now my daughter is a writer and does fantastic feature stories for the newspaper she works for. When she was in middle school she would sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night to read me a poem she had written. Not only are we reading to future readers, we are reading to the future authors!
As a parent to three young children I have always thought that it was important to read to my kids. And I started very early. From being pregnant with the first one and reading to her before she was born to reading to all three of them daily, books are something that are very important in our family. And not only do we read to our children but they see how important reading is because my husband and I are big readers. Reading can be so beneficial that is why I believe it is important to start young. And children’s books are a wonderful place to start as they teach them so many important lessons.
ReplyDeleteLaura up until I started working with our head start program I also didn't fully realize the benefits of childrens books. I have always read to my kids but I guess I just figured that I would be helping to give them a head start in school. And I never really even thought about the lessons to be taught from the books until last year.
ReplyDeleteJolene
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the list of books in this chapter. I will use it with my kids at work and at home.
Trust me I didn't real every day but I did try to read to my son often. Before they found the problem the only suggestion that people would give me is to read to him. I would read some nights for hours at a time. The problem ended up being that for him to process what he was reading it took him longer than if it was read to him. He is still that way. He still has tests and the occasional assignment read to him. If he is expected to read the assignement for himself he is given more time than the other students. The only reason that anyone can come up with this being his problems it because of him premature birth. He's always just caught onto things in his own time, not anyone elses. It's been a struggle for his whole life to keep him in paces with people in his age group.
ReplyDeleteLaura Powell
Chapter 1 in our text book was, in my opinion, fantastic! It was long, but a great chapter none the less. I believe that this chapter greatly reflects my views on literature in the classroom as well as the effect it has on a child’s development. I have worked in several kindergarten classrooms over the last 3 years and discovered that there is a definite difference in the children who are read to at home and the children who have not had much contact with books. As the author expresses in the chapter, a child’s development can be greatly influenced by the books that are read to him or her or made available to them. I agreed with the author and her discussion of the idea of efferent and aesthetic reading. When I was in the classrooms working with the children, it was vitally important to allow the students to listen to or read books that lead them to question what they were reading. For instance, often times, I would read the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. While I was reading this book, I would allow the students to guess what would happen next or to ask them what they thought would happen if the caterpillar ate all that food. This was very important for the children because they were able to learn about the sequence of a caterpillar/butterfly’s life.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, I thought that the author’s view on literature and child development was wonderful. I have found this importance in the classrooms I have worked in and in the development of my young daughter. Even at her young age of 1 year, she loves stories and I realize that reading to her now will only better her in the future.
RE: Laura P.
ReplyDeleteI have worked with many children who have learned skills in their own time. And I have worked with several students that I have to read the test to them each time or at least read it with them while they are taking the test. Don't worry, this doesn't make the child any less smart, it just makes things a bit more difficult, but still very possible.
I loved reading the tests with the students I worked with. I think it is amazing how, if I was sitting there with them, reading to them or with them, their test scores increased greatly, versus if I were to just let them go at it on their own.
Good luck with everything! Every student has his or her own way of learning, none of them better or worse then others, just different :)
RE: Joan S.
ReplyDeleteI agree totally with your response on bibliotherapy. I have always known that books help children deal with things, but I had never heard of this term before and I love it.
My husband and I were talking the other night about having another baby in the future and we decided we wanted to wait until our daughter was old enough to understand what having a new sibling would mean. I know that I will be using "bibliotherapy" to introduce the new baby into our lives as well as conversations between our family. I also remember when I was in 3rd grade and my parents got divorced, I was given a book about divorce and remember it helping me to understand the situation going on around me.
Aspen Rank
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Aspen!! You can really tell if a child gets read to at home or not. I think that's why my daughters love to read is because my husband and I read to them at a very early age. My little neice is 1 year old and when we see her, I always try to read her a book and she loves it! It's not to early to start!!!
In chapter 1 on page 20 they wrote "Books can act like windows on the world invitating children to look beyond themselves and to form bonds with characters and circumstances". I really thought that explains it well. Our three daughters all knew how to read before they went to Kindergarten. I think a lot has to do with my husband and I reading to them at a very young age and still today. They all three love to read!!
ReplyDeleteReading chapter one made me look at reading in a completely new way. I did think about how reading can help improve language and communication skills, but I never really thought about how it can help socially, emotionally, morally, and more. I love how the text used examples of books and how they help with everyday skills. For example, I love that it used a book called "Stevie." Growing up, I only had one brother. However, we almost always had someone else living with us, whether it was a cousin, a friend, or aunt or uncle. We took in foreign exchange students from all over the world. When I was younger, I got jealous all the time because they were taking away attention from my parents. I think this would be been a great book for me at that time. I love how the author incorporated psychology into reading. Children develope at different paces, but it was interesting to read how different books could help each stage of development. I loved this chapter. At this time in this class, I think it was a great introduction to children literature. It gave great information about how important it is for children to read and to be exposed to literature. However, I feel that this particular chapter, and perhaps the entire book, will be an excellent source to refer back to not only as teachers, but as parents as well.
ReplyDeleteRE: Meredith
ReplyDeleteI loved that statement! I completely agree! I think it is great that you were able to learn more about those books from a teacher. I do agree that there is so much more to reading than what we see. In doing my assignment for the wordless picture book, I felt that I could not find much importance to it. However, after reading the chapter, I now understand why it is so important!
The reading of Chapter one caused me to reflect on my own childhood development and how literature contributed to that development. I have always been a creative person and feel this may have been contributed to and fostered by the literature that I read as a child. I have always enjoyed fairy tales and I remember one of my personal favorites was Rumpelstiltskin. Also, since I was a child I always enjoyed fantasy and science fiction genres, as well as mystery. I have to really relate to a story on an aesthetic basis in order for it to hold my interest, this is as true now as it was back then. I contribute this to my emotional nature. I think more with my heart than with my head, so I have to have some kind of emotional connection with the subject or characters of the books I read. As mentioned in the text, factors like gender, culture, personality, etc. are very important when analyzing literature and when choosing which types of literature to use in your teaching. I feel a mixture of genres in which these aspects are explored, is the best way to teach acceptance and reach every member of the classroom. Many times the social roles of gender and personality contribute to the types of literature children enjoy. For example, my two and half year old daughter is now interested in anything that has to do with princesses. I found her the cutest book, Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots by Carmela LaVigna Coyle that re-examinies the traditional roles of a princess, where princesses play in the mud, hang from trees, and of course, wear hiking boots. In this way, I used literature to expand the gender roles that were being taught by things like Barbies and the Disney princesses. I am curious to know the role literature has had on the lives of my fellow classmates and how such roles have contributed to their decisions to become teachers? For me, I feel my love of art and literature have played a significant role in my desire to become a teacher.
ReplyDeleteRe:Aspen Rank
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post because I aspire to be a kindergarten teacher, so I like to hear how you have applied literary techniques in actual classroom settings. I have had experience working with children on a pre-school level so I have seen first hand the effects of literature on children, from teaching them basic concepts, like abc's, colors, and numbers to just plain making them happy. My favorite thins to do was to read a book of my choice and then let one of the children pick out which book they would like to read. It was interesting to see which books intrigued each child and to think of the reasons why, like gender and culture. However, I must say my favorite part is seeing them getting excited when we are reading one of their favorites.
In Chapter 1 it talks a lot of ways literature helps in the development of children and young adults, it even talks about ways it help older adults too. The chapter discuses the ways that literature can help a child learn their vocabulary and influence their language and when they start to talk. It also discuses the way reading helps kids learn their social manners and the type of person they want to be. It also helps when they child reads or hears a book about someone in a different culture and their struggles because it gives them a little insight on what other type of kids could have gone through or are going through when trying to fit in. The chapter told me a lot about how important it is to read to your children both at home and in the classroom. Children learn many things from books that people wouldn't even think to teach in class or at their homes because these things aren't things that we deal with everyday. The chapter also talks about how reading to children is very important so that they know what happen before they came along. No one would know what happen in slavery or during the wars of our country or even the happy things our country has been through if no one read the books to us or taught us to read them ourselves.
ReplyDeleteReading is so important for children. With my three kids they must read every night for 30 minutes. My older child hates it but I just tell him in the end you will thank me for it. The book states that literature plays a nurturing role on the imagination because it can take you anywhere that you let your mind go. With young children I just like to sit and listen to what they have to say about the pictures in the book. Each time that I listen to them talk about the same book they say something different each time. This just shows that you don’t have to know how to read all you need to do is just look at the pictures in a book and tell a story for yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt is so true that young children's language starts to develop at such an early age. We must read to them as often as possible or let them liten to the stories that are on tape. It may not be the best thing to hearing your voice but it will foster language development. This development can lead to children saying there first word or first 3 to 4 word sentence.
Tricia S-
ReplyDeleteI think your idea is a great one! I work in a special education room and sometimes my children are developmentally behind their classmates. I have found even reading some of these books intended for younger readers have helped my students learn some very valuable lessons. Almost any book can be geared to whatever audience you want to teach a lesson to.
Chapter One
ReplyDeleteLisa White
Chapter one had a lot of great information in it. First of all, I am glad it gave some great books to read for age groups and different developmentally age levels. As a special education paraprofessional, I will use chart 1.3 more because most of my students have certain personality development areas they need to improve on. I love the idea that it gives you teaching recommendations along with literature suggestions. Most of all, this chapter made me realize there are so many books out there that I don’t know or had any contact with. Because of this, I am going to check out and look for many of these books. They can be great resources either with my students or my friend’s kids. Finally, I can appreciate the fact that my parents did make an effort to read to me every night. It didn’t happen every night, but I treasure the times it did happen. I just hope when I become a parent, and I can follow somewhat in their footsteps. Because of them, I think reading became a new world to me. I definitely appreciate a lot of the ideas in Chapter 1 because it has helped me realize books are very important in every aspect of a child’s life.
I agree with Tamika that literature is nuturing for kids. it helps with their imagination.
ReplyDelete