Definition of Reading
The article we read about the Jones' focused on the role that literacy played within their community and their family. A metaphor was created between their literacy history and what is contained in Kiki's "backpack" as she headed to school each day. I thought it interesting that "literacy" included reading the newspaper, verses from the Bible, and even things like creating budgets and applying for loans and also how that all connects to Kiki's exposure to literature through the environment that surrounds her. I think the main idea to take from this article is to understand that each child in my future classes is going to come from a different background with different experiences and exposures to literature. It is important as teachers, to get an idea of the environment in which their students were raised and live currently so as to better teach them and relate to them. Making learning relate to each student is a great tool to get them interested and invested in their education. As a teacher, I am not going to have a group of homogeneous kids that are all the same; some families will love to read and share that love with their children and other families might not read at all. That is why it is important to determine what individual children carry in their "backpack" to school. This will help guide the way I introduce literature in my classroom.
Images were taken off Google.
I think you made a lot of really good points! Children may not know how to read, but they know that when the TV spells out that funny shaped word, it's going to say Disney. They know which buildings are Burger Kings, McDonalds, or Wendy's simply because they have been exposed enough and can see the difference in designs. I agree that the important thing to keep in mind is that each child is at a different level and we need to find their level to work off of.
ReplyDeleteLoved the comment about how we should do our best to figure out what each of our students brings with them to school in their backpack. It is something that can very easily be overlooked with all the emphasis being placed on meeting standards and so forth. If we can get to know our students, their families, and their culture we will be much better served to teach them in productive ways.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that not every child is going to come from a different background. I agree that is important to take into consideration when teaching children to read. I think the better you know your students and their background, the better teach you will be.
ReplyDeleteI loved how you based your post on the metaphor of what each student carries in their backpack. You are exactly right in that each student in our classrooms will not come from the same background and will not all have been introduced to reading and writing at a young age from their home environment. Like you, I really found it interesting how many different ways KiKi's family integrated literacy into her everyday life and think it is important to remember that teachers can use these ways as well to show our students how much they interact with literacy in their environment.
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