For this long blog post I read the blog “Weaving the Threads of Reading in K-12 Classrooms” written by Karen Tankersley. Tankersley is an expert in teaching reading and has written four books on the subject of reading and literacy. The purpose of this blog is to explore teaching materials and books to use in the classroom.
I noticed in this blog that there is a big focus on the aspects of the common core standards. The common core standards in relation to reading cover knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other foundational skills. In reference to the standards she states, “For years, teachers have complained that American Standards are a “mile wide and an inch deep.” For the first time, American students will be expected to learn less (as in standard numbers) but to deeper and more profound levels. Teaching to deep levels of understanding and performance will be required for all students – not just the “gifted” or “Honors” level students.” (Tankersley, 2013.) Of course each grade level has different standards, and the author discusses these and how to adapt to them as a teacher. She explains that under the common core standards we will be asked to have children read very difficult texts, starting around the fourth grade level we will have students stretch their abilities as far as possible. While the standards have been raised and the bar is now higher, we must still maintain effective reading practices. They core standards have raised the bar but the method of teaching is still left up to the teacher. The common core relies on teachers to implement effective practices to create a solid reading foundation, and then get students to increasingly higher levels of performance. Though the standards are changing, we must continue using evidence based practices in the classroom. Tankersley states, “We have never known more about good reading instruction so we must not “miss the boat” when it comes to using what we know works to build strong readers. Beginning readers still need strong phonemic awareness and systematic phonics instruction to become effective decoders during their beginning years. Intermediate readers will still need to practice and practice their reading skills until they are fluent readers. Middle and high school readers must learn to have not only basic comprehension when they read a text but they must also learn to process at the higher levels of comprehension including questioning the content and comparing to multiple perspectives. None of this has changed.” (Tankersley, 2013.)
It is hard to understand how standards are changing, but our method of teaching is staying the same. It is like the saying, if you keep doing the same thing you must expect to keep getting the same results. Tankersley suggests ways in which to be effective in meeting the common core standards. One of her blogs expresses how we must teach common core standards as a team. She explains that the common core standards are not simply a new set of standards, but a whole new way of thinking. Those teachers that are used to simply teaching straight from the textbook may be in for a rude awakening when they see there students not performing well on the common core tests. She suggests that teachers of all subjects must work collaboratively in order for their students to succeed. Each teacher must gain a deeper understanding of how reading and writing are used in their field and take responsibility for teaching their students how to do so.
This content relates to what we have learned in class thus far because her entire blog is dedicated to the skills needed to teach reading. He blog honestly reminds me a lot of the Graves textbook because each of her posts is either describing a standard of reading, or explaining an activity to use in order to teach said standard. We have learned in class that reading is not just necessary in reading and language arts classes, but it is a skill that determines our success in every subject. She discusses in the blog how with the new standards, teachers of all subjects must collaborate in their focus on reading.
I would suggest this blog because she is very detailed in her information and her advice on how to combat reading difficulties. I would use this blog as an educator to reference when I needed ideas on how to expand my teaching methods in order to meet standards. One thing I find very helpful on her blog is that she not only writes, but also posts videos about topics she is covering. She has devoted sections of her blog solely to materials that she suggests to use in the classroom, which would be extremely beneficial for new teachers who are feeling somewhat lost.
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