Foundations

Main Ideas and Thoughts for Chapter 1&2 (Classrooms That Work) 
First off, I am really enjoying this book by Cunningham and Allington! I have found some extremely valuable information and I have highlighted several key points. For this blog post, I will share some main points from chapters 1 and 2.

Chapter 1:

1. Integrating reading and writing across content areas. (pg. 3 & 9) 
This was brought up throughout several parts in chapter one.
It is clear that integrating reading and writing into other subjects is great for the children and helps with reading comprehension and writing skills. Reading and writing is really stressed in the lower elementary grades and often times science, social studies, and math get put to the side. When you are able to integrate these subjects into reading and writing, you are setting up an environment for a child to broaden their knowledge about the world around them.

2. High-level comprehension questions. (pg. 2, 5, & 9)
Something else that was brought to my attention throughout chapter one was the conversations you should have with children about their reading. Instead of asking yes or no questions such as, "Did Sally go to the store?", ask a more in depth questions such a, "Why did Sally need to go to the store?" This way children are thinking more about the text instead of just repeating it back to the teacher.

3. Environment is KEY! (pg 3, 4, & 10)
This point may be the most important thing I learned from this book so far. If you do not have good classroom management, then it is going to be hard to do just about anything. Since reading is critical, you must first have the classroom under control and working together in order to see student success. Once the classroom is well managed, a teacher is able to plan several different activities and proceed throughout the day.

Chapter 2:

1. Using self-report. (pg. 13&14)
One thing that is extremely critical to install in to a child is self report. Whether it is with a sport, a chore, or reading, checking yourself is important to make progress. This chapter had some fabulous ideas for self reports including a "Reading and Me" exercise. This activity included a piece of paper with some questions about reading. The teacher had the students fill this out at several different times during the year and then they were asked to write about their progress or other important news when it came to reading. How awesome is that!

2. Variety of reading materials (pg. 15-17) 
In this chapter, I learned that having a variety of reading materials in the classroom can allow your students to get more excited about reading. Some children may enjoy reading fiction, others non-fiction. Some may enjoy children's magazines and some may like large chapter books. As a teacher, it is important to have these materials so each one of your children can find something they enjoy reading about. "Reading books you want to read motivates you to read more" (pg. 24).

3. Conferences with the children to talk about reading.  (pg. 22 & 23)
I loved this idea! This allows for one on one time with the teacher and student to talk about their reading. In the book, it talked about how to prepare a student for a conference and then how to carry it out. It listed conversation starters for the teacher and then how the teacher could track what happened during the conferences. There are several things I like about this activity. First, children need attention and this is an awesome way to give each child one on one attention. Second, the children are learning how to be responsible with what they are reading. Third, it allows the teacher to see who needs more help. What an awesome activity!