Standard 1

Standard 1: Foundational Knowledge
Analyze classroom environment quality for fostering individual motivation to read and write (e.g., access to print, choice, challenge, and interests).

Previous classes, as well as prior experience, taught me that students take more of an interest in reading when they have a choice in what they are reading.  During my initial reading interview with Liv, she stated that she enjoyed reading books that would relate to her life, or about things that could actually happen to her.  Liv also said that the Junie B. Jones books were among her favorite because they were about a young girl like herself.  I kept this in mind when I was choosing books for Liv by selecting books that were about children around her age or about situations that she could find herself in.  I also allowed Liv quite a bit of freedom when selecting books by allowing her to choose independently most of the time.  I noticed that when she selected the books she seemed to be more interested versus when I selected the books for her.  I also noticed that when she selected books, she tended to select books that were easy (sometimes too easy) for her to read.  When this happened, I would also select a book that was more challenging so that I could push her a little more.  Liv desperately wanted to read chapter books during our sessions, so I told her that we would try to read one together and see what happened.  Needless to say, the chapter books were a bit too challenging which frustrated Liv.  My goal for Liv is to be able to read the chapter books that she wants to within the next year.  Until she works up to that level, we will continue selecting books that appeal to her and that don’t frustrate Liv so much.

Artifact:

Reading interview