Laura Granger Blog # 6

In the article, Including Students with Special Needs in a Writing Workshop by Fu and Shelton, it covers different methods a teacher can use to help special needs students fit in with the mainstream students. Every child has different needs that a teacher must meet but the real question is how can a teacher do this. If a child doesn't know English or cannot write their letters the chances of that student writing is very slim to none. However, there are other ways that a student can express his or her ideas. For example, the article talks about this one student who draws pictures instead of writing what she thinks about the subject. The teacher can ask the student about her/his drawings and write down what that student has to say. This method can be very helpful when dealing with students who cannot write yet. The teacher can also simply expose the students to different genres and throughout the year students will pick up on different elements that a story requires. Many times a student needs to have independent time to go over the story and figure out what makes up that story.

As a future teacher, I found this article very helpful because it dealt with the emotional as well as social needs of the child as well. You do not want to cause a child embarrassment because their confidence is one thing that will help push them to succeed in writing. A teacher must make it comfortable for a student to have room for error. If and when a student makes a mistake the classroom atmosphere must be accepting and realize that everyone makes mistakes and that we are all here to grow. Being creative and having different ideas is also a part of writing. Without imagination writing cannot be achieved and since everyone has an imagination writing is possible for anyone, regardless of how that is expressed.

Laura Granger Blog # 5

In this article, " Let's Talk 2.0" by Michele Knobel and Dana Wilber, they talk about how technology is greatly impacting our schools. Teachers are starting to teach differently and incorporating technology into their lessons. The internet has become a major part of our every day lives and we are constantly using it to learn more, to be entertained, and for communication. Teachers can have whole lessons on the Smart Board and have students play games on computers to further their learning. One aspect that was brought up in the article was that "outside of school, many students are accomplished authors, filmmakers, animators, and recording artists" (21). This statement couldn't be any more true. The invention of You Tube literally makes people become famous over night. Everyone has the opportunity to get their opinions out and to be heard. It takes a minute to create a web cast and share your opinion about something going on. People will watch it and give you feedback and this creates an online community. People can write blogs sharing their experiences, writings, and photographs for the world to see are also very popular now.

Teachers can incorporate this into their lessons and give the students the most important a teacher can give to a student and that is creative control. Students are free to explore the internet and create new stories and ideas that sometimes can't be expressed with a pen and paper. Students can use graphics to make a story come alive. There are so many options out there now and it is going to be interesting to see how the next generation is going to take this to the next level.

Laura Granger Blog # 4

An article written by Espinosa and Fournier called "6 Stepping Stones: Literature in the Classroom" talks about the challenges teachers face with bilingual students. Picking out literature for bilingual students can be especially hard on teachers who only speak one language. This article gives many pointers and answers many questions that teachers will be asking. First, the children need to have questions raised in their minds while reading books. How does a teacher do this? A teacher could start by reading books about famous people from history. The teacher could then go on to ask the students how they relate to them or if they even relate to the people they are reading about. The students will start thinking about the information they have received and how it applies to them in their own lives.

Another way would be that the teacher has careful preparation as to which books they are picking out for the students; teachers need to do some research before they read a book to the students. Teachers should talk to other teachers and get ideas as well as running it past the school board. The article states, " it takes a lot of thought and mental preparation to know exactly why you're reading this book or why this book is going to fit" (Espinosa and Fournier 85). The key point for teachers to remember is that we must be intentional with everything that we do. Every event in the classroom should be an opportunity to learn.

Making sure that the children get a chance to share their ideas is a key point when reading a text. Many times it is hard for teachers to get all 25-30 opinions from their students but there are techniques that can be used in order to conquer this. A child must first know that the teacher feels like their opinion is important and that can be done by the teacher saying to the class "everyone's ideas are important and we need to respect those ideas". The teacher can also form small groups and have the students share their ideas with their peers. Understanding where people and coming from and what their ideas are builds a stronger classroom foundation and gives students more confidence to share their answers.

Laura Granger Blog # 3

The article, "Asking the Experts: What Children Have to Say about Their Reading Preferences" by Davilla and Partick was a real eye opener. Not only did the article talk about how adults are generally the ones who pick and chose what a child reads but it goes one step further and breaks down what boys like and what girls like to read. The article states, " Adults control the world of children's literature: adults write the books, adults choose which books to publish...adults purchase the books for their homes, stores, and libraries " (Davilla and Patrick 199). As a future teacher it is really important to have a book nook that is very diverse and meets the needs and interests of all of the students. The first step though before a teacher begins planning a book nook would be to get to know the interests of his/her students. One way to do this is by using surveys in the beginning of the year asking what does the student like to do and what their interests are. If a student sees a book in the selection that they like chances are they are going to pick it up and read it.

The article also mentioned that as students age their love for reading usually decreases. Middle and high school students are told what to read and how to display what they know, whether it be by taking a test or by doing a project. Rarely, do they get the chance to take out a book that they are interested in and read it. If given the chance, I am sad to say that most of them wouldn't know where to start when picking out a book for themselves. It is a teacher's job to help nurture that need for direction but also taking into consideration that maybe not every student wants to read about the Scarlet Letter or The Grapes of Wrath. (which I personally think are both great books but do not meet the needs for every student).

Another point to bring up would be that there are books out there that are very popular with both boys and girls of any age level and any reading level. Harry Potter is a prime example of this because it has something for everyone, action, comedy, suspense, drama, and romance. It was a book that students wanted to read and learn more about because it was fun. Children are supposed to have fun while reading and we need to remember that.

Daniella Fusaro- Blog #6

Frey, Fisher and Berkin
Chapter 6- Great Readers Read to Learn

Not all children like to read and getting them to read informational texts or non-fiction text is an even bigger challenge. As mentioned in the article it says that teachers should expose their students to these texts from the very first day of school and that 50-60% of what students read should be informational. A great way to do this is with read-alouds and simply sharing with students that informational texts are not boring or contain too much information. On the other hand this is actually the perfect time to share with them because you are there to answer any of their questions that they may have. I will be the first one to admit that I would rather read a fiction book than non-fiction especially at a younger age. It was not until I was older that I enjoyed reading about real life stories and events that took place.

This article provided some very useful information especially on how to involve and engage students with informational texts. I never realized how important they really were until actually reading this article and seeing it used in my Clincial 1 experience. It also discussed using disagrams and charts that go along with text features and just yesterday my class used a flow chart to describe sequence of events. All of these practices come to life so much more and have such a deeper meaning after seeing it up close.

Laura Granger Blog # 2

In the article, " Using Textbooks and Trade Books for Content Area Instruction" by Alvermann et al, the topic of using trade books is brought up to the reader. Growing up we all were used to the idea that textbooks were the only way that we could learn information from a book. Many times we received the textbook in the beginning of the year put it in our desks or lockers and it was rarely to be seen throughout the year. There would be groans from the students as the teacher would have us take out the textbook to look at a paragraph or read a chapter for homework. So as a future teacher this article really stood out to me because it shows a different approach when it comes to finding information.

Trade books have a lot of strengths to them and are more interesting to a child because it doesn't give information that the child sees as useless. One of the key strengths that really stood out was that trade books are available to all reading levels. The article states, "Publishers such as Rigby, Sunshine, and Newbridge have whole catalogs listing and describing informational books for emergent, early, and transitional readers" (Alverman 45). Unlike a textbook where everyone has to read the same information the same way, a trade book can keep everyone on the same topic but provide the information in various ways. Also, trade books can be ordered for ELL students. Trade books include pictures and short sentences about different topics that make it easier for ELL students to understand instead of overwhelming them with a huge textbook full of words they don't understand.

Lastly, trade books can be used with textbooks as well. The students can look at textbooks for more information on a subject if they need to. The two go hand in hand which is great for teachers because this way more resources are available to them. I really think this article is useful and the strengths out number the limitations.

Daniella Fusaro- Blog #5

Chapter 5- Story Elements
Frey, Fisher, Berkin

I found this article to be very helpful with understanding the different story elements. As mentioned in the article, "The need for story manifests itself from the beginning of a child's life, because a child needs to organize the wold in order to understand it". This goes to show how vital readig and stories are for children and that we need to begin to introduce stories to children very young. I feel that it is never too early to read to a child or introduce text to them. The younger we start the more familiar children will become and when they get older it will not be so foreign to them.

I felt that this article was informative and useful in understanding all the types of story elements. It was also a great review for me because these are simple elementary school things that we should know and I have to admit that I forget what a hyperbole is half the time. It was nice to have everything all in one article and easy to read. It also gave questions on different aspects such as understanding characters or plot and they were to make sure the students were on target.

These elements of stories are things we think students know and take for granted but we need to go over them every once in a while to make sure all students are on the same page. We cannot forget about them once students know them because when I was in school that is what happened and all through high school no one ever reviewed them. A simple review for 5-10 minutes a day or once a week cannot hurt anyone and will only benefit our students. Overall, I enjoyed this article and thought it was very helpful.

Daniella Fusaro- Blog #4

Graves

This article focuses on many important literacy aspects such as teaching for transfer and distinguishing between practice and instruction. It gives both students and teachers relevant and essential information that they should know when learning and teaching about literacy instruction. As a college student I found this article to be very beneficial and educational in my experience to become a teacher. It had all of the concepts we discussed not only in this class but on my other education courses as well. I have also noticed that with student teaching and being in the classroom, a lot of these concepts are applied. It now helps to see them up close and personal and actually put into practice rather than just talked about.

I feel that this article was very useful and would recommend it to not only college students but teachers too. The gradual release of responsibility concept was explained in detail and easy to understand with a helpful diagram to go along with it. I will definitely keep this article for future reference because I found it so helpful and advantageous. Graves knows the audience he is writing for and makes sure to use both understandable and relevant language.

Daniella Fusaro Blog #3

Shared Readings: Modeling Comprehension, Vocabular, Text Structures, and Text Features for Older Readers
-Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Diane Lapp

This study stresses how signficant modeling is in literacy intstruction. I feel that modeling is one of the most important if not the most important aspect by which children learn. As stated by Fisher, Frey and Lapp "modeling is the primary way through which teachers can demonstrate for their students how readers can interact with texts". I have to say that even as a college student I like to see things modeled or written out so that I know exactly what my expectations are for that assignment. Modeling is something that we are always doing whether we are aware of it or not and it has become so much a part of our everyday lives. As a future teacher and now being the classroom I feel that a lot of what we do is surrounded by modeling. I never realized how important it was to learning or to text until now. It is also essential to introduce more than one way or strategy of thinking about texts. Children like and need to have options and teachers have to be able to offer to the different learning styles and multiple intelligences.

The study also states that main focus was on modeling thinking and not asking the students comprehension questions. Once again this is stressing that really thinking about the text is more important than simply remembering certain parts. I am not saying that comprehension is not important because I believe that it is, however just in regards to this article and modeling it does not need to be so stressed.

I enjoyed this article and feel that it had a lot of great information to offer. I would definitely recommend this for future literacy classes because modeling is an essential component of literacy instruction. I liked how it gave an actual study with results about shared reading all of which we now see on a regular basis by being in the classroom. It helps to see it up close and personal and be able to apply these concepts to real life and not just read about them.

Blog #6- Jenna Galatro

Harvey & Goudvis Chapter 4: Tools for Active Literacy: The Nuts and Bolts of Comprehension Instruction

In this chapter they focus on important tools teachers can use to make the literacy process more interactive. No child likes to sit for long periods of time listening to the teacher read information. They have to get involved! This chapter reinforces the importance of modeling our ‘thought process’ and important functions of text structure when moving throughout a book. Additionally, it provides strategies to promote active literacy.

The consistent pattern in this chapter was sharing. When sharing our thoughts, and how we arrive at our conclusion students learn multiple perspectives at looking at things. Our best teachers are the ones who can relate the information in a way that is relative to our lives. Often our best helpers are our students. Teachers can clarify unknown vocabulary however; the students should be making the connections.

The chapter mentions “piggybacking” which allows students to respond to one another’s comments and create an active discussion. When reflecting on this and my own experience with elementary school children, most often they make connections to the text with random examples of their experience not response of their peers. How teachers could foster more critical thinking is teaching students the method of “piggybacking”. For instance, if one student says, “I understand why Frog is angry with Toad, it reminds me of the time my friend did…” Another response from a student could be, “I understand what Jessica is saying because I had that same problem when my friend did… and it made me so angry I had a hard time being happy again”. In this example the two students are building on one another’s ideas while creating a mutual respect for their opinions. Rather than sharing random thoughts, they are feeding off of one another’s. Again, this is something that must be explicitly taught from the teacher and is not something that is mastered through one experience. The more opportunities we can provide for our students to challenge themselves into deeper thought, the more they will comprehend the text and foster a love for reading and sharing.

Blog #5- Jenna Galatro

Harvey & Goudvis Reading Chapter 3: Effective Comprehension Instruction: Teaching, Tone, and Assessment

Chapter three really made me think and envision what kind of teacher I hope to be for my students. It highlighted the ‘Gradual Release of Responsibility” model and how important it is that teacher follow these explicit steps when teaching students comprehension strategies. More than ever through my Clinical experience, I am seeing how the ‘Gradual Release of Responsibility’ is implemented and it makes much more sense to me. Reading it in a text only summarizes but does not actually make the information comprehensible until you see it first hand.

I find one of the biggest challenges of being a teacher is remembering what it was like before we knew the knowledge we know today. Reflecting on our own thinking and process of comprehension can allow us to better create lessons that focus on teaching explicit comprehension strategies. However, as the chapter reinforced there are so many different ways to find out what are students are thinking so we can better evaluate and revise our teaching methods. The one consistent pattern that can be found in understanding our students thought process is, knowing our kids on an individual level. The more you know, the more you can help scaffold connections and pick material that is reflective in their lives. There are many approaches of doing this and fostering opportunities for interaction such as ‘turn-and-talk’. While students talk, teachers should be listening and highlighting good analysis and discussions of the topic at hand.

Another way to teach comprehension is using the students ‘words’ to fill out a chart or graphic organizer about the topic. When showing this connection between their words and organizing to better understand the text; students see their thinking come to life. Again, these strategies must be constantly practiced and modeled throughout the year so students can continue practice them and apply them to their individual reading books. It is so important that teachers create an ongoing record of their student’s progress and continually evaluate and reflect on their teaching practices.

Daniella Fusaro Blog #2

Going Public: NCLB and Literacy Practices in Teacher Education
by Dorothy C. Suskind

Dorothy Suskind focuses many topics within this article. She believes in real life experiences and having her students learn through experience. She raises many good points throughout the article especially when she says that it is ulimately the children and not the teachers that make the curriculum. I agree with her on that because the students should be interested in the topics that they learn about or they will be bored.

I feel that too many schools are concerned with standardized tests scores and not enough about the actual content knowledge or basic information. That is where not so well test-takers, like myself get left behind or lost in the shuffle. With No Child Left Behind it ensures that all children get the education they deserve. I feel that the article makes a valid point when it states that "standardized testing may damage students' motivation and self-esteem, and that standardized teaching disempowers teachers as it 'confine(s) and constrict(s) reading curriculum and distrupt(s) high quality teaching and learning". I know that from my own experiences standardized tests make me nervous and I never did well on them so schools should not put as much pressure as they do to do so well. Also, from the classrooms that I have observed teachers teach for the tests and I feel that is wrong because there are not teaching their students any long term information. I guarantee once they take the test most students will forget more than have of the material that was on it because they crammed for it.

Home life and neighborhood can have an impact a child's learning experience. A child that grows up in poverty with a single parent will have a very different experience than one who has two working parents and mansion. As quoted in the article, "All educational efforts that focus on classrooms and schools, as does NCLB, could be reversed by family, could be negated by neighborhood, and might well be minimized by what happend to children outside of school." This further shows that as teachers we always need to be aware of our students' backgrounds and home situations so that we know what to expect from them and of them. It also helps us know who will need more extra help because studies have shown a correlation of low test scores and poverty.

I really enjoyed this article because it was rich with information about NCLB and at the end she brought up many good strategies about bringing literacy into the classroom. Suskind is very big with personal experiences and I am the same way. I feel there is no better way to learn than getting out there and seeing it first hand. There is only so much you can learn from a book, the rest you have to actually see for yourself.

Daniella Fusaro Blog #1

Beginning Reading Instruction in Urban Schools: The Curriculum Gap Ensures a Continuing Achievement Gap
by William H. Teale, Kathleen A. Paciga, Jessica L. Hoffman

This article focuses on the curriculum gap with literacy as a big problem in urban schools and it does not seem to be getting any better. Many educators tend to focus on one or two aspects and brush the others under the rug. The five pillars; phonological awareness, phonics, fluency and comprehension are all essential pieces to being successful readers and writers. It seems that comprehension and writing are the two of the main areas that get lost or pushed to the side when it comes to reading programs. I agree with the writing aspect because I see most teachers focus more on actually teaching their students to read and to decode words but not so much with the comprehension part. I feel that teachers do teach fluency before moving up the ladder and that is where I disagree with the article because the teachers that I have seen would not move on to comprehension until their students could read fluently. Again I understand this is an issue in urban settings so they do not always have the same resources to work with but it should still be addressed.

I definitely agree when the article says that the first years of school are critical to a child's development and that is not only for reading and writing but in life as well. If children start off behind the eight ball in kindergarten they are always going to be playing catch up throughout their school years and will not fully enjoy them. That is why I believe we as educators need to make sure all of our students get on the right track from the start. This curriculum gap may not be something that will ever fully go away but it can definitely be diminished by working hard and trying to solve it.

Blog #4-Jenna Galatro

Ch. 2 Reading Instruction

By: Graves

This chapter does an excellent job in summarizing the history of literacy instruction and showing where we are at this point in time. When reflecting on my elementary school instruction I feel as though literacy was very scripted and repetitive. I remember getting excited when my teacher rewarded us and allowed us to venture out of our desks and join the carpet or other areas around the classroom. Now, when observing through a teachers eye, I believe students have much more freedoms in the classroom and choices of how they learn. As a student, those little moments where we got the choice of where we wanted to read, I remember being motivated to do so.

This article highlights how motivation is the key in learning success. Without conveying a love for learning new things and gaining power through reading, students will not be enthusiastic in participating. When creating a stimulating environment and a print rich classroom, students will transfer knowledge and better understand how print works in their everyday life. This article gave great examples about effective teachers and the process in which they taught lessons.

The article quotes how researchers have coined the term, “opportunities to learn”. I found this to be a relevant point as the classroom has moved from less of a lecture format to a more of a choice through a variety of centers. Again, I believe when giving students a choice, they are more likely to learn and transfer knowledge. As differentiating instruction is always a hot topic in the teaching profession, creating a variety of centers allows students to pick ones that are most suitable to their learning styles.

Another valid point I would like to explore in this article is when Graves stated, “Practice involves asking students to do something they already know how to do. Instruction involves showing or telling students how to do something that they do no yet know how to do. Simply asking students to do something does not constitute teaching them how to do it.” I believe this is the essence of why effective modeling strategies is so key and consistent with all grade levels followed by room to make mistakes and allowing students to practice new approaches.

Blog #3- Jenna Galatro

Shared Readings: Modeling Comprehension, Vocabulary, Text Structures, and Text Features for Older Readers

By: Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Diane Lapp

In this article by Fisher, Frey, and Lapp they express the importance in modeling our instruction as teachers. As we learn different methods and teaching practices of conducting an effective read aloud, I believe the most work by teachers is put into the preparation. As a teacher it is important to prepare adequately and have a focused objective of the lesson. It is also important that you let the discussion and students direct the means of addressing questions or needs for clarification throughout the read-aloud. Simply reading the book is not enough. As teachers it is important to effectively model our thought process and how good readers engage with text and make connections.

I enjoyed how this article studied many expert teachers and gave examples of great modeling techniques. More than ever when we conduct a read aloud we must model to students how we predict, use context clues, and identify text structures of the overall plot. Using authentic text that students can relate to makes this process more enjoyable and leaves room for more participation.

When reflecting on my elementary school experience I remember a lot more whole-class ‘teaching in the middle’ instruction. With the emerging and recent research available, this is not a productive model to follow. Teachers must strive to make learning more of an individual experience, as no two learners are the same. Guided Reading and leveling our classroom library can teach students the process in selecting a book ‘just right’ and one that actually engages them. As the article reinforces, expert teachers do the majority of their work before the lesson. The actual read-aloud/lesson may only take 15 minutes while the rest of the time; students are making the transfer to a relatable activity based on what they observed from modeling. This is why effective modeling should be carefully crafted, as it is a key factor in literacy instruction.

Blog #2-Jenna Galatro

Going Public: NCLB and Literacy Practices in Teacher Education

By: Dorothy C. Suskind

I enjoyed how this article by, Dorothy C. Suskind approached literacy as an on-going process shaped by our experiences and what we most relate to. When teaching literacy to children, it is important to always remember, when children are engaged and interested in the text they are reading, they will be more prone to retain the information. I believe as teachers it is our job to instill the very foundation that learning new things can give you power, and with power you have choice. Choice in everyday decisions, and a choice in the literature you decide to read.

As this article sheds light on the gaps of NCLB, we see how requirements like Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) have raised the bar for districts, administrators, and teachers, to become more conscious of every rule or lesson they implement. I disagree with teaching to the test, however when your district is forced to meet requirements or is on probation for not meeting these requirements; teachers find themselves in this on-going battle of authenticity and teaching to the test. As the article reinforces, “that there is no research that links increased testing with increased reading achievement, (p. 451)”, I question why other ideas have not been brainstormed to reach the same outcome of assessing literacy development. As research and opinions continue to be debated about what process children go through when learning to read, my opinion rests that there is no one formula. Every child is individual, and although we can have preferences on which reading program may better serve our students, it will continue to change year after year.

I believe standardized testing is an unfair way to assess children. I think it puts an unnecessary amount of pressure on teachers and takes the fun out of learning. While teachers are worried whether they are covering all of the material, they are missing out on the ‘teachable’ moments where children learn from and transfer their knowledge the most. I believe knowing your students is of the best indicator to implement a balance of literacy programs and authentic activities which allow your students to create and most of all explore!

Blog #1- Jenna Galatro

Teachers as Literacy Leaders

By: Jennifer D. Turner, Mary DeKonty Applegate, Anthony J. Applegate

In order to teach our students meaningful information, it is essential we believe in our practices. One of the most important things I am realizing, as a student teacher is we must have confidence and show students the importance and power of reading. There are so many components of reading and two (fluency and comprehension) of which I find of primary importance helps unlock their love for reading. The only way students become fluent readers are through opportunities to practice in a comfortable environment. Additionally, comprehension comes from extensive modeling of the thought process good readers go through from the teacher.

As this article focuses on modeling to students our love for reading, I agree but believe it goes much more beyond that. Yes, we must model that we value books and reading however, I believe it is more important that we express the power that comes from reading. Literacy instruction should not be surrounded by convincing and pressuring kids to be bookworms; rather it should focus on showing students that there are so many alternate ways to be involved with literacy that give you power. I think being able to read environmental print everyday, and then transferring this knowledge to meaningful conversations is the overarching idea behind literacy instruction and creating life-long learners. However, at the lower elementary school level, this is difficult to deliver to students because they are just beginner readers. This is why it is our jobs to get to know our students and capture their interests.

The article discusses how literacy leaders, “… teach students to regard stories as slices of life that a writer shares with us, tales that are often interspersed with profound truths that can be unearthed by those willing to think creatively about them.” When teaching this concept to children and expressing how when learning the process of reading, we learn better how others operate. We are laying the important foundation of interpersonal skills something that will follow them throughout their lives. By motivating and showing students the different aspects of literacy, we are creating life-long learners.

Laura Granger Blog #1

Great Readers Understand How Stories Work by Frey, Fisher, and Berkin really had an impact on me because it talked about the importance of children being exposed to different types of stories. The article was relatable because I too can recall sitting under a pine tree with my mother reading stories about Thumbelina or Clifford the Big Red Dog. A child will come to learn who the characters in the stories are and even possibly go one step further and make up their own stories about those characters. Children can also take the morals of the story and apply them to their own lives. For example, “the article talks about Little Red Riding Hood and how it taught a child to know the difference between good and bad people in the world” (Frey, Fisher, and Berkin 1). As a future teacher it is imperative that I spend time reading books with my students from a very young age. Even though students may not be able to read the stories themselves they can still learn different parts of the book like where the front cover is and that we read from left to right.

Another idea that is brought up is that students would be able to learn about various parts of the world and different cultures. Stories about different cultures will lead to the questions “why and what”. What is this item called? Why did the character behave like that? Discussions can build from these stories in various ways that will be beneficial to the students as well as making it easier for the teacher. The students also will learn about the world and different cultures or maybe even learn more about their own culture. Children will feel special and proud of their culture when they get to share a story with the rest of the class, which is another way that teachers can incorporate culture books into their lesson plans.

Characters, morals, and culture ideas are just some of the points that stuck out to me. There are numerous amounts of ways that teachers can incorporate them into the classroom and this article provides information about how to do that.

Daniella Fusaro's First, Last and Best Reading Memory

My name is Daniella Fusaro and I am senior at Montclair State University. I am a Family and Child Studies major with a concentration in K-5 and will graduate this May. I cannot believe how fast college went but I am excited to get out into the real world and have my own classroom!

I have to say I do not really remember my first reading memory because I was so young. I do know that I always had tons of books in my room and would have my parents read to me before bed all the time. My first experience probably had something to do with Minnie Mouse because she was my favorite Disney character and my room was even themed around her. I do remember I had a book called Minnie and Me that my parents made especially for me about my third birthday and it had my name in it and everything. I loved that book and made sure everyone read it to me every chance they could. I eventually started to memorize it after a while.

My last reading memory was the Twilight series. As you can tell I do not have much free time to read. I have to confess that I would never be one of those fans who were obsessed and I wanted to prove everyone's obsession with vampires wrong. After reading the first few chapters I started to really like it and became quite addicted. My theory obviously failed but at least I found a new genre that I enjoyed. I am not going to lie I am very upset that the series is over and I do wait for the movies to come out but they are just not the same.

My best reading memory would have to be the Harry Potter series. When the first book came out I was only seven and I remember I went to the library and got it on tape. I did not know if I would be interested in wizards or that type of genre but it was highly talked about so I gave it a try. As the rest of the series came out and the books became bigger and bigger, I began to feel a lot more accomplished with myself because I was not only able to read them but read them so quickly. It was an interesting series that I really liked and could finish fairly quickly.

Jenna Galatro's First, Last, and Writing Memory

Hello, my name is Jenna Galatro. I am a senior at Montclair State University. My major is Family and Child Studies with a concentration in K-5 Elementary Education. Additionally, I am receiving a certification in English as a Second Language (K-12) and an English Middle school certification. I am excited to be graduating in May, and cannot wait to be a future educator!

As for my first literacy memory, I would have to say I constantly remember the bedtime stories my parents used to read me. As a child, it is so easy at that age to get lost in the magic of a good picture book. Additionally, I remember my high school neighbor used to come over and read books to me and work with me on my reading skills. I believe having that older role model helped reinforce the importance of literacy and fluency in reading.

My last reading memory was when I recently finished the book called "The Noticer" by Andy Andrews. It was a quick and enjoyable read about changing your perspective on life, and realizing that all the small, sometimes frustrating things in life lead us to a future most of us can not imagine awaits us. It definitely gets you excited about life, and all of the great things that lie ahead.

Probably my best literacy experience was in Mrs. Beam's 2nd grade class. We had this 'event' called 'Young Authors' where a selected few students where chosen to create, illustrate, and then publish their books. Sometime throughout the school year we were able to present our books to our families and read aloud to the audience our 'published' books. I remember being extremely proud of myself and excited to share my book to the audience and my parents. It was awesome to see how proud my parents were of me, and it gave me a boost of confidence that all beginner readers could use!

Laura Granger's First, Last, and Best Reading Memories

Hi my name is Laura Granger. I am currently a "super senior" and I plan on graduating in May. My first reading memory would have to be when my mother would take my siblings and I outside and we would read books under the big Pine tree on the front lawn. The library was right across the street from my house so we would go there after lunch and pick out the books we wanted to read that day. I usually picked the book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs because of all the beautiful illustrations and I thought that if I read the book enough it might actually happen (over active imagination as a child). My mother was also a Pre-School teacher and was very dramatic when she read to us making it more enjoyable.

My last reading memory would be reading the series of books The Chronicles of Faerie by O.R. Melling. There are four books in this series and each one tells a different story that all somehow wind up tying together in the end. The books take place in Ireland and show the reader that "things aren't always as they appear". These books also blend Irish mythology with geography and that way the reader can learn a lot about Ireland while being engaged in a story.

My best reading memory would have to be reading the American Girl book series about Molly. Molly grew up during World War II and the books take you on a journey of her life and how she handled certain situations based on that time frame. I really enjoyed this book series a lot. After I had finished the book series I asked my parents if I could get the Molly American Girl Doll for Christmas but instead I wound up getting something even better a Border Collie puppy who of course I named Molly. Molly has been right by my side now for 13 years and she is definitely better than a doll.