The school year is in full swing and reading is filling the air in my fourth grade classroom. We read independently, in groups, with partners, as a whole class, as a read aloud, online and hopefully at home as well. Let’s face it, reading is a very important part of an elementary school classroom. But for some students it’s just so difficult when reading is an area where they struggle.
Today, I invite you to read a post I wrote for Big Universe, an online reading and writing community for students. It’s called Reading Comprehension and Drumming Circles and is about one teacher’s experience this summer while attending the arts integration class I taught. She had a real revelation about reading comprehension while drumming with the group. Curious? Here’s the first paragraph, I urge you to please go visit the full post.
It’s no surprise to us that different children learn to read at different rates. The problem may be that we sometimes forget just what that means in the minds of our students. I was reminded of how difficult reading can be for students just last week while participating in a drumming circle. Read the entire article…
I really miss all the ladies in my summer course!! We all learned so much about ourselves personally and professionally. It was a wonderful experience. Hope you are all having a great year so far! I know I am!! 🙂
Hi Jenn! I agree. We did have such wonderful experiences. Things are going well so far this year and I’m so happy to hear the same from you! Keep in touch.
As quoted from one of my favorite stories to read to my students: “Wow,” said Mr. Slinger. That was just about all he could say, “Wow”. 🙂
I am fond of telling my students that no one knows everything, that even if they live to be 105, there will be more information to discover somewhere and new ways to stretch themselves. I also frequently tell them that the work they are doing now, at 7 and 8 years old, will be some of the most difficult work they will ever do. I try to remind them to be proud of their enormous efforts, because the knowledge they are collecting now, they will still be using when they are old and gray.
The story you shared does remind us as teachers to be forever mindful of how hard it can be to acquire the skills needed to become a good reader. And the children we teach are very young! So much is required of them.
Although I am very aware of the challenges my students face, I do need to recharge my patience level from time to time! It can be frustrating to watch progress movc at such tiny increments. (It couldn’t possibly be that I am just getting old and grumpy, could it?!) Once again, I am grateful that you are offering this music class, and that I chose to take it…
You said it with your “need to recharge my patience level from time to time!” I feel the same way. This is a good reminder.