Becoming a reader:

A
B
Authors:
Throughout my years in school, I have
been introduced to a number of different
authors. As a young reader, you tend to
be drawn to certain genres of reading,
and to go along with that, comes the
love for certain authors.
I have personally gone out and bought
all the novels that my favourite authors
have released, or I can even relate back
to some of the authors from my favourite
childhood books.
Come of my favorite authors from over
the years:
Dr. Seuss, C.S. Lewis, Judy Blume,
Roberta Munch, Eric Carle, John Green,
Lisa Schroder, and many more.

It wasnt until I was in high school, and the

beginning of University, that I really began
to love reading. I found a genre that was
easy for me to connect with. Growing up, I
never really got to feel a lot emotionally; I
was just a tough cookie. I learnt to love
books that brought emotions to surface for
me. Novels about addiction, loss, struggles,
heartbreak, etc., are the type that allows
me to get attached, and this led to me
loving reading now.
Books that I loved growing up:
Curious George, The Rainbow Fish, Clifford,
The Giving Tree, The Very Hungry
Caterpillar, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,
Charlottes Web, Harry Potter, Sarah
Dessen, The Giver, The Outsiders, The
Study Quran, Sufi Psychology, etc.

Childrens Literature:
Childrens Literature is something that
most of us have learnt from in
elementary school. I remember in my
kindergarten classroom, we had a
reading corner, and there was always a
big selection of books to choose from.
Every day we would be encouraged to
grab a new book that we might not have
looked at before, and we got the chance
to sit and read, and then share that book
with a friend.
I still enjoy childrens book! No matter
what age someone may be, they still
enjoy them. Therefore, as a junior high
or high school teacher, I would try to
incorporate childrens books into
different lessons, almost as a brain
break!

D
Dr. Seuss! :
I remember growing up, my parents
had a collection of every Dr. Seuss
book. I loved being able to sit with my
mom and go through the different
books. They helped me on my literacy
journey, building up my reading skills
throughout my younger years.
A few
-

of my favorite books are:

Green Eggs and Ham
The Cat in the Hat
Oh, the Places Youll Go
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish,
Blue Fish
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

English 1900:
E goes along with one of the most
significant learning experiences Ive had on
my literacy journey.
English 1900, one of the first classes I took
at the University of Lethbridge. My professor
for this course taught me a very important
lesson in allowing students to improve their
writing skills. For our very first assignment,
his only instruction was to do whatever the
hell you want! He meant it! It didnt matter
if we wanted to do a sculpture, draw a
picture, or actually write something out, as
long as it was something of interest for us,
he was happy with it. For the next few
assignments, he would add on one extra
instruction. We were still able to do as we
wanted, but it had to have some sort of
written work with it, and the next
assignment had to be based off of a novel
we read.
He taught us that by following our interests,
we improve our writing skills. Thats
something that I will bring to the classroom
with me. To allow students to follow their
interests, and let them see an improvement
in their own writing skills.

Family Involvement:

Family involvement is really important

in the development of literacy skills in
young kids. Its important for parents
to read to their children, as well as
work with them as they read aloud.
I was fortunate enough to have my
mom read with us kid, and even today,
we read the same novels and share our
opinions of them with one another. My
dad on the other hand, is less literate,
so it was more difficult with only
relying on one parent for that skill
building support. It made it hard when
my mom was busy with other things
around the house or with work, and
dad wasnt able to sit and read with us.
Today, he is trying to be more involved
with literacy because he wants to be
able to join in with the novel readings
we do or even just enjoy a paper that
Ive written. I think it upsets him more
not, being illiterate, and it affected us
more as young kids.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss:

One of my favourite childhood books!
I remember reading it in school at a
young age, and the teachers then
made the class actual green eggs and
green ham. It engaged us so much
more in the book and it was a fun
activity that helped us relate with the
book.
I find that the more one can relate to
a book, the more involved they
become in it. Most books now-a-days
relate to real life situations or subject
areas in such a more in depth way.
These books help to encourage so
many more young readers.

Islamic Studies:

I
H
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone:
I read this book in grade 5 language arts
class. I remember that the teacher went
around the room, and made every student
read a chunk of the text.
I call it reading anxiety, but that is
something that I have developed from
constantly being put on the spot. With
reading, I never liked reading aloud because I
was constantly afraid of messing up. Even
today, I find myself constantly reading ahead
in panic that I could be called on next to read,
and I am still not a confident out loud reader.
Its something that I have improved on over
the years, but its also something that I dont
think will ever really go away.
I wasnt a strong reader when I was younger,
and I think it just scared me from reading
aloud when I was always chosen to read. I
find that when I just read without thinking too
much into it before hand, it comes out so

Islamic Studies is something that has

captured my interests over the past year
or so. I have begun to love philosophical
readings due to continually reading novels
based off of this religion. I have developed
a new love for novels that are more
historical, theoretical, and philosophical,
all because I am extremely interested in
learning as much as I can about this
particular topic.
When students find what interests them, it
can increase their love for literacy. It can
engage the students more in their
readings and allow them to be able to
write more fluently, and with more passion
as well.

J
Knowledge:
As a pre-service teacher, we experience
first hand what its like to be in the
classroom. From the experiences I have
had, whether it be just working with kids
as a day camp leader, or having
observed in a classroom, I have gained
knowledge on how to help students on
their own literacy journeys.
Being a student, Ive experienced how
former teachers, especially in language
arts, have treated our classes, and made
us feel, even the influence they have
made on many of their students. This is
all knowledge that weve gained over
many years, which we can implement
into our classrooms in the future.

Journals:
Journaling is something that I constantly turn to. I
enjoy being able to look back on things I have
written years ago, and compare those entries to
what I do now. I see my own personal
improvement, and I think its good to encourage
students to do the same.
In classes, we do reflections. Reflections are our
way of seeing where we were at during the
beginning of the semester, to where we end up.
We can see how much we have learnt and grown
over those couple of months, and I think
journaling shows just as much improvement and
growth among students.
I turn to journaling as something that helps me
to clear my head/mind. I find that I work on my
writing skills, the style and structure so much
more while doing so. No one reads my journals,
which allows me to get creative and just let it all
out in one go. Its something that no one is going
to judge or score me on, and most importantly,

Lisa Schroeder:
This is the author of one of the first books that
really allowed me to become a reader. I Heart
You, You Haunt Me drew out a lot of emotion in
me because it dealt with the loss of a loved
one, in particular a boyfriend. Being a young
adult when I first read this book, I could relate
to the heartbreak aspect of this book, but the
passing away of the boyfriend is something so
much deeper, and that is what really connected
me to this book.
Since reading this book, I have gone out and
bought every book that this author has
released. Each of them bringing forth different
challenges that one might face, drawing on
different emotions throughout each novel.

Mortimer By Robert Munch:

This is one of the most memorable

childrens books that I either had read
to me in class or have read numerous
times myself.
This book allows for so much
participation from the class, and it
draws on reflection, as well as brings in
music. All throughout elementary, this
was a classroom favourite. I will
definitely be using this book in
practicum this semester, as well as in
teaching in the future, no matter what
grade levels Ill be working with.

Non-Reader:

Observe:

As a young kid in elementary, I never liked

reading. Even in junior high school, reading
was something I had no interest in. I was very
active, outdoorsy, and loved sciences and
math. I still have a strong love for
mathematics, as it is my major, but with the
reading, it took a lot of patience, practice
and just finding something that fit my
interest.
As a pre-service teacher, I want to be able to
encourage my students to look for books, or
to write about their interests. Being a nonreader, or a non-writer, isnt a bad thing, but
encouraging students to really look at
themselves and their interests, to build upon
these skills, and it may lead to these students
enjoying reading and writing.
I hated being a non-reader because I always
felt I was behind with literacy. Not all students
are going to be at the same level in all class
subjects. Some may understand the sciences
and math way better than they will with
language arts or social studies. I felt
academically behind in certain subject areas
growing up, but its about building those skills
slowly and working up to being strong in that
area. Encourage students to excel that what
they know and just to continually grow in

By observing students in a classroom

setting, in language arts class, you can
get a good idea of where each student
is. Its also good to observe the students
in a smaller group environment or oneon-one. It helps to assess your students
in differing environments.
Outcomes:
Encouraging each student to find their
strengths, and work at the weaknesses
they may have. Offering feedback,
instead of grading the students
(formative assessment instead of
summative assessment), can help build
confidence in the young readers/writers.

P
Popcorn Reading:
This is a classroom management tool that
I found many of my elementary teachers
used. I hated when teachers resort to
calling on different students to read.
I have developed what I like to call
reading anxiety. With this, I fear having
to read out loud, thinking/assuming Ill
mess up and others will laugh at me. I
constantly find myself reading ahead in
order to have a good sense of what I need
to read before I get picked on. This often
leads to me not paying attention to what
others are says, and then I dont learn
anything about the reading.
There are some students who are strong
readers and love to read out loud, while
many may be strong internal readers, or
just non-readers at that.
Popcorn reading is not something I would
use in the classroom. Reading aloud is not
something that I would force on my
students. I think they need to develop
these skills in smaller groups or more oneon-one.

Quran:

The Study Quran is one of the main

pieces of literature that I am
focused on reading currently. I have
two different translations of the
Quran, for comparison. Islamic
studies is very much a current
interest of mine. I find it easy to
read, and I very much enjoy reading
something that I have such high
interest in.

Thinking in Numbers:

Reading Comprehension:

One of the worst summative

assessments I can recall getting. As
a non-reader, I struggle with having
to read some sort of prose in a
limited amount of time.
Using comprehension as formative
assessment, making sure each
student has enough time, is
something I would do. Either
individual, group or class work. Its
something that allows the students
to gage where they are at, and lets
the teacher see the differing levels
in the classroom.

This is a book written by Daniel Tammet. Its a book on

mathematics and its relation to everyday life. There are logical
explanations that the author talks about, and how different
mathematical concepts relate to life. When reading through the
different parts of this book, it gave me a better understanding
of the math concepts that I already had an idea of. I remember
reading a chapter of this book to my mom, and she completely
understood the concept once it was easy to relate to. Some
people learn differently so its good to have different lesson
plans in place that reach all levels the learners may be at.
I think if there are more books such as this one, I would use
them in my classroom. Even this one alone, I would use it to
integrate math into a different understanding that is easier for
more students to learn from and understand. This book
definitely provides a different point of view that can intrigue
and help more students to understand.

Strategies for Teaching:

Over the years, our toolbox of
strategies will grow. Some of the few
that I know now (not all will be listed)
are:
- Chunking while reading
teaching the students to chunk
the words, work on part of it,
and then get through the rest of
the word.
- Following along with their
reading using a finger to track
in the book
- Sounding out words
Summarizing after reading
being able to recall and write
about the reading.
- Having a word wall/word list
having this available for
students in the classroom will
help the with writing and

University:
Coming to University, it allowed me to
really learn about myself. I never
thought I would enjoy reading
philosophical texts, or historical
information, but it turns out, I really do
enjoy it!
I have developed a whole new love for
writing over the past 4 years. I am
more confident and comfortable in my
writing abilities. University took away
the 5-paragraph format that I was
always taught in school (K-12), and by
allowing myself to write without having
to follow a certain format, it definitely
makes it some much easier to get
information out and across.
Doing higher-level classes, so classes
that you have more interest and
understanding of, the papers do allow
students to really show their passion
through words. My writing has
improved immensely over the past few
years, and the passion in my words has
grown just as much.

The Very Hungary Caterpillar:

Eric Carle wrote this childrens book, and it

was one that I would always read in
kindergarten. I dont really remember
much about this book, as I havent read it
in a really long time, but it does stick out
in my mind as being one that I did really
enjoy. Also one of the first books that
comes to mind when thinking of childrens
books and my literacy journey.
There are many other books by Eric Carle
that I remember reading as well. Some of
the teachers would read them to us, or
give us the opportunity to just pick one
and enjoy it.
I like a lot of Eric Carles books, and I think
that in elementary school, they are all
good ones to have in the classroom. Either
to share with the students, or just to allow
them to read them in free time.

Was I a reader or writer?:

As a young child, I was neither. I loved to

be outside, being active and constantly
getting dirty. I enjoyed to draw and do
anything that really kept my mind active
and going.
I think I enjoyed writing before I really got
involved in reading. Having an active
imagination allowed for good stories to
come out and made it easier to come up
with different things.
Becoming a reader took longer than
expected. I was never one for academics
when growing up, but once I found my
love for reading; it helped me along with
getting more into my schoolwork.
Being a reader and a writer has allowed
me to find out more about myself and to
actually develop a liking for many more
things around me and all over the rest of
the world.
Something that I have noticed while in the
classroom, young students have such an
active imagination. They are able to think
of the most creative and imaginative
things, and they are never afraid to say
what is on their minds. Its more about
encouraging students to learn to write, in

Xylophone:

The reasoning behind using this term,

would be that it shows that literacy can
be in many forms; one of them being
music. Music can either be played in
the classroom, students can learn to
play different instruments, and
students can also have the opportunity
to sing or learn/create songs.
There have been songs that I was
taught back in high school, helping me
remember certain ideas and topics,
which I still remember and tend to sing
to myself whenever I get stuck while
doing work. One of the most
memorable songs is the log song for
logarithms. Music is definitely
something that I will incorporate into
my classroom, at any grade level. It
brings in rhythm and rhyme, which can
be beneficial for beginning readers.
Having a book that brings music and
songs into the story can draw in many
students. Rhythm draws kids in, and
having the rhyming, it hooks the
younger students.

You can do this! :

I find that encouragement is a big thing
for the young students, and I find that I
encourage myself as well in my reading
and writing. Positive feedback and good,
strong encouragement from teachers and
peers, really helps to bring out the
creative side of the students, and they
have a less fearful attitude.
As a young teacher, I think its important to
understand the struggles that young
students may have. We need to support
them and teach them new ways of looking
at literacy, so taking a more positive
approach.
Young students have such a vivid
imagination, and as a teacher we should
never discourage our students or turn
them away from that creative side.

Z
Zero:
This is a childrens book, written by Kathryn
Otoshi. I was fortunate enough to use this
book when teaching a lesson to grade three
students last year. I used this book in a
math lesson, when introducing
multiplication to the students, but this book
can be used in so many more ways. It
teaches students that we all fit in and
belong, no matter the differences we may
have. No two people are going to be the
same, therefore we should embrace our
difference and be unique. It sends a positive
message to young students, as well as
older, about being yourself.
I used it in the context of teaching young
kids about the value of zero and how its an
important number, just like the rest; but
overall, it has such a deeper meaning that
can influence the thinking of many
students, regardless of age.