The Reading Process

During class on Monday we learned the difference between aesthetic and efferent readings. An aesthetic reader reads for pleasure and has an emotional response where as an efferent reader focuses on the information shared. I am basically for now an efferent reader; I read because I have to learn and boy has college given me a bunch of books to read for information. I use to be an aesthetic reader, but college has taken the place for that for now. I hope upon completing college I will be able to read for pleasure, aesthetically, again.
Today I learned valuable information to use in my future years of teaching. I learned that there are five stages of reading process which are:

• Pre-Reading: learning background information to better understand the book before even reading it. For example: A Meredith student who associates with MeredithReads does an activity with the student/s she is working that introduces the book she is going to read.
• Reading: obiviously actually reading the book. For example: The Meredith girl reads the book to the child.
• Responding: getting the child to respond about the book. For example: The Meredith girl asks the child questions about the book they just shared.
• Exploring: going deeper than just the words on the pages, acutally understanding what the book was about. For example: The Meredith Angel and her student do an activity that further inforces the lesson the child was suppose to gain from the book.
  
• Applying: Create project so the child can further learn from the book. For example: The Meredith Angel sends home a letter with child, so the child and their parents can work together and do activities so the student can further expand thier knowledge of the book.
  

Factors that are important in developing capable readers are word identificaiton, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

1. Word Identificaiton: site words/high frequency words *Phonics*
2. Fluency: Reading speed, word recogniation, *Prosody* (knowing how to read/expression)
3. Vocabbulary: what the most beneficial way to expand vocabulary- to READ more and more
4. Comprehension: use strategies before, during, and after reading.
   

There are lots of ways for a child to interact in the reading process other than just traditional ways of guided reading and other methods. A child could read word math problems, comic strips, and literature circles are just a few suggestions. The students could really use the reading process in all of these but the most obivious on is literature circles because of the jobs literature circles create. Childern could also use the reading processing in the classroom through math word problems. Prereading would be learning the math that you would use to solve it. The reading would actually be reading the problem. Responding would be figuring out ways to solve the problem. Exploring would be actually trying to solve the problem and finally applying would be applying the problem to real life situations and finding a solution.

The Six Language Arts

I was surprised that viewing was a part of the 6 language arts, I would have never guessed that. It was neat to learn that there were 3 types of listening . I feel that viewing and visually representing are important to the 6 language arts, especially after reading their descriptions. By adding this, of course we as educators are condoning the digital and media influences on children's lives but digital and media is going to influence children regardless; so why not use digital and media in a positive and learning manner.

I have experienced with all of the language arts personally when I was in school, but what stands out the most is visually representing. In most of my language arts classes in middle and high school after completing a novel we would have to do art projects that visually represent what we read or what we got from what we were reading. I have always had a strong passion for language arts learning and it grows stronger every day with the more I learn about it. I expect it to always be the same too, because knowledge on this subjects makes the fire of passion for language arts burn stronger.

I really enjoyed Sahara Special, it was so realistic. I could see this happening in any school in fact I am sure it has happened in every school. I feel that I could learn a lot about becoming a future educator from this book, and I know hearing this from a child's perspective will make me an even better teacher. I feel that Sahara is going to hold back for a while but in the end come out a conquer and show her teachers and guidance director that she can succeed and she is not a special education student.

What was your initial reaction to Sahara Special? Can you relate to this story so far? Any predictions for what is to come?