"No, we did not own books, and no one crawled into bed with us to a read a story."
My mother never read to me
It is not news when we hear that parents should read to their children every night and this in return can have a positive effect on children by making them grow up to be readers, love literature, and experience academic success in school. "There are many studies to back up these claims that reading to children every day, from the time they are born, can have a positive effect on reading achievement later in life"(Cline 2003). From Zulmara's and Juan's stories, we learn how this is not the only way to ensure a student's academic success. "There are many different paths to literacy, especially within immigrant and minority families where parents may not possess the skills to promote literacy in the traditional way"(Cline 2003).
Zulmara Cline's Story - The oral tradition
"My mother never read to me, and yet I am an avid reader"(Cline, 2003). Zulmara says they cannot remember owning more than three books until they were in middle school. Coming from a family that spoke more than one language but still not having any book in the home language either, Zulmara said if it were searched by current literacy researchers, it would be considered a nonliterate environment.
This could be a possibility for students we have in our class one day. While it would be nice that all students have access to a library whenever they needed, it's not always available. Whether it be because the school doesn't have funding to have a library or the student doesn't have books at home.
Zulmara says that even though she did not have books, magazines, or newspapers in the home, they did have a rich tradition of oral storytelling that the parents kept alive. From this, I was able to understand that in order to be literate, one doesn't have to depend on reading. It doesn't always have to be something tangible, while it does help that is not the only way to become an avid reader. Oral storytelling is very much a tradition in many cultures. "I did not realize that the oral tradition of storytelling that is so strong in many Latin and African cultures could be just as important as reading books to promote literacy and a love for reading and writing within the family"(Cline, 2003). The stories that were told, were told with passion, rich vocabulary, and complex sentences. These were not simple emergent reader stories but stories that delved into the complexity of the human mind and spirit (Cline, 2003).
"It is unfortunate that such an important literacy tradition is not acknowledged or made part of U.S. schools' instructional practices. As we work to honor and respect what other cultures have to offer, it behooves us to add not only oral storytelling by also music and singing to the list of activities that promote literacy within the families and communities that we serve" (Cline, 2003).
Questions:
What can we do as teachers when a student reveals they do not have many books at home or if they don't have access to books at home?
How can we help students moving from different countries adjust to a new school in the U.S.?
Despite the tradition of storytelling being ignored in the U.S. education system, how can you keep storytelling alive in the classroom?
Citation:
Cline, Zulmara, and Juan Necochea. “My Mother Never Read to Me.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 47, no. 2, Oct. 2003, pp. 122–126.
This could be a possibility for students we have in our class one day. While it would be nice that all students have access to a library whenever they needed, it's not always available. Whether it be because the school doesn't have funding to have a library or the student doesn't have books at home.
Zulmara says that even though she did not have books, magazines, or newspapers in the home, they did have a rich tradition of oral storytelling that the parents kept alive. From this, I was able to understand that in order to be literate, one doesn't have to depend on reading. It doesn't always have to be something tangible, while it does help that is not the only way to become an avid reader. Oral storytelling is very much a tradition in many cultures. "I did not realize that the oral tradition of storytelling that is so strong in many Latin and African cultures could be just as important as reading books to promote literacy and a love for reading and writing within the family"(Cline, 2003). The stories that were told, were told with passion, rich vocabulary, and complex sentences. These were not simple emergent reader stories but stories that delved into the complexity of the human mind and spirit (Cline, 2003).
"It is unfortunate that such an important literacy tradition is not acknowledged or made part of U.S. schools' instructional practices. As we work to honor and respect what other cultures have to offer, it behooves us to add not only oral storytelling by also music and singing to the list of activities that promote literacy within the families and communities that we serve" (Cline, 2003).
Juan Necochea's story
Juan was a Spanish speaker who lived in an area of rural Mexico that was not much influenced by television or environmental print. Depending on which school students attend affects their availability to resources. "The public school I was supposed to attend, which most of my siblings had attended, often lacked the most essential materials, making library books an extreme luxury"(Necochea, 2003). We don't think of libraries as a luxury because many schools have them, but students coming into your classroom as a new student might be seeing a library for the first time. Juan has not able to go to school until the age of 8 and faced underperformance and maladjustment in public schools (Necochea, 2003). Juan was able to become and an avid and highly motivated reader and writer at the age of 9. Juan says, "although I did not follow the traditional print-rich pathway to literacy, I did come from a very literate home, one rich with words. I realize now that the pathways to literacy are many, but unfortunately, not all are cherished or even acknowledged in school settings or the traditional literacy canon".
What can we do as teachers when a student reveals they do not have many books at home or if they don't have access to books at home?
How can we help students moving from different countries adjust to a new school in the U.S.?
Despite the tradition of storytelling being ignored in the U.S. education system, how can you keep storytelling alive in the classroom?
Citation:
Cline, Zulmara, and Juan Necochea. “My Mother Never Read to Me.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 47, no. 2, Oct. 2003, pp. 122–126.
To answer your first question, just as the article, My Mother Never Read to Me, talks about, not having books in your home and not having books read to you as a child won’t make you illiterate. If, or, when a student reveals that they don’t have many books at home, I think that it is important for the teacher to help the children understand that there are different ways to obtain reading material if desired, and also that sometimes you don’t need books to read. One thing that I think should be done when this is revealed is that students should be informed of their local library or libraries and they should be taught about library cards and how to use the library to find books or material that interests them. This also goes for the school library. If a student wants more material to read, libraries are a great resource that students should be taught about. This situation is also when classroom libraries can come in handy. We have been reading about how classroom libraries having, especially diverse classroom libraries, is important for students to be able to find connections to their lives. By having a classroom library, students will have easy access to materials that they can read. From the article, we also see though that books are not the only thing needed to read. While most people believe that you need to read books to be a good reader and to be literate, the article we read also discusses how storytelling can act in place of books. While students may not have many books, they could still have a full library that is made up of family stories. It is important to relay to students that not having books in your home does not mean that you are illiterate or that you can’t read, it is important to give them as many resources as you can and to explain that reading doesn’t just come from a book either.
ReplyDeleteCitation:
Cline, Z & Necochea, J. (2003). My mother never read to me. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 47. 122-126.
Olivia, I completely agree! I think it is very important to address how literacy can come in a variety of ways with our students, and the path to literacy won't look exactly the same for each of them. As we saw in the My Mother Never Reads article, literacy can come in ways other than just having books, as Zulmara found literacy through the orally told stories from her family. (Cline & Necochea,2003) I think another way that we often forget about is the reading skills students are using in every day life. For example, when going to the store, students will see signs or brands that are familiar to them and will know what it says even without maybe being able to read yet. I think this also is a way aside from books that can contribute to students literacy. I really like that you brought up the importance of having diverse classroom libraries as well. This is a pretty sound way to insure that our students have regular access to books. As well as your point of sharing resources with students or families as they may have easy access to books that they are not yet aware of.
DeleteCline, Zulmara, and Juan Necochea. “My Mother Never Read to Me.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 47, no. 2, Oct. 2003, pp. 122–126.
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ReplyDeleteGreat reflection on the readings, Jackie! To answer your first question, I think it is important to recognize the other aspects of their lives or cultures that contribute to their literacy rather than just having books at home. The story of Zulmara in My Mother Never Reads to Me is a perfect example of how family stories being shared orally contributed to Zulmara's literacy. She was able to read at a very young age, despite hardly having any books in her household. Because her family took time to share stories with her, she was able to develop a fluency similar as if she had been read to. One quote from this reading that I think aligned well with the idea that schools and teachers need to be aware of the different paths to becoming literate is when the author states "We believe that schools need to cultivate a new literacy standard- that is aligned with the strengths and abilities of diverse communities. (Cline & Necochea, 2003)" As students are not only becoming literate by being read to at home, the schools could better support students learning in a variety of ways. As teachers, we can encourage students to use their experiences, including story telling, in the classroom. If we value the knowledge and abilities our students are already bringing with them to the classroom, students will be more likely to connect and engage in our classes.
ReplyDeleteCline, Zulmara, and Juan Necochea. “My Mother Never Read to Me.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 47, no. 2, Oct. 2003, pp. 122–126.
Ilyssa, you and the reading about Zulmara bring up excellent points. Not all students are read to by their parents. Based on different culturally backgrounds some parents may do oral story telling. I know that a lot of indigenous people share through oral story telling. Another idea that came to mind was that not all parents have the time or ability to read to their children. If parents work multiple job and/or cannot afford books with no means to get to a local library, it is extremely hard to read to your child.
DeleteTo answer question one, I think they are a lot of ways teachers can support students who don't have books at home. One way would be helping students find books at the school library to check out and take home (if this is an option at the school.) I also know that Scholastic does a $1 book, so you could reach out to parents or community members to see if they would sponsor your classroom so each student get a new book weekly/monthly/etc. Teachers could also try to find pdf versions of books to send home with them. While not the same as a physical book, this can still encourage reading outside of school.
ReplyDeleteMy last idea would be allowing students to check books out of your personal classroom library. This would require a lot of trust in your students that they will treat your books with care and return them in the same condition they left in. While risky, this can be a great community and relationship building moment between classmates and student to teacher.
I've heard about the Scholastic $1 club and it is awesome. I've had the opportunity to be a part of this in several classrooms, including my sister's, cousin's and aunt's. I think that it allows students to feel special and excited to get new books throughout the school year. I got to meet one of the student's who I sponsored for this and it was very special. He was so thankful. I would love to do this in my classroom someday to make reading more personable and special for my students. I mentioned in my comment that I wanted to do something with allowing my students to take books home from my classroom library so I think it's great that you thought the same.
DeleteThese all sound like awesome ideas! I had a library at home but I remember going to book fairs and temporary book stores where we could get very cheap books. Teaching students how to properly treat library books using your school library would be a very cool lesson, especially for younger children, and it would encourage them to go home and check out books from their local library.
DeleteWhen I think about my future classroom, having an expansive and diverse classroom library is one of my first priorities. My second grade teacher is the one who inspired me to be a teacher-and she had a classroom library with a check-in and out system that we could take advantage of. I loved being able to read new books (because my parents never took me to the public library) and they were all at my age/grade level. I think a classroom library is a great way to build a feeling of community in a classroom.
DeleteI would like to answer your first question- I feel as educators one of the main things we can offer to students who do not have access to books outside of the classroom or school is to offer unlimited access in the classroom, encourage reading and story telling. Aldo we can set up a library where students can check out books for so long at a time. I remember when I was in school when we would do Holiday celebrations some teachers would get us a book! I love this idea so much and we always loved getting books from our teachers. We can also educate children on where they can get books, like walmart and kroger and Goodwill have books, maybe they could educate their parents on where books can be found. Students can also check out books at the school library and will be able to read those at home.
ReplyDeleteBrinkley, I think it is so important for us to let our students know they can use our books. I think having a checking out system would be great to have in a classroom. My fifth grade teacher did something like this where you could check out up to 3 books at a time. You could trade them out whenever. Mrs. Taylor was one of the main reasons why I love to read because she had so many books and had a variety. She's why I have a love for the Harry Potter series.
DeleteGreat blog! I really enjoyed these readings and think that the stories show a lot for us as future educators. To answer question one, I think that as teachers we can make sure that our classrooms are full of literacy opportunities whether that be access to many different books, activities that promote storytelling, etc. I have been collecting different books and texts over the years thus far and plan to continue doing this so that when I have my own classroom, I can be able to allow my students to use them. I think that having a variety of books and topics is super important for students to be able to become literate. I will also implement a library within my classroom where students can check out/take home books so that they can get the most out of reading the stories.
ReplyDeleteAbby, I really liked how you included opportunities like access to many different books and activities that promote storytelling because literacy involves every aspect of each lesson, from the materials, to the instructions, to the assessments. I think it's also super important to include a variety of books with diverse cultural perspectives!
DeleteTo answer question 1, I think there are many things that we can do for this student. One thing that I think would be helpful is making it known to students that they can check out books in the schools library. The library lets them have a free range of different kinds of books. Another thing that I think would be helpful is making that student a "book bag". This could involve having some selected books form your classroom that the student can take home. This will allow the student to explore reading and see what they like.
ReplyDeleteStorytelling can be expressed by reciting poetry, singing a song, acting out a play, or reading a book. These are just some ways we can implement storytelling into our classrooms. In some ways. it can be difficult to introduce a book that includes all cultures and all perspectives. Although it's important to have literature options, I think it's even more important to have choices of self-expression. Storytelling can still exist and shine through other forms, rather than solely telling stories through books. Moreover, cross-cultural teaching could also be applied to achieve storytelling through many different subjects; it could create a multifaceted picture of each student and their diverse stories of their individual lives up to this point. What I have learned, through my psychology background and my time in blocks, is that each child has a unique story, influencing who each of them have become, which they each can tell through their preferred forms of storytelling.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I have to say the accompanying memes are top-notch. Secondly, I'd like to address your final question: how can teachers keep storytelling alive in our classrooms? Present reading in a fun and engaging way: study the mannerisms of good storytellers, create voices, and ask questions. Read many different myths, folktales, fables, and legends. Introduce and teach other subjects with stories and your own experiences to model storytelling. Model, then allow students to act out a story. And one of my favorite: use wordless books. Wordless books are wonderful for oral storytellers, letting them tell a story using only the illustrations.
ReplyDeleteErin-I hadn't even thought about wordless books. Those would be a great way to incorporate oral storytelling and would be a great success with younger students who might rely more on pictures to gauge meaning anyways.
DeleteMaking them feel as if they are welcomed in your classroom and not feeling left out as the "new kid". You may also have a language barrier so making sure you have communicated with your school for any resources they may need. Letting them know they should be involved in activities outside of the classroom is important so they can build a relationship with other students and the community.
ReplyDelete