Although older students may think that fairy tales are too babyish for them to read, as they mature into adulthood these stories can help them to work through the new and confusing situations that they may be faced with.

Requiring students to make connections between the texts that they read will help them to develop a deeper understanding of the stories that they read because they will have to think critically about the language used, the way in which messages are presented, and other factors of stories that are often over looked.

It is important to explain the difference between genres to students so that they fully understand the unique characteristics of all of the different types of literature. I feel like I was never fully taught what makes a a fairy tale different than a legend until after I was already in high school. Students should learn these differences at a young age so that when they pick a book to read they know what genre it belongs to.

It is imperative that students are given the opportunity to use their critical thinking skills as frequently as possible so that it becomes second nature to them. This is a skill that they are going to need to master in order to succeed in academics and ultimately in life. What better way to help them practice this than by comparing different versions of the fairy tales that they know and love?

I have never thought of fairy tales as providing this for students, but it is so true. All fairy tales have very simple lessons that children can understand and apply to their own lives.

I love that this experience was so positive for these students as well as the researcher. This just proves that meeting students where they are, even if you need to modify things a bit, is totally worth it because they benefit so much from it.

I love that this teacher was able to find books that her students could actually relate to. If students have a difficult time understanding stories, it helps to provide them with books that are about things that they have experienced personally. Understanding literature is so important and we need to help our students accomplish this.

If students are not engaged in lessons teachers need to modify their approaches so that students are engaged. The job of educators is to teach children and this cannot be done if we ignore the fact that they are not taking in any of the skills we are trying to teach them. Learning can be fun, and when it is students are able to gain so much more knowledge.

There are always going to be students who find required reading material uninteresting. As educators we need to provide alternatives for these students that teach them the same skills as the other readings, but in a way that they can enjoy and relate to. Teaching is abut meeting the needs of students, and sometimes that requires being flexible with required materials.

This student's comment shows why it is so important to provide reading for your students that they can connect to. If a student feels like he/she cannot relate to a story it will be very difficult for him/her to stay engaged in the reading.

Having students make this connection will help them realize the importance of myths in today's society. Often times students disregard things that they think are not relevant today because they are so old, but when a connection can be made it helps them to think about these things differently.

This is no excuse. There are ways that myths can be incorporated into present units it just takes creativity and time. A good teacher provides meaningful instruction to students no matter how difficult that may be.

This exercise will help to ensure that students actually understand what they read. I have always found that the best way to measure your understanding of something is to teach it to someone else.

It is absolutely necessary for students to learn about different cultures and how they interpret different phenomenons of the world. Today's society is so diverse, yet many of our schools fail to incorporate different cultures into instruction. Mythology is a great way to do this.

I definitely believe that mythology is not taught enough in schools. I never learned about mythology in elementary school. The only reason that I know anything about it is because my mother is an educator and was constantly reading different genres of literature to me as a child. This lack of instruction is going to become a viscous circle if teachers do not start incorporating mythology into their literature lessons. The only way to become comfortable with a genre is if you are exposed to it.

Children love to ask "why." This type of lesson allows them to do just that as they exercise their ability to think of things in new ways. It also provides them with a lesson about why some things can not be fully explained because "it depends."

Thinking about this fable in a different way gives it a whole new meaning. I think having students think about how the lesson in a fable can be different if one aspect of the story is changed is a great way to help them begin to think critically.

I like the idea of using fables as a way to introduce critical thinking to children because this type of genre requires students to apply something that happened to animals to a real life situation in order to understand it. Using a type of genre that students are familiar with is a great way to do this.

I disagree with this. If anything, younger students are more open to abstract thinking and putting their own creativity on things.

I thought that it was very interesting that critical thinking is seen as an "explicit skill" that students should learn, yet many students have not mastered this skill which is why colleges require freshman to take a course on the subject. As a future teacher I will keep this fact in mind when I teach critical thinking to my students. Although this is a complex skill, I do believe that students can grasp the idea if it is taught in the right way.

As Sharp explained earlier, there is a very small number of adults who continue reading past childhood. One way to increase this number is to encourage people of all ages to continue reading the books they love, even if those books are picture books. This type of encouragement needs to start in schools by teachers. If students learn at a young age that picture books have no age limit, than they will be more likely to continue reading them throughout their lives.

Picture books provide an engaging experience for students, especially those who are not fond of reading. In addition to this, the pictures in these stories can help students understand the literary elements of plot, characters, setting, and conflicts in a more real way.

Using picture books to create classroom projects is a great idea. Doing an author's study, or comparing and contrasting the pictures of multiple stories written about similar things would be fun and engaging projects that help broaden students' literature exposure.

Sharp makes an excellent point here. I too have made the mistake of thinking of pictures books as easy, but in reality, different picture books are written at different levels. Some picture books are more suitable for a kindergarten student, while others are more advanced and best suited for fifth or sixth graders. It is important to keep this in mind as a future educator because more advanced picture books can be shared with older students so that they understand that picture books are not just for "babies."

This line of the reading drew me right in. I am 21 years old and picture books are still one of my favorite types of books to read. I think that it is important for students of all ages to understand that picture books are not just for young children. All people can enjoy the beautiful pictures, inspiring messages, and overall great content of a picture book.

I loved this part of the article because it showed that you must never doubt the abilities of your students. In order to see what their full potential is you must have faith in them, and life the author of this article explained, they will pleasantly surprise you!

When I discovered my love for poetry it was because there were very little rules that I had to follow when it came to creating my own. As the poet I could make it rhyme and give it a set meter, or I could make it not rhyme and have it consist of no specific meter. The power was mine to decide. It saddens me that students are being stripped of this discovery themselves because teachers are giving them scripted tasks that involve zero creativity.

Unfortunately. this is probably very true. The thought of having to analyze poetry is a dreaded task by many, but it shouldn't be. Analyzing a poem in class can be a group effort. Ask children what they think the poet was trying to express and have them use examples from the poem to support their thinking. As a class decide which analysis is the most plausible. This is a great opportunity to allow students to think out loud and to work off of one another's ideas.

This is a perfect explanation about just how important poetry is. Students should learn how powerful language can be when it is written in certain ways, and how soothing it can be to incorporate their own life into that writing. We are constantly trying to get students to connect with their writing, why not use poetry to accomplish just that?

When I was in elementary school I was always taught that poems rhymed. It wasn't until I was put in an enrichment program that I learned how fun writing poetry could be because it didn't in fact have to rhyme, and it also didn't need any punctuation. I went through a poetry phase after this that lasted for quite a while.

The whole-to-part progression is a great way to teach students how to read at a comfortable pace. If too much is taught at once some students will get lost. Focusing on specific skills one at a time is a way to ensure that most students master each skill required to become a great reader.

Exposing students to memorable literature is an important aspect of teaching because it will help students to broaden their knowledge, and will most likely impact their personal literature choices in the future.

I really like this quote because it expresses just how important reading and communicating with children are. If students are not exposed to advanced language than they will never learn how to use it in their own life. Children learn best through experiences so it is imperative that they experience all types of literature that will help to broaden their vocabularies.

Children must be taught how to decode words that they do not know and what sounds certain letters make when they are used together in a word. If children are unable to read the words of a text they will not be able to understand it. Without this type of instruction, students will not be given an adequate opportunity to become great readers.

Although I do believe that this approach to readings helps students to learn the fun of reading, I do not think that this will help students actually become good readers. Students need to learn the way that letters work with one another to form words, how words work together to form sentences, and how sentences work together to create paragraphs. Reading is a very intricate skill that teachers need to spend a lot of time teaching to students.

This would be great for teachers and students because it will be something that they both become familiar with. As students progress through school they can challenge themselves through the tool because they will be comfortable with all of its possibilities.

I love this idea because it would help these words stand out to students. I also think it is important to be able to share these stories so that they can easily be accessed by parents and students.

This approach to writing is so important. Teachers often allow students an opportunity to read freely, but too often is writing made to feel like a chore, or a dreaded requirement. Writing is a wonderful thing, and students should learn this through free write.

This is a great way for stories to come to life for students. Writing is so much more than just words on paper. This tool seems to do a great job bringing writing to life. I think this would really help students who are visual learners because they will be able to see characters in action.

This would be such an amazing tool to have in the classroom! Writing isn't always something that students find fun or interesting, but I think that this approach to the subject would change that.

Reading for 7 to 8 minutes a day is not beneficial. This is not enough time for students to even become engaged in what they are reading, let alone learn anything. Students should be given the opportunity to read for At LEAST 30 minutes per day.

As long as students are engaged in their reading, and they are able to have meaningful discussions about what they read, than they are using their reading time wisely. There should not be such an emphasis on structured learning during reading instruction because it will make students dread it. Let them have fun. Let them be engaged. And let them learn to love reading,

This is so important. Students learn by example. If teachers are not implementing what they teach in their own lives students won't take them seriously. Reading is a way of life-long learning, and students should be able to see their teachers taking advantage of that.

I like this approach to reader's workshop because it allows students to take responsibility for their own learning. I have learned through experience that students love being given independence (don't give too much) because they feel trusted and mature. However, I think this would only work well in upper elementary and higher grades because younger students need more instruction and guidance.

I was really upset when I read this because that means that the majority of reading instruction is not actually spent reading. Students should learn to love reading, not hate it because they are forced to complete boat loads of worksheets every time they read something. Teachers should instead, allow students to do hands on projects or work in small groups to discuss books.

I love this approach to learning because it is the way that I learn best. I do not think that it is beneficial for teachers to simply lecture students all day. Students need to learn to work with one another through problem solving and hands on activities.

Literature circles are a great way to get students engaged in their reading, but this is only beneficial if students are able to work appropriately and efficiently with one another.

It seems to me that this class is not ready to work in groups. Direct instruction would be the most beneficial for this class because it would not give them the opportunity to work with one another. This privilege needs to be taken away until the students know how to appropriately behave with one another.

This is an important lesson to learn as a teacher. The directions and guidance that we give students does not always prepare them as much as we think it will. If this is the case, teachers must redirect their lesson to teach students the skills that have not yet been mastered. This is not a failed lesson, just a modified one.

This example shows just how easily a well planned lesson can go off track because of a student's behavior. As future teachers it is important to be prepared to go into school with one plan, but be able to redirect that plan in a minutes notice to accommodate what is currently going on in the classroom.

This is so important for people to realize. Children are born with the ability to understand anything that is taught to them whether it is sophisticated or not because they have open minds. Educators need to keep this in mind so that they stop sheltering children from abstract concepts and ideas that will actually help them in the future.

This was very interesting to read because it puts the way we act about certain things in front of children into perspective. My mother is an educator and the entire time I was growing up she never assumed that I was heterosexual (though I am). She would always say things like "when you grow up and have a husband or a wife..." She would also never make me wear a dress if I didn't want to. If we were going somewhere formal she would let me wear pants and a nice shirt if that's what I wanted to do. After reading this it made wonder if my mom did this because she knew how quickly children learn to internalize dominant gender beliefs. I think this is important for all people to know, not just educators, because it will help children to feel more comfortable about being true to themselves.

This is something that definitely needs to be addressed in schools. Most schools require that girls wear dresses to dances and boys wear suits, or that at graduation girls wear one color gown while the boys wear another. Schools need to stop dividing students based on gender so that no student is singled out. Instead, guidelines for sports teams, dress codes, and dances should be generalized to apply to all students no matter their gender.

This is something that I feel very strongly about. I don't think society should continue to normalize heterosexual relationships. Instead, homosexual and heterosexual relationships should be treated equally. Children should not only read books with heterosexual relationships, and they should not learn only about heterosexual people that have changed the world. There should be an equal amount of same-sex relationships and homosexuals taught in the classroom so that students will realize that one is not superior to the other. It sickens me that society has looked down upon the LGBTQIA community for so long. Everyone should be loved without being judged and it is so important to teach this to children starting at a young age.

A student's education experience should be a safe and welcoming one. No child should feel like he/she cannot be themselves when they are in school because it will greatly hinder his/her learning. Giving children the opportunity to fully be themselves, and showing children that their sexuality is accepted, will allow them to focus on their learning instead of getting distracted trying to hide who they really are.

Not all students are exposed to different cultures and ethnicities at home. As teachers, it is our job to educate students about diversity so that they are not misinformed about people who may look differently than they do. A great way to teach students about different cultures is through literature.

It is so important for students to feel like they have the ability to accomplish their dreams. What better way to do this than to provide books for students to read that portray characters of their own race or background that overcame struggles and successfully accomplished their own dreams. Students should not feel like they cannot be successful because of the color of their skin. Allow students to learn that the color of one's skin does not determine their success. The drive and dedication that one possesses does.

This part of the article helped me to realize just how important it is for students to have the opportunity to read books that they can relate to. One of the reading techniques that I was asked to use all throughout school was making connections to the texts that I read. In order to do this, I had to think about how my life was similar to that of the character's in a particular story. I never seemed to have a hard time doing this because I grew up as a middle class white child reading stories about other middle class white children. How are minority students supposed to make connections to stories that are not at all similar to their own lives? If we want all children to be proficient readers than it is imperative that we give them all an equal opportunity to become such. All classrooms should have libraries that contain books with diverse characters.

Reading this was very unsettling. The Common Core State Standards were created so that all children are required to learn the same material in each grade level. Therefore, one can assume that the goal of the standards is to provide the best possible education for all students. If this is the case, then why has the Common Core not updated their website to include multicultural titles? These books would help many students to connect to literature in a more personal way because the characters are similar to them, but they would also help all students to better understand different ethnicities and backgrounds. Adding these titles to the Common Core website would only be benefit students.So why is the Council of Chief State School Officers so hesitant to do so?

Unfortunately, this statistic did not surprise me. My four year old little brother is half white and half black, growing up in a biracial household. I am constantly looking for books with characters that he can relate to, but never seem to have any luck. Diversity is all around us, yet children's literature doesn't seem to portray this. I don't think that students should only read books that have characters that are similar to them, but I do believe that children should be given an opportunity to read a variety of books with characters of many different backgrounds.

Fourth grade students must have knowledge about what a theme is. They must be able to use this knowledge to identify the themes of multiple pieces of literature.

They must also have the skill to pull out key details of texts in order to summarize story-lines.

Fifth grade students must know the definition of third-person point of view omniscient, third-person point of view limited, first person point of view, and second person point of view.

Students must also have the skill set that allows them to understand how these different points of view effect the way a particular text is told.

A third grade students must have the skill to understand that some words have multiple meanings. They must also have the skill to use a dictionary so that they can look up the definitions of words.

These students also need the knowledge that allows them to understand that things are not always meant literally.

A second grade student must know the definition of characters, challenges, and major events.

They must have knowledge about reactions and how events play a role in how characters develop throughout a story.

They must have the skill to identify the actions of characters and what events or challenges occurred in a story.

A good lesson to go along with this standard would be to read a book and then make a cause and effect chart as a class. This can help students identify the reactions of a character and what caused them to react this way.

This would require that students have the knowledge of different points of view in a text and how to identify when the point of view changes.

A good story to help practice this skill is Me First by Helen Lester. Most of this story is told by the narrator, but there are parts of the story that switch and are told from Pinkerton's and the Sandwitch's point of view. The classroom teacher can have students identify when the story changes point of view and how they knew that this was happening.

In younger grades it is very important for teachers to pause periodically while reading a story so that students have an opportunity to ask questions that they may have or make predictions about what they think may happen and what details in the story make them think this. Teachers can help students to come up with predictions by asking them questions about things that have already happened in the story. This helps students to stay engaged in and will also help them to answer questions that the teacher asks after the story is over.

In order to do this skill students must have knowledge about what key details are. Without this knowledge, students may try to retell the story using details that are not important to the plot.

A good story to exercise this skill is Goldilocks and the Three Bears because there are three key details that lead to the bears discovering Goldilocks in their bedroom. As the story is being read, the teacher can pause after Goldilocks tries all of their oatmeal and have students predict what might happen next. The teacher can also have students talk about how they would feel if they were the bears and discovered that someone had been in their home.

After the story is over, the teacher can ask the class to describe the three things that Goldilocks did in the bears' home.

Kindergartners must be able to retell a story that has been read to them in the past that includes key details.

To help students exercise this skill, teachers can read two books from the same series. For example, "Mrs. Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten" and "Mrs. Bindergarten and the 100th Day of School." These books would be read at separate times, but after the second book is read, the teacher can ask students what Mrs. Bindergarten did in the first book, and then have them explain what she did in the second book. I believe these books would be useful for this skill because they share the same character which will help to spark the students' memories.

In order for students to master this skill they must have knowledge of different stories so that they can retell them. They also must have the knowledge of what it means to retell a story.