Real letters and dialogue make the writing become real and it may help the readers to connect to the situation in which they are reading about. By showing these inside of fictionalized biographies, it helps students see the difference in the texts.

It is necessary that all students can tell the differences between fiction and the actual time in history when something happened. This is something that some students may struggle with, but it is important as becoming a teacher to make sure you don't leave students behind.

This is true and it is a good way for students to truly see the difference between real life and not. When students can read historical information that is real, some of the time it is hard to believe just because of how bad things really were.

Reading outside the classroom is very important in child development. It helps children develop even when they are not inside the classroom. It helps students increase their reading skills as well as their vocab knowledge.

I completely agree with this statement. I feel as if teachers do not have alternatives for students who are not comfortable with the text choices and that is not right or fare to that student. Students should all receive a great education, and something simple as giving them a different text would change the world for them. Also, I think if more teachers would have alternatives, then more students would enjoy the learning.

A lot of people love Harry Potter and the stories that have been made, however there are other people, like me, who find it hard to understand. Also, some people may just not be interesting in fantasy's such as Harry Potter.

I do believe that fantasy and science fiction books do provide for students to come up with their own moral thought, however, from other students it may be hard to come up with a moral.

I think that this is an interesting thought added to this article. From experience, reading about something similar to what you are going through, can be a little scary. Some students are able to read it and not link to it, but other students may have a hard time reading that material depending on whats going on in their lives.

Having students make connections to the different lessons they are taught is a great way to have the students participate. This also helps students see similarities between different things. I like how they can make connections between Greek and the present world.

I like the idea that the students are sharing their work/findings to the class. More classrooms need to be open and have the students collaborating with one another, instead of teachers just lecturing.

Students should know that there are different ways in which a story could be told. Also, students should know that even though stories have been around for years, doesn't mean they can't be told.

I don't agree that mythology is long-dead stories. Even thought these stories may not be "real" there is still some type of idea that students will walk away with.

It was clear to me that this folk tale genre had provided the class with a concise structure and enjoyable motivation for their pieces

By giving students different examples of something you expect them to do, it will help get their minds moving and them thinking towards what they need to do.

Students who were more advanced in language development were often on target with the moral Aesop had intended.

After reading different Aesop fables, the morals for some of them were easy to figure out. For some of the other fables, they were not as easy. I think its great that students can figure out a moral to a fable without a teacher telling the students what it is.

the original fables and a modern version. That way, the students would have a broader view of the genre.

I think that when teachers use different views of something, it defiantly does help students have a broader view on something. I think that this is a great thing to do through fables.

Having children look at books, will gradually lead them to reading them at young ages which is good for them to be doing. When children begin to read at a young age, they tend to have a larger vocabulary, and tend to enjoy reading more than those who start reading later.

I do believe that sharing books helps many children in all different ways. It can help them with their vocab as well as help those who are struggling, to work with someone who is a little above their level. This is how they work together and end up having a conceptual understanding of the material they are reading.

I agree with this. There are different types of picture books, which does make them differ with the different level of difficulty.

I agree that pictures and text are definitely of equal importance because pictures can help explain to the children what the text has to say. If you have no text with the pictures, then it is not beneficial to the reader.

This is true. Picture books are made for children's interest and they are getting children to want to read. They may not be at the reading level of that child, but children love to flip through and look at different pictures. Sometimes children even draw their own story of what is going on in the story.

I remember feeling this way when we were going over poetry in classrooms, Poetry is hard for me to understand and when inside a classroom, teachers want to know how you feel, or what you think about the poem. Honestly, I think a lot of students have issues with this and find it hard to understand the words inside the poems. I think if teachers work more with students to help understand poems, then they may be easier for students to understand.

When teachers work on assignments, they usually research and collaborate with other teachers to get ideas about assignments that work and don't work.

When students work together on a subject, they are able to learn from one another which is a great way to learn. I like the strategy of students working together to help each other out.

Once students are able to do this, the teacher then moves on and works on other skills. These skills are essential for understanding the key ideas of reading before the students move onto higher readings.

When children practice and apply the phonic principles, it will help them gain quality reading skills that are essential for them to use while they grow. Learning these skills at a young age, will help students not fall behind in their reading skills.

This is a new concept to me, and I think that whole-part-whole sequence is a great concept. I think it is a great way to teach complex skills that students need to know.

Phonics is very important to children's literature and if children learn this through reading when they are younger, it will help them in their future readings.

This standard requires students to be able to describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text by determining the key details in text. Also, they students should be able to describe the author's purpose and how it supports comprehension.

This standard requires students to be able to know a connection between two parts is a relationship. The students should also be able to identify individuals, events, ideas, and pieces of information from the text. By being able to do this, the students will better understand the text and the author's message.

This standard requires students to know how to explain the speaker's reflection on a topic and how that impacts the theme. Also, the students should be able to write a summary by using details from the text.

This standard requires the students to know how the beginning or introduction usually talks about the important problems the characters have along with information about characters. Also, the students know the conclusion usually talks about how the characters solve their problems.

Students need to be able to work with a group of students and be able to work on activities related to reading. These activities need to have purpose and the students need to be able to understand the activity. For example, you can have students engage in group readings or poems by sharing something learned or something that they enjoyed.

Students need to make connects to the texts they read. This helps them be able to make connects through a lot of other things, and this is something they can use when they get out of school. Also, the best type of conversations between the students is when they can find a way to build off each others responses.

When teachers use ways for students to connect themselves to the text they read, or they read about something that interests them, the students end up participating better. Teachers need to be able to do activities and lessons around the students interests to keep them involved and focused. When students read mirror books or books about their interests, they end up achieving more and that is one thing all teachers would like to see their students do.

I thought this was interesting. I know different teachers have their own ways to making sure the students share within their groups, but I have never heard of this one before. I actually think it would work a better this way and I think that if teachers come up with interesting ways for students to share their thoughts, then more students would find a reason to participate.

When students know their group members, its easier for them to work together and be able to look past their differences. Yes all the students in the class know each other. However, it is important for students to know similarities between each other because if they have something in common with another group member, it truly helps them bond as a group and work together, instead of antagonizing the other members.

This happens a lot inside the classrooms. Even when teachers set up students in small groups and give the students certain things to talk about, there are still distractions. We as teachers need to make sure that the directions we give and the responsibilities we put on our students, we need to make sure they understand them well before moving forward.

This is a great example showing the literacy circles can work. However, as a teacher, you need to make sure you have the right atmosphere for your students so this example can truly work. Higher-level thinking is something all teachers should aim for their students to be working towards, as well as being able to respond to text.

Having students react to the text is better than having them summarize what they read. This is important because if the students just simply summarize what they read, then it isn't showing what they think or have learned. It just shows what they remember and that is not the key idea of reading. You want students to express their feelings, and connections to what they read. This is more useful to the students than having the students just recite what they had just read.

I think this reading workshop component is important because if the students and teacher know the responsibility of what they are suppose to do, then the whole process would flow better. Students should have a clear understanding of what they are doing and the purpose behind them doing it. If they don't have a clear idea of why they are doing what they are doing, then they may have a hard time staying on track.

I believe that these five components are important to reading workshop. In my opinion, I think that sharing time and state-of-the-class is most important. Sharing from the teacher to the students is important, just like sharing from student to student sharing. State-of-the-class is also as important because it reminds everyone in the classroom of their responsibilities during reading workshop.

Completing worksheets is sometimes an inconvenience for students. When students have to worry about filling out worksheets on their readings, they are not even focused on the reading, rather they are focused on finding the answers to the worksheet. If the classroom is managed to the point where the students can talk about the texts, then it would be better for all the students because then they can actually focus on the reading.

There are many situations in which students are not using their classroom time wisely. This is a situation that I feel many teachers struggle with. For younger students, worksheets are not something I would use. It is sometimes even hard to get students to even sit down and read at a young age. I think if the teachers have the students talk about what they read instead of using worksheets, they will be better off and the students could possibly do better that way as well.

When students discuss texts, I think it is a good lesson in itself. Students should have the opportunity to be able to read different texts while in school and most of the texts should relate to the students within the classrooms. It's a good experience when students can talk about different topics and either relate them to themselves or to their classmates. Also, it is a time for students to learn more about about each other and see some similarities and differences between each other.

Knowing your identity and who you are is a very important part of growing up. When children are in grade schools, they should be bale to read books that are about their identity. This also will help students gain self confidence in who they are as a person.

I believe that this is a very true statement. Besides students becoming proficient readers, I think that they will also gain self confidence when reading mirror books. All diversities and cultures should have a place on the book shelf in classrooms for students. I think this would help all the students gain self confidence along with bringing up their skill levels.

Students should be able to have the "mirror" and "window" frame within their classrooms they are in. Students should never feel left out in their education and when the students have no "mirror" and "window" frame then they are being left out. Students of all different colors should be able to read books in their classrooms that they can see themselves in. This could help them even achieve better in reading.

I believe that some of the standards do see that they are not developmentally appropriate for some students. If a teacher is behind in a subject area one year and the students move on, they can fall a little behind since the teacher didn't get there. I know they are moving more complex things up in grade levels from when I was in grade school, but I don't think some of the tasks they want students to do are developmentally appropriate at all and I do feel they should be fixed. In a way this is cheating students out of a well developed education that every student deserves.

Students should have more time to read on their own about what they choose. If they finish any assignment before others in the class, I think they should be allowed to read until the teacher moves onto the next thing. I also feel that the reading shouldn't be considered "work" as they put it.

I think this is important for teachers to understand, as well as students. If you know the ways in which a text was constructed, then it may be easier for a students to understand and/or decode the text.

In any text a student reads, there should be meaning inside of it. Either the teacher explains the meaning, or students can figure it out while they read it. If a text didn't have meaning then there really is no point in the text.

A teachers beliefs are always going to be either similar or different than his/her students. As a teacher, you should have different reading material in the classroom that reaches over multiple areas of interest. I think teachers should see what their students thinking about the definition of reading and see what books would satisfy their definition as well.

This is important, but it should be changed. Children's literature is important and it should not only be based on testing and teaching students how to decode. Yes, children should know how to identify important parts on a text, but they should also be able to read books of their interest. Everything is about testing now, and personally I think it is turning a lot of children to not like school.

Students need to be able to give examples from the text after reading and be able to explain what the detail means.

When students are able to understand the difference between the beginning and end of the story, they know the beginning introduces the story and prepares the reader for what is to follow. Students know that the end of the story concludes the action.

Students identify key details, about plots and settings of different stories that have the same or similar characters and they are written by the same author. Students will see this commonly in series books.

Students who ask questions by using words such as who, why, what, where, and when, expand their understanding of a text. They also use words such as setting, events, and characters.

This is when the students understand the difference between the author of the story and the narrator. The students know that the narrator is the story teller, which is the voice of the story in which the story is told. The students also know that the author of the book is the person who wrote the book.