Literacy Story

Literacy Story Part II Over the course of this semester, I have changed greatly as a reader. I look at books now in a different way. I used to love reading when I was younger and this semester has helped me rediscover why. When I finally got the chance to read to students for the first time I was immediately changed. I now get excited about reading books to the kids and take advantage of every opportunity I have to do so. I have, without a doubt, read more books this semester than I have since my first semester as an Early Childhood Education major. Reading is being able to look at words and comprehend them. Reading can be done with anything from a book to a sentence. The ultimate goal of reading is getting the children to comprehend what they just read. If the child is not able to comprehend the story by the end of it, more work needs to be done. I have learned a lot about teaching reading this semester. I have worked with children of extremely different levels at several different schools. Some of the first graders were struggling with simple books while some kindergarteners were reading at a much higher level than I have ever seen before. Teaching reading starts with getting the children excited about the book they are about to read/hear. If a child is bored with the book then they will not pay attention and miss valuable reading time. One of the ways that I got children excited about reading was to allow them to pick their own book from the choices I was given. When a child invests themselves in the book that is going to be read, they are more likely to want to read. The teacher also has to get exited about the book. When the teacher sounds dull and monotone while reading, the children will drift off one by one. All parties involved must show enthusiasm. The author who has influenced me the most has got to be Dr. Seuss. He has been my favorite author for as long as I can remember. His books are very easy for children to read. Dr. Seuss has books for every