The Reading Process

The difference between aesthetic and efferent reading is the purpose the reader has for reading. If it's for pleasure and entertainment, then the child is aesthetically reading. If it's for information such as reading a chapter for a class, then the child is using efferent reading. I favor aesthetic reading because I read a lot in school. I would bring a novel to read, especially in middle and high school. Unfortunately, I now use efferent reading more because between classes, homework, and a part time job, I have little time to read for pleasure. I also feel that I got out of reading for enjoyment but want to change that.

The five stages of the reading process are prereading, reading, responding, exploring, and applying. Prereading introduces the children to the book, providing background knowledge on the topic, setting a purpose for reading the book, and planning for reading the book by skimming the book. A teacher may let each student choose a book from a list after going through background information for each book and providing a set of activities to complete. The students then have a purpose and can look through each book before choosing.
Reading involves shared reading in which the teacher reads the book aloud, guided reading which involves the teacher reading to groups of students at the same level, independent reading which students read to themselves, buddy reading which involves the children reading with another classroom, and reading aloud to students which involves teachers read aloud to students to model correct reading strategies. The type of reading needs to match the grade level. Buddy reading would not be good for two kindergartners, but two third graders could do it.
Responding involves writing in reading logs. Students can write about the story by using open-ended prompts and participating in grand conversations which lets the students share their personal reactions to the story. Students can write about their personal feelings in their reading logs also.
Exploring includes rereading the selection, examining the author's craft, focusing on new vocabulary words, and participating in minilessons. A book may have many new words for the class that the teacher may add them to the word wall and encourage the children to look for these words in other books.
Applying involves using the other steps to complete projects relating the the book. A research project on a book about horses may involve the children researching a certain type of horse.

A capable reader learns word identification strategies to figure out new words while reading.
They have fluency in being able to read quickly and with expression, and a large vocabulary because they read more and learn new words as they go. Capable readers also have comprehension because they use past experiences and the text to create an understanding that relates to their life.

Students could use literature focus units, literature circles, reading and writing workshop, and thematic units. Each of these ideas allows the teacher to use the reading process to prepare, read, respond, explore, and apply new knowledge while helping children improve their reading skills and comprehension.

The Six Language Arts and Sahara

What surprised me about the six language arts were the different ways of listening and how listening is not taught in schools because teachers assume that children already know how. Students may want to listen if it's aesthetic listening as compared to efferent listening. Another surprise was in the many types of reading; I like buddy reading the best, especially if it can involve students from separate grade levels.
I think viewing and visually representing should be on the list because the media is already a part of children's lives. For teachers to use film, internet, video, and computer games for learning, a child might see that they can learn while having fun at the same time. Some students are better learners if they can see a visual representation so these two categories are beneficial for teachers to include in their lessons.
For me, the first four language arts - reading, writing, talking, and listening were important in school. The one that stands out for me is writing and its stages. I was never good at prewriting and getting a draft started as I would constantly changed ideas throughout the process. I believe this to be true today but hope i can become a better pre writer. I do see the importance of viewing and visually representing as these concepts come up more in my college classes with projects. As I continue on with classes and my career, I believe that my views of the six language arts will change as I take on new roles career wise.
I really enjoyed Sahara Special so far and hope that if I get a child like her in my class that I can connect to her and make some difference in her life. I can relate to her in being misunderstood as I can close off myself and not let anyone in. Sahara has the confidence in herself to not care what others think and I envy her for that. I think her relationships with her mom, Peaches, and Jeremy will change and she will form a friendship with Jeremy.