Entry 8. Blessing and Addressing Lida's Entry 6

A classmate's entry that I really enjoyed reading was Lida's entry #6. In her entry, she discussed the importance of meaningful print in the classroom. While reading the Gerde e. al. (2016) article I had several of the same thoughts as Lida. However, there were a few things that Lida mentioned that expanded some of my learning and understanding of the topic. One thing she addressed was the importance of labeling things in your classroom, such as writing "light switch" by the lights, or "computer" on the computer. However, simply doing this is not enough. Lida pointed out the importance of not assuming that all of your students understand. It is important to point at the words when helping students discover these labels so that they understand that we read the words not the picture. As a building sub, I spend a lot of time in UPK and kindergarten classrooms. I have began to keep this in mind when helping them read simple sentences, books, or things around the classroom. I think that when students can point and say what a label is it can be easy to assume they are reading the words, however this helped me realize that it is important to check if students are engaging in word recognition or object recognition. 

Another part of Lida's entry I found important was when she discussed decorating the classroom and providing/creating meaningful print. She discusses how sometimes teachers use chart paper to create meaningful print for a specific lesson and then this print is no longer used or referred to. This caused me to consider how I might use and create print but ensure that my students are able to utilize the resource. I wonder if designating a specific space in a classroom for referencing information could be beneficial for students. This way, when students find themselves stuck, they know exactly where to look in the classroom. Perhaps a teacher could create a math sections, ELA section, and a science section to ensure that students are receiving the meaningful print they need. I also think that I could be really beneficial to allow students to make their own meaningful print. For example, perhaps for review a the end of a math lesson/unit students could make their own important notes sheet where they list important rules, reminders, and facts. This way, students have a personalized poster or sheet with meaningful text to help them succeed. This would also allow the teacher to see what students are struggling most with.

Lida's closing remarks on her future working with ELL students also has several great points that can be carried into a general classroom as well. As I touched on earlier, inviting students to participate in the creation of meaningful print can help incorporate their identity and previous experiences as well. 

References

Gerde, H, K., Goetsch, M. E., & Bingham, G.E. (2016). Using print in the environment to promote early writing. The Reading Teacher, 70(3), 283-293. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1508