DJE #9

Chapter 1: A strange fact about not learning to read.

1. What is the strange fact about not learning to read? 

Minority and poor children have a harder time learning to read than privileged children.

2. Why is this fact so strange?

Because SES shouldnt affect development of reading.

3. What is it about school that manages to transform children who at good at learning things like Pokeman into children who are not good a learning?

We are taught that children learn better though learningful meaning and we should always incorporate the children's interests into the curriculum, especially for struggling students.

4. What is the differences between a traditionalists approach to learning to read and more progressive educators?

Traditionalist approach to learning read is based on an instructed process and progressive educators believe that learning to read is a natural progression that grows with the child.

 

5. Is learning to read a natural process like learning to speak a language?

Yes and No. Learning a new language takes time with practice just like learning to read but if your talking about your native language, than thats just genetics and is natural.

6. What is the differences between natural, instructed and cultural processes and which process should reading be classified under?

Natural processes is biological, instructed processes that is specifically taught, and cultural processes Is learned through culture and how our culture affects what we do.

7. How do humans learn best? Through instructional processes or through cultural processes? How is reading taught in school? Humans learn best through a cultural process just like I stated earlier that children learn best though familiar things and their interests. However, reading is taught in school with an instructed process.

8. According to the author, what is the reason for the "fourth grad slump."

 That is the year that children go from learning to read, to reading to learn and it's a huge transition that kids have to face and textbooks can be quite difficult to understand. 

9. What is a better predictor of reading success than phonemic awareness?

How well a student does with language before a student starts school.

10. What is the difference between "vernacular" and "specialist" varieties of language? Give an example of two sentences, one written in the vernacular and one written in a "a specialized variety",  about a topic in your content area.

Vernacular language is how people speak to each other on an everyday basis. Specialist language is an acedemic language that can be shared by collegees. For example: vernacular-you could say that a child just can't read well. Specialized language-Child has trouble reading due to dyslexia.

11. What is "early language ability" and how is it developed?

An early language ability is when students come into school with a rich academic language/vocabulary. It is developed from being surround by family members that use rich academic language around the child for the child to absorb.

12. According to the author why and how does the traditionalist approach to teaching children to read fail?

Because children aren't hearing most of this specialist language at home so they don't feel as comfortable with the language at school and therefore can't retain the information as well. 

13. Are parents of poor children to blame for their children's inexperience with specialized varieties of language before coming to school? Although its sometimes not their fault they are usually to blame in most cases. If the parents are uneducated they most likely will not use a specialized language and their children won't have the experience with specialized language before entering school.  In some cases however, uneducated parents will do everything in their power to help their children succeed in school so they  will have a better life than what they have now.

14. Did you struggle with reading this text? Why? Are you a poor reader or are you unfamiliar with this variety of specialized language? I struggled reading some of this text. I am a poor reader for many reasons. I wasn't read to much as a kid so I blame my lack of liking to read on them for not making reading a priority to me.  But yes if I think about it now, I don't hear much specialized language from my parents. They both graduated from high school but never attended college.