My Reader Profile
by Melissa Puritis-Pulley, READ 5317-671
Is There a Need for Disciplinary Literacy Instruction?
In order for students to be successful in school and in their careers, they need to be able to understand texts regardless of discipline. Therefore, the need for disciplinary literacy is great.
Basic Literacy vs. Disciplinary Literacy
A person's Reader Profile depends on a person's knowledge or interest in a topic
In a perfect world, our understanding of all disciplinary reading would match that of image 1.4 above. The reality, as Buehl will show in the next image, is that the profile of a reader changes from person to person.
For Example: My Reader Profile Through the 5 W's
Where and When- I read each night in bed after I have put my son to sleep, while my son naps beside me on the couch on weekends, while riding in the car on long drives, at the beach while laying in the sun, and at work.
How- When just reading for enjoyment, I quickly read through each page. When reading for comprehension, I tend to read out loud in order to make sure I read each word. This forces me to slow down and pay attention. I am also an active reader, and enjoy underlining and circling things I find to be important so I can come back to them later.
Why- Some things I read because I am an English/Language Arts teacher; student essays and certain books are read and reflected on as a part of the expectations of my job. I read educational blogs and articles to find new ways to share information with my students as well as to see what kinds of things I can be doing with my young son to help him for the future. Finally, the reason I read is because I love it. I love the escape a new book can bring. I love seeing new places, being new people, watching couples fall in love, seeing battles unfold right before my eyes...
Reader Profile continued
I am a middle school language arts teacher, so I read: Young Adult novels, educational blogs, email, and student essays.
I am a would be fashionista (or at least before my son), so I read: Lucky, Glamour, and Vogue.
I enjoy DIY and arts and crafts, so I read: HGTV Magazine and DIY blogs.
I am a football fan, so I read: sports postings and blogs.
What my Profile Looks Like as a Disciplinary Reader
How Disciplinary Literacy Affected Me as a Student
How My Reader Profile Affects Me as a Teacher
Before, during, and after each novel, I assign short stories and articles that help students make further connections into the reading of the text. It is my goal that students can make a personal, media, or world connection to everything that we read, and sometimes these extra texts are what it takes to make that happen.
I do not only select texts that I enjoy, though I wish I could, because it isn't fair to the students who like science fiction or fantasy, etc. Additionally, I ask the students to do independent reading projects where they get to read their choice of novel and demonstrate why they enjoyed it. It is my goal to instill in my students a passion for reading and writing, and stifling their love of a certain kind of book will not allow me to achieve said goal.
In his essay Student Readiness for Postsecondary Options, Gary L. Williamson alerts his readers that "Some even question whether young adults have developed enough basic literacy skills to function effectively as citizens" (2004). I believe that helping students to find connections to the past and to the present will help students learn more than just the words on the page, but about they world in which they live and how to function in it. If I do my job well, hopefully, so can they.
Citations
Brent's Food and Travel Blog (2014, October 7). Elusive Emma (digital image). Retrieved from https://www.tumblr.com/search/elusiveemma
Vanderbuilt (Photographer). (2014, August). unnamed (digital image). Retrieved from http://jenngustetic.me/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2014/08/Fotolia_1410376_Subscription_L-250x166.jpg
Williamson, Gary L. (2004, June). Student Readiness for Postsecondary Options. Retrieved from https://blackboard.ecu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-7903180-dt-content-rid-35771711_1/courses/READ5317671201580/Module%201/StudentReadiness.pdf