In chapter one, there
were three things that stuck out to me the most: a word, a phrase, and a
sentence. The word that popped up the most as I was reading was the word:
In the text it says, “Children’s books are
literature and literature is not written to teach something, but to illuminate
what it means to be human and to make accessible the most fundamental
experiences of life – love, hope, loneliness, despair, fear, and belonging. It
is the imaginative shaping of experience and thought into the forms and
structures of language. Children read literature to experience life, and their
experiences inside the world of a story challenge them to think in new ways
about their lives and world” (Lynch-Brown, Short, Tomlinson, 2014, page
4).
I think the word literature reflects the meaning of
this chapter for me because the chapter is mostly about what literature means
and how children view and understand literature. Literature is everywhere that
we go and everything that we see. Like the text says, it not only teaches
something, but it shapes our lives. It gives an appreciation for reading.
Literature shows us how to love, how to play fair, not to be afraid, that life
is too short and about making quick decisions, and many other life lessons. If
children were not exposed to literature, they would not enjoy reading and they
would not understand their purpose in life. Every day I am always reading a
children’s literature book to my preschool students and they apply the story to
everyday life and what they would do if they were in the situation. This
challenges them to think. 
The
phrase that stood out to me the most in the text and reflects the meaning of
this chapter is “change
lives for the better” (Lynch-Brown, Short, Tomlinson, 2014, page 11).
I
found this phrase to be interesting because literature changes lives for the
better. It helps children develop and expand their vocabulary which will
someday help them to succeed into getting a job in the real word. It is almost
hard to live without literature. We need it in our everyday lives. It makes
life easier and better. So “changes lives for the better” reflects the word
literature in this chapter because literature is important for life.
The sentence that I found most reflected the meaning
of the chapter and also reflected the meaning in my life from my own
experiences is “Our assumption is that high school and college students stop
reading for personal purposes because reading becomes associated with textbooks
and school work – hardly motivating reading!” (Lynch-Brown, Short, Tomlinson,
2014, page 10). I thought this sentence was the most important to me in the
chapter because I can relate to it. I realized that I stopped reading a lot of
books personally on my own time because I feel I just do not have the time to
pick up a book and enjoy a good read because I am too busy reading textbooks
for school. Every week is another chapter in the textbook I have to read for
school and there is no free time for me to read on my own. I think this applies
to others as well because they become unmotivated to read which means there is
a risk of reading delays and wanting to read voluntarily is at risk.
References
Lynch-Brown, C., Short, K., & Tomlinson, C.
(2014). Essentials of children’s
literature. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
"I realized that I stopped reading a lot of books personally on my own time because I feel I just do not have the time to pick up a book and enjoy a good read because I am too busy reading textbooks for school."
ReplyDeleteThis is how I've felt the past few years. In my old job I was always reading on the train to work, home from work, and on lunch. During the spring/summer/early fall I'd go outside. We had this little oasis in the middle of the grounds. There were trees and a bench all surrounded by concrete. I'd always go out to that bench and read. That is perhaps one of the things I miss most.
Then I got laid off and I was busy looking for work or freelancing or just trying to figure out what I was going to do. Now I'm in school and I always feel like I'm either reading a text book, or article, or watching a video, or working on a project, or getting my internship going, or family work, or actual work. Sadly, the past few years has not had a minute of free time reading. I can relate to students how they feel. It can be quite overwhelming.
Amanda-
ReplyDeleteIt was great to see how your word and phrase both focused on the fact that reading literature is so much more than learning content and covering the aspects of curriculum. It is so true that literature has the ability to teach us life lessons and help shape the decisions that we make as people. The chapter as well as your commentary really validate the importance of making literature a part of every classroom. Especially in preschool, I am sure that reading books is a great way for you to teach your students about how to act in social situations and how to treat one another.
Of course there is a long time that passes between preschool and the time of high school and college when many readers lose motivation. It is sad that reading becomes much more about content and readers cannot find time between academic and professional commitments to read. I am always reading a personal piece of literature independently, even if it takes me a month to finish. I do this because I want to model to my students that I am a reader and that I value building a reading life along side them.
Amanda. what a critical phrase you chose. Isn't that why we are all in this crazy game of teaching? We want to change lives forever- great to focus on that aspect of the author's message:)
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteI love your blog because of the illustrations and how fun it is to read it! Most importantly, because I can definitely relate to that assumption that high school students stop reading because reading becomes associated with schoolwork. It is one of the main reasons why my reading diminished during my high school years!