Terry Meier, "Why can't she remember that?"

Quotes

While reading Meier's ideas for engaging children in storybook reading I took into account my days as an elementary student.  Story time was one of my favorite and now looking back most meaningful times at school at this age.  That along with engaging with my fellow classmates.  Several quotes stuck out to me during this reading and really decipher as to how children understand and see things from a student's perspective.  Meier suggests that children learn to use language in culturally specific ways.  She presents three ways in which to connect children to books: she chooses books that relate to children's lives; teaching book reading behaviors explicitly; and making books come alive.

As Meier states in Choosing books that relate to children's lives,  "Books are not meaningful to children who do not see themselves represented in them."  Especially for very young children, learning occurs most productively and profoundly in a context of familiarity."  This a very true and powerful quote because we can all remember our favorite books and I bet in some way, shape or form we have pictured ourselves being in that situation or character.  It's based on the diversity of the characters in the book that help children want to know more.  This helps children want to focus and wonder what happens next.  It engages children to communicate, pay attention to specific details and read more.  This in turn also helps those who do relate to these characters to repeat certain phrases and words and eventually learn the true meaning behind these words.  It builds vocabulary and communication where certain nouns and verbs weren't present.  This method is very meaningful and productive.  In response to Meier's "question game" being silly, she states "this is critical because it is especially important in multilingual, multicultural classrooms for children to feel (a) that their teacher's comments and responses "make sense" and (b) that these either fit with, or differ from in understandable ways, the assumptions about language that they bring home."  Children learn different values at home than that of school, so teachers laying a foundation of the types of questions she's going to ask alleviates pressures for students who might think otherwise.  When teachers notify students of what types of answers she's looking for she rids out a lot of fear and sets an even playing field for everybody.  This allows children to participate more without creating a sense of awkwardness and silence.  Students tend to engage more when they know what types of answers or questions the teacher is asking for.  This tends to create a more social and engaging environment.  In Meier's "Make books come alive" section, she states, "These storybook characters can also be used in more structured ways to help children develop deeper understandings of story elements like character and plot."  I know from personal experience this definitely engages the students by them creating and becoming more imaginative with the text.  When you use props or voice changes, students tend to be fully committed to paying attention.  We all know student's attention span is far less than ours so any little extra goes a long way.  When I'm reading I tend to do the appropriate voice change when there is a character change.  You shouldn't read the text as is, you should add excitement by raising your voice or when there's a time of sadness being voiced, act the part.  This goes a long way because not only are the children enjoying it but you have their full attention.  While you're doing this you stop and ask questions to the students as to why is Pete sad.  If you're a good storybook reader, the student's aren't going to be asking why are you talking like that Mr. S?  Story time is one of the best and most meaningful times in a child's life.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:

I believe effective teachers use all three of these methods Meier uses.  In order to reach all of your students especially in today's society where different races and ethnicity's are more present, one needs to be very creative and limitless in resources in order for his/her students to attain deep and meaningful connections.I would like to ask how did your teachers create your story time?  What ideas did your teachers use looking back when you were elementary students?  Do you see any similarities in Meier's ideas to your past teachers?  What were your favorite books or texts growing up?