Chelsea's Reflection (Ch. 5, On Solid Ground)

Chapter 5: Taking Records of Children's Oral Reading is all about
the wonderful running records.I am glad that I had a chance to read
this chapter because it informed me on how to become a running
record master. At Mililani Waena, I am slowly taking running
records of my students each week. I've been having a difficult time
taking running records of my fifth graders because for one, they
hardly ever read in the classroom unless I ask them to and two, their
reading speeds are usually quite fast. This chapter has taught me
ways to effectively take running records. From this chapter, I've
learned that it is quite okay to let te student know that I need them
to slow down to take the running record of their reading effectively.
I've also learned that I can interrupt a student's reading if I feel
there is need to ask the student some questions to make sure he/she
understands what they are reading.
I was also having trouble determining if the book was too hard,
just right, or too easy for the student to read. Finding the
difference between just right and easy books were a challenge for me
to distinguish. This chapter had informed me how to figure these out
by providing examples. I, as a teacher, have to be a really good
listener and be able to multi-task by paying attention to the student
read, following along on what they are reading, and keeping track of
how they read. It can be a challenge doing running records with older
students because most of them fairly know how to read. I'm slowly
learning, in the practice of my fifth graders, how to become effective
in taking running records.