My interview was conducted with a female second grade student who will be referred to in this interview as Mary. At the time of the interview, Mary was reading at a third grade level. She possesses great self-confidence as well as high self-esteem.
Mary is an enthusiastic reader and enjoys a diverse reading selection. For instance, she is proud of her ability to read third grade level chapter books at school. At home, she enjoys reading poetry. She particularly enjoys reading fiction and fairy tales. Although her parents read to her regularly, she also likes to read to her younger sister as well as silent reading before bedtime. When asked, "what is reading?" she replied, "it makes you smarter and stretches your mind."
As a reader, she demonstrated examples of strategies for understanding the reading and determining unfamiliar words. When she doesn't understand the reading, she will reread the passage, continue reading for understanding, or ask for help. If there is a word she doesn't know, she goes back and reads the sentence, tries to sound it to fit the sentence, and uses chunk words like her example of "pock - ets."
Mary is just as excited about writing as she is about reading. At the time of the interview she was writing a story about a witch and a ghost which she titled, "Goblin Cove." When she's home, Mary likes to write poetry most of all. In writing, she plans her story first. Then she thinks of her characters and the setting, problems, events, and finally a solution, Although, she commented that not all stories end with a solution. Mary said she learned to write by looking up words in the dictionary and reading the meaning of the words and then she would write. She said the dictionary would give her ideas about writing. Her teacher taught her to write by using a personal journal. She said when she writes she writes to make sense of the words.
Besides, a strong background in reading and writing, Mary has a great deal of experience with the computers in her classroom as well as one at home. She likes to use the computer to look up facts. For example, Mary said she likes to learn about other cultures using the internet. She likes to print her poems on the computer and send E-mails to her uncle in Florida. Mary likes to use the computer for reading and writing, but she said she likes to read her books and write in her journal most of all.
Mary is a fluent reader and writer in that she knows how to use strategies as tools in order to be successful in her literary progress. She has a very broad base of literary experiences. Her environment at home and at school are enriched in opportunities for Mary to integrate her experiences with reading and writing. Mary appears to comprehend the concept of the printed word and oral language as well as the concept that reading and writing are connected. For instance, she displays a fondness of poems. She enjoys reading poetry as well as using that experience and knowledge to write her own poetry.
Mary is also a resourceful learner. She uses the computer as an extended resource for her reading and writing. For example, when she writes to her uncle in Florida, she's practicing communication skills through her writing. She also understands that computers are an accessible tool for research; as when she uses the internet to research information regarding other cultures.
According to research done by R.A. Knuth and B.F. Jones in collaboration with the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (1991) a profile of the characteristics of successful readers is as follows:
"the understanding that they must take responsibility for construction meaning using their prior knowledge. Develop a repertoire of reading strategies, organization patterns, and genre. They think strategically, and have strategies for what to do when they do not know what to do. Have self-confidence that they are effective learners; see themselves as agents able to actualize their potential."
Mary exemplifies all the characteristics that NCREL regards as a successful reader. Her self-confidence and self-esteem has been fostered due to her reading and writing abilities. Through strategic thinking and the use of strategic tools for reading and writing, she has been able to take risks to scaffold her learning experiences with success.
In our readings in Vacca and Connecticut's Blueprint for Reading Achievement, we know that in order to have successful students who are fluent in reading and writing, we need to have schools that provide literacy rich environments with quality teachers. Students also need to have a supportive home environment. It is evident that Mary's success is a result of the encouragement she receives at home where her parents support her many literary interests. Based on the observations of Mary's classroom and her teacher's philosophy, she has been fortunate to have a positive and integrated literary experience that will proceed successfully to the next level.
REFERENCES
Connecticut's blueprint for reading achievement. (2000). Connecticut State Department
Of Education.
Jones, B.F. and Knuth, R.A. What does research say about reading? North Central
Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved November 29, 2002, from
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/stw_esys/str_read.htm.
Vacca, J.L, Vacca, R. (2000,2003). Reading and learning to read. Boston: Pearson
Education,Inc.