Kaitlyn Smith

Reading with Meaning Response

Reading with Meaning is, by far, the most influential textbook Ive ever read. The author,
Debbie Miller, has some fantastic ideas on how comprehension should be taught in the
elementary classroom. The two concepts I would like to discuss are the layout of the book and
five guiding principles behind her theory.
Miller laid out her book in a format in which it is impossible to not understand. I dont
know another author of any textbook that laid out the information in a kind of schedule format.
Miller discusses what should be taught in each month of the school year along with HOW it
should be taught. She goes into such depth about the simplest of ideas- including setting up and
practicing procedures. On page 33, she discusses conducting procedural mini-lessons. These
lessons are intended to help students track their own thinking and learning. She suggests having
the students mark places where they learned something about themselves as readers. Most
people overlook this step because they have the false assumption that the teachers should be the
only ones tracking the students learning. The layout of this book will help me develop my own
thinking about teaching reading when it comes time for me to begin. It will also help me
schedule, come up with ideas, and teach me the importance of the small things most novice
teachers overlook their first couple of years teaching. Another concept about the book I really
enjoyed was the vernacular in which she spoke. This wasnt a typical textbook read. The
words were more conversational and much easier on the eyes and brain to read. I understand this
was intentional because of the perceived audience, however, the intention does not negate the
positive results that exude from it. The structure of the sentences and word choices may have
been fairly easy to write, but it was also an extreme stroke of brilliance on Millers part.
The second concept within the text I thoroughly enjoyed, and learned a lot from, were the
founding principles in which her theory lies. The first principle was about establishing a
framework. The framework Miller chose, and had many positive results from, were the use of
readers workshops. Miller addresses readers workshops as simple frameworks that
accommodates time, choice, response, community and allows for in-depth teaching,
learning, flexibility, differentiation, and independence (p11). What more could you ask for in
any sort of educational program? After reading so much about readers workshop in her text, I
will be much more inclined to use it on a daily basis in my future classroom. I am a crusader for
allowing students choices within the realm of their education. When I was in elementary school,
we did and read what the teacher told us to, and I hated it. Allowing students to choose their own
way of learning will deepen the experience exponentially.
The second principle was the gradual release of responsibility. Miller easily laid out the
four stages that guide children toward independence (p18). These stages include teacher
modeling and demonstration, guided practice, independent practice, and application of the
strategy. This gradual release reduces the amount of scaffolding across time as student gain
independent control of applying what theyve been taught (p18). This guiding principle is
something Ive been taught throughout school and is the best way to gain access to deeper
thinking. Gradually releasing my students will give them the foundation of the skill Im teaching,
and then will allow them to work on the concept on their own. This will give my students a sense
of ownership when it comes to their learning.
The third guiding principle I would like to discuss is creating a culture and climate for
thinking. According to Miller, creating a sense of community in the classroom is everything.
Everything from creating a community between the students, creating a student-teacher
relationship, to making the classroom feel homey and inviting is important. This is a concept Ive
always believed in and plan on creating in my own classroom. Miller gave me a lot of ideas to
base my classroom community off of that Im very excited to implement!
The fourth guiding principle is building relationships. All Ive really ever heard is to just
have relationships, however, no one has really ever told me how. Miller did. She begins by
paying attention to the little things kids do and acknowledging them. She states that showing
kids we care about them and love being their teacher is an important first message (p21). She
also states modeling how to show people you care about them helps them build long-lasting
relationships in turn.
The fifth and final guiding principle I found most helpful was establishing a mutual trust.
Just like building relationships, trust take time. You cannot have a solid, sound relationship
without having a bond built out of mutual trust. Building that bond must start with the teacher,
according to Miller. One concept she spoke of that I never thought of being classified as trust is
trusting children enough to give them the time and the tools to think for themselves (p24). I
never considered that as trust, but why not? I am definitely going to utilize that information in
my future classroom!
As you can see, Reading with Meaning really opened my eyes to new possibilities.
Teaching is not a science (for the most part). Teaching is an art form. It is a skill that requires
constant years of practice, and is never fully finished. I may just be starting learning the art, but
Millers book will help me build a solid foundation on which to begin.