Allington Chapters 2-3

Reading Allington's writing throughout these two chapters was a great introduction to the beginnings of this blog and my thoughts on student readers. One of the first main points that Allington begins to stress is the relationship between student who read more and higher-achieving results from their practice of comprehension. It is clear to see why he stresses this relationship and why so many studies lend it to be true. While teachers plan their literacy blocks, it is important for them to provide a significant amount of reading time for students to independently practice their comprehension strategies. Teachers need to provide opportunity for significant engagement in a student's reading for them to really absorb the benefits of their current studies and of higher thinking strategies. All of these aspects are things I agreed with while reading throughout the first chapter of this reading. The reading also discussed the concept of "hard reading" in a classroom and the benefits/fallbacks of it. This got me thinking a lot about why this is even a debate. Students, especially younger ages or struggling readers, should be supported by "easier" or appropriate level readings in order for them to master their strategies and progress their reading. Challenging a student who is not ready for a "hard reading" while only discourage them and lead to apprehensions about even continuing their learning. It's up to teachers to create a welcoming environment for their students and make sure they are at the learning levels they need to be at to guide their students on the path of success.