"Real Reading is Comprehension"

First of all, I would like to demonstrate how important it is for teachers to keep researching new techniques to teaching. Along with researching further, teachers need to talk to each other and share techniques to teaching reading and writing. I love how Donna Bell teaches her Kindergarten students that they are readers, even if they are not aware of it. Reading is the recognition and comprehension of symbols. My classroom will be full of big and bold words on objects that children can read and recognize. I like to think of this "labeling" technique as being similar to how I learn Spanish as a second language. I label things around my apartment mentally and sometimes physically with post-it notes in Spanish words.This recognition of object and word helps me to learn the meaning of a word I am not concrete in knowing. The repetition of words and stories helps children to learn to read and write. Children need to be read aloud to often in early years of their lives. The implementation of asking questions before and after reading a book is also very important to facilitate conversation about the topic at hand.By talking about the story, children can relate it to their own lives. Studies show that being able to relate new material to prior knowledge is the best way for students to learn. In my 422 class, we had to create questions to ask before reading a book to children related to the standard you need to teach; such as culture. We all need to practice this, it is harder than you think to create meaningful questions that do not exceed your students prior knowledge or dumb down their creative thinking about the story to be read. This helps children to comprehend the story, not just recognize the words.