Goodbye Round Robin

Shanda Vankirk

1. Share in your own words the authors explanation of reading. Why is it necessary
to understand this?
The author gives a three-part definition of reading. He states that "reading
is language, a cognitive process, and a social activity." Language plays a major
role in reading. When students read they use semantic, syntactic, and
graphophonic cueing systems to identify the words and meanings of the texts they
read. When students are taught various reading strategies, their ability to
comprehend texts through the cueing systems increases and they can deepen their
understanding of a text. Reading is a cognitive process that involves students
making strategic decisions. They need to check for their own understanding and
use context clues to determine the meaning of the text. Reading is a social
activity because we read in so many different places for different reasons. We
read aloud to others, we read with others, and we listen to others read. We even
discuss what we read with other people and learn to appreciate their meaning and
interpretation of the text. It's very important that we understand what reading is if
we are going to teach it to our students. Reading is a language, cognitive process,
and a social activity that we need to understand in order to teach our students how
to become better readers.
2. What is round robin and why is it used in many classrooms?
Round robin is simply the reading process of calling out students to read
orally after one another. It is used in many classrooms today because it's an easy
way for teachers to include oral reading in the classroom. Teachers have used it
for years and it's a well known tradition for oral reading in the classroom. It
allows teachers to assess students' reading quickly. It also ensures that everyone
will participate. Teachers also may not know about the various oral reading
strategies that actually work and benefit students. Even though it's very well
known and used it's not beneficial to students.
3. Is oral reading important? Share the reasons discussed in the text.
Oral reading is certainly important. The book gives twelve different
reasons for using oral reading in the classroom. First, when students hear teachers

Goodbye Round Robin

Shanda Vankirk

read fluently with expression and excitement, they will be more likely to develop
their oral reading skills so they can read as wonderfully as their teachers. When
students read orally in class they are able to perform and share information with
their peers. Oral reading helps students better understand how speaking is related
to the other language arts and to their personal lives. It allows them to develop
listening comprehension and vocabulary as well as assist students in developing
other skills associates with reading. Through oral reading ELL students will have
more exposure to the English language and hearing it read aloud. Oral reading in
the classroom builds confidence, develops comprehension, and helps students
determine what strategies to use when reading. Students can share their reading
progress with each other. Another benefit of oral reading in the classroom is that
students can be given additional reading time necessary for ongoing growth.
Finally, oral reading addresses national reading and language arts standards.
4. What are some of the problems associated with round robin reading?
Round robin reading can cause many problems in today's classrooms. For
example, it provides students with an inaccurate view of reading. In the realworld be don't participate in round robin reading. It can potentially cause faulty
reading habits instead of effective reading strategies. Round robin reading may
also cause unnecessary subvocalization and inattentive behaviors; which lead to
discipline problems in the classroom. It can work against all students developing
to their full potential. This process also consumes valuable class time that could
be used on more meaningful activities. Unfortunately, round robin reading can
also cause some students embarrassment and anxiety. Finally, it can lower
students' listening comprehension.
5. How can oral reading be used when working with struggling readers? Describe
two of the strategies shared and how you might use these in the classroom.
Struggling readers can definitely benefit from oral reading. They are able
to hear themselves and learn to self-monitor their reading. The read-aloud
strategy can benefit struggling readers in many ways. During this strategy
teachers are modeling the various comprehension strategies and think-alouds to

Goodbye Round Robin

Shanda Vankirk

help students learn critical reading skills. In my future classroom I would use this
strategy for multiple purposes, but mostly to model the thought process I want my
students to have when they read a text individually. Another strategy I would use
is recorded texts. Recorded texts allow students to hear model reading
individually or in a small group. This would save a lot of time by having the texts
recorded in advance and allowing students listen to the texts at their instructional
level, which would really help struggling readers develop vocabulary and fluency.
6. Why is oral reading important for comprehension? Describe two strategies you
might use to develop comprehension.
Oral reading is important for students to develop comprehension,
especially through think-alouds. When students increase their comprehension of
what they read orally, they become stronger readers. One strategy that can be
used to increase reading comprehension is "Say it like the Character". In this
strategy students must focus on reading with expression and fluency. I would use
this strategy in my future classroom because it will help students' reading come to
life when it's read with expression. Another strategy is the "Look for the Signals".
During this strategy students will focus on phrasing, pausing at the proper
punctuation marks. I would also use this strategy in my future classroom because
it will also help students build their fluency and comprehension as they read.
7. What are the key words to remember when using oral reading for sharing and
performance? Describe two of the strategies shared and how you might use these
in the classroom.
Preparation and audience are the two key words to remember when using
sharing and performance strategies. I think the choral reading strategy would be
great to incorporate into my future classroom. This strategy allows students to
work collaboratively, reread a text multiple times to build fluency, and perform
the text to their peers. Another strategy I would use in my future classroom is
readers theatre. I really enjoy this strategy and I think my students will enjoy it as

Goodbye Round Robin

Shanda Vankirk

well. It allows them to play the role of a character and at the same time they are
rereading a text to build fluency and they are able to perform it for their peers.