Chelsea Meyer 1

Goodbye Round Robin Reflection

The author defines reading as having three parts. These parts are reading is language,
reading is a cognitive process, and reading is a social activity. Reading is language refers to the
use of the semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic cueing systems. By combining grammatical
structure, sound-letter relationships, and patterns, readers will be able to read and comprehend
text. Reading is a cognitive process refers to a readers tendency to make predictions in reading.
The reader predicts the layout of the words themselves and the layout of the words in sentences.
This allows them to better understand the text. Because reading for comprehension requires
readers to be actively engaged in the text, the reader needs to self-assess whether to continue
reading or stop to monitor comprehension. Reading is a social activity refers to the context in
which readers are reading and the type of book they are reading. The context and type of book
will vary depending on the purpose of reading. Readers will read different things depending on if
they are reading for enjoyment or to learn.
It is necessary to understand this reading definition because it connects the ability to read to
the purpose of reading. When readers know how to read, how to comprehend what they are
reading, and the purpose of reading, they will be more motivated to read. In order for reading to
be enjoyable and effective, each of the three parts of the reading definition is essential.
Round robin reading is the outmoded practice of calling on students to read orally one after
the other. The main reason that it is used in so many classrooms is simply because it is easy to
implement. It requires every student to be paying attention at all times (for fear that they may be
called on). It also requires very little effort from the teacher. Traditional round robin could be
done using a textbook. The students could read the chapters orally and complete worksheets over

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the text. Although round robin reading isnt efficient, oral reading can and should be used in the
classroom.
Oral reading is imperative. First, it whets students appetites for reading. When children
are read to starting form a young age, they develop a wonder for reading. They become
accustomed to the fantasy, rhythm, and enjoyment of reading. Oral reading can also be a great
way for teachers to demonstrate reading skills to her students. Next, oral reading can be used to
share or perform. It is a way to present information to a lot of people in a short amount of time.
Through oral reading, students can learn how to communicate their ideas through reading
something they have written. Oral reading can also help beginning readers to better understand
how speaking is related to the other language arts and their lives. The students begin to
understand how writing, reading, and speaking can be combined to best communicate their
thoughts. Furthermore, oral reading can help students to develop listening comprehension and
vocabulary. Children can learn a lot of new vocabulary by simply listening to other people read.
Oral reading can also help students to develop reading skills. By listening to other people read,
students can learn fluency, prosody, and correct phrasing. They can learn how to make oral
reading meaningful. Next, oral reading can be very beneficial for English Language Learners.
When paired with a low-pressure environment, repeated oral readings can help students to
develop correct pronunciation and add new vocabulary to their everyday conversations.
Oral reading can also be used to develop students confidence. When texts are repeated,
students will get plenty of practice with the texts. This practice will allow them to become more
confident in their reading abilities. Next, oral reading can aid comprehension. When students are
reading silently, the students may skip over important words or punctuation marks. When
students read aloud, they have to take note of these punctuation marks in order to read with the

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proper expression. This will improve their comprehension of the text. Also, oral reading allows
teachers and students to determine the students reading process. From hearing students read
aloud, teachers can determine how the student reads. This may lead the teacher to possible
solutions to any reading problems the student may have. This assessment (formal or informal)
will lead to a measure of progress. The students can then see how much they have progressed.
Oral reading can also serve to add valuable reading time to a students life. The more a student
reads, the more their reading will improve. Finally, oral reading addresses national reading and
language arts standards. The standards seek to encourage students to develop their oral reading
skills. Through the development of these oral reading skills, students will better be able to
communicate in their future.
There are many problems associated with round robin reading. First, it is inaccurate. It is
unlikely that students will be asked to read orally in this manner in their future lives. They also
develop a notion that reading has to be word-for-word. However, in reality, students need to
focus on reading for comprehension. Additionally, round robin reading does not allow students
to read at their own rate. This creates undesirable reading habits. Following along with other
readers may lower readers rates. Also, listening to oral reading is boring for students. They will
likely become distracted. This will lead to possible behavior problems in the class. Round robin
reading can also hurt students reading development. Students will become consumed with
reading perfectly. When the students read something incorrectly, they will likely be corrected by
their peers immediately. This prevents them from self-correcting (a valuable reading skill).
Round robin reading is also very time consuming. Because students will read a text more slowly
orally, the text will take longer to get through. Instead of using classroom time to read a text
aloud through round robin, classroom time should be spent doing meaningful activities to build

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comprehension and reading strategies. Lastly, round robin reading will not help comprehension.
Students will likely be too preoccupied with reading ahead and practicing possible things to
read, they wont be focusing on the text itself. It is unlikely that they will comprehend anything
from the text. Although round robin isnt effective, oral reading (if done correctly) can improve
students reading abilities.
Oral reading can be used to work with struggling readers. There are many strategies that a
teacher can apply in order to help her students. First, a Read-Aloud is one of the most accessible
methods to use in the classroom. A Read-Aloud entails a teacher oral reading a text. Throughout
this oral reading, the teacher will model different reading strategies that she is employing. This is
also a way for her to demonstrate proper expression and phrasing whilst reading. By modeling
strategies, struggling readers will better be able to apply these reading strategies in their
independent reading time.
Another strategy to help struggling readers is Recorded Texts. This strategy involves
providing students with pre-recorded readings of a text. These can be purchased or homemade.
There are many apps available that would make this process simple. As the students are listening
to the text, they are following along simultaneously in their text. This is a great way for students
to practice listening to oral reading without demanding too much time from the teacher. I would
definitely use this in my classroom. I think that it would be very beneficial to provide prerecorded readings of a class text. This way, struggling readers could participate in all of the
relevant class activities/projects along with the proficient readers in the classroom.
Oral reading can help to develop comprehension. There are many reading strategies that
teachers can use in their classrooms to aid the comprehension process. One strategy is Say it
Like the Character. This strategy requires students to read the text as the author intended it. The

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students read the passage as they would expect the character to read it. This strategy teaches
students to make inferences and determine an authors intention. Determining authors intention
allows students to better understand the meaning of the text. I think that this strategy could be
used for a number of texts. However, I think that it would be best applied to poetry. Because
poems are often hard to decipher, this activity may help students to comprehend the meaning of
the poem.
I also like an activity called Read to Discover. This strategy involves students going back
into the text to discover an especially meaningful part of the text. This could be an exciting part,
a specific quote, or the answer to a question. I like this strategy because it requires students to go
back and skim the text. Skimming is a valuable reading strategy that students will use for the rest
of their lives. Furthermore, this strategy allows readers to further explore the meaning behind the
text. When the students understand the relevance of the text, they will be more motivated to read
in the future. The book suggested using Reading Prompts. This would entail drawing cards that
said, find your favorite part of the text, find the sentence that answers this, etc. I like this
variation because it doesnt tell students what they will be doing until after they have read the
text. This prevents the students from jut reading until they find a meaningful part and then
stopping.
Sharing and Performing is another valuable alternative to round robin reading. Sharing and
performing revolves around two key words. These words are preparation and audience.
Preparation relates to students preparing for their performance. This could and should involve
cooperative groups and practice. Audience involves whom the group is presenting to. In order for
the performance to be successful, the audience needs to be interested in the performance. There
are multiple strategies that could be used in order to make sharing and performing effective.

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First, choral reading is a very practical classroom activity. Choral reading involves groups of
students working together to make a performance out of a text. They simply read the text aloud
in a memorable way. This can be done using poems, predictable books, and ritual text. This
activity is great for shy readers because they will receive adequate support from the group.
Furthermore, choral reading can be done with very little preparation. As long as students are
given ample time to read and practice the text, the choral reading will be successful. I would
most likely use this for predictable books because the students would receive practice reading
orally and they would be comfortable reading the text.
An additional strategy that could be applied is shared book experience. This is especially
applicable to lower grades. It involves the teacher reading a text aloud and instructing the
students to read along where they are comfortable. This is most easily done using a big book. I
would most likely use this strategy with repeated texts. When a text is read repeatedly, students
will become familiar with the words and flow of the text. This will allow them to interact with
the text while building their confidence.
Round robin reading is an outdated practice. In the past, teachers may not have known how
else to teach oral reading in the classroom. However, there are many resources and alternative
strategies that the teachers of today can access. By introducing and using a multitude of oral
reading activities in the classroom, students will become more engaged in reading and they will
become more competent readers.