Video Reflection

I was amazed by the video of Sheila Owen's Beaumont, California kindergarten class. Ms. Owen seems like an excellent teacher, and she has a great method of making all her students become readers and writers. I think that the main reason she is successful in teaching her class is because she views each child as capable of becoming a reader and a writer, regardless of his prior knowledge and background. Although her students each come to class on different levels in language; some have a good vocabulary and grasp on the English language, some have a smaller vocabulary, and some are English Language Learners, she believes that each can reach a high level, and works hard that each child can strive.

The method Ms. Owen uses to teach her students seems to work amazingly. First, she models the reading, by reading a story to the class. This gets the students engaged and interested in reading, and the work is done all by the teacher. Next, she has shared reading, in which she pulls back just a little, and the students put in some work to do a reading activity. Then, she does guided reading, where the students do the reading while she is there to help and guide them. Last, she does independent reading, where the students are reading on their own.

This method helps the students get eased into the reading slowly, so that they don’t get scared off. The teacher releases her help very slowly, and before they know it, the students are reading on their own.