Reading Dinosaurs
By Maryann Manning

Fifteen years ago I was involved in writing about reading and writing practices that had reached dinosaur status. Isophonicognathus, Sightonychus, Diagatops and Keyolestes were a few of them in the early 1990s. Some of those dinosaurs are still around, but I'm very happy to report that some are truly extinct. Keyolestes (using a practice called Key Words) has seemingly gone the way of the Tyrannosaurus. To become a true dinosaur means that no reading authority has recommended the practice and no teachers profess using it.

Extinct practices
As you know, most scientists believe that dinosaurs became extinct when a giant asteroid hit the earth and changed the climate. Reading and writing dinosaurs become extinct when we become aware of new knowledge about literacy learning. We are slow to change because sometimes we are too busy and aren't aware of the findings. Other times we choose to ignore the knowledge because we've invested too much time learning about the practice or have spent lots of money purchasing the necessary materials. There's also often conflicting research and we sometimes are confused, trying to decide what to believe.

I'm writing about new dinosaurs that I want you to consider. You may or may not agree with me that we need to eliminate or reduce these practices. The reading dinosaurs I'm addressing in this column are Levelosarus rex, Decodaraptor, Pointaducus and Assignatops.

Levelosarus rex
There has been an epidemic of leveling every book in a reader's life. In the beginning of the movement, there was a need for the leveling of texts used for guided reading because it's advantageous to have the text level correspond closely to what the students can read with support. Having lists of book titles with the levels already designated was helpful in choosing text to be used for a session. Based on what was sound advice for guided reading, many primary and intermediate teachers spent days leveling every book in their classroom library. Unfortunately, some students are only allowed to choose books with blue dots for independent reading.

Although a student will not be able to read text that is significantly more difficult than what can be read in guided reading groups, allowing them to read only books with blue dots limits book selection and stifles interest in reading. Students, like adult readers, need to have choices. There are times when we want to relax and read very simple text without challenges. Other times we want to simply skim for information while not reading every word or, perhaps, just look at the illustrations.

Another important point to keep in mind is that even though a book is deemed to be at a given level, a reader may not possess the prior knowledge to understand the text. Students choose books because for some reason, the book appeals to them. Often the reason for choosing a book is because the student knows something about the subject and it appears interesting.
Having some leveled books available for practice isn't a bad thing – some students will appreciate knowing that the books in that basket will probably not be too difficult to understand.

Decodaraptor
As you know, decodable text is based on the assumption that the reading process uses only visual clues and that a reader only needs to use letter-sound relationships. It ignores the other important cueing systems, like the use of meaning (semantics) and natural word order (syntax) in the reading process.

The texts we use must make sense to our students. Continue to fill your classroom with quality children's literature in all genres and levels of difficulty. Also, we want to encourage the use of all the reading cueing systems because we want our students to know that reading is not just about sounding out words. Decodaraptor doesn't contribute to the development of readers who are focused on meaning.

Pointaducus
Reading for the sake of earning points does not develop lifelong readers. Too many students are reading the shortest book that will earn them the most points and asking other students for the answers to questions on the tests. In the beginning, rewarding students for reading may encourage the most reluctant readers. However, after a short period of time, students lose interest and don't respond to points or prizes they are given for reading books.

The prize our students receive for finishing a book should be the pleasure of reading another book by the same author or on the same topic. Encouraging competition among students with winners and losers for reading doesn't help build a classroom community where everyone is a reader and writer.

Share how much you value reading by exhibiting enthusiasm for texts during daily read-alouds. Keep Pointaducus out of your literacy curriculum except for short-term use with reluctant readers.

Assignatops
When I taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Nebraska, I thought one of my most important roles as a teacher was to assign everything students were to read and study. The longer I've taught, the more I've learned about the power of self-selection. The more students choose their own texts, the more they learn, the more they read and the harder they grapple with the content of the text.

Students can read common texts during the reading workshop and in science and social studies. Making an array of nonfiction and fiction available will enhance the new information students learn and increase their interest in a topic. Although there are some places where the quantity of text is limited, most classrooms today have a classroom library and access to a central media center. Additionally, most students have access to a public library or book mobile. There's still a role for assigning common texts, but the more self-selection there is, the more learning and reading there is.

Examining our practices
Dinosaur practices can be found in most of our classrooms. Examining our teaching for practices that aren't based on current knowledge is a challenge. When preparing for this year, reflect on whether Levelosarus rex, Decodaraptor, Pointaducus and Assignatops are lurking in your classroom.

Maryann Manning is on the faculty of the School of Education, the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

August/September 2006, Vol.37, No.1