Chloe Turner Blog 5: Routman Chapter 4: Teach with a Sense of Urgency

In chapter 4 of Regie Routman's, Reading Essentials, Routman discusses the importance of knowing what has to be taught in your classroom and the amount of time you have during the day. She starts the chapter by providing her own regimen. She is always teaching with a sense of urgency. Routman writes that teaching with urgency doesn't mean being prompted by an anxiety, rather a plan to make every moment in the classroom count. The instruction needs to engage students while moving them forward in their learning. She does this by being mindful of where she needs to get her students, the  amount of instructional time she has, the opportunities for teaching and evaluating on spot, skills and strategies needs for her lessons, materials needed, and the "optimal contexts and curriculum. Why is this important? Routman states, "We need to get down to the essence of what we believe and what we do to ensure our students become excellent readers who choose to read." Expectations need to be high. We need to require more from our students, while providing them support to help them become successful independent readers and writers.





Routman says that the teaching with urgency comes from having confidence to provide the instruction to assist our students. As a teacher, I am responsible for my own learning. Routman writes, "We must jumpstart our own professional development." Just as my students need instruction and models, as a first year teacher, I definitely need those ideas and strategies that I get in a literacy based course. Realistically to be a efficient teacher, you constantly needed those professional development courses. Education is an ever evolving phenomenon. Without developing yourself as a teacher and adding to/ modifying your instructional plans, in my opinion, you are setting your students up for a difficult time.






Routman continues her chapters by providing the, Top Five Things I Do To Ensure Students Become Excellent Readers.
1. Demonstrate that I am a reader.
           -I love to read! Throughout the week I have discussions with my students about what they are reading and what I am reading. I think, if questioned, my students would that their teacher is a reader. I try to model my reading habits while I do read alouds.
2. Provide an excellent classroom library.
           - Luckily, I was fortunate enough to take over a classroom that had a great base library. At the beginning of the year I organized those books into topics and genres. As the year continues I add books of interest, book series, and any other request I may get.
3. Let students choose books they want to read and give them time to read them.
           - I try to provide my students time, daily, to read independently. I have seen growth through independent reading. I also feel like some of my students have started to become life-long readers!\
4. Teach strategies students need to know to process and understand text.
          -This is something I need to work on in the classroom. Close reading is probably my class's most used tool. They know that they are supposed to be reading with purpose and breaking down the text, but I don't my students really understand the importance of understanding the text and how processing can make them better readers.
5. Evaluate students regularly, giving them feedback and helping them set goals.
          - This is probably my biggest struggle. I need to evaluate with my students during individual conferencing. I like the idea of providing them feedback on their reading habits, just like I do with their writing. I have noticed my students love having a goal. We have set a goal this term for the classroom. Each student will read twenty books on their reading level, or higher, by spring break. They will be rewarded if everyone accomplishes this. My students get excited about having a goal and working towards a prize, but I want to set individual growth goals and have my students self motivate themselves to do a great job because that's what they need to do.


Routman says to, "Rely on an optimal learning model." The learning model helps base instruction on what students need instead  of the components of a literacy program. Students need demonstrations and they need shared demonstrations. (Which I love shared demonstrations! Having the students co-teach is a great way to keep them engaged). I also like the idea of students working in small groups, or with a partner, and providing feedback to them. Routman writes, "teaching and learning are seen as inseparable components of the same process," (45).  Powerful teaching comes from an instructionally rich sharing situation with hand- in- hand learning.


Routman discusses the importance of guided practice and independent practice. In the chapter is states, "To become dependent on being corrected by someone else is to remain at an inefficient level of learning and to be cheated of the opportunity for rapid independent self- improvement." Some of my students are very dependent. I have students who won't/ refuse to work without me standing over them and going step by step through a problem. I really want to veer away having my students depend on me so much. I worry that they will really struggle next year at the middle school.


The chapter continues developing the steps needed to "teach with a sense of urgency." It seems self explanatory, understand and apply the learning model, but I'm sure this can be hard for some teachers. (It is sometimes hard for me with math instruction). Teachers must take the responsibility to really plan and understand the material just as they would expect their students to do. Routman covers the importance of students working toward independence and promoting joy in learning. I like one the chapters teaching tip, which instructs teachers to ask reflective questions about their classroom and teaching. I believe teachers should continually reflect and modify their lessons, their interactions with peers and students, and grow.


Routman writes about the importance of integrating basic skills into challenging curriculum. (For me, basic skills need to be reflected and reevaluated constantly. A great assessment is incorporating thos basic skills into challenging curriculum and watching how the students utilize those skills). Focus on language acquisition, not just letter and sounds, ground phonemic awareness in language play, include interactive reading, and connect reading with writing, are things that Routman also covers in the chapter.


It is important for teachers to have a plan and understand their learning model. Students will benefit so much more if the teacher is prepared. I believe that is the essence of this chapter. If the teacher is not held accountable then the students will not be either. Students grow when they become more independent in their reading and writing, but they cannot be expected to become independent without models and good use of instructional time. I like to set my expectations high, but I cannot fault my students for not meeting my expectations if I do not provide the right tools. Teaching should be student driven and instructional time needs to be utilized and taught with "urgency."