Chapter 1 of BK

There have been many definitions of literacy in the past but one has stood out to many teachers. It is a complex, interactive process, using basic skills and advanced strategies to make meaning. It is also said that reading should be interactive and constructive and literacy has evolved to suit the demands of the United States' personal, social, economic and civic lives. Also, reading is said that it should be an engagement for students to be involved with when reading. However, only 15% of students in the United States are achieving higher levels of literacy which is the problem with the TAKs test. Students need to have a real world connection with reading or it won't be interesting to them and teachers can help with this since they are an important knowledge source themselves. Finally, the end result that is supposed to come out of a successful reader is an adult reader can read a variety of materials with ease and interest, can read for varying purposes and can read with comprehension even when the material is not easy nor interesting.

I agree with most of these things that are stated in the book however some them I disagree with. I do not agree with parts of the end result of a successful reader. For example, when it says they should be able to read with interest no matter what they are reading. I do not agree with this because no one will like everything they read and this doesn't make them a worse reader. Also, reading should be evolving around our students and nothing more. I do agree with the problem with TAKs because going through TAKs myself, it does not truly test whether or not the student is a good reader, it tests whether or not the student can read fast enough to get the simple answers at the end of the story. For example, one question might be what color shoes was the little boy wearing? This question does not match up with the definition that the book says is now the definition of literacy. This question does not give a meaning to the story in any way. Finally, teachers need to be giving students who need help in reading and only facilitate to the students who are on track. This will help those students in need maybe want to keep reading and read a variety of things if they are beginning to be more and more successful.