Let's Take a Trip-My Literacy Journey

Slice 24 of 31

Special thanks to Stacey and Ruth

@ Two Writing Teachers for hosting the Slice of Life Challenge 2013

Ever since the Dublin 2013 Literacy Conference, I've been wanting to reflect on the beginning of my literacy journey as inspired by Louise Borden...

 

So here we go...LET'S TAKE A TRIP!



 

The first book I remember ever reading together was this book my mom gave me...I remember following along the roads for hours.  Tracing all of the different routes with my fingers as I could flip the flaps and create totally new towns.  I loved this book and I loved creating new versions of the story every time I read it (or probably pretended to read it).



I also remember the typical fairy tale stories and nursery rhyme books.  The books that stick out in my mind are The Real Mother Goose, Grimm's Fairy Tales, and Disney Stories and a Rocket in My Pocket.  Here are some of those books:

 


Next came the obsession with Sesame Street and all the characters.  I think this was fostered by my aunt taking me to see the Ice-capades and Sesame Street on Ice.  I really started liking all of the Sesame Street characters.  I loved this book because it was a scratch and sniff book...I remember both my brother and I playing with it constantly.  I don't think I could read yet though so my mom must of still been reading the story to us.

And then I can remember in first grade, my mom subscribed to the I Can Read Book Club.  I am really not sure how or why she even got these books for me.  I remember being so excited when the 6 books came each month.  The first one was Danny and the Dinosaur.  I really think it was the first book I could read. 

I loved reading these books.  I remember in first grade thinking I was not a very good reader because I was in the dinosaur group.  I hated doing those damn workbook pages.  There were dinosaurs, tigers and lions.  I don't remember the name of the series-but I remember the pictures on the front of the workbooks.  I also remember the plaid blue and red phonics workbooks.  By the end of first grade, I moved up to being a tiger. 

 

Then in second grade, I think I became an even better reader.  Two things I remember about second grade were learning cursive-which for a lefty was a difficult time in my life and writing book reports.  One book report I remember was the one I made up!  Oh, yeah.  I remember staring at the cover of this book:



 

 And making up a story about this horse and a pig.  I never read the story and totally made up the book report.  At that point, I hated book reports (not really sure I like them even now).  I don't ever remember getting in trouble for making up the story although, sometimes we develop amnesia when we made bad choices.

In third grade, I remember going shopping for "stories" in the SRA kits.  It was supposed to be fun.  I don't even remember what I read, I just remember learning how to skim the stories so I could answer the questions and keep moving up in color levels.  I remember trying to beat two boys Mark and Bryan and get ahead of their colors.

Now in fourth grade, that is when I remember my teacher reading aloud and taking an interest in reading books.  I remember hearing her read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and Sheila the Great.  I can still hear her voice imitating the characters as she read.  I think this was when I started to notice that reading was really fun and could take you on adventures.  Not just in text books and work books or skill cards...

So that's my trip.  I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the sights along the way!  Where did your literacy journey begin?