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Lower Level Reading
Reading was never a strength of mine, or something that I enjoyed doing. Due to this, I suffered from low reading ability, as well as, being a slow reader. I was placed in the "lower level reading" group all throughout Elementary school which consisted of being pulled out of the classroom and having more individual one-on-one help. -
Daily Reading Practice
Since I struggled with reading and comprehension, all throughout Elementary school, my mom would make me read every day. The time I would read would increased for each grade. For example, in first grade I would read 10 minutes, in second grade I would read 20 minutes, in third grade I would read 30 minutes and in fourth grade I would read 40 minutes. -
Reading Tutor
Once I started second grade, my mom made me stay after school to read with a reading specialist. I remember being so upset and embarrassed about it that some days I would refuse to go and others days I would hide myself until all my friends had left school. -
Junie B. Jones
One of the earliest, and at the time, only highlight I had was in third grade when I was finally able to find a book that I enjoyed! Junie B. Jones was the only series that I read for fun and looked forward to reading! To this day, I have memorized the beginning paragraph of every book, and remember realizing that this book proved that reading was not always as bad as I thought! -
Spelling Tests
When I started Middle school, it was apparent that my literacy skills were lower than my peers when we took our weekly Spelling Tests. I hardly placed out of the pre-test, which many other students did. If you had passed, you were given the opportunity to move onto a higher level spelling and vocabulary test. -
Disappointment
As I continued in Middle School and Junior High School, my reading and writing abilities stayed the same. I would constantly compare my literacy ability to my peers, which only discouraged and disappointed me. This resulted in limited participation in class and little to no interest in the material we were learning. -
Slacking
Once I had started High School, I began to feel even more insecure about my reading abilities. I specifically remember English class Freshman year when we were asked to read William Shakespeare. This unit was a scaring experience and left me with an awful memory of English class. I could barely comprehend what was happening in the book, which negatively affected my attitude towards the class and resulted in me slacking on the readings, ultimately ending in a couple failed reading checks. -
Tutor Center
Once I had started Sophomore year, I began going to the tutoring center which allowed me to have one-on-one help with my reading and writing skills. One of the most pivotal moments I experienced was receiving my first (of many) "A+" on both a reading tests and papers! This proved to me that I was capable of doing well if I really worked hard. Working with a tutor and pushing myself to do well allowed me to become more confident in myself which altered the way I felt about literacy! -
COM 110
Communication 110 was the first English class I took my Freshman year of college. Because this course was a lot different than what I was use to in High School, I was able to work on a different aspect of literacy I had not practiced yet- speaking. This was something that I realized I needed to work on, especially as an Elementary Education major, so this class helped me strengthen my skills and ability in that area! -
ENG 170
English 170 was my favorite literacy class so far at Illinois State! I took this class my Sophomore year and got to analyze and relive children's story books that I loved when I was a child! Coming from where I started in Elementary school, I am able to successfully say that English is definitely something that I have worked hard on to improve, so much that I have even started to enjoy! -
TCH 208
Creating this Literacy Timeline has allowed me to reflect on who I am as a literate person today, and how my experiences with literacy has changed throughout my life. If you asked me in Elementary school, I never would have thought I would be the literate person I am today and I am so proud of how far I have come!
