Wilhelm, Chapter 2

The first thing that really stood out to me when reading this chapter was not only the section on valid reading but also the part about really doing research about the students' reading activities. It is a necessity to understand where your students are coming from. The methods that he mentioned seemed like great ways to gain a look into the students. Some of the methods that really caught my eye were the interviews, literary letters and think alouds. Although, I have not done a think aloud actually in the classroom, I have had experience with them and think they are great tools for reading.
When Wilhelm chose the case study, he chose two girls and one boy. I believe by doing this he got a good range of students. There is always a stereotypical view that the only students who read get straight A's or are nerds. This meant a lot to me, because I was one of those students. I loved to read but didn't get the best grades. He did a great job of researching diverse students, that way he can learn how to reach all of his students instead of just a some. I plan on doing some of the same research with my students. This also was refreshing because it is good to know that students love reading as much as Cora, Ron and Joanne do.