Welcome!
Dear Students and Parents:
My name is Mrs. Bentheim and I’m looking forward to a wonderful year with you. This is my 14th year working with students in the classroom, sixth year in CCSD, and my third year at this school teaching 6th grade reading. I suspect it’s going to be the best yet!
My husband (who is also a teacher here--Mr. Bentheim) and I have lived in Las Vegas for almost six years and are enjoying the opportunities afforded to us here. Before we came to the desert, we lived in southern California—Orange County to be exact—just two miles from Disneyland. We don’t have any children yet, but we do have three little dogs, Mickey, Daisy, and Max. When I am not preparing for our class, I enjoy reading, writing, traveling, and building my photography business, Red Corduroy Media Group {Photography}. I also teach pre-service teachers at UNLV in the area of children's literature.
I have a lot of wonderful things planned for this year—and can’t wait to get started.
Happy reading!
Christina A. Bentheim, M.Ed.
(click my name to see my CV, articles, and presentations)
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Teaching Philosophy
Informational literacy skills are lifelong skills—not just skills learned from a text. Students need direct instruction, meaningful practice, and authentic situations in which to apply their newfound knowledge beginning in kindergarten and moving consistently through the 12th grade year. Each year, skills should built upon, honed, and polished. Without any one of these components, we are setting our students up for academic and professional failure.
Meaning-making is the entire point of reading. If one does not relate to what he or she reads in some way, there is no transaction or interaction with the text. This is why students must have some choice in their reading. As children migrate towards texts they enjoy and have interest in, they’re more apt to experience connections relevant to their lives, thus understanding the text. Student interests, then, should drive the curriculum in effort to “hook” readers.
Curriculum should also contain the breadth and depth of our world. In addition to the basic subjects one needs to function in society, school curriculum should focus on the thought and inquiry processes one must have to perform at Bloom’s highest levels. When students ask Why or How, they are involving themselves in the process of learning in which the most knowledge will be acquired. A genuine interest in subject matter is prime motivation for students to seek specific knowledge. We should not, however, cater to the student’s whim and desire. As professional educators, it is our duty to expand the student’s horizon, foster uncomfortable thinking, and help link educational experiences through relevant and meaningful events.
Student choice is always critical in learning experiences. In reading and writing workshop, for example, students need to have ownership of their learning to maintain interest. It is this freedom that encourages additional learning as it is inspired by individual students. This freedom not only fosters creativity, it allows all students with varied learning styles in the library setting to succeed with their strengths.
With our world steadily and quickly moving towards complete digitization, students must be technology-proficient in their learning, research, and time out of school. Otherwise, they will be unable to keep up with the rigors of technology during college and within the working professional world. The tech-savvy classroom teacher has the opportunity to guide he child so that he or she is aware of the available tools and knows how to properly use them in his or her studies. It is this careful teaching of students about the effective use of technology that aids students in improved academic performance. We not only need to respond to student needs, we need to implement research-based programs with fidelity and integrity.
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Curriculum and Standards
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