Choose a line from your reading and write to it. Remember it is wise to write in word first and the copy in paste just in case. What does this line make you think about? What have you found in your reading that applies to your students and how can you use it effectively?
"Many of the vocational teachers claim that they don't like to read and are not good writers, yet I have been amazed by their skills in deciphering complex blue-prints, instructional manuals, diagrams, and a variety of other difficult texts that relate to their trade areas." This line made me think about the reading that I was doing with my daughter this weekend. I am helping her learn to sew-something I learned from my mother. Some of the biggest fights I ever had with my mother were over sewing. We would disagree over what the instructions really said to do. This was running through my head as I showed my daughter how to read the pattern diagram, knowing which pieces were to be placed upside down and which were to be placed on single or double fold. It occured to me that it all boiled down to vocabulary and reading. So that's what I told Natalie because that is something she is good at. Once I realized that I looked at the amount of keys and diagrams and realized that once you can master that, sewing is really about just reading and following directions. But not about fighting!
ReplyDeleteMany times when students don’t have a purpose for their reading, their minds wander. This is something that often happens to me when I read that I have shared with many students. Because I have been teaching for 25 years, I have had this discussion with hundreds of students. What do you do when this happens? How do you get back on track? I loved that Tovani shared her reciting voice and her conversation voice. I am excited to share this with my students. I am eager to use the Letter to the Editor Comprehension Constructor. Setting a purpose for reading is so important, especially when reading primary resources.
ReplyDelete“Accessible text helps students make a connection between school subjects and real world because it helps them experience reading that is done in the real world.” I want to be able to do this for my students. I have met with another teacher to talk about an upcoming unit that she is doing and we are going to try to pull together text sets, to support concepts in textbooks. I want to make sure that I give them something that is worthy of their time, maybe even find some text that will turn them on to that content. I am constantly hearing my students say that what they have to read is “so boring” and that “it makes no sense”. It seems that we keep giving students text that is way too hard for them to read. I totally agree with this statement from Tovani , “when students are always given text that is too hard for them to read on their own, they begin to associate school reading with reading that is pointless.” So I have begun my search of finding several texts that vary in length, format, and genre. It hasn’t been as easy as I thought, kind of time consuming. Well, it could be because I end up looking at one thing and totally end up somewhere else.
ReplyDelete“You know, I just realized something. Every time that graphic appears, a mathematical property is introduced. That’s why it’s in the book.” In this line a teacher has an epiphany as to why a graphic is repeated throughout his textbook. The teacher’s knowledge of his subject kept him from examining the text for clues that could help his students. He assumed the graphic had no meaning, and dismissed it as artwork. On the other side, the student’s lack of knowledge prevented them from making a connection that this graphic had meaning that could help them locate information in the book.
ReplyDeleteThis quote demonstrates that often teacher’s do not try to think the way students do. They understand the material, and do not try to use scaffolding available in some texts to help students who struggle with the material. They assume that presenting the material in a straightforward manner is enough, and that students should be able to pick up on contextual clues on their own.
In fact, students need to be taught how to use the textbooks. The social studies textbook we use in class includes many tools that can help struggling readers comprehend the material. For example, there are “reading check” questions located in the margins of each chapter. As students read they should be able to answer these questions to gauge their comprehension of the material. Unfortunately, most students are more concerned with “getting done” with their homework and ultimately rush through reading and assignments.
Also, at the beginning of each section is a “chapter focus” box which spells out the important information from each chapter. There are key points the students should take from the reading, and a small blurb that frames the context of the reading. These resources are valuable to students who need to know “why this is important”. Instead of assigning only the readings from the text, teachers should have students start with the “big ideas” at the beginning of each section to frame the context of their learning.
In the years to come I will be more aware that the process of reading is different for each student. I now understand that reading isn’t something that you just “do”, but is something that you must work on. I will begin the year by showing students these features of the textbook and demonstrate how they can help foster comprehension. By teaching students how to use the features provided in textbooks you are able to give students a key with which they can unlock the content within the text.
On page 54, Tovani talks about how sometimes it's hard to know what to leave out. "Many of us become experts on our content. We become familiar with our textbooks and novels and often forget what it was like to be a beginning student of our disciplines. Inadvertently, we water down our content because we try to cover too much." I know that feeling. I remember adding more and more to the "must teach" list as I became more and more familiar with a topic, text or reading book. I would get excited and think, "Oh, this is good. The kids should learn this." On the next go around I'd think, "Oh, and this too." I would add to their work and mine. It's good to remember to look at the lesson through the eyes of a beginner and not an expert.
ReplyDeleteI, like MJ Smith, enjoyed the part about "conversation voice" versus "reciting voice." I loved having a name for what happens when I stop interacting with the text. I have tried to teach my students how to give their reading purpose, but now I can give a name to that as well and talk with them about how to get back their "conversation voice."
On page 27, she talks about how math teachers read wod problems differently than other teachers might. I have been working on word problems in my math class and it's like pulling teeth with my students. It's amazing how easily students want to give up because "it's too hard", and it has nothing to do with the math involved, it's all about the comprehension of the problem. As I we continue our work, I am going to make more of an effort to model my thinking as I read the problem and treating it more like a Language Arts text.
ReplyDeleteMany times when students don’t have a purpose for their reading, their minds wander. This year, not only do their minds wander, my students’ bodies begin to wander too. Then more students’ minds wander, then more bodies – it a huge domino reaction! Most of the time I set the purpose for students reading either independently or for an assignment. There is something that they need to look for, be monitoring, or responding to. This ranges from jotting down quotes where the author used a certain writing technique to writing down the inferences that are being made. This year I have to make my students prove their purpose otherwise I find that many of my students blow it off and their attention wanders. Expert readers when they sit down to read automatically have a purpose for their reading without having to consciously think about it. I am trying to figure out how to move my reluctant readers to setting their own purpose because that is what they will need to do in life. Moving forward I am excited to try the double-strategy, double –entry diary and the comprehension connector.
ReplyDelete“When students perceive a piece to be boring or difficult, setting a purpose will help them through the read.” (p. 62) Unfortunately, I think many students, especially struggling readers, assume that any material they receive in school is going to be boring. When there is a purpose it makes the text more manageable and gives students something to focus on- other than how boring they think it is going to be! As Lisa said, without purpose more than just minds can wander. I believe there is great value in setting a purpose but also in breaking down reading assignments and wisely selecting material of value, as Tovani also refers to.
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