Assistance in Literacy

Chapter four was very helpful in understanding how to generate higher level questioning while assisting students in reading. Although I have learned about the DRTA, I appreciate the detail the chapter goes into on the subject.  It is clear that this is something every teacher must take advantage of because of the higher level thinking students can focus on due to the smaller segments of reading. One thing I do not want to neglect is higher level questioning as a teacher. Not only do I want to include higher level thinking in reflections of readings, but I want to be able to include it before and while reading. I love the “higher level questioning bookmark” in activity 4.4 on page 90. This is a great tool to use for trying to think of higher level questions for students.

The Guided Reading Procedure is something that I have always felt I would incorporate into my classroom. I think this is something readers of all ages can benefit from. Even at my age, I find myself reading some things twice and paying attention more the second time and understanding key concepts a lot more. I love how the text gives recommended passage lengths on page 92. I have wondered how to know how much reading to assign for these types of activities.

I love the different comprehension strategies the text offers. I particularly like the jot chart. It is very visual and something that does not take a lot of time. I can see this being used in maybe watching a video or clip of something for science or math and using it to follow along. It can then also be used as a quick reference guide for studying. Has anyone seen or used any of these comprehension strategies and if so, which one? Was it successful?

I also love the idea of marginal glosses in readings. I personally love it when textbooks have these. They help me to understand the concepts written. I think this would be very beneficial for students who may need just a little more guidance with the original text. The chapter also gives great directions on how to make these marginal glosses on books or pages using a copier.

This whole chapter is definitely a go to tool for my future lesson planning and teaching!

Much Needed Tools and Strategies

After reading chapter three of the textbook and the article on content-area literacy strategies, I am realizing even more how important this course is for the future educator. Although I have learned about many tools to use in my future classroom through my education classes at ODU, I have never really known how to judge which tool or strategy would be best to use for particular subjects and situations. I also was never comfortable making tools such as anticipation guides, written previews and rewrites. My first inclination before would have been to research the internet for ideas or an example I could use instead of coming up with one on my own. I thought this way because I never really knew how to create and incorporate these tools into the classroom. 

While reading about rewrites, I felt as though it may be more beneficial, if time allows, that the teacher and class rewrite the story together. I understand the rewrite is to help the student comprehend the text better when they read it for the first time, but I feel like they may not be as interested in reading it if they already know what it is about. Does anyone else share this feeling? Does anyone think that maybe students will find it pointless to read the actual text if they already read an easier version of it? Maybe someone can explain why they would still be interested.

While reading about graphic organizers and looking at the examples, some ideas came to my mind. I think a great way to incorporate graphic organizers such as a tree diagram into a lesson (once the class gets acquainted with them) is to leave a few places blank so they students’ curiosity is peaked when looking at it before reading and while reading are able to fill in the missing pieces. It is also a tool that can be created by the student to check understanding after the story has been read. Students could also use the tree diagram that is completed by the teacher as a writing activity. Once the story has been read, the student can then write a summary using the key concepts in the graphic organizer and linking them with complete sentences.

This article and chapter is something I can continue to look back on as a reference to make sure I am accessing my class’s prior knowledge they best way I can and incorporating content-area literacy in the best way. These tools and strategies described in the readings is something I can continue to use even specific examples. I really loved the example of the analogy on the revolutionary war and the teenager. What a great way to relate history to present day teenage problems! When teachers think more like the student, these connections between real life and content can be made in a relevant way. Can anyone think of an analogy like this one that can be used in an elementary classroom?

Teacher-guided Literacy

It is refreshing to read about affective domain of learning as one of the first chapters we read in this textbook. I strongly believe that in order for anyone to learn, and enjoy learning, a positive attitude and open mind is essential not only for the student, but the teacher as well. Through this chapter, there were excellent points made as to why some students enjoy reading and writing and some students do not. As teachers, it is our job to set the student up for success. We can do this by listening to students and discovering the reasoning behind a student’s attitude through an Elementary Reading Attitude Survey, motivating students through a positive learning environment, and integrating conation through activities that give students choices. I find it particularly interesting that brain-based learning theory is recognized as a way to promote affect. I have always heard that everything we have ever learned is stored in our brains and it is just a matter of accessing that information when we need it. If what Stanislas Dehaene postulates in Reading in the Brain is true, then it is important for an educator to remember that learning is non-linear. Reading about this theory makes me recall and access information that I have heard before (which I stated earlier in this blog) which helps me understand the information being presented.  Teachers must learn to present different topics in a way that engages the use of the right hemisphere of the brain for non-linear thinking. Although, I was able to recall this information, this will not always be easy for students to grasp when discussing a new topic. I want to incorporate this type of teaching in my future classroom by creating lesson plans that tap into the brain’s natural curiosity. Having students is one simple way of being able to promote curiosity and make connections to prior knowledge. Students being able to share ideas with other classmates is also very important so the student can hear or see ideas that one might not have thought of on his or her own. I can’t stress enough from my own personal experience as a student and an educator how important it is to pair all of the tools talked in this chapter with a positive attitude, environment and feedback. Part of motivating a student is to make them feel comfortable with sharing ideas and asking questions and staying positive is key.

The instructional applications the article discusses focuses heavily on teachers needing to understand their students’ prior knowledge, skills and competencies. I couldn’t agree more with this idea. It really connects with what is being said about how the brain works and different connections we make when learning new concepts and ideas. Without caring to find out what your students know, it will be difficult to help them with their literacy and will continue to push them farther and farther behind as they get older. All teachers of all subjects and grade-levels must realize this and be proactive as the article says. Although my focus is on elementary education, I have seen high school students struggle with literacy and just be shuffled along because teachers are not trying to truly understand their students level of literacy.  As an elementary teacher, I will try my best to break this barrier and assess each student’s prior knowledge and skill so they may be as successful in literacy as they can be. It will then be my job to continue their growth of literacy by teaching study strategies, comprehension strategies and vocabulary strategies.  

With regard to the importance of understanding each students’ literacy level, do you believe lower level literacy is something that can be fixed at a secondary level and if so, how might you go about it with the time constraints and pressure of staying on course with the curriculum?