I enjoyed reading this chapter as I felt that several good points were made. I I was interested in the notation about the element of time. How strong readers can handle a thirty minute reading session--they have developed the stamina and skills to read and learn in this time frame. Our lower, struggling readers cannot do this. This is an overwhelming task to them. Just like with exercise, one doesn't start running 20 miles on day 1. One must work up to that. Our lowest readers need that same "training" time in order to be successful. A smaller amount of time may be more effective for them. I think this is very true.
I also thought the statement, " a text appropriate in word choice may not be appropriate in comprehension," was an AHA moment. Just because a book is on a child's level and he/she can call the words, does not make comprehension a given. I am curious to know how to find this out. We use STAR which gives us a starting point. We see their AR scores. Some students do poorly because of the inability to comprehend what they have read even if by the numbers, the book is appropriate.
I loved the genre wheel model. I would love to incorporate that into my classroom. The text stated that we much teach children how to read different genres. We all use different strategies when presented with various types of reading. Informational text strategies differ from fictional text strategies. Children must be exposed to all genres and taught how to tackle each one.
I loved the role as teacher--not sitting back and watching but as an active participant. Conferencing, listening to students read, questioning and discussing reading strategies all proved effective with growing readers. I also thought of Delaney and her pull out program. Several of my lowest readers grew a great deal last year with her work. Pull out programs are beneficial to the needs of struggling readers. I hope our pull-out program continues.
Finally, I liked the student accountability. For many students, the teacher cannot just say READ and expect everyone to do just that. Reading logs, written responses, and story summaries are all great ways to determine comprehension and participation in a classroom reading program.
This article gave me, a math teacher, a better idea of the role a teacher plays in developing her readers in the upper grades. Good readers will grow with guidance from the teacher because most of them have a love for reading. Those who struggle....must be coerced..with love...and guidance...to find a place in the reading classroom where they can be comfortable and successful.
You're exactly right, Stacy. So many times we just expect student engagement during independent reading. Reality is, we need to teach it . . . work to build stamina . . . communicate expectation and goal setting, etc. etc. And, as you stated, TEACH students strategies for reading different genres. These are done through mini-lessons and that is exactly what Delaney does when she meets with students. She is actually doing mini-lessons that teach meta-cognitive skills. Many teachers don't think about teaching students how to be engaged in their reading because it is not a standard. However, without engagement, no learning can take place.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are applying what you read to math, too. Conferencing can definitely be done during a math block. I know you already do a lot of that. Maybe a math lesson on engagement? I don't know exactly how that would flesh out, but it's a thought!
What a great post!! I love your exercise analogy--no, we certainly don't start running a marathon! Your quote, "a text appropriate in word choice may not be appropriate in comprehension," was really insightful. :-)
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