Ch. 3

This chapter talked about the importance of word knowledge. It is essential that students constantly work to build their vocabulary. Students with smaller vocabularies will have difficulty deriving meaning from the text. “This gap in word knowledge is problematic because of its impact on content learning and reading comprehension” (Fisher & Frey, 2008).  I tutor a student who is a very good reader; however, he struggles with comprehension. During the retell, he can tell me word for word everything that he has read, but when he is asked questions about the text, it is obvious that he does not understand. He has not had the same experiences that some of the other students were able to have growing up. The book says that students need to not only know the word and its definition but also have a background with the word through concepts that will help them fully comprehend the meaning. Teachers are able to use many different strategies to help students learn vocabulary. This chapter talked about vocabulary acquisition and how students come in contact with 3,000 new words a year. Students are able to build their vocabulary through not only reading but everyday conversation. I believe teachers should always model sophisticated vocabulary in the classroom which will help students build their vocabulary through many different connections. I read an article about a teacher who gave her students certain jobs around the classroom. She would give students certain titles such as weather watcher, cleanup helper, line leader, and the zoo keeper. The zoo keeper was in charge of feeding and watering classroom pets. The cleanup helper helped keep the room clean throughout the day. The line leader was at the head of the line as the students were lead anywhere outside of the classroom for that day. The weather watcher would go to the window or door and give the class a report on the weather conditions for that day. After the students completed the tasks of their jobs, and fully comprehended everything that was involved, she would begin to give them other titles. The zookeeper became the animal nutrition specialist, the cleanup helper became the custodian, the line leader became the class movement coordinator and the weather watcher became the meteorologist. This really gave me a good idea of how students learn best and pick up on their new vocabulary. Giving students a list of words to define and memorize is not the way to go. My mentor teacher hands out a list of vocabulary words and has her students study. She also throws around a ball for the students to catch. Whoever catches the ball is then asked to define a vocabulary word from the weekly list. I would like to use something a little more creative than this for my students. I do like the idea of using a word wall for my students.

Questions?

This chapter discussed how we should use questions in many different ways. Questions should be used to help students generate prior knowledge. They should also be used to aid students in problem solving. “Unfortunately, many students have little practice in answering implicit questions and may be ill-equipped to formulate and respond to questions requiring critical thinking. In secondary schools it is imperative to create a classroom culture of inquiry”(Fisher & Frey,81).Why wouldn’t this also be imperative for primary schools? How young is too early to start learning how to think critically? Students will be more likely to retain the information if they are allowed to figure out the answer for themselves. They should never be given the correct answers. They should always be led to the correct answers through questions and small hints given by the teacher. Open ended questions are very good tools to use in the classroom. These questions are not predictable so they force the students to think about them on a higher level. Higher order thinking requires students to think on a higher level than just memorizing or repeating something back. This makes them actually have to use their brain and think for themselves. Closed ended questions can be short and sweet, but require little to no thinking, and can be answered correctly by a guess far too often. I read about one strategy called the IRE, which stands for initiate, respond and evaluate. This is pretty much the teacher asking a question, the student answering it, and the teacher giving feedback. I think we all have seen this strategy a time or two, nothing to see here, move along. There were many strategies talked about but the two I thought were interesting were the ReQuest and the SQ3R. The ReQuest method teaches students how to analyze their comprehension while reading. The teacher guides group questioning throughout the lesson. Students are taught to observe the questions of their teacher, which shows them how to distinguish important info from the useless info. The ReQuest is made up of summarizing and clarifying information, generation of questions based on information, and interactions between the students and teacher. SQ3R is another strategy talked about in the book and it involves five steps. These steps are survey, question, read, recite and review. This strategy is pretty complicated but basically you start off by skimming the pages of the text, generating questions, turning each subheading into questions. Next, read each section and answer the questions while looking up and reciting each answer. After completing the chapter, review your notes and find the main ideas.

Getting it down

Some students can sit in class without taking notes and are able to comprehend everything that the instructor is saying. They are able to remember without notes, because they understand the lesson. They have made a connection with the material and know what to do and why. For other students, note taking is the most important factor in doing well in school. I have to write EVERYTHING down, from homework due, to the grocery list. “While people may have different ways of taking notes, I do believe that it’s a skill that can be taught. I also believe that students need to be shown how to take notes-good notes- that they can use later” (Fisher & Frey, 121). I took a college success skills course my freshman year and was really disappointed; however, over the years I have taught myself how to pick out the most important ideas and jot them down. If the instructor writes something on the board or repeats a phrase, it usually means it’s important. I try to keep my notes dated, organized, and in order. I like to compare my notes with other classmates to see their thoughts. I would also recommend using technology in note taking. For really important class sessions, like meetings before midterm or final, I have a smart pen that is amazing. With my pen tip, I can go back and tap on a key word that I have jotted down and the audio will pick up and play from that point in the lecture. I would recommend it to anyone. I usually take notes with the top down method; however, I like the idea of dividing the paper into quadrants with each side reserved for different thoughts. When would be the ideal time to use the quadrant method? I think the note taking strategy really depends on the subject. Teachers should try to arrange their delivery in a way that helps their students’ organization of notes. Should students be required to take notes? Note taking is helpful to students, because it allows them to summarize, memorize, revise, and concentrate, which all promote active learning. When taking notes, students have to picture the overview of the lesson. They must listen, read, and record, which helps with their memory of the topic. They must revise their notes and sometimes research further. Students must also actively listen to what is being said in class. Students should be skilled in both note taking and note making. In reading, I have learned that note taking is when you are hearing something for the first time and you are trying to get it down so you can use it later. Note making is when you go back and put the ideas in your own words and highlight key points. You make notes about what to study for and make notes on your thoughts.

Readers Theater and Ch. 6 Graphic Organizers

Readers Theater

I will definitely use Readers Theater in my classroom. The activity we did in class helped my understanding of our story. I believe Readers Theater is a really fun activity that will keep my students involved and excited, while helping them comprehend and retain a large amount of the text. While participating in Readers Theater, students are required to do many different things. As far as comprehension goes, they have to read the text and be able to understand it on a deep enough level that they can create their own interpretation of the original text. This is by far my favorite literature strategy. I also feel that when students are asked to present in front of their peers, they are more pressured to do well. In order to do well, they must focus on the read, comprehend the material, be creative, and deliver it in an entertaining fashion. Once this is accomplished, the story will be burned in the minds of everyone participating in and watching the activity. For some reason, when things are acted out in class, they are never forgotten. I know I will never forget the origami comprehension invention that brought us “dust and rain remix”.   

Ch. 6 Graphic Organizers

“The strength of any instructional tool is not only its use, but in its timing” (Fisher &Frey, 104). Graphic organizers can be very helpful when used correctly by teachers. Many times when students are able to see visual representation of something, it can help them a tremendous amount. I could relate to this part of the text, because I’m a fan of concept maps and the idea of using them before a lesson to help with background knowledge. It is also helpful to use them during closure to show the students what they have learned. Graphic organizers can also be used for assessment purposes through all content areas. This can take much more thinking from the student than many other forms of assessment. In order for the student to create a graphic organizer, they must be able to see relationships between ideas, organize their thoughts, and come up with a plan. Creating organizers is a very good way to help students preserve information.

Other than outlines, what type of graphic organizers could be beneficial to help linear thinkers rather than abstract?

Chapter 4 and Text Talk

Text talks are very helpful in student comprehension and retention of the material. I can’t imagine doing a read aloud and not doing a text talk. They really get the students’ minds working, which gets background knowledge popping up in their heads. If a student can make connections to the text it can help a great deal with comprehension. When you ask the student questions about the read, you are able to keep them engaged and attentive while, at the same time, gauging their comprehension of the material. Text talk also helps students form thoughts in their minds and express them orally with the rest of the students. This can help other students or the instructor form a connection in their mind. Text talks helps students begin to infer meaning and predict what could happen next. I have also read in the article where the pictures in the book can deter student learning. I believe the positives outweigh the negatives. Pictures are extremely helpful in getting students excited and interested in the read. I believe if you can get students truly interested in something you have won half of the battle. Although pictures can sometimes get students sidetracked, books without illustrations would be very boring for primary students. It’s really not that complicated to show the picture beforehand if it represents something that can be inferred or predicted. Otherwise, save the picture until after the passage is read. I believe text talk and read alouds should be used in all grades and subject areas.

Knipper and Duggan’s article and chapter 8

Knipper and Duggan’s article and chapter 8 in the book both deal with different writing to learn strategies. I really enjoyed reading these because they contain some very interesting writing strategies and how to incorporate them into my classroom. The article describes how writing enhances comprehension and how we need to have more knowledge on a topic in order to be able to write about it. How are we supposed to write about something that we do not fully comprehend? Writing on a particular subject requires a much deeper knowledge than some other forms of assessment. Writing is a great way for teachers to gauge a student’s knowledge and it can help comprehension in many different ways. Many people rarely concentrate on what they are reading unless they are going to be tested on the material. I have noticed that I, myself, am much more careful when reading before having to write an essay or learning log on a particular topic. Before writing this blog, I am very careful when reading the material. I go through the reading carefully taking down notes and highlighting because I know I will be asked to comprehend the material on a higher level. Do you think most people would concentrate more on the material, and try their best to fully comprehend it if they were going to have to write about it?  If I was not asked to blog on these articles, I may be inclined to not pay as much attention to the reading; therefore, I would not comprehend it as well. The Knipper and Duggan article described many different strategies from structured note taking to learning logs. I love the idea of learning logs. I think it is a wonderful idea to have students read and then reflect on what they have read. Writing is an excercise that enhances students thinking and learning, while increasing their understanding. Chapter 8 had some really good ideas on how to incorporate writing into content areas. Writing is very important in student learning and should always be incorporated into every content area.

Content Area Literacy

Content area reading should be used in the classroom immediately after students start to develop fluent reading. Many students would enjoy reading not only narrative text, but informative text as well. Why shouldn't students be required to read text, that is not only going to help them master reading, but also inform them on many other subjects? Teachers should not only assess student fluency, but also their comprehension of the material. Without assesing to gauge the students comprehension, how are we to know they understand what they have read? In order for students to improve on their reading comprehension, teachers need to spend a good amount of time on content area literacy.  Teachers can greatly increase their students reading comprehension through various writing activities. Learning logs are a very good way for the students to reflect on what they have learned through reading. Writing activities that ask the student to compare and contrast or give the cause and effect are excercises that will build on the students content area literacy. Teachers should require students to use many different writing strategies in order to display their ability to comprehend what they have read.