Comprehension

Comprehension should be the main goal of every teacher in the english classroom. A student should be "reading to learn." This will help them enjoy the books that they are reading and help them branch out and read for fun outside of the classroom. There are many strategies that help children increase their comprehension. In chapter 8 of Catching Readers Before They Fall, the authors go into detail about questioning and visualizing. In each lesson, the teacher uses big books so every student can read the text. The teacher also first models the strategy being used. Another crucial step in teaching students comprehension is to provide them with authentic opportunities where they can practice the strategies. 

Different Type of Grouping?

So far in my Education career, reading levels have been a question of mine. How to assess children? How to determine what books they can read on their own, and which books fit into their "zone of proximal development," or books that they can read with some help? After reading Glasswell and Ford's article Leveled Books, some of these issues are talked about. Too much emphasis is put on assessing reading level and too little is put on what the students actually need. In one of the examples I read, a teacher has a group of three students who are all reading below grade level. They are put in the same reading group and instructed the same. After doing a miscue analysis, which is explained in detail in chapter 6 of Kidwatching, the teacher notices something. One of the students struggle in decoding, one struggles with comprehension, and one student struggles with predicting. Should these students be put in the same group? I believe that it would be more beneficial for the students is they are grouped according to what specific instruction they are struggling with. If Stacey, John, and Mike all struggle with comprehension, but they are reading at different levels they will still benefit from a mini lesson on comprehension even though they are reading different books from one another. If instruction is aimed at building up strategies that they need assistance with, regardless of their reading level, each students needs are met. 

The Sinking of The Titanic

The Sinking of the Titanic by: Matt Doeden 

       This graphic comic book begins by introducing the giant ocean liner Titanic and her journey across the ocean. The novel introduces the captain of the ship and the widespread opinion that the Titanic was a powerful unsinkable ship. Then, the Titanic hit an iceberg and the ship went into a frenzy.  The Titanic sent out a distress call. Even though there was a ship 10 miles away, they did not hear the radio call and ignored the flares thinking it was just fireworks. Meanwhile, the passengers of the Titanic were filing into lifeboats. There was only enough room for 1,200 people, but the Titanic had 2,200 people. The ship who came to the Titanic's rescue arrived 2 hours after if had already sank. More than 1,500 people died in the waters of the North Atlantic. 
        This book is wonderful for upper elementary students. Because its a comic book, there is a lot of activity on each page. Upper elementary as opposed to lower grades will be more likely to follow the story line without getting confused. This book is about a real story. After reading this book, the class could research newspaper articles at the time of the wreck or make their own fliers or mock tickets for the Titanic as a writing activity. The book will inspire more questions about this event that could lead to research based projects for the students. The students can talk about the tragedy and speculate about things that could've been done to prevent the disaster. 

'Sound' it Out Dilemma

      Like many of you, I grew up with the instruction from my parents (and teachers, for that matter) to sound out a word if I was stumped. After the past few weeks, I've realized how completely inaccurate this theory is. In most examples, if you sounded out every letter in every word, the sound you make with your mouth would be nothing like the way its supposed to sound. (dolphin becomes da-oh-l-pah-hah-ei-na) In Catching Readers Before They Fall, authors Pat Johnson and Katie Keirer explain a much more reasonable- and effective- combination of strategies students use to to solve words on page 53.

• Meaning: "Does it make sense?"
• Structure: "Does it sound right?"
• Visual: "Does it look right?"
• phonics

     When students apply all three of these strategies, they are much more successful. Some students excel in one area, but are lacking in another. Catching Readers Before They Fall has strategies for teachers to help improve the areas that need improvement. When students struggle with meaning, they may "substitute words that that may have some of the right letters as compared to the right words, but doesn't make much sense in the sentence"(55). For example, if the sentence was 'Tom likes to eat bananas' The student may read "Tom likes to eat balloons." Which looks kind of like bananas, but doesn't make sense at all. A different student may rely too heavily on meaning and need help using visual clues. They may use "pictures and what they know about the topic to predict what the text might say"( 55).  For example, if the text still read 'Tom likes to eat bananas,' They may read, "Tom likes to eat pizza," Which looks nothing like bananas, but makes sense with the sentence. The tricky thing as a teacher will be understanding that every student thinks in different ways and will need support in different ways.

How To Get Your Children To Write

    After reading Every Mark on the Page; Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children's Writing I gained a better insight on how children start writing and what steps they take. An interesting point that the article made was that although parents know how to start their kids with the basic skills to reading, they are at a loss when it comes to writing. Even though they are trying their bests, many of their attempts will actually discourage writing.  

      Most parents focus on the grammar and spelling errors instead of the content. After a discussion in E340 last week, it was clear that most people make these comments because they are easier and safer. If they dont see themselves as good writers is it much easier to comment on these things.

  
     As a teacher, communicating with the parents is an important job. At the beginning of the school year it is important to make expectations clear and lay out how the parents can support their children for the best results. Open houses, newsletters, writing workshops, and parent conferences were a few ideas the article mentioned.