Chapters 2 and 3

Chapter 2: Reading is Strategic

In this chapter, the authors reiterate the fact that reading is an interactive process which involves both decoding words and constructing meaning. As we have all learned before, both of these are essential. Of course the main purpose of reading is to construct meaning, but meaning cannot be constructed when it takes a backseat to decoding. Because of this, students need explicit instruction in both decoding and comprehension strategies. Furthermore, students need to be taught a repertoire of strategies so that they can become “strategic readers” – readers who think about their own learning and adjust accordingly.

According to Perkins and Swartz (1992), there are 4 types of readers/ learners:
Tacit: students who lack awareness of how they think when they read
Aware: readers who realize when meaning has broken down, but lack strategies to fix the problem
Strategic: readers can monitor and repair meaning when it is disrupted by using comprehension and thinking strategies
Reflective: readers who can apply strategies flexibly depending on their goals and purposes for reading, and also reflect on and revise their use of strategies

In our group, we discussed the importance of evaluating where your students are, within these 4 levels. We thought that knowing where each child falls within this spectrum can better guide the individual goals and instruction that you develop for your students. Teachers and students could benefit from creating realistic expectations and goals based on where the students fall.

Of course the best way to help students evolve into strategic and reflective readers is to provide ample practice reading authentic texts. The more students read, of course, the better they will be. The text, like so many we have read before, recommends that teachers build in specific time each day for students to read independently.

As a middle level teacher, Jamie especially expressed her concern in this area. As she said, she KNOWS how important independent reading is, and wants her students to have time for it each day. When a middle or high school teacher only has a particular class for 40 minutes, however, it is difficult to “set aside” time to allow students to read independently, but also squish in all the curriculum that the students need to not only succeed in life, but to pass certain IMPORTANT standardized tests (which shall remain nameless). For us elementary teachers finding silent reading time is easy, but what do you middle and high school teachers think? Do you have a certain school policy pertaining to time spent reading independently, or is it getting thrown out (or at least put on the backburner)?? Is there something you have tried that works within a short class period?

And speaking of time constraints…that leads us to one of the main points we discussed from Chapter 3.


Chapter 3: Effective Comprehension Instruction: Teaching, Tone, and Assessment

Jenna, I know that you mentioned in your first post that many teachers don’t spend enough time modeling appropriate behavior to their students. In the chaos of the moment, it’s very quick to just try a quick behavior fix. Well, this chapter talks about the same mistakes we make as teachers when giving instructions for certain lessons. In a dream world we’d have enough time to do as much as we wanted in a period, and study everything in-depth, but in the real world we often find ourselves with 5 minutes left in a class, and 20 other things we wanted to be able to do.

We all agreed in our group that it is SO hard not to “surrender to the clock,” as the book puts it. Again, with the pressures we are under to cover so many topics in any given day, it is tough to take the time out to explain things thoroughly. When it comes to strategy instruction, kids need to be taught very specifically what they are supposed to do. The authors put it best, I think:

“Don’t surrender to the clock. It takes time to show kids how, but it is time well spent. When it comes to instruction, it is nearly impossible to be too explicit. “

I remember Christy Leaken saying one semester that it’s not about adding MORE to your day, it’s about REPLACING what doesn't work. I completely agree with this idea, but it’s hard to decide what should go and what should stay. Plus, we are not always allowed to replace the things that we want to. I know several teachers in my school who would fight tooth and nail to replace cursive writing with additional reading, writing, or math time!!! Any suggestions on things you’re doing to fight the clock? Are you facing the same struggles? We’d love your input!