After reading and discussing chapter 1 ("Reading is Thinking"), our group discussed the following issues... Please feel free to comment on any or all of them! We'd love to hear your input!
--We think that it is interesting that there has been a shift in "comprehension instruction" since 1979 (page 14). We remember the OLD days where we had to read stories and answer comprehension questions from the textbook. The authors claim that this is only a method of assessment and it doesn't actually teach kids how to better comprehend what they read. Comprehension strategies need to be explitly taught in the classroom. There are still teachers using the 1979 question-answer method! I'm sure names are popping in your head right now!
--A story was told about a father of a 3rd grade student who participated in a parent-child book club. This book club used comprehension strategies to make reading understandable and exciting. He explained that he had previously dropped out of high school because he hated to read. His friends could not believe that he actually chose to read with his 3rd grade child and enjoyed doing it. We thought this story was very powerful. Does anyone have any other stories like this?
----We would like to try the suggestion made on page 13. The authors say to ask your students to define reading and keep a chart posted with their responses. Over time, hopefully their response will change to reflect the true definition of reading. The authors emphasize that reading includes decoding AND making meaning. Many students just think that it has to do with sounding out words. Once comprehension strategies are taught, their view of reading will change. Has anyone tried asking their class this question before?
----Jamie and Michelle thought that the definition of synthesizing was interesting. (p. 19) It's not just stating or recalling facts from the story. It's integrating new information from the text with existing knowledge to change your thinking. There's a difference between summarizing and synthesizing. Lauren explained an interesting strategy that could be used to practice synthesizing information while reading. She said to make columns titled "What you think you know", "Confirmed", "Misconceptions", "New information", and "Still wondering". The kids put sticky notes with information in the appropriate columns while reading. Jamie thought it would be great to use with older kids especially. Has anyone else tried this particular strategy? It's similar to a KWL. What books have you used it for?
--We thought it was interesting that the authors said that kindergartners come to school with many questions. By the time they are in fifth grade, their questions disappear. The authors blame it on the teachers for not fostering and facilitating a "question-asking" environment. We just demand answers from kids. We have our agenda and they must conform to it. We discussed that the cause of the problem is the state standards and standarized testing. Teachers need to remember how important it is to ask higher-level thinking questions and allow the kids to explore. We all agreed that we feel such pressure to get through our lessons each day and meet all of the state standards. We need to remember to take advantage of "teachable moments".
Have you had any teachable moments this past week? Please share! :)
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First of all, I love the parent-child book club. I would love to have the parents more involved with the students at home reading! I go through the comprehension strategies with the kids, but I would love to have them work on the strategies at home with their parents.
ReplyDeleteI just had an inservice last week about open-ended questions. The presenter had given each table of teachers a bag filled with "things." We had to use higher-level thinking to come up with ideas about what those "things" could be used for. My table got silverware, but we were able to come up with many ideas about how silverware can be used (besides for eating things). It was fun to be silly, yet explore! I think this would be great for our students to show them how they can be higher-level thinkers! :-)
Heather, what a great idea! I can certainly see the benefits of that activity, and I can see how it would be fun for kids. Even as I read your post, I started thinking about things I could use silverware for, and wondering what things your group came up.
ReplyDeleteA fun activity related to this is a game we play during morning meeting. The game is called "This Looks Like." The kids have to take an everyday item, like a pen, and come up with ideas of what it could be besides a pen. Each kid says what they think it could be, and the item is passed around the circle.
For example, a kid might say "This looks like a pen, but it's really a unicorn horn," and then they put the pen up to their head like a horn. The next kid might say "This looks like a unicorn horn, but it's really a flute!" and then they hold it up like a flute. It's a fun game, and the kids get a kick out of it. Plus it only takes 5 minutes!
One thing I wanted to add to Jamie's post is that I also found the anecdote about the man in the reading group interesting, because I can relate to his feelings about reading. As Jamie mentioned, we discussed the "old fashioned" way of questioning to teach comprehension, but realized that kids need to be explicity taught to visualize, question, predict, etc. I wasn't taught these things (whole language, baby!) and, like the father in the story, I found myself hating reading. I now try to make it a point to teach these things explicitly to the kids, so they can understand what they read, and thus enjoy it.