This article focused on 10 principles/strategies that we can use as teachers to help our students reach a deep comprehension of text.
1- Base Your Understanding of Comprehension on the Social Constructivist Nature of Reading
The more prior experiences a student has with the topic, the easier it is for the student to make connections with the text. These connections can lead to making meaning (comprehension). Understanding of a text can change when discussing the text with others.
2- Understand Students’ Roles in the Reading Comprehension Process
There are many characteristics of "good readers". These students have goals when reading and use comprehension strategies to help with reaching their goals. These students also read a variety of text and know how to navigate different text structures. These students question the text and their own understanding while reading.
3- Be an Influential Teacher
Explicit instruction with specific teaching strategies is an important part of preparing students to be successful while reading. The article mentioned several things that an influential teacher needs to do to help her students. Just a few things include believing in students, differentiating instruction, providing teaching moments in authentic situations, and providing opportunities for our students to read, write, and discuss daily.
4- Motivate and Engage Students
Reading motivation is key in order for students to want to become long-term readers. These readers have positive thoughts about reading that make them want to read for different purposes. This reading leads to new knowledge gained and can provoke meaningful social interactions.
5 - Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies
The article listed reading strategies from Guided Reading. These strategies can foster students in their quest for comprehension - previewing, self-questioning, making connections, visualizing, knowing how words work, monitoring, summarizing, and evaluating. We need to start teaching these strategies at a young age. A gradual release of responsibility is necessary to teach each strategy. The article recommends 5 steps to successful teaching - explain, demonstrate, guide, practice, and reflect. Teachers need to monitor students in the various stages of their learning.
6 - Foster the Development and Use of Vocabulary
Vocabulary development plays a large role in reading comprehension. Vocabulary development is influenced by text exposure; this can be through self-reading or read-alouds. Vocabulary instruction needs to be meaningful - connected to text and focus on strategies to figure out unknown words.
7 - Provide Students With a Variety of Types and Levels of Text
Different types of texts and genres are important to increase a student's knowledge of different topics and can increase their vocabulary word bank. Some of this text should be text that is of specific interest to the student. Interest can have a large impact upon student engagement and motivation with a text.
8 - Encourage Students to Use Multiple Modes of Representing Thinking
The article encouraged teachers to mix it up and let students use alternative modes of response when learning and demonstrating understanding. Oral and written response have their place, but we also need to be courteous of students who are talented in other ways like drawing, acting, or making projects that can show creativity.
9 - Embed Formative Assessments in Your Everyday Teaching
Formative assessments should happen everyday as we teach. These teacher observations and informal responses can be ways to monitor understanding. This information gained can help to know when to re-teach and differentiate instruction.
Great overview of the 10 principles. Just a few additions.
1- Constructivist Nature of Comprehension: Another important thing to note about this principle is that comprehension is all about schema. Learning takes place when they integrate and assimilate new knowledge into their exist schema.
4- Motivation and Engagement- Though motivation and engagement are similar they are not the same. Motivation is what gets readers to read, and engagement keeps them reading. Both are necessary for true comprehension.
6-Vocabulary Development: Teachers must thoughtfully and carefully select target words that apply across the curriculum. The most effect vocabulary instruction provides many encounters with words and provides review and extension activities with words.
7- Text Variety and Levels: Text levels require different levels of scaffolding. Texts that are on a student's independent level are perfect for individual activities and readings. Texts at the instructional level work effectively when students are engaged in small groups, like guided reading, where the teacher can provide small amounts of support. Frustration level texts should be used in teacher read alouds, with older reading buddies, or listened to via audio.
9- Formative Assessment: Formative assessment takes many forms, such as observation, student interaction, informal written responses, exit tickets, questioning, and checklists. Teacher should be in a constant state of formative assessment.
10 - Teach Students to Comprehend at Deeper Levels
"In critical literacy, an approach that promotes deeper comprehension, readers move beyond passively accepting the text’s message to question, examine, or dispute the power relations that exist between readers and authors."
The goal of our reading instruction should be for students to become critical readers who not only comprehend and make meaning from the text, but also think for themselves and question the content and the author. We want our students to not be passive, but instead active readers that analyze text and the author's message.
QUESTIONS WE CAN DISCUSS :)
1. The article mentioned different ways we can be influential reading teachers. What is your personal definition of an "influential teacher"?
2. Critical literacy requires extra work and thinking that many students don't want to do or maybe they just don't take the time to think about the text on a deeper level. How do we motivate our students to want to think critically?
1. Influential teachers are able to take the most unmotivated student and convince them learning is worth it. They make learning fun and engaging. It almost seems effortless for them when they teach. Influential teachers are able to make students feel special when they think there isn't much there.
2. First I think for young children, teachers need to model what critical thinking looks like in regards to literacy. Then we must equip students with the tools they need to look deeper. Help them develop strategies that make reading easier. If students feel they don't know how to look deeper into the text then they won't. Next developing thoughtful units and projects that require students to thinking differently/deeper about text. Using t the typical report/paper isn't sufficient enough. Students don't get much out of readi if they aren't doing engaging/thought provoking activities.
1. Influential Teacher: This is something I am always striving for! I think an influential teacher is not only an expert at her craft, knowing most effective practices, assessments, and methods, but he/she is also motivating and engaging. Influential teachers go above and beyond what is expected from the curriculum and administration to build relationships with their students. These relationships help students socially, emotionally, and educationally. Influential teachers know how to reach their students because they know their students.
2. I agree with Kaitlin and Marti, in the primary grades, critical literacy must be modeled by teachers first. Critical thinking is a higher level skill that most 4-7 year-olds don't do automatically. They are consumed by learning to read, and so they think whatever a book/author says must be TRUTH. Teachers can help their students start thinking this way by thinking aloud the questions that critical literacy asks.
1. An influential teacher is someone who is a master teacher. It is someone who stays current with theory, research,and best practices. But, it is also someone who helps students to find their true potential and can connect with them both on a personal and academic level. 2. I think that critical literacy has a place in the primary classroom, with lots of demonstration and scaffolding. Students at this age are very interested in the world around them. Any child you meet has a favorite word, "why". I think that getting to the "why" of things can help to introduce critical literacy into the classroom.
Megan, I think you made a good point- stays current with research and best practices. When teachers stop being life long learners, that's why they stop being influential.
I agree ladies! I think modeling is the best idea in order to teach our students how to critically read text. Hopefully the modeling will turn this type of thinking into a natural process!
I agree, Megan! Thanks to grad school, I feel like I have been more up-to-date on research practices. Before I was taking classes, this was something I struggled with. I felt like I was barely surviving, so adding something else was out of the question. I do think going to conferences, reading journals, and even talking with colleagues make you a more informed practitioner.
1. An influential teacher is someone who knows her students, understands their personalities and needs, and differentiates instruction to make it interesting for them to learn, whether it's learning to read or learning other things. They are the teachers we remember having as kids ourselves. They push their students to be all they can be and to do more.
2. In order for us to motivate children to think critically, we have to model it first. We have to talk through our own thinking in a situation that's similar to the one the child is learning. While we're modeling the desired thought process, we pause in between our comments to let them sink in and to answer any questions the students have. We have to define critical thinking for our students. What do we want them to do? What is the desired behavior we want from them? They need to understand exactly what is expected. Then we have to show them again while they practice thinking critically out loud. When the children behave in the desired way, that is when they demonstrate an ability to think critically, we praise them and point out what they are doing correctly, and tell them why it's correct. After a few of these experiences, it's hoped the children can think critically independently, in various subjects.
Think we are on the same page with thinking critically. Modeling is the important key. Like how you mentioned a process. This is important for students to know, it isn't something that just happens. Also telling students what is expected is vital. If student don't know they are to thinking deep, then they won't.
I agree! Critical literacy isn't a unit we do in October and never touch again. It's an important lens with which students (and us) should read all texts. We should never simply take an author's word for it.
Discussion Question: Have you done any activities or strategies to introduce or teach the concept of critical literacy in your classroom? If so, tell about them. If not, do you have an ideas about you would introduce and teach critical literacy?
There are lots of books that lend themselves to differing points of view. Voices in the Park is a fun book that gives four points of view about the same afternoon in the park. I Wanna Iguana is another fun book that Dr. Griffith shared with us last semester. It is written in a series of notes between a mother and son, in which the son is trying to convince the mom he needs an iguana. Having students look at the same issue or event from multiple perspectives may be a more developmentally appropriate way to teach this concept for younger students.
Great books! I liked reading those last year. I have not done much, besides having students make text to text, text to self, and text to world connections, but as seen from the texts we need to go deeper than that. I think a great place to start would be with advertisements. Students of all ages can tell you all about their favorite commercial, I think building on how we are influenced by these types of texts would be a great place to start.
I like to have my students work in pairs answering questions. Working in groups helps kids see different views and also work together to find common ground. I ask a lot of open ended questions. Beautiful Oops and The Big Orange Splot are good books for young kids that talk about thinking differently and being different. It fosters creativity as well!
I think using advertisements is genius--print or video clips of commercials. Even younger kids can understand that the purpose of those ads to get people to buy the product. You discuss who would probably buy a Barbie or video game or play-doh, and who probably wouldn't. Discussing those ideas would be fun way to talk about author's purpose and being a critical consumer.
Kaitlin I like your idea of working in groups! Sometimes I would have the students turn to a partner on the floor and talk for a second about their opinion on something. I think we could use the floor partner technique to ask students on their opinion of what the author's purpose was and what their thoughts are about a topic in the book.
One thing I add when kids work in groups, is I don't ask for their answers, I say now tell me your partners answers. This gets both kids talking and actually listening. How often have we as grown ups worked in groups and waited till it was our turn to talk and while waiting we are thinking about what we are going to say... I'm guilty sadly.
WOW, great idea, Kaitlin. I have not thought to use that technique of telling your partner's answer. I will definitely be implementing that part immediately!
This article focused on 10 principles/strategies that we can use as teachers to help our students reach a deep comprehension of text.
ReplyDelete1- Base Your Understanding of Comprehension on the Social Constructivist Nature of Reading
The more prior experiences a student has with the topic, the easier it is for the student to make connections with the text. These connections can lead to making meaning (comprehension). Understanding of a text can change when discussing the text with others.
2- Understand Students’ Roles in the Reading Comprehension Process
There are many characteristics of "good readers". These students have goals when reading and use comprehension strategies to help with reaching their goals. These students also read a variety of text and know how to navigate different text structures. These students question the text and their own understanding while reading.
3- Be an Influential Teacher
Explicit instruction with specific teaching strategies is an important part of preparing students to be successful while reading. The article mentioned several things that an influential teacher needs to do to help her students. Just a few things include believing in students, differentiating instruction, providing teaching moments in authentic situations, and providing opportunities for our students to read, write, and discuss daily.
4- Motivate and Engage Students
Reading motivation is key in order for students to want to become long-term readers. These readers have positive thoughts about reading that make them want to read for different purposes. This reading leads to new knowledge gained and can provoke meaningful social interactions.
5 - Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies
The article listed reading strategies from Guided Reading. These strategies can foster students in their quest for comprehension - previewing, self-questioning, making connections, visualizing, knowing how words work, monitoring, summarizing, and evaluating. We need to start teaching these strategies at a young age. A gradual release of responsibility is necessary to teach each strategy. The article recommends 5 steps to successful teaching - explain, demonstrate, guide, practice, and reflect. Teachers need to monitor students in the various stages of their learning.
6 - Foster the Development and Use of Vocabulary
Vocabulary development plays a large role in reading comprehension. Vocabulary development is influenced by text exposure; this can be through self-reading or read-alouds. Vocabulary instruction needs to be meaningful - connected to text and focus on strategies to figure out unknown words.
7 - Provide Students With a Variety of Types and Levels of Text
Different types of texts and genres are important to increase a student's knowledge of different topics and can increase their vocabulary word bank. Some of this text should be text that is of specific interest to the student. Interest can have a large impact upon student engagement and motivation with a text.
8 - Encourage Students to Use Multiple Modes of Representing Thinking
The article encouraged teachers to mix it up and let students use alternative modes of response when learning and demonstrating understanding. Oral and written response have their place, but we also need to be courteous of students who are talented in other ways like drawing, acting, or making projects that can show creativity.
9 - Embed Formative Assessments in Your Everyday Teaching
Formative assessments should happen everyday as we teach. These teacher observations and informal responses can be ways to monitor understanding. This information gained can help to know when to re-teach and differentiate instruction.
Great overview of the 10 principles. Just a few additions.
Delete1- Constructivist Nature of Comprehension: Another important thing to note about this principle is that comprehension is all about schema. Learning takes place when they integrate and assimilate new knowledge into their exist schema.
4- Motivation and Engagement- Though motivation and engagement are similar they are not the same. Motivation is what gets readers to read, and engagement keeps them reading. Both are necessary for true comprehension.
6-Vocabulary Development: Teachers must thoughtfully and carefully select target words that apply across the curriculum. The most effect vocabulary instruction provides many encounters with words and provides review and extension activities with words.
7- Text Variety and Levels: Text levels require different levels of scaffolding. Texts that are on a student's independent level are perfect for individual activities and readings. Texts at the instructional level work effectively when students are engaged in small groups, like guided reading, where the teacher can provide small amounts of support. Frustration level texts should be used in teacher read alouds, with older reading buddies, or listened to via audio.
9- Formative Assessment: Formative assessment takes many forms, such as observation, student interaction, informal written responses, exit tickets, questioning, and checklists. Teacher should be in a constant state of formative assessment.
ReplyDelete10 - Teach Students to Comprehend at Deeper Levels
"In critical literacy, an approach that promotes deeper comprehension, readers move beyond passively accepting the text’s message to question, examine, or dispute the power relations that exist between readers and authors."
The goal of our reading instruction should be for students to become critical readers who not only comprehend and make meaning from the text, but also think for themselves and question the content and the author. We want our students to not be passive, but instead active readers that analyze text and the author's message.
QUESTIONS WE CAN DISCUSS :)
1. The article mentioned different ways we can be influential reading teachers. What is your personal definition of an "influential teacher"?
2. Critical literacy requires extra work and thinking that many students don't want to do or maybe they just don't take the time to think about the text on a deeper level. How do we motivate our students to want to think critically?
Thanks ladies! :)
1. Influential teachers are able to take the most unmotivated student and convince them learning is worth it. They make learning fun and engaging. It almost seems effortless for them when they teach. Influential teachers are able to make students feel special when they think there isn't much there.
Delete2. First I think for young children, teachers need to model what critical thinking looks like in regards to literacy. Then we must equip students with the tools they need to look deeper. Help them develop strategies that make reading easier. If students feel they don't know how to look deeper into the text then they won't. Next developing thoughtful units and projects that require students to thinking differently/deeper about text. Using t the typical report/paper isn't sufficient enough. Students don't get much out of readi if they aren't doing engaging/thought provoking activities.
1. Influential Teacher: This is something I am always striving for! I think an influential teacher is not only an expert at her craft, knowing most effective practices, assessments, and methods, but he/she is also motivating and engaging. Influential teachers go above and beyond what is expected from the curriculum and administration to build relationships with their students. These relationships help students socially, emotionally, and educationally. Influential teachers know how to reach their students because they know their students.
Delete2. I agree with Kaitlin and Marti, in the primary grades, critical literacy must be modeled by teachers first. Critical thinking is a higher level skill that most 4-7 year-olds don't do automatically. They are consumed by learning to read, and so they think whatever a book/author says must be TRUTH. Teachers can help their students start thinking this way by thinking aloud the questions that critical literacy asks.
1. An influential teacher is someone who is a master teacher. It is someone who stays current with theory, research,and best practices. But, it is also someone who helps students to find their true potential and can connect with them both on a personal and academic level.
Delete2. I think that critical literacy has a place in the primary classroom, with lots of demonstration and scaffolding. Students at this age are very interested in the world around them. Any child you meet has a favorite word, "why". I think that getting to the "why" of things can help to introduce critical literacy into the classroom.
Megan,
DeleteI think you made a good point- stays current with research and best practices. When teachers stop being life long learners, that's why they stop being influential.
I agree ladies! I think modeling is the best idea in order to teach our students how to critically read text. Hopefully the modeling will turn this type of thinking into a natural process!
DeleteI agree, Megan! Thanks to grad school, I feel like I have been more up-to-date on research practices. Before I was taking classes, this was something I struggled with. I felt like I was barely surviving, so adding something else was out of the question. I do think going to conferences, reading journals, and even talking with colleagues make you a more informed practitioner.
Delete1. An influential teacher is someone who knows her students, understands their personalities and needs, and differentiates instruction to make it interesting for them to learn, whether it's learning to read or learning other things. They are the teachers we remember having as kids ourselves. They push their students to be all they can be and to do more.
ReplyDelete2. In order for us to motivate children to think critically, we have to model it first. We have to talk through our own thinking in a situation that's similar to the one the child is learning. While we're modeling the desired thought process, we pause in between our comments to let them sink in and to answer any questions the students have. We have to define critical thinking for our students. What do we want them to do? What is the desired behavior we want from them? They need to understand exactly what is expected. Then we have to show them again while they practice thinking critically out loud. When the children behave in the desired way, that is when they demonstrate an ability to think critically, we praise them and point out what they are doing correctly, and tell them why it's correct. After a few of these experiences, it's hoped the children can think critically independently, in various subjects.
Think we are on the same page with thinking critically. Modeling is the important key. Like how you mentioned a process. This is important for students to know, it isn't something that just happens. Also telling students what is expected is vital. If student don't know they are to thinking deep, then they won't.
DeleteI agree! Critical literacy isn't a unit we do in October and never touch again. It's an important lens with which students (and us) should read all texts. We should never simply take an author's word for it.
DeleteDiscussion Question: Have you done any activities or strategies to introduce or teach the concept of critical literacy in your classroom? If so, tell about them. If not, do you have an ideas about you would introduce and teach critical literacy?
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of books that lend themselves to differing points of view. Voices in the Park is a fun book that gives four points of view about the same afternoon in the park. I Wanna Iguana is another fun book that Dr. Griffith shared with us last semester. It is written in a series of notes between a mother and son, in which the son is trying to convince the mom he needs an iguana. Having students look at the same issue or event from multiple perspectives may be a more developmentally appropriate way to teach this concept for younger students.
DeleteGreat books! I liked reading those last year. I have not done much, besides having students make text to text, text to self, and text to world connections, but as seen from the texts we need to go deeper than that.
DeleteI think a great place to start would be with advertisements. Students of all ages can tell you all about their favorite commercial, I think building on how we are influenced by these types of texts would be a great place to start.
I like to have my students work in pairs answering questions. Working in groups helps kids see different views and also work together to find common ground. I ask a lot of open ended questions. Beautiful Oops and The Big Orange Splot are good books for young kids that talk about thinking differently and being different. It fosters creativity as well!
DeleteI think using advertisements is genius--print or video clips of commercials. Even younger kids can understand that the purpose of those ads to get people to buy the product. You discuss who would probably buy a Barbie or video game or play-doh, and who probably wouldn't. Discussing those ideas would be fun way to talk about author's purpose and being a critical consumer.
DeleteKaitlin I like your idea of working in groups! Sometimes I would have the students turn to a partner on the floor and talk for a second about their opinion on something. I think we could use the floor partner technique to ask students on their opinion of what the author's purpose was and what their thoughts are about a topic in the book.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I add when kids work in groups, is I don't ask for their answers, I say now tell me your partners answers. This gets both kids talking and actually listening. How often have we as grown ups worked in groups and waited till it was our turn to talk and while waiting we are thinking about what we are going to say... I'm guilty sadly.
DeleteWOW, great idea, Kaitlin. I have not thought to use that technique of telling your partner's answer. I will definitely be implementing that part immediately!
DeleteWell said! I"m looking forward to including these ideas in the iBook!
ReplyDelete