In conclusion to the book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12, by Cris Tovani, in regards to the strategies she has spoken about in her book (highlighters, sticky notes, accessible text, assessments, journal entries, group work). She states, "none of these activities are fancy or complicated. I hope that as you finish reading this book, you are saying to yourself, "I can do this." Sure you can. You know more about reading instruction than you think." I like that she realizes some of the reading comprehension strategies she uses in her classroom work for her and her students, but will not work well for other teachers and their students. It is great to get ideas from teachers and students to see what will work best each year. The more I learn as a teacher, the more I can teach my students and figure out what works best. Each year will be different because myself as the teacher changes, the students change, and the content and focus changes. Therefore I cannot expect to teach the same way year after year and expect students to excel.
When I return to teaching, I will try to use some of these strategies that Tovani has used, I also anticipate to learn new strategies and think on the spot, to determine and meet the needs of students. As a teacher I have committed to being a life-long learner. I expect to change every year of teaching, at times I may refer to traditional strategies or I may need to evolve to more technical or modern ways of teaching. The thing I can count on, is that teaching changes everyday, I will use different strategies to be prepared and teach in the best possible way.
I found that this book fit into the framework of our course and the theories we have learned. Tovani uses examples of and expects that her students will draw on previous known information which ties to James Paul Gee's Discourses theories. Tovani thinks that discussions are a great way to increase student understanding , which ties into Janet Emig, stating that "talking is natural." In regards to Rosenblatt she also states that "a conversation is a temporal activity, a back and forth process. Each person has to come to the transaction with an individual history, manifested in what has been termed a linguistic-experiential reservoir."
"If teachers become distant from their own learning they will most certainly become distant from the learning of their students." - Alisa Wills-Keely.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Assessment
Assessment is usually a word that brings confusion and stress to teachers and students. What is assessment for and who benefits from it? Are there many ways to assess one thing, or many things? The answers are that assessment is for everyone and there are many ways to assess one thing. It is becoming increasingly important to meet Standardized testing criteria, which places stress on the teacher to teach specifics and stress on students that they need to have one correct answer for each question posed. Luckily in the classroom, teachers can teach and run their classroom in creative ways to help themselves teach in the best possible way and for students to learn and be assessed in different ways.
In her book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she give some examples of how she tests what students know by redefining assessments. She gives them exams that help them learn what they have learned about themselves as readers. Here are some sample questions from her Reading Final Exam (keep in mind this is geared towards high school seniors).
1. Attached to this sheet is the definition of reading you wrote for me during the first week of the semester. Look at your definition, and think about all that you know about reading. Compare your new knowledge of reading with what you used to know.
2. Define metacognition. Why is it important? give a real world example of metacognition. Be specific and thorough in explaining your example.
3. You are reading a very difficult text, one that doesn't make sense on a first read. List at least five strategies you could employ to help you understand the reading.
4. You are reading a difficult textbook. You have little background knowledge about the topic. Answer the following:
a.) How do you know you are confused? (list five signals that indicate confusion.)
b.) List two strategies you could use to keep your mind from wandering. Explain how each strategy will help you construct meaning.
c.) List five strategies you could use to fix up meaning.
I think these are great assessment questions that really show the student how they have progressed and learned new strategies towards reading difficult text. This type of assessment, requiring open-ended responses, are geared toward showing the student what he or she has learned by sharing their thinking. As teachers change their teaching styles to accommodate different types of assessment, students will also change their ways of thinking and responding. Teachers will learn to guide students in the direction of thinking, discussing and students will respond accordingly by discussing their thoughts and finding many possible solutions to one answer.
Cris Tovani lists what works for her assessments.
1. Decide what you want to assess. Give a variety of ways for student to demonstrate understanding. Base your assessments on what you value. One test won't measure everything.
2. Design assessments that are checkpoints for understanding. Because learning is an ongoing process, assessment should also be an ongoing piece of your classroom.
3. Teach students how to use the assessment tool. Don't let format interfere with demonstration of knowledge.
I like that Tovani gives many examples of what works in her classroom. It is good to get different ideas and pick and choose what would work in my future classroom. Teaching and learning are lifelong non-stop practices, getting references from experienced teachers can be helpful.
In her book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she give some examples of how she tests what students know by redefining assessments. She gives them exams that help them learn what they have learned about themselves as readers. Here are some sample questions from her Reading Final Exam (keep in mind this is geared towards high school seniors).
1. Attached to this sheet is the definition of reading you wrote for me during the first week of the semester. Look at your definition, and think about all that you know about reading. Compare your new knowledge of reading with what you used to know.
2. Define metacognition. Why is it important? give a real world example of metacognition. Be specific and thorough in explaining your example.
3. You are reading a very difficult text, one that doesn't make sense on a first read. List at least five strategies you could employ to help you understand the reading.
4. You are reading a difficult textbook. You have little background knowledge about the topic. Answer the following:
a.) How do you know you are confused? (list five signals that indicate confusion.)
b.) List two strategies you could use to keep your mind from wandering. Explain how each strategy will help you construct meaning.
c.) List five strategies you could use to fix up meaning.
I think these are great assessment questions that really show the student how they have progressed and learned new strategies towards reading difficult text. This type of assessment, requiring open-ended responses, are geared toward showing the student what he or she has learned by sharing their thinking. As teachers change their teaching styles to accommodate different types of assessment, students will also change their ways of thinking and responding. Teachers will learn to guide students in the direction of thinking, discussing and students will respond accordingly by discussing their thoughts and finding many possible solutions to one answer.
Cris Tovani lists what works for her assessments.
1. Decide what you want to assess. Give a variety of ways for student to demonstrate understanding. Base your assessments on what you value. One test won't measure everything.
2. Design assessments that are checkpoints for understanding. Because learning is an ongoing process, assessment should also be an ongoing piece of your classroom.
3. Teach students how to use the assessment tool. Don't let format interfere with demonstration of knowledge.
I like that Tovani gives many examples of what works in her classroom. It is good to get different ideas and pick and choose what would work in my future classroom. Teaching and learning are lifelong non-stop practices, getting references from experienced teachers can be helpful.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Small Groups
I am sure that most, if not all teaches have tried using small groups in their classes. Small groups are a great idea for students to connect and discuss text or writing assignments. They can share ideas and ask questions. Unfortunately, small group work can also be distracting. Students can sit in groups discussing everything but the work they are assigned to do. With the right guidance group work can be beneficial to individual students and the teacher. From the book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she lists the following reasons for having students do group work.
Discussion...stimulates higher levels of thinking,
develops social skills,
develops listening skills,
encourages articulation of thinking,
honors all learners,
holds kids accountable,
helps students remember,
allows students to make connections,
allows others to see different perspectives, and promotes deeper understanding.
To help student stay on task, and for them to know you are paying attention to what they are doing, it helps to have a rubric or group observation form, to record their individual participation. While they are in groups, walk around and let the class see that you are listening and will grade the group project, but that individual work and participation is also being graded. The rubric helps the teacher to assess and be involved, without being overbearing to each group.
Before establishing group work, establish guidelines for group work. Have students set their own goals while working in groups. Some students may voice that they don't want to work with the kids who are lazy, who have not read the text, who are not prepared, or who talk the entire time. After hearing their concerns for group work, come up with solutions. For instance, the kid who usually talks the entire time is the one who has to record everything, the one who hasn't read the material goes to sit in the corner and read for five minutes, or for the kid who doesn't talk or contribute each kid has to respond a certain number of times. Having some guidelines will keep students on track and they will know what is expected of them each time they are in groups.
In chapter 7 of this book, I thought Tovani did a good job in setting guideline for group work. I like her take on curriculum. "Curriculum is often thought of as a set of specific knowledge, skills or books to be covered. I propose instead that we think of curriculum as a set of important conversations that we want students to engage in."
Discussion...stimulates higher levels of thinking,
develops social skills,
develops listening skills,
encourages articulation of thinking,
honors all learners,
holds kids accountable,
helps students remember,
allows students to make connections,
allows others to see different perspectives, and promotes deeper understanding.
To help student stay on task, and for them to know you are paying attention to what they are doing, it helps to have a rubric or group observation form, to record their individual participation. While they are in groups, walk around and let the class see that you are listening and will grade the group project, but that individual work and participation is also being graded. The rubric helps the teacher to assess and be involved, without being overbearing to each group.
Before establishing group work, establish guidelines for group work. Have students set their own goals while working in groups. Some students may voice that they don't want to work with the kids who are lazy, who have not read the text, who are not prepared, or who talk the entire time. After hearing their concerns for group work, come up with solutions. For instance, the kid who usually talks the entire time is the one who has to record everything, the one who hasn't read the material goes to sit in the corner and read for five minutes, or for the kid who doesn't talk or contribute each kid has to respond a certain number of times. Having some guidelines will keep students on track and they will know what is expected of them each time they are in groups.
In chapter 7 of this book, I thought Tovani did a good job in setting guideline for group work. I like her take on curriculum. "Curriculum is often thought of as a set of specific knowledge, skills or books to be covered. I propose instead that we think of curriculum as a set of important conversations that we want students to engage in."
Monday, July 1, 2013
Even Experts Have Questions!
As teachers we are expected to be experts in our field. Our students view us as experts in our field. We need to model to them that even teachers and experts have questions about the text we read. When I am teaching, I need to model that I am a reader and a writer, and that I question the text that I read and write. I can model that there is not always one exact answer for each question.
A great way to model questioning text is to write down your questions before class and show them to your class. Read each question to them and then have them read specific parts of the text. This should begin some good pre-reading discussion about the upcoming text. This will also help students develop their own questions while reading. Comparing questions may also help students compare and contrast the level of understanding just by the questions they ask. Often times, experts in that specific content area will have more sophisticated questions.
In this book, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she uses comprehension constructors. "A comprehension constructor is a concrete way of taking students though an abstract process, and the simpler and more authentic it is, the better." An example of a comprehension constructor is a journal entry. Journal entries try to get students to connect information with other places or activities. Using accessible text will prompt more thinking and using the comprehension constructor will help students to achieve multiple answers. Try and stay away from worksheets that only guide or allow one question answers. To prompt a discussion, teachers can ask students to picture the text as a movie. When students view the text as a movie they can compare and contrast the characters, the scene and give details about what they envision.
"Asking questions is a signal that you are constructing meaning. Readers who don't ask questions are often disengaged and unable to remember what they've read." Questions help readers hold their thoughts and begin discussions about the text. Questions keep the discussion focused and keep it form turning into a free for all discussion.
A great way to model questioning text is to write down your questions before class and show them to your class. Read each question to them and then have them read specific parts of the text. This should begin some good pre-reading discussion about the upcoming text. This will also help students develop their own questions while reading. Comparing questions may also help students compare and contrast the level of understanding just by the questions they ask. Often times, experts in that specific content area will have more sophisticated questions.
In this book, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she uses comprehension constructors. "A comprehension constructor is a concrete way of taking students though an abstract process, and the simpler and more authentic it is, the better." An example of a comprehension constructor is a journal entry. Journal entries try to get students to connect information with other places or activities. Using accessible text will prompt more thinking and using the comprehension constructor will help students to achieve multiple answers. Try and stay away from worksheets that only guide or allow one question answers. To prompt a discussion, teachers can ask students to picture the text as a movie. When students view the text as a movie they can compare and contrast the characters, the scene and give details about what they envision.
"Asking questions is a signal that you are constructing meaning. Readers who don't ask questions are often disengaged and unable to remember what they've read." Questions help readers hold their thoughts and begin discussions about the text. Questions keep the discussion focused and keep it form turning into a free for all discussion.
KICK ME
Some of the strategies that Cris Tovani explains in her book, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? include the use of highlighters and sticky notes. She uses and explains that these strategies are important to help students hold their thoughts about the text. She does state that these tools can be disruptive and get old, that is why it is important to have many strategies and focused text to keep students attention.
Tovani suggests using a yellow highlighter to mark text that is difficult, a pink one to highlight information that is understandable and a different color to highlight the purpose of the text. I think this is a great idea, but I also think it can a bit time confusing and distracting to keep grabbing a different colored highlighter often.
Another strategy that Tovani describes is the use of sticky notes. She has her students write down their thoughts, the purpose or any questions that they think of. She does say that this method can get old and students get tired of using highlighters and sticky notes. Teachers are great at implementing other strategies to keep students interested and on task. Tovani also states that students she has worked with will use the sticky notes to write KICK ME notes and post on someone's back. But that gets old too and students will eventually come around to using them for the purpose of holding their thoughts while reading. Tovani will have students write their thoughts on the sticky notes and she will grade the sticky notes, which she claims is easier than grading and taking home lots of papers. A good thing to remember and to keep students on track is for them to write the page number of what they are questioning or referencing on the sticky note.
An issue with using highlighters and sticky notes is where and how to get them. She suggests having students bring them in by adding them to the supply list. This always sounds like a good idea and fair enough for students to bring them in. Unfortunately in the real world students cant afford or they forget to bring in extra supplies. The teacher usually ends up bringing these materials in. But if its a great strategy then its worth it.
Using different strategies is important to help reach a variety of students. As expected there are challenges and difficulty with each strategy, but it is important to keep things interesting for students so that they don't go into zombie mode in class. Highlighters and sticky notes may work for some and not others. Just try strategies until you can find one that works for you or your students.
Tovani suggests using a yellow highlighter to mark text that is difficult, a pink one to highlight information that is understandable and a different color to highlight the purpose of the text. I think this is a great idea, but I also think it can a bit time confusing and distracting to keep grabbing a different colored highlighter often.
Another strategy that Tovani describes is the use of sticky notes. She has her students write down their thoughts, the purpose or any questions that they think of. She does say that this method can get old and students get tired of using highlighters and sticky notes. Teachers are great at implementing other strategies to keep students interested and on task. Tovani also states that students she has worked with will use the sticky notes to write KICK ME notes and post on someone's back. But that gets old too and students will eventually come around to using them for the purpose of holding their thoughts while reading. Tovani will have students write their thoughts on the sticky notes and she will grade the sticky notes, which she claims is easier than grading and taking home lots of papers. A good thing to remember and to keep students on track is for them to write the page number of what they are questioning or referencing on the sticky note.
An issue with using highlighters and sticky notes is where and how to get them. She suggests having students bring them in by adding them to the supply list. This always sounds like a good idea and fair enough for students to bring them in. Unfortunately in the real world students cant afford or they forget to bring in extra supplies. The teacher usually ends up bringing these materials in. But if its a great strategy then its worth it.
Using different strategies is important to help reach a variety of students. As expected there are challenges and difficulty with each strategy, but it is important to keep things interesting for students so that they don't go into zombie mode in class. Highlighters and sticky notes may work for some and not others. Just try strategies until you can find one that works for you or your students.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Purpose
In the book "Do I Really Have To Teach Reading?" by Cris Tovani, she stresses the importance of knowing the purpose for reading a selected text. In her book she lists Determining Possible Purposes which are as follows;
"Decide how you will hold your thinking as you read. What does the teacher want you to do with the information? Maybe your purpose is to answer questions or write and essay later. What thinking do you need to hold?"
1. Look for interesting details that could have multiple meanings. Ask yourself, "why did the author or cartoonist add that detail?"
2. Ask questions about the title and subtitle. Try to figure our how the title and subtitle are connected to the piece.
3. Ask questions about the piece. As you read, record the questions and keep them in the back of your mind. Look for the answers as you read. If you don't find the answers, ask the questions the next day in class.
4. Look for the author's opinion. Compare his or her opinion with your own. Does the author agree or disagree with you?
5. Read a piece to learn new information. Is there anything in the reading that helps you understand the topic better?
6. Make a connection to the piece. Does the piece remind you of an experience, a movie, or information you already know? Does the connection help you relate to a person or situation? Use information you have about the topic to connect more personally to the piece.
7. Who is the author? Do you know anything about the author and his or her style of writing? Is he or she sarcastic or serious? Is he or she politically conservative or liberal? what you know about the author might help you anticipate what is coming in the reading.
These seven point and related questions are designed to help readers find the purpose of the text. Having clues to find the purpose leads to greater understanding and willingness to complete the text. As teachers we should prepare our students for a selected piece and have them try to answer the above questions, and or create their own questions in relation to the teachers purpose for reading. When a student is armed with ways to find the purpose they will be more willing to read pieces that that may seem boring or not important to the real world. Teaching students these strategies will help them when they are reading to find a purpose from a future college course or a potential job. They will be able to see a boring or unnecessary piece of text and at least read it to get our the main purpose(s).
"Decide how you will hold your thinking as you read. What does the teacher want you to do with the information? Maybe your purpose is to answer questions or write and essay later. What thinking do you need to hold?"
1. Look for interesting details that could have multiple meanings. Ask yourself, "why did the author or cartoonist add that detail?"
2. Ask questions about the title and subtitle. Try to figure our how the title and subtitle are connected to the piece.
3. Ask questions about the piece. As you read, record the questions and keep them in the back of your mind. Look for the answers as you read. If you don't find the answers, ask the questions the next day in class.
4. Look for the author's opinion. Compare his or her opinion with your own. Does the author agree or disagree with you?
5. Read a piece to learn new information. Is there anything in the reading that helps you understand the topic better?
6. Make a connection to the piece. Does the piece remind you of an experience, a movie, or information you already know? Does the connection help you relate to a person or situation? Use information you have about the topic to connect more personally to the piece.
7. Who is the author? Do you know anything about the author and his or her style of writing? Is he or she sarcastic or serious? Is he or she politically conservative or liberal? what you know about the author might help you anticipate what is coming in the reading.
These seven point and related questions are designed to help readers find the purpose of the text. Having clues to find the purpose leads to greater understanding and willingness to complete the text. As teachers we should prepare our students for a selected piece and have them try to answer the above questions, and or create their own questions in relation to the teachers purpose for reading. When a student is armed with ways to find the purpose they will be more willing to read pieces that that may seem boring or not important to the real world. Teaching students these strategies will help them when they are reading to find a purpose from a future college course or a potential job. They will be able to see a boring or unnecessary piece of text and at least read it to get our the main purpose(s).
Focus
As teachers become experts in their field it is easy to want to include all topics and as much information as possible into the content curriculum. It becomes difficult to expect students to remember and read everything that we know is important. We need to remember what it is like to be the student and what its like to read a new piece of material. Teachers can become so involved in the content that they "don't know what to leave in and what to take out." (Tovani) To prevent information overload we need to focus our instruction and narrow down the purpose for a text. "start with the essential then add the details." (Tovani) Focusing our instruction allows us to get focused information from the student.
Tovani gives the following for "What is your instructional purpose?"
1. Decide what students should know after reading the piece. Focus on essential information only.
2. Anticipate what might cause student difficulty. Are students lacking background knowledge? Will difficult vocabulary interfere with meaning? Will difficult concepts need to be explained further? Is the text about challenging subject matter?
3. Model how you would negotiate difficulty. Try thinking out loud at one of the places where you anticipate students will experience difficulty. Give them a tip on how to negotiate the next part.
4. What do you want them to be able to do with the information once they have finished reading? How will they hold their thinking so they can return to it later to use in a discussion, a paper, or a project?
5. Model how they should hold their thinking and provide tools. Should they mark text, use sticky notes, complete a double entry diary?
These five points of instructional purpose points, are created for each class by each teacher to give students a clear understanding of what is expected of them to learn from the text. "A clear instructional purpose can greatly improve a readers comprehension because the reader has an indication to what to read for." (Tovani) Having a clear focus on what we want our students to learn gives them a better understanding of the text. It also makes it easier for the teacher so that you don't have to plan to cover every detail and have lots of confused students. Focused instruction provides focused feedback. Then the teacher can decide what the class needs to know or if repetition is necessary and discuss other topics without losing the main purpose(s).
Tovani gives the following for "What is your instructional purpose?"
1. Decide what students should know after reading the piece. Focus on essential information only.
2. Anticipate what might cause student difficulty. Are students lacking background knowledge? Will difficult vocabulary interfere with meaning? Will difficult concepts need to be explained further? Is the text about challenging subject matter?
3. Model how you would negotiate difficulty. Try thinking out loud at one of the places where you anticipate students will experience difficulty. Give them a tip on how to negotiate the next part.
4. What do you want them to be able to do with the information once they have finished reading? How will they hold their thinking so they can return to it later to use in a discussion, a paper, or a project?
5. Model how they should hold their thinking and provide tools. Should they mark text, use sticky notes, complete a double entry diary?
These five points of instructional purpose points, are created for each class by each teacher to give students a clear understanding of what is expected of them to learn from the text. "A clear instructional purpose can greatly improve a readers comprehension because the reader has an indication to what to read for." (Tovani) Having a clear focus on what we want our students to learn gives them a better understanding of the text. It also makes it easier for the teacher so that you don't have to plan to cover every detail and have lots of confused students. Focused instruction provides focused feedback. Then the teacher can decide what the class needs to know or if repetition is necessary and discuss other topics without losing the main purpose(s).
Be a good reading model
Being a good reading model allows yourself to show students that even though you are an expert in your field it is still okay to struggle with some text. When modeling how to read, it is good to show patience, strategies, and model that you are thinking while reading. Demonstrate patience by allowing yourself time to think about words that are difficult. Demonstrate use of strategies by using highlighters and model thinking about the text by asking and writing questions and relating the text to other areas. Of course there are different ways to model patience, strategies and thinking, it depends on the teacher and individual to choose what works for them. One of Tovani's teaching points is "Good readers use information from a variety of sources to connect to daily events and affect their lives." Being a good reader allows us to make connections to what we read to other events, we can demonstrate those connections with students. Having classroom discussions about the text and having students come up with questions and make connections is a great way to help everyone in the classroom understand the text.
Tovani explains that it is important to use different text sets in the classroom. While it is important to use a textbook in class, its not the only text that should be used. Students should have the opportunity to explore different text sets to grasp the same meaning. "Text sets are designed to give reluctant readers a choice of interesting and accessible text." An example of a text set in a physical education class would include text that is designed around health, fitness, wellness and drug, alcohol use and information from organizations such as the American Council on Exercise. Accessible text would include clips from internet writing, photos, newspaper or magazine articles, picture books, recipes, brochures or charts and graphs. Providing information from different sources makes reading less daunting to students. Text sets allow for students to read text that is less difficult, more difficult and sometimes just right. As teachers we should allow our students different opportunities to practice reading. Practicing reading is what makes us all better readers.
As teachers we are often coming up with ways to get our students interested in reading. We can often come up with great strategies, but most of the time we can keep it simple. Being a good model, displaying patience, strategies and thinking while we are reading can provide a great example to students. As teachers we can come up with text sets and accessible text, but we need to remember to allow the students to do the work in order for them to understand.
Tovani explains that it is important to use different text sets in the classroom. While it is important to use a textbook in class, its not the only text that should be used. Students should have the opportunity to explore different text sets to grasp the same meaning. "Text sets are designed to give reluctant readers a choice of interesting and accessible text." An example of a text set in a physical education class would include text that is designed around health, fitness, wellness and drug, alcohol use and information from organizations such as the American Council on Exercise. Accessible text would include clips from internet writing, photos, newspaper or magazine articles, picture books, recipes, brochures or charts and graphs. Providing information from different sources makes reading less daunting to students. Text sets allow for students to read text that is less difficult, more difficult and sometimes just right. As teachers we should allow our students different opportunities to practice reading. Practicing reading is what makes us all better readers.
As teachers we are often coming up with ways to get our students interested in reading. We can often come up with great strategies, but most of the time we can keep it simple. Being a good model, displaying patience, strategies and thinking while we are reading can provide a great example to students. As teachers we can come up with text sets and accessible text, but we need to remember to allow the students to do the work in order for them to understand.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
A Challenging Piece of Text
The following quote is taken from Cris Tovani from her book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading. "Whenever I do a workshop for teachers, the first thing I do is give them a chance to read a challenging piece of text. My reasoning is that most teachers know their content so well and are so familiar with their reading material that they aren't aware of the thinking process they use to make sense of text. By giving them something challenging to read, I can force teachers to see all that is involved in the meaning-making process." I thought this was relevant to how our LLSS 538, Teaching Reading through the Content Field course, because this is similar to how our course began. At the beginning of the semester, as a class, we were assigned three articles that our instructor warned us may be difficult text. We were asked to complete the text then as a class we had an asynchronous discussion. In the process of the asynchronous discussion, we were able to make sense of the test by using different strategies.
As a teacher it is important to remember that there are many types of learners with varying strategies for understanding text. Tovani expresses the point that reading strategies don't have to be difficult and ten different colored highlighters aren't always the answer for remembering and understanding text. Tovani likes to ask her students; "So What?" one of the simplest things a teacher can do to help readers make connections to the text is ask them "So What?" If a reader can ask themselves this question and come up with an answer then it helps them to ask more of the text and make connections to the text. The following is Tovani's "So What?" Thinking strategy.
(this should be in a clockwise cyclical form)
Text (1st)
Bring the thinking back (6th) connection (2nd)
to the text
More thinking strategies (3rd)
How does this thinking (5th)
help you better understand ask a question
the text? draw a conclusion
visualize
sift & sort
recognize confusion
So What? (4th)
Tovani developed this thinking strategy because a high school student kept asking her "so what?" when Tovani told students that the text was important.
This has been interesting to read. This book has made me reflect on how I used reading material in my classroom as a physical education teacher. Tovani explains that all teachers no matter their subject, are responsible for teaching their students how to read.
As a teacher it is important to remember that there are many types of learners with varying strategies for understanding text. Tovani expresses the point that reading strategies don't have to be difficult and ten different colored highlighters aren't always the answer for remembering and understanding text. Tovani likes to ask her students; "So What?" one of the simplest things a teacher can do to help readers make connections to the text is ask them "So What?" If a reader can ask themselves this question and come up with an answer then it helps them to ask more of the text and make connections to the text. The following is Tovani's "So What?" Thinking strategy.
(this should be in a clockwise cyclical form)
Text (1st)
Bring the thinking back (6th) connection (2nd)
to the text
More thinking strategies (3rd)
How does this thinking (5th)
help you better understand ask a question
the text? draw a conclusion
visualize
sift & sort
recognize confusion
So What? (4th)
Tovani developed this thinking strategy because a high school student kept asking her "so what?" when Tovani told students that the text was important.
This has been interesting to read. This book has made me reflect on how I used reading material in my classroom as a physical education teacher. Tovani explains that all teachers no matter their subject, are responsible for teaching their students how to read.
Some background information
I have read some of the other posts in our class. They all are great and I look forward to reading and learning more from the students in class. I started blogging last semester for Penny's Digital Technology class. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it was great. The previous posts are from a book I read last semester.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
New book: Do I Really Have to Teach Reading by Cris Tovani
Hello,
The book I am going to be blogging about is Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Content Comprehension Grades 6-12 by Cris Tovani.
This has been a great book to read. I will blog about some of the ideas I have read about so far. These ideas seem adaptable to perform in the classroom.
More to come......
The book I am going to be blogging about is Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Content Comprehension Grades 6-12 by Cris Tovani.
This has been a great book to read. I will blog about some of the ideas I have read about so far. These ideas seem adaptable to perform in the classroom.
More to come......
Saturday, March 30, 2013
TV or Face to Face time: Does it Matter?
Often times parents think that the words they speak to their children don't matter. Are the kids even paying attention anyway? It turns out that yes, what parents say matters to their children. Use language that is appropriate for your child and help your child learn words to increase their vocabulary. It is important for parents to ask their child about their feelings, past or current events and to use a language with children that allows the child to increase his or her vocabulary. Babies as young as six months can recognize new words. Parents need to do all they can to help their child have a wide vocabulary base by the age of four.
By the age of four, it can be obvious if a child has an increased or decreased vocabulary. Decreased vocabulary is associated with lower income families therefore greater vocabulary is associated with higher income households. The vocabulary spoken in lower income households, is typically more simple everyday vocabulary such as, do you want more juice? where language spoken in higher income households, for example was, "we need to stop at the intersection to let the 18 wheeler go by". Conversation in higher income households also consisted of asking children about their feelings, and past or current events and questions were more specific.
Does it matter if a child learns vocabulary from a television or from real conversation? Yes, it does matter. When a child learns a word from television, it does not mean that the child understands the language. In Lisa Guernsey's book Screen Time: From Baby Videos to Educational Software-Affects Your Young Child, She notes that "developmental psychologists and cognitive scientists are starting to discover just how much a person requires real, person to person contact to learn language. This interaction is something that televisions, DVDs or even interactive computer programs cannot replicate". Some parents of children who appear to have a speech delay, think they should buy DVDs that encourage language. In most cases, the parent can "just describe what is going on to help their child learn language". Speaking in slow, enunciated patterns helps children learn language. Parents need to remember that "if raised in normal loving households, babies learn to speak without much intervention".
Language/educational DVDs and television programming lack the "evidence that electronic media alone can teach someone language, how to string verbs and nouns and prepositions together in a meaningful way, how to communicate ideas through speech". This does not mean that television and DVDs do not teach anything at all. Any parent who allows their child to watch television, can share an experience in which the child has copied language or behavior from television. This behavior and language can be good or bad. Some children demonstrate violent behavior and some demonstrate caring and sharing behavior. It just depends on what the child is exposed to.
"Education experts say that a child's level of vocabulary before entering school is a strong predicator of her academic performance years down the road". Therefore if you have young children or care for any young children, you should encourage face to face interaction with lots of vocabulary. This will help them improve their chances of a successful educational career.
By the age of four, it can be obvious if a child has an increased or decreased vocabulary. Decreased vocabulary is associated with lower income families therefore greater vocabulary is associated with higher income households. The vocabulary spoken in lower income households, is typically more simple everyday vocabulary such as, do you want more juice? where language spoken in higher income households, for example was, "we need to stop at the intersection to let the 18 wheeler go by". Conversation in higher income households also consisted of asking children about their feelings, and past or current events and questions were more specific.
Does it matter if a child learns vocabulary from a television or from real conversation? Yes, it does matter. When a child learns a word from television, it does not mean that the child understands the language. In Lisa Guernsey's book Screen Time: From Baby Videos to Educational Software-Affects Your Young Child, She notes that "developmental psychologists and cognitive scientists are starting to discover just how much a person requires real, person to person contact to learn language. This interaction is something that televisions, DVDs or even interactive computer programs cannot replicate". Some parents of children who appear to have a speech delay, think they should buy DVDs that encourage language. In most cases, the parent can "just describe what is going on to help their child learn language". Speaking in slow, enunciated patterns helps children learn language. Parents need to remember that "if raised in normal loving households, babies learn to speak without much intervention".
Language/educational DVDs and television programming lack the "evidence that electronic media alone can teach someone language, how to string verbs and nouns and prepositions together in a meaningful way, how to communicate ideas through speech". This does not mean that television and DVDs do not teach anything at all. Any parent who allows their child to watch television, can share an experience in which the child has copied language or behavior from television. This behavior and language can be good or bad. Some children demonstrate violent behavior and some demonstrate caring and sharing behavior. It just depends on what the child is exposed to.
"Education experts say that a child's level of vocabulary before entering school is a strong predicator of her academic performance years down the road". Therefore if you have young children or care for any young children, you should encourage face to face interaction with lots of vocabulary. This will help them improve their chances of a successful educational career.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Rated G
Most cartoons are rated G, with the G rating only meaning that the content does not contain sex, violence or explicit language. But Have you ever been watching a cartoon and there is a "scary" scene? think about some of the sceens in Toy Story, the witch in Snow White, the hyena scene in Lion King. Some of these movies which are widely viewed by children as young as age 2, 3,4 and 5 are usually intended for children over the age of 6.
Children can pick up on the emotion from the movie though the scene or the music. You may notice your child will get scared while watching rated G Disney movie. Even babies who are held while watching a movie, either rated G or R can pick up on the emotions from their mother while she is holding them during the movie. The baby may not be able to understand the content, but picks up on the mothers emotional reaction. The lasting impact of "scary" movie scenes is not yet understood. Usually if a child views a scary scene over and over again, they will remember it. But hopefully if they only view it once, they should not remember it. Although I think that is an individual reaction.
If you think your child has bad memories from a movie you can ask them to draw the movie and how they feel when they watch it. You can also pretend play parts of the movie, this should give you feedback on how your child feels during or towards the movie.
Lisa Guernsey's book, Screen Time: How Electronic Media-From Baby Video's to Educational Software -Affects Your Young Child details a study performed in 1971. This study divided preschoolers into two groups. Both groups exhibited similar play styles before the study. One group was exposed to violent cartoon programming and the other was the control group which watched non-violent cartoons. "After several weeks of exposure, the kids watching violent programs were kicking, chocking or hitting their classmates more often than were children from the control group".
"So far, I can only conclude that parents will do best to consider the needs and personalities of their own children. Some kids are especially sensitive" (Guernsey). Again, it is up to the parent to control what their child watches. Even some rated G cartoon movies require some fast forwarding through some scenes.
"The following review sites can help parents sort out which children's movies are appropriate for very young children and avoid the ones that might be upsetting them". (Guernsey, Appendix I).
Parents Choice
www.parentschoice.com
"A well designed site that spotlights media that is appropriate and engaging for children. Using the product finder you can so a search on, say, home videos for 2 year olds"
Family Entertainment Finder from ParentCenter.com
Parentcenter.babycenter.com/-reiews/
"This site makes clear from the outset whether a movie, DVD, or show will be appropriate for a child under age 4. You'll see "4+" or "3+" next to the symbols at the top of the review"
The Movie Mom
movies.yahoo.com/my/moviemom/
"Nell Minow, the "Movie Mom" can also be heard on radio stations around the county every week"
Parents Television Council
www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/moviereviews/main.asp
"Although it is knows primarily for its analyses of violence and sex in television programming, the PTC also offers movie reviews with age guidelines and descriptions of the parts of the movie that might upset very young viewers"
Children can pick up on the emotion from the movie though the scene or the music. You may notice your child will get scared while watching rated G Disney movie. Even babies who are held while watching a movie, either rated G or R can pick up on the emotions from their mother while she is holding them during the movie. The baby may not be able to understand the content, but picks up on the mothers emotional reaction. The lasting impact of "scary" movie scenes is not yet understood. Usually if a child views a scary scene over and over again, they will remember it. But hopefully if they only view it once, they should not remember it. Although I think that is an individual reaction.
If you think your child has bad memories from a movie you can ask them to draw the movie and how they feel when they watch it. You can also pretend play parts of the movie, this should give you feedback on how your child feels during or towards the movie.
Lisa Guernsey's book, Screen Time: How Electronic Media-From Baby Video's to Educational Software -Affects Your Young Child details a study performed in 1971. This study divided preschoolers into two groups. Both groups exhibited similar play styles before the study. One group was exposed to violent cartoon programming and the other was the control group which watched non-violent cartoons. "After several weeks of exposure, the kids watching violent programs were kicking, chocking or hitting their classmates more often than were children from the control group".
"So far, I can only conclude that parents will do best to consider the needs and personalities of their own children. Some kids are especially sensitive" (Guernsey). Again, it is up to the parent to control what their child watches. Even some rated G cartoon movies require some fast forwarding through some scenes.
"The following review sites can help parents sort out which children's movies are appropriate for very young children and avoid the ones that might be upsetting them". (Guernsey, Appendix I).
Parents Choice
www.parentschoice.com
"A well designed site that spotlights media that is appropriate and engaging for children. Using the product finder you can so a search on, say, home videos for 2 year olds"
Family Entertainment Finder from ParentCenter.com
Parentcenter.babycenter.com/-reiews/
"This site makes clear from the outset whether a movie, DVD, or show will be appropriate for a child under age 4. You'll see "4+" or "3+" next to the symbols at the top of the review"
The Movie Mom
movies.yahoo.com/my/moviemom/
"Nell Minow, the "Movie Mom" can also be heard on radio stations around the county every week"
Parents Television Council
www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/moviereviews/main.asp
"Although it is knows primarily for its analyses of violence and sex in television programming, the PTC also offers movie reviews with age guidelines and descriptions of the parts of the movie that might upset very young viewers"
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Watch TV in moderation
Is television beneficial or harmful to young children? There is not yet enough studies done on young children (ages 0-5yrs). The reason there is not adequate research is because children from ages 0 to 5, typically do not stay in one place long enough to get results. Some parents say their child will watch television for two hours non stop, but researchers find that even if a child appears to be watching television for such a long duration, they in fact are not. When a child is watching television he or she will play with toys, snack, drink juice, cry, all of which are activities that take the mind away from the television set. Researchers have also stated that young children do not have the attention span to watch TV for such a long time. There are instances when a child perks up and tunes in when they recognize a certain song or character, but their attention quickly changes to something else. If parents are worried that their child likes television to much, then the parent needs to simply turn off the TV, and not always use it as an option for the child.
Some families have the television on all day everyday. Having the TV on all day can actually be more harmful than watching a thirty minute show. Having the TV turned on all day is harmful because the child cannot hear each word spoken, cannot not hear pauses between words, or questions. This is harmful because the young child may end up having language issues. The environment the child is in, is like one huge run on sentence. This is true for having the radio on all the time as well. So if you are one of those families or knows a family who always has the TV or radio on, consider turning it off. This will allow for more communication between parent and child. The child will benefit greatly from more parent attention. "Take heart, as a parent, that your child will learn just what he needs by watching, listening to and interacting with you."
A child does not need TV, everything they learn can be taught by a parent or loving adult and other children. Do not rely on TV as the only source of educational material in the household. When TV is used, use it in moderation. It is the responsibility of the parent to control the amount and type of TV a child watches.
Some families have the television on all day everyday. Having the TV on all day can actually be more harmful than watching a thirty minute show. Having the TV turned on all day is harmful because the child cannot hear each word spoken, cannot not hear pauses between words, or questions. This is harmful because the young child may end up having language issues. The environment the child is in, is like one huge run on sentence. This is true for having the radio on all the time as well. So if you are one of those families or knows a family who always has the TV or radio on, consider turning it off. This will allow for more communication between parent and child. The child will benefit greatly from more parent attention. "Take heart, as a parent, that your child will learn just what he needs by watching, listening to and interacting with you."
A child does not need TV, everything they learn can be taught by a parent or loving adult and other children. Do not rely on TV as the only source of educational material in the household. When TV is used, use it in moderation. It is the responsibility of the parent to control the amount and type of TV a child watches.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Does television cause ADHD?
Televison and most all technology receives a bad reputation especially when it come to toddlers and young children using it. Television has been thought of as something that is bad for children's eye sight and attention span. iPads and computers are generally thought of as bad for toddlers to use. Most technology has been thought of as bad for the brain and brain function, which causes some people to think that technology, television included, can lead to ADHD. Technology is an easy target for criticism because people of all ages use it for all different purposes.
Could television have an impact on children's health or developing ADHD? Lisa Guernsey's book Screen Time: How Electronic Media -from Baby Videos to Educational Software-Affects Your Young Child brings up an interesting point on ADHD. "ADHD experts are much more convinced that attention disorders might cause television use, instead of the other way around. Even at the tender ages of 1 and 3- the age of the children in Christakis's study- these kids may have been tough for their parents to manage. Perhaps naptimes were a struggle. Maybe these children were not content with a pile of toys and would instead start climbing the stairs, the furniture and the baby gates-behavior parents considered more dangerous than watching TV." Parent's with ADHD children have recieved a lot of criticism about their parenting strategies. Parents of ADHD children have been told that their child has ADHD because the child was exposed to too much televison. Reading this book has shown that this may not be the case, but that parents allowed their child to watch televison because they needed a break. ADHD is a genetic disorder, not the fault of a parent or their parental strategies.
Argument against toddlers using technology, like reading books on iPads, is that they are not developing fine motor skills used to handle a book and turn the pages. When toddlers use technology they are often viewed as having low attention spans, and being lost or bored with traditional forms of learning and literacy. The article Do They Really Think Differently? by Marc Prensky suggests that yes, toddlers and young children do think differently. Our world is technologically advanced and widely available to people of all ages. Because children have access to technology almost everywhere they go, they do develop a sense of boredom with traditional literacy and learning. They may be bored but do not have ADHD. They may just require more brain stimulus.
Televison, computers and iPads are not harmful to your toddler or young child. It is important to keep in mind that balance and moderation is the key to receiving benefits. Allowing children computer and television time is appropriate as long as you allow them time to socialize and learn and explore without the use of technology.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Parents often worry about the amount of television their young child watches and if they are following American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) television guidelines, which is, children under 2 should not watch television. That may be shocking to most, considering all the programming that is available for children 2 years and younger. There are lots of educational videos such as Baby Einstein, and televsion channels devoted to babies and development. Although most parents are concerned about the amount of television their young child watches, sometimes television is needed to give parents a break. When a child is sick, or when the parent needs a few minutes to complete a task, often times the television comes to the rescue in providing the parent with a few minutes of uninterrupted time from the child.
What happens to your child when he or she watches television? do they zone out, do they interact, do they continue to play with other toys? Lisa Guernsey author of Screen Time, How Media-From Baby Videos to Educational Software-Affects Your Young Child came up with what she calls the "three C's, Content, Context and your Child." When a child is watching television the parent should ask themself the three C's and determine if the program is appropriate for the child.
Is television ruining your child from developing other fine motor skills and social skills? There is no clear evidence that it is or is not. But when your child is watching televsion you can ask your self what other things your child can be doing instead. Your child could read a book, play cars, perform a puppet show, play with building blocks, the list goes on and on. It is important to make sure the television is not a babysitter and that your child get plenty of social interaction time and creative play time. When your child watches television it is important to interact with your child. Ask them questions about what is happening, ask them about colors and shapes, and try to repeat new words and meanings.
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