"Think about am experience when you may have had difficulty reading something. Chances are the piece with which you had difficulty was about something with which you had little background experience." This statement holds so much truth. I think back to high school days and the subjects that I struggled in. I struggled in Latin and its probably because I had no background in Latin (and no interest) therefore I paid no attention. Even in subjects such as Math this is true. Thinking about learning new topics in math and how I struggled, I can apply this quote and it starts to make a little bit of sense. When reading something its not just about pronouncing what you see in front of you, you need to also put meaning with the word. By putting meaning with a word it means having understanding. It is so often that Science textbooks are written in such a Monotone way. This monotone way also has a technical tone to it and to me, this is very unappealing to students. The next part covered in the bookclub is the Readability of Texts. this section is very important to me because if a book is not appropriate to the grade level or level of reading comprehension it will not provide effective learning. The way a science textbook is laid out can have a major impact on the readability of the text. If it does not have a understandable format chances are, it will be hard to understand and follow. Another part of this chapter that i really enjoyed and found important was the modeling strategies. It stated that when students had a teacher who modeled strategies for them, they were more likely to be able to solve a complex problem then those students who did not have strategies modeled for them. The final part I wanted to discuss about this chapter was how the chapter broke the roots of words down. As a Science major this is something that is so important to me. So many times you will come across a new word and at first glance you do not know what it means but...when you break the word down into pieces it all makes sence. See you next week!! Jen
I really enjoyed the second chapter of this book, for a lot of the same reasons you did Jen. I like how on page 2, Chamberlain defines reading as "more than pronouncing words that are printed on a page; reading includes bringing your own understanding to those words". Appropriate texts are essential in the science classroom. On the bottom of page 19, there was an example about the quality and readability of a 9th grade biology textbook that really stuck out for me. The class was asked to read the beginning of a chapter and then answer one question asking them to explain the concept in their own words. The students were having a lot of difficulty with this task because they had difficulty understanding the real-life applications of what they were reading. So the question is, how do we pick texts that are appropriate? The chapter suggested that teachers first model how to find material related to inquiry problems by using indexes and tables of contents. Modeling allows teachers to encourage students to use their critical-thinking skills. There were also some "pre-reading" strategies. Students who struggle with reading should know how to spot important vocabulary and be able to look up definitions in the back of the book and be helped with reading charts, diagrams, and graphs. One way to asses whether a student is reading at an instructional level is the "five finger test". During oral reading, if the student misses more than 5 words out of 100, the material is most likely too difficult. The reader cannot be considered fluent. After reading this tip, I was a little bit skeptical though, because how often are we really reading out loud in a high school science classroom? What is another way to test reading comprehension inside the classroom then?? According to the 5E Model it is important to elicit students' prior knowledge. In this chapter, it was also suggested to use reading graphic organizers. There are many different types of graphic organizers such as Venn Diagram, KWL, and flow charts. I watched my middle school classes use graphic organizers during CPD and I think most of the kids enjoyed using them. I think it is important to be able to identify which type of organizer would be best used for each reading. If the students are struggling with vocabulary- some sort of vocabulary web should be used or the prefix chart on pgs 42-43. Also considering the reading ability of the students is important. Graphic organizers/reading organizers have a ton of benefits (pg. 35) and I am excited that I have to make two for my content teach class this week. Maybe for book club we can talk about the most reading activities? Can't wait-Ashley
You write very specifically about these texts and, Ashley, you make some connections to your CPD and , Jen, to your experience. Very valuable. I want to push you to consider how these ideas in this book relate to other things you are learning about beyond these texts. Does this reading on science reading, for example, add to your understanding of what makes science reading a unique endeavor one that deserves the very kind of modelling that Jen mentions?
"Think about am experience when you may have had difficulty reading something. Chances are the piece with which you had difficulty was about something with which you had little background experience." This statement holds so much truth. I think back to high school days and the subjects that I struggled in. I struggled in Latin and its probably because I had no background in Latin (and no interest) therefore I paid no attention. Even in subjects such as Math this is true. Thinking about learning new topics in math and how I struggled, I can apply this quote and it starts to make a little bit of sense. When reading something its not just about pronouncing what you see in front of you, you need to also put meaning with the word. By putting meaning with a word it means having understanding. It is so often that Science textbooks are written in such a Monotone way. This monotone way also has a technical tone to it and to me, this is very unappealing to students. The next part covered in the bookclub is the Readability of Texts. this section is very important to me because if a book is not appropriate to the grade level or level of reading comprehension it will not provide effective learning. The way a science textbook is laid out can have a major impact on the readability of the text. If it does not have a understandable format chances are, it will be hard to understand and follow. Another part of this chapter that i really enjoyed and found important was the modeling strategies. It stated that when students had a teacher who modeled strategies for them, they were more likely to be able to solve a complex problem then those students who did not have strategies modeled for them. The final part I wanted to discuss about this chapter was how the chapter broke the roots of words down. As a Science major this is something that is so important to me. So many times you will come across a new word and at first glance you do not know what it means but...when you break the word down into pieces it all makes sence.
ReplyDeleteSee you next week!!
Jen
I really enjoyed the second chapter of this book, for a lot of the same reasons you did Jen. I like how on page 2, Chamberlain defines reading as "more than pronouncing words that are printed on a page; reading includes bringing your own understanding to those words". Appropriate texts are essential in the science classroom.
ReplyDeleteOn the bottom of page 19, there was an example about the quality and readability of a 9th grade biology textbook that really stuck out for me. The class was asked to read the beginning of a chapter and then answer one question asking them to explain the concept in their own words. The students were having a lot of difficulty with this task because they had difficulty understanding the real-life applications of what they were reading. So the question is, how do we pick texts that are appropriate? The chapter suggested that teachers first model how to find material related to inquiry problems by using indexes and tables of contents. Modeling allows teachers to encourage students to use their critical-thinking skills. There were also some "pre-reading" strategies. Students who struggle with reading should know how to spot important vocabulary and be able to look up definitions in the back of the book and be helped with reading charts, diagrams, and graphs.
One way to asses whether a student is reading at an instructional level is the "five finger test". During oral reading, if the student misses more than 5 words out of 100, the material is most likely too difficult. The reader cannot be considered fluent. After reading this tip, I was a little bit skeptical though, because how often are we really reading out loud in a high school science classroom? What is another way to test reading comprehension inside the classroom then??
According to the 5E Model it is important to elicit students' prior knowledge. In this chapter, it was also suggested to use reading graphic organizers. There are many different types of graphic organizers such as Venn Diagram, KWL, and flow charts. I watched my middle school classes use graphic organizers during CPD and I think most of the kids enjoyed using them. I think it is important to be able to identify which type of organizer would be best used for each reading. If the students are struggling with vocabulary- some sort of vocabulary web should be used or the prefix chart on pgs 42-43. Also considering the reading ability of the students is important. Graphic organizers/reading organizers have a ton of benefits (pg. 35) and I am excited that I have to make two for my content teach class this week.
Maybe for book club we can talk about the most reading activities?
Can't wait-Ashley
You write very specifically about these texts and, Ashley, you make some connections to your CPD and , Jen, to your experience. Very valuable. I want to push you to consider how these ideas in this book relate to other things you are learning about beyond these texts. Does this reading on science reading, for example, add to your understanding of what makes science reading a unique endeavor one that deserves the very kind of modelling that Jen mentions?
ReplyDelete