Sorry about the late post class, I've been away from computer availability. Therefore the response is not due until Wednesday. Prompt: So, what do you really think about the idea of teaching reading strategies explicitly in your content areas?
I think that reading strategies can be an important tool for a content area classroom. In nearly all classrooms the teacher will be challenged by students at all different levels. One problem that the teacher will encounter will be students reading below their grade level. The reading strategies could be exactly what some students need to improve their abilities in the classroom. Those students who are reading at their grade level or above may still benefit (at the present time or possibly in post secondary education) from learning a new reading strategy. I think that teachers might also be selective in who they teach the reading strategies too. It may be beneficial for a teacher to keep the reading strategies in mind so that when they identify an individual student who is struggling with the reading, they could provide that student with the strategies to help them. The teacher wouldn't necessarily have to show the entire class the strategies.
I can’t wait to start explicitly teaching reading strategies in my classroom (at Moline High School; I got a job on Friday!!). In fact, I read Leslie Oster’s article on the train back from the interview and wrote a learning cycle lesson plan for teaching the think-aloud strategy using her research. (I was on such a high from getting the job offer that my nerd-factor kicked into overdrive.) Think-aloud sounds like such a feasible way to help students learn to practice reading thoughtfully. I also plan to make (or have students make) student-friendly posters with the various strategic reading methods/techniques we’ve discussed in 561 to display on the classroom walls.
From our discussion about why more teachers don’t teach reading in their content areas, it sounds like explicitly teaching reading strategies has been neglected for too long. The four schools I interviewed with all mentioned struggling readers as a primary issue in their schools so I don’t think I can or should avoid teaching reading strategies as an English teacher. But I am not complaining; I’m so excited to actually have a job that I’d agree teach just about anything. :)
Teaching students reading strategies plays an important role in ESL. This is becuase that ESL students usuallly have certain language barriers such as limited vocabulary or inadequate grammar structure knowlede. Due to the above reasons, providing reading strategies to ESL students can assist them in facilitating the reading process. This means that they can have more ideas about how to make sense of the text they are reading.
In addition, the ESL teacher needs to provide scaffolding in the stages of before, during and after reading. By doing so, students have clear guidance to follow and they are able to understand the meanings of the text step by step.
I think that teaching reading strategies to my class will be very benifitial for the students. I observed while doing my student teaching internship that the majority of students do not read at all. When I assigned an in class assignment that required the students to read for answers they often struggled. I noticed that most students do not no how to use the textbooks set up to quickly find answers. Showing students how the textbook is set up and how to find information under the appropriate headings would be an easy task that would greatly increase the students' reading abilities.
I realize that no two people read exactly the same way, so no one reading strategy will be best for the entire class. A teacher must monitor students reading deficiencies and try to find a strategy that best suits the student.
I believe in not so much "teaching" reading strategies but modeling them for students so they can pick the one that is right for them. I am a note taker while reading but some students may choose to use a graphic organizer or talk with someone about what they read. In modeling teaching strategies for the students is exposing them to a variety of methods so they can choose and in turn empower them in their learning future.
After reading the think aloud articles, this is something the whole class can benefit from in any subject. Read a little, talk about it, question it, predict and then read some more. Doing this over and over, establishing a classroom routine with think alouds will encourage confidence and stability within the classroom and establish retainment of what is being read.
Way to be, Val-er-ie!!! I'm excited for you! Anyhoodle, it is interesting to read different people's perspectives on teaching reading strategies. Although I understand Kate's position and agree that reading is a process that varies from reader to reader, I think that many students will need instruction as to both HOW to use the strategies and WHY they are important. I feel lucky that my cooperating teacher had her Master's Degree in reading something-or-other (I don't remember the name of the actual degree), and because of this, I had the chance to see a variation of explanation and degree of instruction. Students who do not understand the purpose of the strategies - or who simply don't notice that they're comprehending more - don't seem to make an effort to continue to use them when they read independently. Some strategies are SO SIMPLE! I mean, looking at a cover and guessing what the book might be about really helps the reader connect to it before delving in. That is just an example, and as we are learning in this class, there are so many different methods to get the students interested in - or at least thinking about - what it is that we're about to READ!
As an English teacher, this question seems pretty obvious, but I'm optimistic to see the supportive responses from those who are not language arts oriented. It seems to me that dry non-fiction can only go so far without some opportunities to work through the material.
PS - Since this is a reading class, I wanted to say something abuot the hubbub surrounding the new Harry Potter book. I know there's controversy because witches and whatever, but any book that can get so many kids reading is amazing!!! I went to the release at Left Bank Books in St. Louis, and there was a line of kids a mile long waiting to get their hands on it (and it's 700 or so pages!). Talk about nerd-factor! I wanted to hug every one of them.
The idea of teaching reading strategies in my classroom (English, mainly freshmen) is a familiar one. Although I haven't literally lesson-planned reading strategies, I believe my students have received some instruction and correctional feedback regarding reading skills. It definitely would comfort me to know my fellow teachers in other content areas are striving to teach reading strategies, too It is, of course, assumed that we English teachers are requiring our students to read, but the notion of teaching reading comprehension/strategies them isn't so popular at the secondary level. However, high-stakes standardized test scores are showing low reading abilities, so something must be done!
I just got confirmation last week that a new teaching assignment of mine for the upcoming school year includes two year-long courses titled Reading Skills for all freshmen. Little apprehensive about it, needless to say. Hopefully this course and any additional reading and collaboration with fellow teachers will prepare me, though.
Lately I've been thinking of myself as not a reading teacher, but a "thinking teacher." So much of what we've read and discussed in class involves preparing students with thinking strategies. Avoiding the word reading may also help eliminate some misunderstandings about who is responsible for preparing kids to read!
When I first began this class, I will admit that I was wondering why I, a future science teacher, would need to know anything about teaching reading. However, after listening to the other students and reading the articles, I realize that kids' lack of reading skills will affect me, too. If my students can't read and comprehend the material I am teaching, why should I just wait until their English teacher teaches them these strategies? And that is assuming that the English teacher would do that at all. So now I feel like some of these strategies are so easy to show kids and would help them so much, that why not teach them to students? After all, teaching kids these strategies would benefit me as a science teacher greatly. Things such as showing them how to use the organizational structure of a textbook, or ensuring that they know the vocabulary from the chapter, or even discussing the students' background knowledge about a subject prior to delving into more detail are simple and easy things that I can do to try to make sure that my students are gaining the most that they possibly can from my classes.
I took this class because one of the first things I noticed when I began teaching (student-teaching) was the fake reading, the low comprehension, and the all out just plain not reading. As an avid reader, this has been hard to address: similar to the math whiz who shows the answer and then can't fathom how the rest of class didn't keep up.
It was, in some respects, easy to set aside this concern at Carbondale, because the classes are so heterogeneous that I could rely on the strong readers in class and try to catch up the slower ones afterwards. (Big mistake.) My new job in South Side Chicago doesn't allow for this easy way out, though. While there will certainly be a variety of reading abilities, despite the low standardized test scores, these low scores do show how much narrower the range is.
While I can see how Kate came to her opinion, I also disagree with her outlook. As a student who does learn from note-taking, it is difficult for me when my own students don't take notes. Similarly, as a student who synthesizes information through repeating the new information, I am surprised when a student can sit quietly just listening, arriving at the same conclusions. However, simply modeling does not prompt hesitant students to copy and practice, nor does it force other students to broaden their reading and studying strategies. Even the best and brightest students are generally unwilling to try something new without incentive to do so, whether that is a gold star, a grade, an in-class participation activity, or an after school tutoring session during detention. By the time they hit high school, kids know how to work the system, know how to accomplish as little as possible to get the highest marks they desire, and know how to run circles around all of our best intentions.
That said, I have wanted to implement reading strategies since the beginning, but have not had the resources or the knowledge to do so. I did not have a readings course in my Teacher Ed program that I can remember; the closest I got is a class period or two of hand-outs being stuffed in our general direction about graphic organizers and other visual lecture tools. I am in the middle of creating the curriculum for my fall Social Studies course, and the first thing we will be doing is reading strategies. There is no way to comprehend, let alone synthesize, the information in Social Studies texts, on Social Studies exams, or in the Social Studies document based discussions if one cannot read strategically. I have already incorporated several of the student-led activities we have participated in, as well as think-alouds, reading strategies, readability checks, and discussion exams. I am hoping to also use techniques that utilize hypertexting, and several of Tovani's suggestions.
So what do I really think about teaching reading strategies in my content area? I don't think that I can teach my content area without them!
I agree with most of you that there is a need for explicit reading instruction in my content area, social studies. I like what Julie said about considering herself as a thinking teacher. In my experience student-teaching, to the best of my knowledge, all of the students were able to decode words and comprehend most of the texts at a surface level. Very few, though, were able to think about the texts in any depth. I tried to implement forms of assessment that required analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of the content, but very few students were capable of operating at these levels. I now realize that I needed to first implement strategies that taught the students how to study and think about what they read. I see the value in many of the strategies we have talked and read about in this class. Something as simple as a graphic organizer can help students make connections between different ideas. Some of the strategies that we perform internally while reading can be done together as a class. Andy brought up a good point about using the organization of a text to quickly find answers to questions. There is a time and place for that. But I am more concerned about the students' ability to critically read and think about a text. Many students already know how to work the system, as someone else said, and get by doing minimal work. Very few where I student-taught really learned from what they read.
As a reading teacher I try to integrate the content areas when I plan. It isn't always possible because I co-teach. However, I think that integration of content areas at the elementary level may paralel the integration of reading strategies at the secondary level. The common goal is for students to be engaged with the text for constructing meaning. So why not teach the strategies that will enable them to do so? Yours may be the approach that helps the students make the connection. You never know!
While I was student teaching many teachers, my self included, always commented on kids dis-interest in reading. I suppose I agreed and somewhat disparinly believed kids today would rather do chores than read. I made a mistake and I beleive many other teachers at my school have too. It's not that kids are dis-interested, it's that they are not taught HOW to get interested.
Prentice Hall is not going to teach my class this coming year! We have all read about the troubles of over reliance on textbooks, students need opportunity to read a variety of printed material that sparks their interest. Yes, a mini-library contributed to by students for students is a cool thing. Furthermore, I like and will incorportae into my classroom some multi-disciplinary studies. If you find out a student loves science (being a social studies teacher) allow them to report on something like, "The John Scopes Trial" and tell the class more about evolutionary principles.
Finally, we have read how probably the most important thing about teaching reading strategies in your classroom is that the student has come to a mastery-level of using these skills and become readers themselves outside the classroom. Find your weak readers and strong readers through informal assessments. Pair these students up in class and assign parts of a reading passage to each pair. Through peer-teaching and think-alouds, poor readers will learn from good readers what they do to make sense and meaning from the text. Now, we may have more kids wanting to read than do chores, (uh-oh).
I definitely think that reading strategies should be taught in my content area (English), but one thing I noticed once I began the reading classes was that throughout my undergraduate career in secondary English education, I was never taught how to teach READING. We have to go through the grammar classes and the various literature classes. We even had to take a class called "Problems Teaching High School English." Throughout all this, reading strategies were not taught. Therefore, if I would have chosen not to continue my education and get this reading endorsement right away, I could potentially be teaching a high school English class full of non-readers and not know how to address the issue, therefore not helping them at all. I would guess that this is a problem in many middle/high schools. I think (as we have discussed in class)that it is too commonly assumed that reading is learned in grade school, and therefore those in the secondary content areas do not receive a lot of reading instruction methods to use in the classroom. Another common assumption is that it is the job of the English teacher, but as I mentioned earlier, not all English teachers may even have the background to know how to deal with reading issues. I love that attention is being brought to this problem and all teachers are beginning to become more responsible for teaching reading strategies, because I feel that this will help the students tremendously. The class I taught last year (Reading College Texts, for college freshmen) was all about using many of the very same strategies we are reading about, and as I mentioned in the last post, I was amazed at how many college freshmen did not know how to actively read and get into the text. This is a problem that was obviously never addressed in their high schools. If this could be changed, things would be a lot easier for these students in the long run.
Like most of you, I am glad I am taking this class because, even though I am going to be an English teacher, I really wasn't sure how to teach reading.
Having said all that, I do have some apprehension about teaching reading when I am trying to teach Shakespeare... Or Dickens... Or Fitzgerald... Or Eliot. Or Cummings... I am very passionate about teaching English, but how can I get to all of those authors, and the hundreds more, if I am teaching students to read. I realize that we have already discussed this somewhat, and I also realize that my criticism is partially why we take this class. But I still feel worried that the things I became an English teacher for might be left by the wayside because I don't have enough time.
I guess it's just something i have to get over, but I still wanted to get it out there.
My questions about reading comprehension, the desire to read, and what to do about it, have been very similar to the previously listed posts. Like Rivanna, I too noticed the apathetic responses of my students when faced with reading assignments. In most cases my reaction to a struggling reader would be one-on-one guidance. I would give some suggestions on how to read or study their text, but without additional accountability or a grade for using the strategy the use of that tool is likely to fade. This year I plan to incorporate more strategies thoughout and allow them more time to "think-aloud". The new History textbooks (Prentice Hall) that we purchased were chosen for the simple fact that they are more appealing to those students who struggle with reading. Unfortunately because of that fact some of the challenge may be inadequate for the higher level students. Given that, I still believe that having all learners, no matter the reading level, in the same class benefits the whole. Teachers need to not only be aware of these gaps but take action to close them in all subject areas. Where will the students learn that they can be better readers if the skills and strategies are not modeled and taught in the classrooms? Who knows? We might even lower the illiteracy rate... Baby steps right?
Really, I am really excited about using these strategies, especially as described in the Tovani text! I think my co-teacher last year may have had this exact book, because so many of the strategies Tovani describes are things my co-teacher taught, although not always so explicitly. I am excited about the idea of teaching these skills outright using the normal course content -- textbooks, stories, novels, even poems! It is also a relief to learn from the Alfassi article (reading ahead, I'm presenting it) which says that in fact, schools that teach these strategies throughout the content are actually more effective in improving test scores than schools that teach the strategies separately as "test-taking strategies." So not only will we be helping our students become better, more engaged readers, but we will also be dealing with the dreaded "test prep" throughout the year rather than in a poisonous lump all at once. I am already writing my plans for next year using Tovani's book and am excited to see how it goes!
My only question is how do we get money for all the post-its: they are expensive little things! Any ideas, anyone?
I agree with Katy Newton. When I first started teaching, all I had to prepare me for struggling readers was the "Problems Teaching High School English" class. As someone who loves reading, I had a hard time understanding why students didn't "get it." I wish I had read Tovani's book back then. I definitely think we need to explicitly teach these strategies in our classes. I taught Advanced Placement Language and Composition for three years, and I quickly discovered that my AP kids had reading issues. That was when I began to think of myself more as a reading teacher than a literature teacher. Although I knew that kids needed to actively engage with the text, I didn't really have an arsenal of strategies for helping them do that. Thank goodness for this class! Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't teach Shakespeare and Dickens and cummings. But what good does it do for kids to be exposed to great literature if they can't make sense of it?
Actually, "reading strategies" remind me of the "note taking strategies" I was confronted with when studying for my M.A. in translation.
I'm from a specialized, very small German university in Germersheim (2,000 students, 90% girls) where only translators and interpreters study. The translators do the "written stuff" and earn little money, while the interpreters do the "oral stuff" and can earn quite a lot of money (if they get a good job in court, or travel with a president or company manager). Every translator had to take one course in interpreting. To do this, we were encouraged to sign up for a "note taking course."
The interpreting course I had to take was split up into "simultaneous interpretation" (you interpret WHILE the speaker is talking), and "consecutive interpretation" (you interpret AFTER a longer paragraph and the speaker makes a break). During the "simultaneous interpretation," you cannot take notes, obviously. But when interpreting consecutively, you have about five minutes to write down notes, signs, and symbols that summarize the speaker's main points.
However, the "note taking class" that should help us was so meaningless to me that I left it after three sessions. The instructor's symbols didn't appeal to me. I had my own ones (as did most of my peers). And the instructor even told us that one day during an important economic State convention she had noted down "E," and when she was to repeat what the speaker had said she couldn't remember whether it was "Espana," or "Europe."
I found out that every person better make up his or her own symbols, without relying on instructors. And we were encouraged to do that.
I see a parallel to reading strategies in high school classes. During the first days of class, I would inform all my students (regardless of grade level or ability) about several different strategies that exist (and maybe hang up a poster where they can look them up). But I would never IMPOSE any specific strategy on them.
The only ones I require are annotating and underlining (which they will also use in college); plus, my cooperating teacher used "sub search" -- basically an annotation employing different symbols gathered from a handout.
I made the experience that not all strategies we offer our students work for them. Especially my top track Juniors were experienced enough to analyze texts, and had their own ways of dealing with difficulties. While my low tracks need the "read aloud" AND the "think aloud" to self-correct and self-monitor understanding, the top tracks mostly prefer to read silently -- and most of them do not fake it. They are simply faster that way.
With the top tracks, we did reading logs and reading journals. These assignment would have proven fatal with our low track kids, since they never do any written homework, would not summarize a chapter, and not even note down their personal emotional reaction to it. Thus - in my opinion - it depends on the grade level, the ability level, and student compliance whether or not one should use reading strategies, and which kind of strategies.
So why should we "teach down" to the wrong grade level by forcing them to think aloud? A teacher needs to observe his or her students' behavior and find out what their preferences are, and by which strategies they achieve most. Only then, the applied reading strategies will lead to success.
I find promise that many of the reading strategies will be helpful in my classroom. And yes, you do need to be able to read to take art! :) A student cannot begin to understand the purpose of art without first understanding the roles that art has played in the past. As we all know one of the great ways to learn about the past is to read!
I agreed with Valerie when she said "...explicitly teaching reading strategies has been neglected for too long." (Congrats Val!)
It makes sense to me that teaching reading strategies should be the responsibility of all content areas. The constant reinforcement of these strategies will help give students the ability to understand all contents better including mine!
I am on board for the explicit teaching of reading strategies in all content areas.
As an English teacher, I believe reading and English are inextricably intertwined. As such, every English teacher must be willing and able to teach reading strategies.
When I first began the MAT program, I assumed students did not read because they did not WANT or LIKE to read, not because they COULD NOT read. I belive my misconception may also be the misconception of other high school teachers. Like Chris said, many assume students are just not interested in reading. We forget to delve deeper into the problem, where we may find out that those students' disinterest or dislike stems from a comprehension problem. Once that was pointed out to me, however, I realized how valuable was teaching reading strategies.
With that thought in mind, it was no surprise to see the response of the English teachers in this class. (As Kay pointed out, the answer to this question should be simple and obvious for us). But it was really great, to "quote" another English teacher, to see that the English people were not the only ones to answer favorably to the question. While I kind of expected the non-English 4MATers to answer this question favorably, I could not be sure that they would not feel it was not their jobs. And as Valerie pointed out, the fact many students cannot read betrays past attitudes toward the reading problem. However, seeing responses like Carrie's, where she has already begun to plan ways to incorporate reading strategies in science, gives me hope for the future of reading.
I can’t wait to finally go back and show some of my colleagues, science, history, math etc., that reading strategies do not just belong in my reading or freshman English class, but in all of the classes. There has only been one colleague that asked me about reading strategies (Ag teacher) that felt he needed to offer his students help to better understand the content area. All of you will be glad to know he is a veteran teacher of 33 years and is still concerned about his students’ advancement in learning. Hopefully this fall I will be able to give him even more strategies to help his students.
I will definitely pay more attention to the explicit teaching of reading strategies to my English and reading classes. It is reassuring to me, despite some of the joking that I sometimes face, to know that I have been doing some of these reading strategies with my students the past 23 years of my teaching career. One important poster I will make for each classroom, not just my own, will be the reading strategies that good readers use when reading.
How do I feel about explicitly teaching reading strategies? Please remember that my reading class has students that read at the 2nd, 3rd, and up to 7th grade level. With that in mind, I know we must plan the time to work the strategies into the lesson plans. You may not think you will have the time to do this, but I feel that even the small amount of time you may spend on the strategies will actually save a lot of frustration and animosity in your classes. PLUS the benefit you and your students receive from doing the reading strategies will remain with them for a lifetime. When they become adults it is conceivable that they will pass these strategies on to their children! What a thought that is!!
Reading strategies being taught explicitly is vital to all levels of readers not just our struggling readers, because we all struggle at times with our reading. Even when we think we do not have the time to teach the strategies, we definitely need to appropriate the time to help our students, or our whole nation will some day be LEFT BEHIND! Okay I am one of the teachers that think the NCLB law is ridiculous!!
It is essential to teach reading strategies explicitly in the content areas. I think that this should be done in the form of Mini-Lessons. Strategies can be introduced one at a time. Specific strategies can be chosen based on the project that is assigned. Periodically, strategies can be reviewed with the students. Teachers should model these strategies whenever possible.
23 comments:
I think that reading strategies can be an important tool for a content area classroom. In nearly all classrooms the teacher will be challenged by students at all different levels. One problem that the teacher will encounter will be students reading below their grade level. The reading strategies could be exactly what some students need to improve their abilities in the classroom. Those students who are reading at their grade level or above may still benefit (at the present time or possibly in post secondary education) from learning a new reading strategy.
I think that teachers might also be selective in who they teach the reading strategies too. It may be beneficial for a teacher to keep the reading strategies in mind so that when they identify an individual student who is struggling with the reading, they could provide that student with the strategies to help them. The teacher wouldn't necessarily have to show the entire class the strategies.
See you in class!
I can’t wait to start explicitly teaching reading strategies in my classroom (at Moline High School; I got a job on Friday!!). In fact, I read Leslie Oster’s article on the train back from the interview and wrote a learning cycle lesson plan for teaching the think-aloud strategy using her research. (I was on such a high from getting the job offer that my nerd-factor kicked into overdrive.) Think-aloud sounds like such a feasible way to help students learn to practice reading thoughtfully. I also plan to make (or have students make) student-friendly posters with the various strategic reading methods/techniques we’ve discussed in 561 to display on the classroom walls.
From our discussion about why more teachers don’t teach reading in their content areas, it sounds like explicitly teaching reading strategies has been neglected for too long. The four schools I interviewed with all mentioned struggling readers as a primary issue in their schools so I don’t think I can or should avoid teaching reading strategies as an English teacher. But I am not complaining; I’m so excited to actually have a job that I’d agree teach just about anything. :)
Teaching students reading strategies plays an important role in ESL. This is becuase that ESL students usuallly have certain language barriers such as limited vocabulary or inadequate grammar structure knowlede. Due to the above reasons, providing reading strategies to ESL students can assist them in facilitating the reading process. This means that they can have more ideas about how to make sense of the text they are reading.
In addition, the ESL teacher needs to provide scaffolding in the stages of before, during and after reading. By doing so, students have clear guidance to follow and they are able to understand the meanings of the text step by step.
I think that teaching reading strategies to my class will be very benifitial for the students. I observed while doing my student teaching internship that the majority of students do not read at all. When I assigned an in class assignment that required the students to read for answers they often struggled. I noticed that most students do not no how to use the textbooks set up to quickly find answers. Showing students how the textbook is set up and how to find information under the appropriate headings would be an easy task that would greatly increase the students' reading abilities.
I realize that no two people read exactly the same way, so no one reading strategy will be best for the entire class. A teacher must monitor students reading deficiencies and try to find a strategy that best suits the student.
Congratulations Valerie!
I believe in not so much "teaching" reading strategies but modeling them for students so they can pick the one that is right for them. I am a note taker while reading but some students may choose to use a graphic organizer or talk with someone about what they read. In modeling teaching strategies for the students is exposing them to a variety of methods so they can choose and in turn empower them in their learning future.
After reading the think aloud articles, this is something the whole class can benefit from in any subject. Read a little, talk about it, question it, predict and then read some more. Doing this over and over, establishing a classroom routine with think alouds will encourage confidence and stability within the classroom and establish retainment of what is being read.
Way to be, Val-er-ie!!! I'm excited for you! Anyhoodle, it is interesting to read different people's perspectives on teaching reading strategies. Although I understand Kate's position and agree that reading is a process that varies from reader to reader, I think that many students will need instruction as to both HOW to use the strategies and WHY they are important. I feel lucky that my cooperating teacher had her Master's Degree in reading something-or-other (I don't remember the name of the actual degree), and because of this, I had the chance to see a variation of explanation and degree of instruction. Students who do not understand the purpose of the strategies - or who simply don't notice that they're comprehending more - don't seem to make an effort to continue to use them when they read independently. Some strategies are SO SIMPLE! I mean, looking at a cover and guessing what the book might be about really helps the reader connect to it before delving in. That is just an example, and as we are learning in this class, there are so many different methods to get the students interested in - or at least thinking about - what it is that we're about to READ!
As an English teacher, this question seems pretty obvious, but I'm optimistic to see the supportive responses from those who are not language arts oriented. It seems to me that dry non-fiction can only go so far without some opportunities to work through the material.
PS - Since this is a reading class, I wanted to say something abuot the hubbub surrounding the new Harry Potter book. I know there's controversy because witches and whatever, but any book that can get so many kids reading is amazing!!! I went to the release at Left Bank Books in St. Louis, and there was a line of kids a mile long waiting to get their hands on it (and it's 700 or so pages!). Talk about nerd-factor! I wanted to hug every one of them.
The idea of teaching reading strategies in my classroom (English, mainly freshmen) is a familiar one. Although I haven't literally lesson-planned reading strategies, I believe my students have received some instruction and correctional feedback regarding reading skills. It definitely would comfort me to know my fellow teachers in other content areas are striving to teach reading strategies, too It is, of course, assumed that we English teachers are requiring our students to read, but the notion of teaching reading comprehension/strategies them isn't so popular at the secondary level. However, high-stakes standardized test scores are showing low reading abilities, so something must be done!
I just got confirmation last week that a new teaching assignment of mine for the upcoming school year includes two year-long courses titled Reading Skills for all freshmen. Little apprehensive about it, needless to say. Hopefully this course and any additional reading and collaboration with fellow teachers will prepare me, though.
Lately I've been thinking of myself as not a reading teacher, but a "thinking teacher." So much of what we've read and discussed in class involves preparing students with thinking strategies. Avoiding the word reading may also help eliminate some misunderstandings about who is responsible for preparing kids to read!
Kudos to Valerie. Best wishes.
When I first began this class, I will admit that I was wondering why I, a future science teacher, would need to know anything about teaching reading. However, after listening to the other students and reading the articles, I realize that kids' lack of reading skills will affect me, too. If my students can't read and comprehend the material I am teaching, why should I just wait until their English teacher teaches them these strategies? And that is assuming that the English teacher would do that at all. So now I feel like some of these strategies are so easy to show kids and would help them so much, that why not teach them to students? After all, teaching kids these strategies would benefit me as a science teacher greatly. Things such as showing them how to use the organizational structure of a textbook, or ensuring that they know the vocabulary from the chapter, or even discussing the students' background knowledge about a subject prior to delving into more detail are simple and easy things that I can do to try to make sure that my students are gaining the most that they possibly can from my classes.
I took this class because one of the first things I noticed when I began teaching (student-teaching) was the fake reading, the low comprehension, and the all out just plain not reading. As an avid reader, this has been hard to address: similar to the math whiz who shows the answer and then can't fathom how the rest of class didn't keep up.
It was, in some respects, easy to set aside this concern at Carbondale, because the classes are so heterogeneous that I could rely on the strong readers in class and try to catch up the slower ones afterwards. (Big mistake.) My new job in South Side Chicago doesn't allow for this easy way out, though. While there will certainly be a variety of reading abilities, despite the low standardized test scores, these low scores do show how much narrower the range is.
While I can see how Kate came to her opinion, I also disagree with her outlook. As a student who does learn from note-taking, it is difficult for me when my own students don't take notes. Similarly, as a student who synthesizes information through repeating the new information, I am surprised when a student can sit quietly just listening, arriving at the same conclusions. However, simply modeling does not prompt hesitant students to copy and practice, nor does it force other students to broaden their reading and studying strategies. Even the best and brightest students are generally unwilling to try something new without incentive to do so, whether that is a gold star, a grade, an in-class participation activity, or an after school tutoring session during detention. By the time they hit high school, kids know how to work the system, know how to accomplish as little as possible to get the highest marks they desire, and know how to run circles around all of our best intentions.
That said, I have wanted to implement reading strategies since the beginning, but have not had the resources or the knowledge to do so. I did not have a readings course in my Teacher Ed program that I can remember; the closest I got is a class period or two of hand-outs being stuffed in our general direction about graphic organizers and other visual lecture tools. I am in the middle of creating the curriculum for my fall Social Studies course, and the first thing we will be doing is reading strategies. There is no way to comprehend, let alone synthesize, the information in Social Studies texts, on Social Studies exams, or in the Social Studies document based discussions if one cannot read strategically. I have already incorporated several of the student-led activities we have participated in, as well as think-alouds, reading strategies, readability checks, and discussion exams. I am hoping to also use techniques that utilize hypertexting, and several of Tovani's suggestions.
So what do I really think about teaching reading strategies in my content area? I don't think that I can teach my content area without them!
I agree with most of you that there is a need for explicit reading instruction in my content area, social studies. I like what Julie said about considering herself as a thinking teacher. In my experience student-teaching, to the best of my knowledge, all of the students were able to decode words and comprehend most of the texts at a surface level. Very few, though, were able to think about the texts in any depth. I tried to implement forms of assessment that required analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of the content, but very few students were capable of operating at these levels. I now realize that I needed to first implement strategies that taught the students how to study and think about what they read. I see the value in many of the strategies we have talked and read about in this class. Something as simple as a graphic organizer can help students make connections between different ideas. Some of the strategies that we perform internally while reading can be done together as a class. Andy brought up a good point about using the organization of a text to quickly find answers to questions. There is a time and place for that. But I am more concerned about the students' ability to critically read and think about a text. Many students already know how to work the system, as someone else said, and get by doing minimal work. Very few where I student-taught really learned from what they read.
As a reading teacher I try to integrate the content areas when I plan. It isn't always possible because I co-teach. However, I think that integration of content areas at the elementary level may paralel the integration of reading strategies at the secondary level. The common goal is for students to be engaged with the text for constructing meaning. So why not teach the strategies that will enable them to do so? Yours may be the approach that helps the students make the connection. You never know!
While I was student teaching many teachers, my self included, always commented on kids dis-interest in reading. I suppose I agreed and somewhat disparinly believed kids today would rather do chores than read. I made a mistake and I beleive many other teachers at my school have too. It's not that kids are dis-interested, it's that they are not taught HOW to get interested.
Prentice Hall is not going to teach my class this coming year! We have all read about the troubles of over reliance on textbooks, students need opportunity to read a variety of printed material that sparks their interest. Yes, a mini-library contributed to by students for students is a cool thing. Furthermore, I like and will incorportae into my classroom some multi-disciplinary studies. If you find out a student loves science (being a social studies teacher) allow them to report on something like, "The John Scopes Trial" and tell the class more about evolutionary principles.
Finally, we have read how probably the most important thing about teaching reading strategies in your classroom is that the student has come to a mastery-level of using these skills and become readers themselves outside the classroom. Find your weak readers and strong readers through informal assessments. Pair these students up in class and assign parts of a reading passage to each pair. Through peer-teaching and think-alouds, poor readers will learn from good readers what they do to make sense and meaning from the text. Now, we may have more kids wanting to read than do chores, (uh-oh).
I definitely think that reading strategies should be taught in my content area (English), but one thing I noticed once I began the reading classes was that throughout my undergraduate career in secondary English education, I was never taught how to teach READING. We have to go through the grammar classes and the various literature classes. We even had to take a class called "Problems Teaching High School English." Throughout all this, reading strategies were not taught. Therefore, if I would have chosen not to continue my education and get this reading endorsement right away, I could potentially be teaching a high school English class full of non-readers and not know how to address the issue, therefore not helping them at all. I would guess that this is a problem in many middle/high schools. I think (as we have discussed in class)that it is too commonly assumed that reading is learned in grade school, and therefore those in the secondary content areas do not receive a lot of reading instruction methods to use in the classroom. Another common assumption is that it is the job of the English teacher, but as I mentioned earlier, not all English teachers may even have the background to know how to deal with reading issues. I love that attention is being brought to this problem and all teachers are beginning to become more responsible for teaching reading strategies, because I feel that this will help the students tremendously. The class I taught last year (Reading College Texts, for college freshmen) was all about using many of the very same strategies we are reading about, and as I mentioned in the last post, I was amazed at how many college freshmen did not know how to actively read and get into the text. This is a problem that was obviously never addressed in their high schools. If this could be changed, things would be a lot easier for these students in the long run.
Like most of you, I am glad I am taking this class because, even though I am going to be an English teacher, I really wasn't sure how to teach reading.
Having said all that, I do have some apprehension about teaching reading when I am trying to teach Shakespeare... Or Dickens... Or Fitzgerald... Or Eliot. Or Cummings... I am very passionate about teaching English, but how can I get to all of those authors, and the hundreds more, if I am teaching students to read. I realize that we have already discussed this somewhat, and I also realize that my criticism is partially why we take this class. But I still feel worried that the things I became an English teacher for might be left by the wayside because I don't have enough time.
I guess it's just something i have to get over, but I still wanted to get it out there.
My questions about reading comprehension, the desire to read, and what to do about it, have been very similar to the previously listed posts. Like Rivanna, I too noticed the apathetic responses of my students when faced with reading assignments. In most cases my reaction to a struggling reader would be one-on-one guidance. I would give some suggestions on how to read or study their text, but without additional accountability or a grade for using the strategy the use of that tool is likely to fade. This year I plan to incorporate more strategies thoughout and allow them more time to "think-aloud". The new History textbooks (Prentice Hall) that we purchased were chosen for the simple fact that they are more appealing to those students who struggle with reading. Unfortunately because of that fact some of the challenge may be inadequate for the higher level students. Given that, I still believe that having all learners, no matter the reading level, in the same class benefits the whole. Teachers need to not only be aware of these gaps but take action to close them in all subject areas. Where will the students learn that they can be better readers if the skills and strategies are not modeled and taught in the classrooms?
Who knows? We might even lower the illiteracy rate... Baby steps right?
Really, I am really excited about using these strategies, especially as described in the Tovani text! I think my co-teacher last year may have had this exact book, because so many of the strategies Tovani describes are things my co-teacher taught, although not always so explicitly. I am excited about the idea of teaching these skills outright using the normal course content -- textbooks, stories, novels, even poems! It is also a relief to learn from the Alfassi article (reading ahead, I'm presenting it) which says that in fact, schools that teach these strategies throughout the content are actually more effective in improving test scores than schools that teach the strategies separately as "test-taking strategies." So not only will we be helping our students become better, more engaged readers, but we will also be dealing with the dreaded "test prep" throughout the year rather than in a poisonous lump all at once. I am already writing my plans for next year using Tovani's book and am excited to see how it goes!
My only question is how do we get money for all the post-its: they are expensive little things! Any ideas, anyone?
I agree with Katy Newton. When I first started teaching, all I had to prepare me for struggling readers was the "Problems Teaching High School English" class. As someone who loves reading, I had a hard time understanding why students didn't "get it." I wish I had read Tovani's book back then.
I definitely think we need to explicitly teach these strategies in our classes. I taught Advanced Placement Language and Composition for three years, and I quickly discovered that my AP kids had reading issues. That was when I began to think of myself more as a reading teacher than a literature teacher. Although I knew that kids needed to actively engage with the text, I didn't really have an arsenal of strategies for helping them do that. Thank goodness for this class!
Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't teach Shakespeare and Dickens and cummings. But what good does it do for kids to be exposed to great literature if they can't make sense of it?
Actually, "reading strategies" remind me of the "note taking strategies" I was confronted with when studying for my M.A. in translation.
I'm from a specialized, very small German university in Germersheim (2,000 students, 90% girls) where only translators and interpreters study. The translators do the "written stuff" and earn little money, while the interpreters do the "oral stuff" and can earn quite a lot of money (if they get a good job in court, or travel with a president or company manager). Every translator had to take one course in interpreting. To do this, we were encouraged to sign up for a "note taking course."
The interpreting course I had to take was split up into "simultaneous interpretation" (you interpret WHILE the speaker is talking), and "consecutive interpretation" (you interpret AFTER a longer paragraph and the speaker makes a break). During the "simultaneous interpretation," you cannot take notes, obviously. But when interpreting consecutively, you have about five minutes to write down notes, signs, and symbols that summarize the speaker's main points.
However, the "note taking class" that should help us was so meaningless to me that I left it after three sessions. The instructor's symbols didn't appeal to me. I had my own ones (as did most of my peers). And the instructor even told us that one day during an important economic State convention she had noted down "E," and when she was to repeat what the speaker had said she couldn't remember whether it was "Espana," or "Europe."
I found out that every person better make up his or her own symbols, without relying on instructors. And we were encouraged to do that.
I see a parallel to reading strategies in high school classes. During the first days of class, I would inform all my students (regardless of grade level or ability) about several different strategies that exist (and maybe hang up a poster where they can look them up). But I would never IMPOSE any specific strategy on them.
The only ones I require are annotating and underlining (which they will also use in college); plus, my cooperating teacher used "sub search" -- basically an annotation employing different symbols gathered from a handout.
I made the experience that not all strategies we offer our students work for them. Especially my top track Juniors were experienced enough to analyze texts, and had their own ways of dealing with difficulties. While my low tracks need the "read aloud" AND the "think aloud" to self-correct and self-monitor understanding, the top tracks mostly prefer to read silently -- and most of them do not fake it. They are simply faster that way.
With the top tracks, we did reading logs and reading journals. These assignment would have proven fatal with our low track kids, since they never do any written homework, would not summarize a chapter, and not even note down their personal emotional reaction to it. Thus - in my opinion - it depends on the grade level, the ability level, and student compliance whether or not one should use reading strategies, and which kind of strategies.
So why should we "teach down" to the wrong grade level by forcing them to think aloud? A teacher needs to observe his or her students' behavior and find out what their preferences are, and by which strategies they achieve most. Only then, the applied reading strategies will lead to success.
I find promise that many of the reading strategies will be helpful in my classroom. And yes, you do need to be able to read to take art! :) A student cannot begin to understand the purpose of art without first understanding the roles that art has played in the past. As we all know one of the great ways to learn about the past is to read!
I agreed with Valerie when she said "...explicitly teaching reading strategies has been neglected for too long." (Congrats Val!)
It makes sense to me that teaching reading strategies should be the responsibility of all content areas. The constant reinforcement of these strategies will help give students the ability to understand all contents better including mine!
I am on board for the explicit teaching of reading strategies in all content areas.
As an English teacher, I believe reading and English are inextricably intertwined. As such, every English teacher must be willing and able to teach reading strategies.
When I first began the MAT program, I assumed students did not read because they did not WANT or LIKE to read, not because they COULD NOT read. I belive my misconception may also be the misconception of other high school teachers. Like Chris said, many assume students are just not interested in reading. We forget to delve deeper into the problem, where we may find out that those students' disinterest or dislike stems from a comprehension problem. Once that was pointed out to me, however, I realized how valuable was teaching reading strategies.
With that thought in mind, it was no surprise to see the response of the English teachers in this class. (As Kay pointed out, the answer to this question should be simple and obvious for us). But it was really great, to "quote" another English teacher, to see that the English people were not the only ones to answer favorably to the question. While I kind of expected the non-English 4MATers to answer this question favorably, I could not be sure that they would not feel it was not their jobs. And as Valerie pointed out, the fact many students cannot read betrays past attitudes toward the reading problem. However, seeing responses like Carrie's, where she has already begun to plan ways to incorporate reading strategies in science, gives me hope for the future of reading.
I can’t wait to finally go back and show some of my colleagues, science, history, math etc., that reading strategies do not just belong in my reading or freshman English class, but in all of the classes. There has only been one colleague that asked me about reading strategies (Ag teacher) that felt he needed to offer his students help to better understand the content area. All of you will be glad to know he is a veteran teacher of 33 years and is still concerned about his students’ advancement in learning. Hopefully this fall I will be able to give him even more strategies to help his students.
I will definitely pay more attention to the explicit teaching of reading strategies to my English and reading classes. It is reassuring to me, despite some of the joking that I sometimes face, to know that I have been doing some of these reading strategies with my students the past 23 years of my teaching career. One important poster I will make for each classroom, not just my own, will be the reading strategies that good readers use when reading.
How do I feel about explicitly teaching reading strategies? Please remember that my reading class has students that read at the 2nd, 3rd, and up to 7th grade level. With that in mind, I know we must plan the time to work the strategies into the lesson plans. You may not think you will have the time to do this, but I feel that even the small amount of time you may spend on the strategies will actually save a lot of frustration and animosity in your classes. PLUS the benefit you and your students receive from doing the reading strategies will remain with them for a lifetime. When they become adults it is conceivable that they will pass these strategies on to their children! What a thought that is!!
Reading strategies being taught explicitly is vital to all levels of readers not just our struggling readers, because we all struggle at times with our reading. Even when we think we do not have the time to teach the strategies, we definitely need to appropriate the time to help our students, or our whole nation will some day be LEFT BEHIND! Okay I am one of the teachers that think the NCLB law is ridiculous!!
VALERIE, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW JOB!!
It is essential to teach reading strategies explicitly in the content areas. I think that this should be done in the form of Mini-Lessons. Strategies can be introduced one at a time. Specific strategies can be chosen based on the project that is assigned. Periodically, strategies can be reviewed with the students. Teachers should model these strategies whenever possible.
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