Shared Readings: Modeling Comprehension, Vocabulary, Text Structures, and Text Features for Older Readers

This article was very informative. It definitely served as an “Aha! Moment” for me! This article discusses the importance of modeling reading for students in order to increase their metacognition. Many times, I think teachers forget the necessity of teaching students to interact with the text. This process of interacting with text is usually an unconscious process for teachers, so we often forget that it does not come as easily for students.

An important way of helping students to increase their metacognition is to model critical reading strategies for your students. It is essential that students can see the text. They should be following along as the teacher is reading. The teacher should read at an appropriate pace so that students CAN follow along. The teacher should point out elements in the text such as the various text features, vocabulary, text structures, etc. As the teacher comes upon these elements, he/she should think aloud and expose the students to his/her way of making sense of the text. This allows students to begin to grasp how to appropriately use the various elements in the text to extract meaning.

I think a common mistake that teachers often make is asking students too many questions during shared reading. This may occur because teachers want students to figure things out on their own instead of simply being given the answers. Sharing reading to increase metacognition, however, is a different type of situation. Students have to learn how to interact with text in this manner, and they do not innately know how to use many of these strategies. This is why it is important for teachers to think aloud and model this type of reasoning. After many exposures to this modeling, students will begin to incorporate these strategies into their own reading.

This is a powerful article. I feel that shared reading will be a key to helping students to become better readers in my classroom!

Double Entry Diary Instructional Framework

I absolutely love this idea of the double entry diary, and I would definitely incorporate this into my classroom! This is so beneficial to students in helping them to construct meaning from the text. This technique personalizes the text to the student, as students are invited to make connections with the text. Students have the option of drawing from their previous knowledge, discussing their personal feelings, and making predictions. In a sense, this is a way of making the text “come alive” for the students.

This technique also aids in reading comprehension. The text is divided into sections so that students can focus on one piece of the story at a time. While students are reading, they are taking notes in their journals about personal connections that they have made with the text. This will help the information to stay organized in their minds. After they have finished reading the book, they can go back and look at their Double Entry Diaries and remember in detail the various parts of the story.

Students are also required to define a set of vocabulary words that are found in the text. This allows students to more fully understand the text when they know what the words mean. This process of defining a word and drawing a picture to accompany the word help the reader to remember what the word means. This is a great way to help students expand their vocabulary!

I Am Blackbeard

I am Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard.

I wonder if I will ever be captured by my enemies.

I hear the clinking of coins as they are flung into my sacred chest one by one.

I imagine the glimmer and sparkle of gems from my next embezzlement.

I want to get my hands on the most valuable treasures in the world.

I am Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard.

I pretend not to be afraid of anything.

I hope I can confiscate whatever I wish.

I touch the smooth edges of embezzled goods with greed.

I worry that someone will discover that I am not really as fierce as I appear.

I cry inside when nothing valuable is gained from one of my raids.

I am Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard.

I understand that sailors dread meeting me in the wide open sea.

I say, “Only the devil and I know the whereabouts of my treasure, and the one of us who lives the longest should take it all.”

I dream of being the wealthiest and most powerful man alive.

I try to gain the trust of my fellow crewmen in hopes that they will not desert me.

I hope that no one ever discovers my lack of “success” as a pirate.

I am Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard

The Not-So-Jolly Roger

This was a very exciting book! This book is great because it provides factual information about Blackbeard (aka Edward Teach), within a fictional setting. This story provides insight into the fierceness of Blackbeard’s life. The suspense encapsulated within this book made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next. I was so nervous for the three boys who suddenly arrived on the island with Blackbeard. I was so afraid that the innocent boys would be killed by Blackbeard and his pirates.

This book served as a way to get me engaged into the subject of pirates. After I finished reading this book, I couldn’t wait to research more about Edward Teach’s life. I was especially interested in the information at the end of the book regarding the bit of biographical information on Blackbeard. I thought that it was very interesting to discover that Blackbeard lived in North Carolina. I never would have guessed that!

This book will be very intriguing to most children. It is fairly short in page length and the text is fairly simple. It provides enough information to lend to an adequate understanding of the life of Blackbeard, without being overwhelming to a young student. This books also has the ability to pique childrens’ interest of finding out more about this topic. I would definitely use this book in my classroom! I think that I would read it at the beginning of a pirate unit.

Pirate Articles

These articles are great! Prior to reading these articles, I had never considered incorporating a pirate unit into my classroom. I think this is a wonderful idea though! I think that students will be very intrigued by the types of activities that are involved in this unit.

It is very useful to combine nonfiction and fiction texts. Students will be able to access factual information from the nonfiction texts that will lead them to a better understanding of the fictional text. The fictional text will engage students in an interesting story. This story has the ability to “bring to life” the unit!

The writing activities in which students participate are also very helpful to their critical thinking skills. The Double Entry Diaries will help with reading comprehension, and the data retrieval charts help to add a personal element to vocabulary words.

This unit integrates social studies, reading and writing. I think this is a wonderful unit and I definitely hope to incorporate this into my classroom one day. I think that it would engage both boys and girls. It will also help to address possible misconceptions that students have developed about piracy throughout their lives.

Objects

Love That Poetry: Teaching Poetry Through Love That Dog by Sharen Creech

I think that one of the reasons that students often tend to shy away from writing poetry is because of the misconception that poetry has to rhyme. The rhyming aspect of poetry can cause students to get nervous about writing poetry and view it as a task that is too difficult for them to do. Free verse poetry is a great way to get students to explore writing poetry without being restrained in their word choice because of rhyming. This can be a very freeing experience for students.

Students can be invited to begin writing their poetry from their observation of an object that is important to them. They can be encouraged to find a way to make this object “come to life” for the audience. These invitations can help students to become comfortable in their ability to write poetry.

Brown Angels

This book was so touching! I really enjoyed looking at the pictures of the little children and imagining what they had been doing prior to getting their picture taken. The pictures reminded me of the profound beauty of a child’s smile. The innocence of a child’s smile lightens my heart and makes me reminiscent of the days when that kind of innocence could be seen in my smile. These “brown angels” are absolutely precious!

I wonder what types of things were going on in these each child’s world when these pictures were taken. I wonder if they were having their innocence stripped away from them due to being exposed to violence, hatred and mistreatment by others in their environment. This books reminds me that I need to always be aware that each student in my classroom will come from different experiences and upbringings. I need to do everything that I can to protect their innocence and cherish their curiosities within my classroom.

I particularly like the quote in the beginning of the book by Walter Dean Myers, “Why do I love children? I think it is because the child in each of us is our most precious part. Children remind us of a time of innocence, a time of giving, and an unfettered love of life.” This is so true!!!

Love that Dog

I absolutely loved this book! The poems were so simple, yet very practical and explicit in their meaning. Jack mimicked Walter Dean Myers style of poetry and wrote several poems in this book. Jack’s poems were very personal and were related to the current happenings in his life. He even wrote about his fear of writing poetry and his fear of having his work posted on the board for other people to see.

I think this book is very inspirational, especially for hesitant writers. It puts a new writer’s fears on the forefront and walks people through the process of overcoming a fear of writing. This book would be wonderful to use with a classroom of boys. It would show them that poetry has no limits and that it is something fun with which they can experiment.

Becoming Naomi Leon

To begin a lesson on the importance of a name using the book Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan, the teacher would simply ask the students what they think about the name Naomi Leon. The teacher would ask the students to elaborate on their opinions and explain why they think the way they do. Ask students to share the importance or meaning behind their name. Once students begin to share, the teacher will invite them to respond in their notebooks.

After reading the book and discussing the book as a class, students could then participate in an activity called “Exploring Naomi’s Hobby.” This would entail having students create their own carving out of modeling clay using a plastic knife, which is reminiscent to Naomi’s hobby which was carving figures out of soap.

By:

Brittany Norman, Joy Cooper and Shelby Johnson