Nina Parish: How would I use her 5 ways to support children who struggle with reading comprehension?
As an ELA teacher reading comprehension is something I have to work with my students to achieve. It will be on any standardized test they come across and it is important that the information we are reading and sharing is understandable for my students.
The first way I could help my students is by making sure I am teaching in spoken language before written language. Making sure my students are developing vocabulary, thinking skills, and comprehension verbally before I go to paper can help them with their comprehension.
The second way to help my students is to teach them the use of context clues within a text. By learning what context clues are and how they help a text come together, my student's reading comprehensions can improve.
The third way to help my students is to use organizers that will help them comprehend what they are reading. Some examples of this are: SQ3R, KWL charts, and mnemonics.
The fourth way to help my students is to use reciprocal teaching in the classroom. After a text is read by the class, break them up into small groups and facilitate discussions so the students are teaching each other.
The fifth way to help my students is to teach them comprehension skills within the readings. This includes; sequencing, story structure, making inferences and drawing conclusions, and using different types of figurative language in the text.
Crystalee Calderwood: How Would I Use Children's Books In ELA Content Area
I would use the book:
Owl in a Straw Hat: El Tecolote del Sombrero de Paja
By: Rudolfo Anaya
As an ELA teacher I would use this book to go over different literary theories for my high school students. It is a great book because it is bilingual so students could read it in spanish or english. It also has a lot of New Mexican based traditions and references that the students could relate to.
Hi Kathryn,
ReplyDeleteI like your fourth strategy of reciprocol reading. I have learned in this class that it is vital for students to discuss what they are reading for better clarification. Each student has a different perspective and it is valuable to the entire classroom.
I am digging the children's book you would go over in class, Owl in Straw Hat: El Tecolote del Sombrero de Paja, I should know it but I am sad to say I have not read it. Considering it is written by the late Rudolfo Anaya it is a must read for New Mexican students for sure!
Thank you for your response! It's such a cute book. I didn't even realize he wrote children's books until my nephew was born and I was looking for some bilingual books for him and ran across it. I think everyone should read it!
DeleteI agree that discussions should take place constantly in the classroom. It is so helpful (even to me as an adult) to read something then discuss it with peers. There is only so much I can get out of a reading and it's helpful to hear what others have seen that I may have missed.