Chapter 6 “Frontloading Meaning: Pre-Reading Strategies”

In Chapter 6 “Frontloading Meaning: Pre-Reading Strategies,” Beers gives us a couple of examples of ways teachers can get kids to think about the text before they actually read. Instead of just telling the students a little about what the book is about, there are activities that can be used to get their mental juices flowing a bit more. I remember one teacher from high school in specific, who shall remain nameless, who would pass out the books, give a brief synopsis of the book, and assign the reading for the next day. Teachers should try their hardest to get the kids somewhat interested and engaged before they even pass out the book, unlike my one teacher in high school.

My favorite strategy that Beers discussed was the Probable Statement worksheet. I think that this could really be helpful in helping students activate their imagination, which is crucial to have when reading any text. By giving students just key words from the book they can discuss in small groups what they think each of those terms has to do with the story. In addition, the three questions to discover can help the teacher figure out what the students are looking for from the text. The unknown words category is a great way to also introduce new vocabulary. The more developed vocabulary the students have, the better their chances are of becoming a successful reader.

Chapter 4: “Explicit Instruction in Comprehension”

In Chapter 4: “Explicit Instruction in Comprehension,” the part that really sticks out to me is the transcripts of Kate’s classroom discussions. I feel that in high school I came across many teachers that just wanted to talk about what something means instead of teaching you how to figure out what something means. For the independent readers who understand what is going on in the texts when they read them for homework, it’s fine. Yet, the dependent readers will just listen and soak the information in during the lecture instead of trying to comprehend the text on their own. It was nice to see how originally Kate thought one way and then after conferring with Beers, she changed her way of approaching the lessons. At the end of that section, it said that the students noticed when she was not thinking aloud.

I can see how using thinking aloud and other strategies in the classroom could really help students understand more about what is going on in class. Once they start to understand how to read and actually understand what they are reading by thinking about the text by making predictions, comparisons, or other methods, it could then transfer over into other subjects, thus improving their overall school experience. To build off the ideas put into place in Kate’s classroom, I think I would like to make sure my students have a general idea of what they will be reading for the year so they have the opportunity to purchase the books if they want. I know personally I like to write and underline in my novels so maybe I could help them learn to “think aloud” by writing in the margins of their own books.

Chapter 3: “Assessing Dependent Reader’s Needs”

In Chapter 3: “Assessing Dependent Reader’s Needs,” Beers writes a lot about what exactly what “This kid can’t read” means. She gives about a page and a half of bulleted points of characteristics that can describe kids that can’t read. Each individual case will not include all of the bulleted points but it is a comprehensive list of detailed descriptions. I personally loved the chart on page 28. It starts with “If a student…” and lists a bunch of the characteristics, it offers a “then this student needs help with…” paired with a list of possible areas to focus on in order to fix the characteristics in the first part. The “If – Then Chart” also lists the specific chapters where you can go to for reference.

I also really liked Beers’ use of personal experiences with the “Step Inside a Classroom” section. It is really nice to be able to put a picture with some of the different characteristics. For me, this is a great aid to use so that way if I ever come across a kid like Mike, Amy, or Sharamee, I have some sort of reference point to work from and base my instruction off of. It also helps to put real people behind the characteristics listed in the book.

Chapter 2: Creating Independent Readers

One thing that I really learned from Chapter 2 is that anyone can be a struggling reader. It will not always be the students in remedial or regular classes that will be the ones with issues with reading. I found it very interesting to hear about the author’s interaction with Leah and the brass ring. It helped reinforce that every interaction with children, whether it is in the classroom or not, may be an enlightening experience for a teacher. It helped Beers realize that kids who struggle with reading may not be vocal about their questions unlike Leah. As educators, we should be sure to ask questions to our students so that we can continue to pinpoint exactly where the struggle in reading may occur. We need to figure out if they have problems with cognition or if they just have a negative attitude toward reading. Beers talks about this in the section called “Moving Dependent Readers Toward Independent Reading.” Personally, I am an independent reader. Therefore, I have to make sure that I do not make assumptions with my students and assume they can read and figure things out on their own. The assessment we took in class would be a good way to help take a closer look at each individual student who I feel might have problems with reading.

Another really interesting point Beers made is when she talks about how even the AP English student can struggle on page 15. I was an honors student all through high school and even took my college writing one and two during my senior year of high school through PSEOP. Reading Beers’ description of gifted students potentially having difficulties reminded me of when I attempted to read Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It was one of my own personal times as a struggling reader. Therefore, even if I end up teaching an Honors course, I must keep my eyes open and aware of the fact that even honors students can struggle.

Pre-Review

Hello all. My name is Sarah "Sadie" Nedbalski and this is the first pre-entry in my review blog for Teaching Reading with Literature, Thursday from 4:25-7:05.