During the month of December our application we are working on learning about theories that have shaped literacy and reflecting on how they have changed our practices as well as applying inquiry based learning in our planning for a unit of study we will teach in the coming spring semester.
In December’s blendspace you will find a variety of resources including the four theories that we are sharing with you such as Cambourne’s Conditons of Learning, Halliday’s Functions of Language, L1 to L2 Transfer, and Marie Clay’s Reading/Writing Reciprocity to read and reflect upon. We have worked to embed two new tech tools, QR codes and Google Forms into your reading/writing workshop that can also be used in your classroom. Lastly, you will find the new 2015-2016 SC ELA Inquiry standards that can help you enhance your existing units of study through the use of student-driven, inquiry-based learning.
This month for my blog post, I have chosen to read chapter 8 from Routman’s Reading Essentials for many reasons. First of all, I believe that reading is meaning and without understanding what they are gleaning from texts, students aren’t really reading even if they are the best word callers/decoders on the planet. Without meaning, they are just words. Second, with current reform initiatives in place in our state and across the country that focus on third grade comprehension it is vital that we realize that comprehension and comprehension instruction starts way before that. We can’t wait until third grade to determine if our students are ready as readers. We have to keep comprehension in mind from the very start.
Routman says, “In my continuing work in schools, its’ rarely a lack of word work that prevents students from understanding. It’s almost always not having the background, prior experiences, or knowledge of the way texts and authors work that stumps them – not knowing that good readers are aware of their understanding or lack of it and always do whatever is necessary to make sense of what they are reading. You can’t start teaching comprehension in grade 3. You start teaching it the day kids enter preschool or kindergarten.” (Routman, pg. 118)
One of the major points Routman made in this chapter that really convicted me and helped to improve my practice is her point that reading strategies are not synonymous with comprehension and are not meant to be taught in isolation. I have been a reading/writing workshop girl since back in the day and consider myself to promote and implement the teaching of reading and writing in the authentic context of their own reading and writing. When I read Routman’s explanation of a typical classroom’s reading instruction I realized that I have too often taught a proficient reading strategy that way. I have introduced a reading strategy in a minilesson, employed metacognition and modeling, and then had students work to apply that strategy using sticky notes or reading responses to help strengthen their reading. I realized that many times that took out the authenticity of their independent reading and either simplified a complex, cognitive process into one strategy and weakened their overall comprehension of the text by focusing all of their efforts on one strategy. Routman says that actually makes reading harder.
She writes, “Students become so focused on identifying words they don’t know, questions to ask, or connections to make that they forget to read for overall meaning. While its fine to introduce and practice strategies one at a time, remember that when we read we use all these strategies at the same time and that our comprehension process is largely unconscious.”
I love her question at the end of page 119, “Continue to ask yourself, “How is this procedure helping my students become more proficient and independent as readers?” This is a question that I will use to guide my instruction and I want to be more conscious of my reading application time to ensure that it is not either oversimplified or made harder because of inauthentic instruction.
Other take aways for me from this chapter include:
*the 20 percent to 80 percent rule where the majority of the time in reading instruction is spent on student application
*the questions given on page 120 to help us focus on strategic reading rather than individual strategies
*megacognitive strategies on page 121 such as rereading, highlighting, writing down, survey, connect, and monitor
*teaching self-monitoring (I love the checklist of strategies on page 125)
On page 129 Routman says, “There is a huge difference between strategy instruction and strategic instruction. Just teaching strategies is not enough. Strategies must be “invoked” by the learner if they are to be used to increase understanding.” I agree and appreciate the clear call to create opportunities for our students to apply what they are learning about reading in authentic ways in their own independent reading with support, with modeling, and with an undeniable purpose to understand what they are reading.
Sincerely,
Dawn
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