Reading is Thinking and Strategic
Reflection of Chapters 1 & 2
Reading Is Thinking
I'll use these sticky notes….
Connecting to a personal story…..
Ever since I was 11 or so I have been celebrating my birthdays on Sabago Lake and every year we would go tubing. In the early years my father would take my brother and me to the lake and rent a speed boat. My brother and I would take turns and have a blast! However as time went on, I got bigger, the group got bigger, and the tube got bigger. Now each summer in August my father's friend Dick loans us a premium speed boat and a tube that can hold four full grown men. Dick even volunteers to drive the boat for us while my friends and I ride the tube. The only caveat is Dick's first two commandments : 1. He doesn't stop until the tube is empty and 2. There is only one proper way to empty a tube. In short this translates to the occupants of the tube being thrown from it at speeds high enough that it is not unlikely they imitate the trajectory of an imperfect skipping stone. While I could probably continue recounting endless tales of spectacular wipeouts, in the interest of space I'll save them for the dining hall if anyone wants to hear them.
What Is Reading?…..
Examples:
"Crack the code"- to be able to realize that F-O-X spells the word 'fox' and how to say the word
"Interpret, construct… meaning"- to understand that the word 'fox' means a small red furred mammal or depending on context its meaning can denote an aspect of cunning or slyness.
Comprehension is King
The Goals
- Monitor understanding
- Enhance understanding
- Acquire and actively use knowledge
- Develop insight
Examples of a reader who understands:
- extract the guiding moral/message of a fairy tale
- form a new opinion from an editorial
- develop a deeper understanding of issues when reading a feature article.
What does a proficient reader do….
- search for connections between what they know and the new information they encounter in the texts they read
- ask questions of themselves, the authors they encounter, and the texts they read
- draw inferences during and after reading
- distinguish important from less important ideas in text
- are adept at synthesizing information within and across texts and reading experiences
- monitor the adequacy of their understanding and repair faulty comprehension
- visualize what they are reading
in other words to best comprehend try…
- activate and connecting to background knowledge
- ask questions
- make inferences
- visualise
- determine importance
- summarize and synthesize information
Reading Is Strategic
Another personal connection
Things that help improve reading skills
High Volume Of Reading = Good "readers get better at reading by reading"
Teach students to monitor their own reading
"Leave tracks" in text (notes, thoughts, questions)
Four Types of Learners
Aware learner - realize when mean is lost and when confusion has set in but might now have strategies to fix the problem
Strategic learner -has tools and strategies to monitor and repair meaning when disrupted
Reflective learner - reflect on think and purposes and adapt strategies accordingly