Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Frontloading Meaning
I connected with chapter 6, talking about strategies to get kids drawing upon their own experiences to get ready to read. I have used anticipation guides and KWLs in a variety of ways, along with questions to ask before, during and after reading. My question to you all now is this: In levels 2, 3, 4, should I use the same techniques for every book to give deeper strategy understanding, or should I mix it up to avoid boredom? There is such a fine line in my mind. I want to be concrete and predictable on one hand, spicing up life on the other hand. Or, maybe like most things in life, I should have a combination in mind. Thanks.
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What a good question! I wonder if certain stories and type of texts lend themselves to specific reading strategies better than others. Perhaps this is the driving force in picking out strategies.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the strategies are not inherently boring, even when repeated. To me, the text material is what makes the act of reading boring...no matter what strategies you are applying.
I think it also depends on whether you are teaching the content of the text or the reading strategy. In our reading classes, we want students to master the art of reading. This is different from students learning about the civil war or phases of the moon. For us, the content is the reading strategy and the text is the vehicle.
I think our students would benefit from knowing a couple of strategies "deeply", so that they can apply them to a variety of texts.