1) Teaching students to use headings, titles, subheadings, graphic clues, and signal words when previewing text helps students to use text features to comprehend text.
2) One way to help students to understand the structure of a story is to provide students with a story grammar before the reading. They have been developed to help students facilitate the identification of the predictable aspects of a story.
3) Signal words is one way proficient readers use to understand text structure. These words signal relationships between words and ideas.
4) 60-80 percent of the items on state tests are informational so it is best that we teach them.
1) Story Frames- I would implement story frames within the curriculum since they help so much with cause and effect. The students could learn a lot of information just from filling out a story frame. They help with cause/effect, problem/solution, compare/contrast, sequence order, and description patterns.
2) Another graphic organizer I would use is a Problem and Solution that can be found on Pg. 82. The problem and solution map is a great strategy that not only can be used for reading problem or content areas within the classroom, but it can also be used with real life issues one may encounter.
1) Teachers are responsible for evaluating and choosing textbooks that are the best for their students. What resources are available to help teachers more effectively choose textbooks that facilitate rather than impede student learning?
You wrote: 60-80 percent of the items on state tests are informational so it is best that we teach them. IF this is true, why are the teachers spending more time teaching how to handle expository text better? Teachers do a great job with narrative text (ex. fairy tales) and many teachers don't to the mental and educational jump to teach expository text differently. They handle it the same way as narrative.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: as for text selection, get on the committee for your domain. Learn all you can about the objectives (common core and PASS) which is suppose to be taught at that level. Learn all you can about the testing which will be required. Learn all you can about the textbook itself (the reading level, the use of visuals, the layout of the text, etc.) The teacher must also know the general population of the school. Of course, the class population will change yearly but the general population might need special help. (For example, on a story of the barrio, who but the people in NEw York would realize what it is and how it affects students. Or on the hurricane if the students live in the desert.) The teacher should not choose the textbook for the peripherals (workbooks, g.o. sheets) , but on the presentation of the content.