Reading Comprehension

Today's readings really opened my eyes to just how complicated the issue of comprehension is. I have worked with students before with low comprehension levels, and I believe it is a very challenging aspect of reading to teach. In regards to my own reading comprehension, I have never really questioned it until now. I have always loved to read. As a child, I frequently went to the local library with my mom to check out books, and I especially loved reading out in the sun during the summers. I still really enjoy reading, although while in school my personal reading is limited due to time! In my free-reading, I feel that I have never really been challenged with comprehension because I choose what to ready, and what interests me, therefore making it a more comprehendable for me. I cannot recall any issues I had in my early school years with comprehension because overall I did not mind reading. I felt comfortable reading in front of others, therefor I was more confidant and motivated to continue reading. I do remember some instances in middle school where I did not enjoy doing book reports but I believe that was due more to my disinterest than my comprehension. Now, in my college level readings, I sometimes feel less motivated to read because some of the readings, especially in my higher up English classes, are uninteresting to me. While there are quite a few times I find myself struggling with comprehension, I am now a learned reader and can follow steps to deepen my comprehension like rereading, and sometimes extra research.
The Tompkins chapters especially deepened my awareness in considering comprehension from a teacher stand point. Lucky for me, reading was always my strong subject, so I find myself not as concerned with comprehension as I should be at times. The Tompkins chapter 7 highlights the eight strategies surrounding student's comprehension. I was very surprised at just how in-depth one simple reading skill requires students to think! I see many of these strategies applied in my classroom, yet I still feel that because comprehension is such a huge aspect surrounding the student's success, more can be done surrounding comprehension. I look forward to talking about this more thoroughly in class today because comprehension is a topic I feel somewhat nervous to tackle in my own classroom!

My Reading Comprehension

After doing the readings, I find that there a many many details that I haven't considered when it comes to comprehension. It was made clear to me that one of the reasons I don't always get anything out of the readings I do for some of my English classes is because I almost skip every step there is to comprehension. I never set a purpose. I never make predictions. I only shrug and complain that I have to read a play in old English! Maybe if I took the time to look deeper into the readings and start off by acknowledging why I am reading it at all will help set me on a path towards better comprehension.

It is hard for me to remember when I started to dislike reading. Well, it's not that I dislike reading-- but I just would rather do anything else for fun. Make sense? I was never the kid who read books for fun and I have never been the adult who does that either. I simply read because I have to and that's that. From Tompkins, motivation is defined as "intrinsic, the innate curiosity within each of us that makes us want to figure things out." (pg. 234) I can apply this definition of motivation to technology or sports, or other things-- but NOT reading! It is kind of crazy when I really think about it, I have almost zero motivation to read (on my own that is.).

I found it very interesting in Tompkins on page 226: "Involving students in experiences such as field trips, participating in dramatizations, and manipulating artifacts is the best way to build background knowledge..." This idea that we can help build background knowledge for those students that don't have as much as others is new to me. I really like it, though, because it helps to include that student in on many things that they would otherwise not have. In a sense, it is helping to build their cultural capital as well.

Readings for February 24

After reading the Applegate and Carlisle articles, as well as chapters 2 and 7 in “Literacy for the 21st Century,” I have a new understanding of my own comprehension especially. I love to read for fun, but not always necessarily for school. I do feel that some of this is because of the factors that contribute to comprehension. When I choose books out to read for fun, I obviously pick those that appeal to me and my interests. I believe part of this is because of the background knowledge I have on the particular subjects, or I possibly know I will be still be able to enjoy the book even if I don’t know everything about it. I also find myself comprehending novels better because of something I never noticed until now. I tend to predict what I think is going to happen next in the book which keeps my interest. It is said that, “As they make predictions, students often become more interested in reading because it gives them a purpose for reading” (Tompkins, 228). I can often make connections with my own life or my interests with a lot of the books I read for fun as well. With books I am reading for school, I often do not hold the prior knowledge necessary to comprehend as well. I also find myself not always being able to connect to my own life or experiences making it more difficult to understand.
In terms of teaching better comprehension to our students, I feel that teachers can easily influence the student’s ability by providing the right tools. I really like the examples of the inferences charts found on pages 234 and 235 of “Literacy for the 21st Century.” I feel that this not only guides the students, but it gives them purpose and motivation in reading the material, allowing them to look for important factors and comprehending the material better. I do also agree that it is important to show that there is an expectation of comprehension while reading. On page 240, there is a list of ways a teacher can do this. The ones that personally stand out to me as possibly being a bit more useful are, “Provide opportunities for students to talk about the books they read and the compositions they write” and “Involve students in authentic reading and writing activities every day” (Tompkins, 240). Without these two factors, it will prove more difficult for the students to excel. I also think it is important to note Figure 7-5 “Factors Affecting Students’ Motivation” on page 236 of Tompkins. I personally believe that motivation may be the most difficult part with teaching students reading and writing. If the child does not want to succeed, they won’t. I like this chart because it tells us different suggestions for what we can do in order to enhance their motivation.

What Courtney Thinks...

Lupita- in Lupita’s case, I believe one of the main issues in her learning is the issues surrounding her learning environment. Because Lupita is an ELL student, she is already working outside her comfort zone in the elementary classroom. This is clear through her shyness in class, and is promoted by Mrs. Potter’s lack of inclusion of Lupita. It is clear when Lupita is seen helping her classmates put together the puzzle that Lupita is capable of social interaction and explanations of her individual reasoning. When Mrs. Potter does not call on her in class, it seems to only promote Lupita’s lack of sense of community and comfortable learning environment. I believe the first step in encouraging Lupita to become a more active member of the class is to make her feel welcome and included. It is common with ELL students to struggle in their understandings when given merely word explanations. If Mrs. Potter were to incorporate multiple methods of instruction, such as discussions, small group work, manipulatives, and visual/sensory instruction, more students than just Lupita would undoubtedly benefit.

Jonathan- Jonathan poses a seemingly common, yet very challenging student teachers experience in classrooms. It sounds like one of the main reasons behind Jonathan’s lack of interest in reading at school is a lack of motivation. He is clearly successful in areas of personal interest to him, so Mrs. Potter’s challenge will be motivating Jonathan to read. One thing I have learned in my field placements is that motivating a student whom is already reading at a lower level than expected is extremely difficult. Mrs. Potter should encourage Jonathan to read books of interest to him before forcing him to read books he may not be interested in. Many schools and libraries offer reading programs throughout the school year and summer with incentives to reading a certain number of books or hours. Encouraging Jonathan to participate in such programs would allow him the freedom to read books of choice while he practices his reading skills.

Eddie- While Eddie may possess social skills within the classroom; it appears he lacks the attention and/or motivation to complete his coursework. The article Quick and Easy Adaptations and Accommodations for Early Childhood Students offers quite a few ways in which students with various special needs may benefit from. Some ways in which to involve students whom have a hard time focusing their attention for an amount of time is to provide plenty of visual support throughout the classroom. This clearly worked in Eddie’s case with the tadpoles, yet then he struggled to focus on Mrs. Potter’s questions. Allowing students to work with manipulatives, or smaller versions of the teacher’s resources used during carpet time, may allow for the students to explore their learning for themselves. If Mrs. Potter allowed Eddie enough time to explore the tadpoles behavior in the jar before beginning her explanations, Eddie may have been more actively engaged in learning more about the tadpoles.

Here's what I think...

Lupita: Lupita seems to lack cultural capital when compared to some of her classmates because of her lack of experience with crayons, toys, etc. I think that Mrs. Potter is wrong by rarely calling on Lupita because she lacks academic skills that the other students have. Lupita will only learn if she sees her mistakes and hears the correct answer. I think Lupita would highly benefit from small group work. It would help her to share her ideas and also hear her classmates comments back to her ideas. I also think that some partner work, with which Lupita would be paired with someone with higher academic skills, would also help her. This way, Mrs. Potter can still tend to the class as a whole and Lupita would get some help from a fellow student, while the fellow student would also get an increased understanding from having to explain something. Also, adding some arts and crafts projects to their classwork will help forward Lupita's skills in these seemingly simple areas. I think that Lupita just needs some more exposure to some things that we all take for granted. Since Lupita is good at the puzzles, Mrs. Potter could formulate a few special assignments using puzzles for Lupita to help her understanding in other areas.

Jonathan: I think that Jonathan should be exposed to books or other reading materials that involve his interests--such as baseball or piano. This may encourage his reading and cause him to try a but harder at practicing his reading. He should also be put in a reading group so that he gets specific help based on reading level, and even some individual help during a free-read time or something. Mrs. Potter may even want to speak to his parents and have them practice reading at home more often. As far as asking for help, maybe he is embarrassed that a lot of times he is confused in class. Mrs. Potter should offer the directions for assignments in different ways--orally to the class, written on the board, and again maybe individually to help get him started right away rather then giving him time to sit and do nothing. 

Eddie: Eddie seems to be a very active boy. I would offer to him a lot of hands-on activities to get his work done. Also, since he is behind on his work and seems not to try, a system should be created with him to ensure that his work does get done-- i.e. a chart that shows his work that has been completed which indicates whether or not he can go to recess, or have free time, for example. Or a system of daily notes home to the parents of what homework is for the week to make sure that the parents are actively involve in Eddie's school work and are aware of what he needs to do. 

Eddie's squirminess is probably distracting to other students. It might help to give him one of those stress balls (like the one discussed in Marcus: Gifted and Challenging) instead of having him constantly tapping his pencil on his desk. It will also help to have the class as a whole moving around the classroom so that no one gets too antsy.

What do you think?

Lupita-- I think the most important thing to keep in mind is the idea of being flexible. In “Marcus: Gifted and Challenging” they say, “Try to be aware of times when you can be flexible in how things can be accomplished or when they are accomplished” (Kostelnick, 72). I feel that especially with an ELL student, they might benefit from an extension on work or a different way of completing it. Mrs. Potter also needs to be sure to include Lupita when doing class work or conducting class discussions. Possibly pairing her with other students can help. From her reaction to the other students with the puzzles, it is obvious Lupita is willing to work with others and has strengths in some areas more than others. One idea that I came across that I feel would be especially useful for a student like Lupita is a PECS book. Since she may not be able to voice her needs or confusion, a PECS book would allow her to communicate through visuals. In “Quick and Easy Adaptations and Accommodations for Early Childhood Students,” it is stated that “One research study on PECS demonstrated the efficacy of the PECS protocol with three children with autism, the emergence of speech, and the collateral gains in social-communicative behaviors and concomitant decreases in problem behavior” (Breitfelder, 11). It goes on to explain that students with behavioral problems decrease their behavioral problems because there is less frustration from not being able to communicate. Although Lupita is well behaved, I feel that if Lupita could possibly communicate better when she does not clearly understand something, Mrs. Potter will be more aware of her and her strengths and weaknesses.

Jonathan—While reading about Jonathan, I am reminded a lot of Marcus from the article, “Marcus: Gifted and Challenging”. It seems as though they both have strong assets, but still tend to struggle with different subjects. Obviously Jonathan has a lot of strengths, but in order to achieve just as well academically, I would do a couple of different things. I feel as though since Jonathan is not asking for help, this may be adding to a negative perception of reading he already possesses. In order to work on correcting this, I would suggest what Marcus’s new teacher did. She did not force reading but instead, provided a time in the beginning of the day for the children to choose their own book and read while others became settled. For Marcus, this was a positive time and he quickly began to choose a book on his own. I feel that if Jonathan had a choice as well, and reading was not forced, there may be less pressure and he would be more apt to read on his own. Along with giving choice, I would also use visual support more often. “According to Tissot and Evans (2003) visual supports as photographs, hand-drawn pictures, graphics, or computer-generated icons actually benefit all students especially those who have difficulty reading” (Breitfelder, 3). It will help Jonathan process language better, as well as still take away some of the confusion he is feeling about reading.

Eddie—From my experience and what I read in the articles, I definitely feel that Eddie may have a case of ADHD. Since he has trouble following directions and sitting still, Mrs. Potter could offer more hands-on activities. It will be better for the student if he is up and doing something rather than sitting still struggling to concentrate. I think Eddie would also benefit from a well laid out schedule. According to Breitfelder, “Many students who have issues with behavior need schedules in place so they have a clear beginning and ending to the task at hand” (Breitfelder, 4). This is important because it allows the child to have a sense of how long they’ll be sitting or doing a certain activity. It is also important for Mrs. Potter to have manipulatives to aid in the children’s learning. Rather than sitting with nothing to do, the students could have something to do with the teacher. This is especially important for students like Eddie. If he had something to play with that aided in his learning, I feel he would maintain his attention much longer. Finally, I would assume that a behavior modification chart may help with Eddie. He may not be aware of what exactly kind of behavior is expected of him during school. The chart will allow Eddie to become more aware of what desirable behaviors are rather than negative behavior

Digital Native Or Immigrant?

After taking the online quiz regarding my digital literacy, I find that I am more so in between a digital immigrant and native. I feel that by no means am I an immigrant because I have grown accustomed to modern day technology throughout the years. This is definately most recognizable when I try to teach my mom how to text message! I was able to identify all the words on the quiz except for 'modding' and 'smart mobs' which i had both never heard before and had no idea what they were. In general, I do feel competent regarding my digital abilities of comfort level, however, in taking both this quiz and relating my digital abilities to classmates, I would by no means classify myself as a digital native. I may be competent in technology but I do not feel that I grew up on computers and video games and MTV. Such items were regulated in my household, and much of my childhood was spent with friends using our imagination! It was not until college that I was introduced to both wikis and blogs, and these are both things I do not feel one hundred percent confident in.
I believe that my digital literacy development can be very comparable to some of the issues Tompkins raises in emergent literacy. I do not feel that I would be classified as an emergent digital learner, yet I can see some similarities to when I was. An underlying factor that Tompkins relates emergent literacy learners development to is both practice availabilty of materials to develop reading and writing. I suppose that this is much like how my digital development began. We did not have a computer in our house until I was in middle school, that is when I remember learning to use instant messenger. The availabilty of technology in my house as well as my friends, allowed for more use of materials (computer/IM) to develop my digital literacy. Currently, I would not classify my digital literacy as fluent completely. While I can efficently use the internet, email, messaging, and blogging, I feel I still lack a broader understanding of the cyber-world as a whole.

Native or Immigrant?

I am not quite sure where I would fall on this scale. While I definitely do not think that I am an immigrant, after taking this quiz I am not so sure that I have reached a full digital native status. I think that I am pretty good with technology-- I can usually fix computer problems or figure programs out by myself. However, some of the terms provided by the digital native quiz were unfamiliar to me. I did not know "modding" or "smart mobs" at all. I also could not come up for a definition for "wiki", although I am familiar with what it is-- I just could not describe it. I do have to critique the quiz, however, because I do not think that based on these five terms you can distinguish whether you are an immigrant or a native.

I think that I am definitely passed the emergent stage of my digital literacy. I was probably in this phase when I was six or seven years old--maybe even younger. It is interesting to compare emergent digital literacy and emergent literacy of children because I think that there are many connections to be made. In my field placement I am in a first grade class, so I get to observe a lot of practice with reading and rhyming words and spelling. I also have parents who are emergent in their digital literacy, who call me with questions all the time. I can compare my parents to emergent literacy for children because they are beginners when it comes to technology. My dad would probably be able to define one or two of those quiz words while my mom would probably only get one, if that. My dad has asked me hundreds of questions about his cell phone, my cell phone, the internet, the computer, his laptop, etc. He is a new learner, just like my students are to their reading and writing. It is funny because when my dad asks me questions that seem so simple, I laugh with frustration and get annoyed very easily. One time I was teaching him how to post something on eBay and he told me to be patient with him. Then he laughed and joked about me being a teacher because i had zero patience to help him. After he made the joke I realized that he really just is unfamiliar with the technology and is trying to learn for himself instead of me just doing it for him. This directly relates to my students in my field placement, because they will ask me to spell a word and I will ask them to sound it out instead of just providing the answer. With my dad, I talk him through the steps while he does it for himself.

Digital Native or Immigrant-- Erin

After reading the article and taking the quiz provided by the SDSU Encyclopedia of Educational Technology, I would definitely consider myself to be a digital immigrant. Through the quiz, I only came across three terms which I was familiar with, two of which I was introduced in college. I knew what a blog, wiki and IM were,but I have never even heard of "modding", "smart mobs" or "massive multiplayer on-line games". I only know what a blog is because I have used them in classes recently, and the same with the wiki. I am making an effort to learn about new technology and I do feel as though I am a little past "emergent". If we are to compare the steps of literacy learning to the steps of achieving a digital native status, I would say I am well on my way to the "beginning" stage. It's funny to compare the literacy stages with technology because I feel that they are completely parallel. I do believe there could be three stages in technology immigration. There would be the first one where you are introduced to technology. You find out the basics just as you do in the emergent stage of literacy. For instance, just as you start to notice environmental print and begin to take interest in reading and writing, you would start to notice the different kinds of technology around and begin to take an interest in how they work and what they are used for. For the beginning stage of literacy children start to develop the ability to read by decoding sounds and they can slowly learn to read and write different words at different levels. As we learn about technology, we can begin to teach ourselves because of our prior knowledge we have already obtained. It as if we are "sounding out" because we are taking what we know to make new conclusions. I feel as though I am in this stage because I do believe I know the basics of technology, and I use what I already know to make assumptions about new technology. The final stage of technology, when one can be deemed a "digital native" would be the equivalent of a student reaching the fluent level of literacy. In literacy the child can read and write fluently. They can often read and write independently and make connections across print and reality. I feel that this ties in perfectly in with technology. I believe when you have a good understanding and achieve the level of a digital native, you can make connections between technology and reality as well as different types of technology. I feel that the interest in reading and writing grows as students rise through the levels just as peoples interest in technology rises as they begin to understand it better. It is also important to make technology available and interesting in order to receive more interest in it. Like Tompkins describes, it is important to expose students to all the different ways reading and writing are important and can be used. Although I currently consider myself to be a "beginner", I believe that one day I will achieve the "fluent" level in technology.

Listening to our classmates perform their own choral readings was an interesting new take on the subject. I was very surprised at the many ways one class came up with performing these choral readings. Some choose upbeat and cheery rhyming readings, to quirky partner readings. As my group planned our choral reading, we engaged in the GLCE Speaking (Discourse) engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct meaning as well as the Plan and deliver an informal presentation GLCE. As a group, we discussed possibilities of ways in which we could perform our reading focusing on the conventions which then incorporated the speaking GLCES use tone of voice and pace of speaking to enhance meaning and influence interpretation when presenting, as well as use enunciation and stress to emphasize key ideas and concepts when presenting. My group, specifically, used a variation of tone, pace and stressing certain words to add to our choral reading. The listening and viewing GLECs were also effective as the class listened to each other’s choral reading and engaged listening.
This choral reading activity, as well as comparing the GLCEs that apply, opened my eyes to the small ways in which I, as a teacher, can implement fun and simple literacy development into my classroom. When we did the activity in class, I did not consider what such an activity would be like for elementary school children. But now placing myself in the role of a teacher, I understand the ways that such readings can benefit all you students. Allowing the children to work in small groups offers the students more opportunities to share their thoughts and understandings. The students will work together in developing literacy regarding the specific readings.
As a future teacher, I hope to incorporate as much classroom talk and even choral readings into my classroom as possible. Literacy is a very important aspect of learning all subject area, so it is crucial to maximize the students understandings. Allowing children more time to work cooperatively as a group promotes a comfortable learning environment in which all student’s opinions are valued equally.

My Choral Reading Activity Experience!

Before this class, I had never done a choral reading in the way that we did with the poem "All the Colors of the Race", so this activity was rather new to me. The class was split up into two groups and each had to decide how each line would be read aloud (alternating lines between the two groups).

 I think that this activity touched on a few of the GLCEs. First, this activity included "Students will use enunciation and stress to emphasize key ideas and concepts when presenting" which is under Speaking (Convention). Each group would say the lines differently, and try to use enunciation and stress to show the emotion behind the lines of the poem. This would also classify for the other GLCE under this category, which is "students will use tone of voice and pace of speaking to enhance meaning and influence interpretation when presenting". To our class, we thought the poem was a bit sad, so we used somewhat of a somber tone to exhibit these emotions.

Each group had to decide as a whole how the lines would be spoken. A couple of people would give out differing ideas, and then as a group we would decide which would work best based on how we interpreted the poem. This idea reflects the GLCE under Speaking (Discourse), which is "students will engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct meaning". 

Lastly, each group had to present their lines together for a final product. This would fall under the Speaking (Discourse) for the GLCE, "students will plan and deliver and informal presentation".

I definitely felt supported in our learning community. I think when students are given the opportunity to have a discussion amongst themselves and question each other, etc., they really open up and feel more relaxed than if the teacher was using the I-R-E approach. This is described by Janice Almasi in "A New View of Discussion". It states, "Students tend to participate differently in discussions than in recitations. In a discussion, students will assume a multitude of roles..." (Almasi, 7) In the "discussion" environment, the student is the inquisitor, facilitator, respondent, evaluator, everything. This gives students the opportunity to just talk to one another, in a non-threatening way, without worrying if they answer a question right for the teacher. That's why when we did the poems, I felt very comfortable because I was able to discuss my ideas and feelings without being graded.

My personal reflections on my learning help me think towards my role as a teacher because I notice which activities I actively participate in and which ones I do not. I really like doing the hands on group activities because they are fun and educational at the same time, as opposed to sitting and listening to lecture, which is when I usually lose touch with what is going on because I lose my focus. My learning has changed dramatically through my TE 401 and now 402 class because I was asked to ACTIVELY learn, and not just take notes. Those activities are the ones I remember and the ones I enjoyed participating in. I am going to try to incorporate as much hands on activities and discussions in my classroom because I can see that I participate more through discussion with my peers and activities.

Even though I am in a lower elementary class, I am still going to try to use the idea of discussion in my language arts lesson. I have noticed already that my students love to share their ideas so I hope that it will go over well. 

Participation in Choral Readings-- Erin

In class on January 27, our group, including both Courtney and Abby read a "silly" poem to our class through choral reading. Doing this was fun, entertaining and something that I personally feel began building our classroom community. I felt that the best part of this activity was being able to put together our own choral reading. The GLCE's we covered in class fit perfectly for this activity. We were able to develop in three separate standards among speaking expectations from the eighth grade GLCE's for Language Arts. For instance, S.CN.08.02 Speak effectively using body language including gestures, posture, facial expressions, tone of voice and pace of speaking to enhance meaning and influence interpretation in narrative and informational presentations. For this particular activity, we were forced to work with our individual voice and pace in order to show emphasis at certain parts. It was funny how we practiced in our group so that we reached the right amount of emphasis and the right amount of humor for the poem. Also found in the GLCE that we practiced in this activity is, S.CN.08.01 which states, students will adjust their use of language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes by using enunciation to emphasize key ideas and concepts when presenting. This was extremely evident in the last sentence of our poem when our group was sure to emphasis on the "very, very, very, very, VERY grumbily". We were all able to read one "very" and the last "very" together to really push the point. Also seen in our reading, was the practice of S.DS.09.04 which basically asks the student to deliver an informal presentation. The group and I were able to put this reading together quickly and present it in front of the class with no pressure. It was seen as a fun activity where we were allowed to read however we decided.
When we first did this activity, I saw it as a simple introduction to poetry. The more I dissect it though, I see there was much more than that. It not only met multiple grade level standards, but it also was a hidden form of response-centered talk. In "Response-Centered Talk: Windows on Children's Thinking" Lea M. McGee explains that "... interpretations are the significant understandings that a group of readers negotiates together and commonly agrees upon" (McGee, 197). For our group to come together in agreement over what needed to be emphasized in the poem, we had to have a open-ended discussion about our view of the poem. Through our discussion we were able to agree that some parts needed hesitation while others needed a different tone. I think this activity also helped build community through the steady building of confidence and comfort of us as students. I know that the for me, the loose guidelines allowed me to read in a way that was comfortable for me. Since there was little pressure of being right, I was able to be confident in my reading with my group. I think also working in a small group helped with this. When I am a teacher I will keep these points in mind. Not only can you have rich discussion through guided talks, but also in fun activities. I will also keep in mind that without the open-ended of this activity, there could have been anxiety and pressure when presenting. The informality of this activity is something I would definitely like to carry over in my classroom. I will use a activity similar to this without a doubt in the future.