WOW! These chapters were loaded with information. I don't know about you but my brain is on overload!!
Chapter 12 - Teaching for Strategies
Loved this chapter!!! I made so many connections and had so many "a-ha" moments. Where do I begin??
First, what is reading? If we charted this, what kinds of responses do you think we would get? Probably something like, a process or transaction; meaning making; using a balance of cue systems; making meaning of the world around us. All of the responses would be correct. Simply put, reading is the construction of meaning. Our job is to intentionally and systematically teach strategies within the context of whole and meaningful texts. According to the authors, "All learners have in-the-head processes they use to integrate new information with what they already know." As teachers we cannot observe these in-the-head strategies. However, we can observe behavior and guess what processes are are being used.
Just as strategies cannot be directly observed neither can they be directly taught. You teach for strategies!! I love the analogy of teaching strategies to teaching swimming. You explain the process and model but you must get in the water to be a swimmer. Same for reading. We explain and model strategies but the student must get into the books to become readers. We teach for transfer. We teach how to use strategies so the students will be able to transfer them when reading independently.
Marie Clay groups strategies in 3 broad categories: strategies for maintaining fluency; strategies for detecting and correcting errors; and strategies for problem solving new words. On page 150 the authors state that oral language is critical when anticipating the text and checking the reading to see if it makes sense. This resonated with me as I think of our population and their lack of the English language. This is why it is so important for us to build their language and prior knowledge.
The last section of this chapter talked about comprehension. According to Fountas & Pinnell, "Comprehending is not a product of reading; it is a process." I immediately thought of the 3 cueing systems - semantic, syntactic, and graphophonemic. Let me quickly review. Semantic cues are about meaning. This cueing system comes from past experiences (schema), story knowledge, illustrations, etc. Questions to ask for semantics. Does it make sense? What would make sense? Syntactic involves the grammatical structure of language. Does it sound right (grammatically)? And finally, graphophonemic looks at the relationship between letters and sounds. Does it look right? Good readers will use the 3 cueing systems when they come to a word they do not know. They will ask themselves, what would make sense? Then they confirm their prediction by asking does it sound right grammatically? And finally they further confirm by checking the beginning letter or letter cluster, then the ending letter or letter cluster, and/or looking for familiar chunks.
Guided reading groups should be strategic learning sessions. You cannot have guided reading groups unless you find out what readers are doing. Hence your running records!
Figure 12-10 on page 161 provides a list of prompts or questions for facilitating reading strategies. The goal is for students to eventually get where they use these prompts or question as they read independently.
Chapter 13 - Learning about Letters and Words
I cheered as I read this chapter. My soap box is teaching letters and sounds within context not in isolation. I will try not to go on and on! On page 163, the authors state, "Letters and words within continuous text offer different kinds of informational support than they do when isolated. The syntactic patterns of language narrow the possibilities and make it easier for children to select and use the graphic symbols." According to language theorist Roger Brown, "form follows function". We use literature for real purposes. Within the context of these experiences we help students understand form. We talk function first, then we learn form. This is why we don't do letter of the week. In many classrooms, we start with the individual letter (form) and then put it in a book, word, or name (function). When we should read the book or show the word many times (function) then talk about the individual letters (form). Michael Halliday also talks about the importance of function, "Halliday's Function". According to Halliday, children learn language in order to function in their world. We have to set up reasons for students to want to be literate. Students should have reasons for reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Okay. I'll get off my soapbox now!
There were SO many good ideas in this chapter. Here are some pages you should go back and reread.
Pages 166 - 169: Strategies for teaching letters and words in a guided reading lesson (introduction, during reading & after the reading)
Pages 169 & 170: Ways to incorporate letter and word study in a balanced literacy program (shared reading, interactive writing & writing workshop)
Pages 171 - 176: Letter and word activities (This is a great section for ideas!!)
The BIG idea I gained from this chapter is the goal for teaching letters and sounds is so students will use this knowledge as they read and write. And the best way to teach letters and sounds is within the context of meaning, purposeful reading and writing activities. FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
Reflection Questions:
1. What are some ways you teach letters and words? Are you teaching them within context of purposeful reading and writing?
2. How might you incorporate some of the Letter and Word study ideas in your classroom?
