Video: Critical Literacy: Children as changemakers in their worlds

Article: Delving Deeper into Diversity Through Critical Literacy  https://primarycriticalliteracy.weebly.com/instructional-strategies.html

 

 

Yellowdig Post:

I enjoyed reading this chapter. In second grade we teacher a great deal of comprehension strategies. I personally spend a lot of time stressing that readers use many strategies to help them understand a text. However, many students struggle to pick the right strategy for the right reading. We call them "one trick ponies". They tend to find a strategy they like or can do and try that in every situation. The book referenced that CLD students tend to be less successful at using the correct strategies to assist in their comprehension of a text. We as teachers should provide strategy instruction that is more specific in metacognitive, cognitive, and social/effective reading. I liked reading about the "In my head" strategy since it was new to me. I like the the idea of having students write or draw about what they are thinking as they read.
https://thereadingroundup.com/a-simple-reading-strategy-to-get-students-using-their-heads-and-hearts/

Candace Thackston Bolt
09/22/2021
Yellowdig post:

I really enjoyed this chapter! I love it when I spend my time reading something and walk away feeling like, "YES! I can actually use this!" This was one of those chapters. Figure 6.1 is an eye-catcher. It clearly explains what reading comprehension really is. It's more than simply understanding what you read (which has always pretty much been the stock answer). Not only must you understand what was read, you must also be able to construct meaning. That is often a difficult concept to explain to parents. Just this week I had a mom actually photograph pictures of a book her son could "easily read" at home to show me that the books I am sending home for him are "way too easy." So, I was trying to explain this very concept to her. This child is bilingual (fluent in both English and Spanish). He is bright, but his fluency and comprehension are somewhat lacking (which is FINE; he's in kindergarten for goodness sake!). Trying to get her to understand that reading is about far more that just decoding words has been my major challenge of the week.

One of the strategies from the chapter that I often use (there are several) is the "True/False" handout, though I do it a bit differently. Because I teach kindergarten and they need to move A LOT, I hang up True and False signs on opposite sides of the room. The kids move from side-to-side as the agree or disagree with a statement. Yes...some kids just follow their friends at first, but I pick kids on each side and have them explain why they chose a particular answer (explain their thinking). It's so much fun and the kids love it. I also allow them to change sides if a child's reasoning changes their mind as they listen to the explanations.

My favorite line from this chapter comes in the conclusion where the authors write, "Teaching reading comprehension is as much an art as a science, and as such, it requires the teacher's artistic vision as an instructional leader." I could not agree more!

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