There were two things that really stood out to me from the Allington reading and the Pardo article. The first was the method of KWL-- Know-Want to Know- Learned. As pictured below, students use some form of graphic organizer (can be as simple as a piece of paper) with three sections. In the Know section, students write down what they already know about material before they read/studied/were lectured on the material. In the Want to Know section, students come up with several questions that they hope to have answered. The Want to Know is also completed before the reading/activity/lecture. The Learned section is filled out after the reading/activity/lecture and contains answers to things in the Want to Know section, and possibly additional information. I feel like this is a great way to make reading a more concrete activity by allowing students to use visuals (and in the case of the students pictured below, manipulatives).
The second tool that I found helpful was the idea that in order for students to comprehend what they read, they must be able to relate to it in some form or fashion. My sister Amanda always told me of this theory of having "hooks" in your brain. The hooks hold all the knowledge you have ever accumulated. The hooks themselves are categorized and organized by topic. If a student is trying to learn a new concept, or read new material, for which they do not have a hook to already hang that information on, they will have to mentally rearrange their brains to create a brand new hook. Reading comprehension, to me, is all about creating those new hooks for students before you read, and then by reading the text, giving the students new information to hang on those brand new hooks.
I like the KWL charts as well because it is something concrete that can be used for young children, even as young as preschool. I have seen it work very well in helping children organize their inquiries and what they have learned through reading.
ReplyDeleteI love your example of the brain having hooks. It is an interesting analogy. Some students do not even have these hooks yet to hang new information on, and sometimes as teachers, we forget this. It is important to remember that not all students have had the same experiences of learned the same material when coming into your classroom.
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