For this week the questions to consider while reading were focused on planning workshops and reading comprehension. The following questions should be considered while blogging a response to the class discussion that took place on February 21, 2008.
1) How can I improve my lesson plans?
2) What are essential skills and strategies for improving reading comprehension?
3) How can I help English language learners?
The readings for this week focus the reading processes and facilitating reading comprehension within the Tompkins text. It is important to remember that reading and reading comprehension develop at different phases for different students and only by knowing you students will you be able to help develop classroom strategies for achieving the ultimate goal of literate students.
Enjoy your reading and blogging! One more week until Spring Break and warmer thoughts!
P.S.: For next week we have a Midterm paper due that is a response to page 119 of the course pack and should also include an appendix of your blogging activity into a word document. Just thought that I would put up a reminder because I know how easy it is to get conflicted about assignments with so many coming due! Happy reading and blogging!
1 comment:
The process of comprehension involves two main factors, the reader and the text he or she is reading. The skills to comprehend a reading in the fullest extent include predicting, connecting, visualizing, questioning, summarizing, monitoring, evaluating and identifying big ideas. That seems like a lot of abilities to consciously keep tract of while also trying to enjoy a reading. How do we expect children to do this? Well, as a teacher it is our responsibility to facilitate and encourage children to think about and perform learn these skills. One of the best ways for children to learn these things is for them to write. Asking children to think about and write about these ideas is a great way to explicitly teach them these concepts.
To improve my lessons plans I need to have a better pre-assessment of what my children know. This way I can work in their zone of proximal development and connect their prior knowledge to what I am teaching them. Furthermore, I need to think about and set and allotted preparations time for each lesson. This would include getting supplies, resources and thinking about what both I and the children will be doing during every part of the lesson. Thinking about and planning these idea will make my lessons run more smoothly. To help ELL students, I could plan activities that would allow these students to work with their peers with little verbal communication. Moreover, I need to be aware of their struggles and give them a large quantity of attention or set them up with a resource room.
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