Adolescent Lit Blog: Chapter 4: Explicit Instruction in Comprehension

Adolescent Lit Blog: Chapter 4: Explicit Instruction in Comprehension: "The reading classes that I have taken to this point have all emphasized that comprehension is one area in which struggling readers tend to b..."

Adolescent Lit Blog: Chapter 6: Frontloading Meaning

Adolescent Lit Blog: Chapter 6: Frontloading Meaning: "I found myself in agreement with the fact that the large majority of teachers introduce a text by telling students something about the text...."

Ashley,

I completely agree with you about the Anticipation Guides. I think this is a very powerful tool for students to use as they formulate what they think is going to happen. Giving the students something to think about encourages them to become actively involved in the prediction process. As Beers reminds us throughout this chapter, when students are actively involved in predicting/anticipating what is going to happen they develop a deeper level of comprehension. Waiting to the end of the story to see what happens leaves a lot of opportunities to be engaged in the reading process behind.

After reading this chapter, I began to think about how I read and realized that I do a lot of predicting. Even if I end up making the wrong prediction, my comprehension level has increased because I've become involved in the process of reading versus just reading to find out what happens.

Predicting or frontloading meaning gives students of all learning levels an opportunity to participate. Nobody knows for sure ahead of time if a prediction comes true or not. Everybody seems to have an equal opportunity to predict.

Chapter 6 - Frontloading Meaning

I really liked the idea of frontloading meaning. I think this is a very useful strategy to help students make connections with the text they are going to read. Probably without realizing it, we all try to guess what is going to happen next in a book, especially one that we really are enjoying. I know some people who actually read the last chapter first! But the idea of predicting or anticipating what is going to happen in a text seems like the first step in comprehension; you're either going to be right or wrong. The best part is that you have already become actively involved in the text.

While I've heard of anticipation before, I've never heard of a formal "Anticipation Guide." This seems like a very effective way to help students guide their anticipation and encourages constructive discussions between the students. Beers states "Effective Anticipation Guides present students with pertinent issues that are worth discussing but that don't have clear-cut answers" (78). Through productive discussions, students will continue to make connections and develop a deeper understanding or comprehension of the text.

I have actually used the K-W-L strategy in my field experience with a fourth-grade inclusion class. I have seen first hand how K-W-L can help students talk through different thoughts. These discussions can be very enlightening for students and seems to be an environment where students feel relatively safe participating. Beers reminds us that in order for this strategy to be effective, we need to remember that the students should be creating the link between what they currently know to what they want to know; we should not be creating the questions. Comprehension is linking the unknown to the known.

I think Probably Passage is a really fun and engaging activity that facilitates a deeper level of comprehension. Beers tells us "Probably Passage forces students to think about the characters, setting, conflict, resolution, and vocabulary of the story before they read the story" (91). As students move through the process of what might be probable, they form concrete thoughts about what might happen. Probably Passage actually helps students bring the invisible thought to the visible level. This strategy provides an opportunity for students of all learning levels to participate.

The strategies that Beers introduces as "frontloading students knowledge of a text" teach students to become actively involved in constructing meaning prior to reading. If students are engaged in the prediction of what is going to happen next, they will be more engaged readers from the beginning. Engaged reading leads to comprehension. Beers summarizes "Pre-reading strategies that focus on active engagement with the text help struggling readers do what good readers do-think all throughout the reading process, not just at the conclusion" (101).

Chapter 4 - Explicit Instruction in Comprehension

Beers letter to George in Chapter 4 really made me think about how important it is for us to teach struggling readers how to comprehend text. Even more important is the fact that we can teach these students how to comprehend text. As I read this chapter I tried to visualize in my mind some of the strategies that I used to comprehend text; Beers lists several specific strategies that good readers use to help them comprehend text. These are the strategies that we must teach our students…The challenge is how?

Beers stresses the importance of very direct and explicit instruction. We cannot expect our students to “just do it,” we have to show them how very explicitly and directly. Beers describes six instructional practices that have been successful for her and reminds us that by having a plan (direct and explicit), it takes the guesswork out of what we want our students to learn.

The analogy that Beers uses to make a connection between skill and strategy was really helpful to me; the strategy takes you (or prepares you) to the skill. That means that without a strategy, you will never acquire a skill. Preparing our students with strategies today will pay off later when they are more strategic readers. Her advice to teach comprehension strategies early in the school year makes perfect sense to me!

The progression of Kylene’s coaching with Kate was very educational for me. Seeing the development of Kate’s teaching style evolve as a result of Kylene’s coaching was enlightening. As with Kate, I find myself coaching to the answer instead of coaching to the strategy to find the answer.

Addressing the issue of a Workshop Approach made sense to me. I can’t imagine being a middle school student and sitting in a 45 minute lecture in English/language arts. The idea of introducing minilessons as a means of incorporating direct instruction into your lesson seems like a terrific idea. This would help break the pace of lecture, allow time to target one strategy “good readers use” and provides an opportunity for the students to actually use the strategy in this class time.

The goal of reading is to comprehend. Our job as teachers is to teach our students strategies that good readers use to increase their comprehension level. These strategies don’t come easy for some and require explicit and direct instruction by us. Our students deserve to have the tools they need to be successful, independent readers.

Chapter 3 - Assessing Dependent Reader's Needs

Beers tells us “Not being able to read can mean a variety of things, depending on the student’s strengths and weakness” (24). She gave us a list of things to consider when we make the conclusion that a student “can’t read.” This is a very important part of the process of identifying and assessing the needs of the dependent reader.

Last year I worked in a fourth-grade inclusion class. Two of the students were working on becoming independent readers. When reading aloud, one student was so expressive, making certain to pause and stop at each punctuation mark. However, most of the time she had no idea what she had read. Knowing where her strengths were, helped us develop a plan to work on her area of need. Going back to Chapter 2, this also gave us the opportunity to build on her social confidence while working to develop cognitive confidence.

I think the biggest idea this chapter left me with is the importance of knowing what your students can and can’t do, so that you can make a plan to teach them. I loved Beers “Instructional Plan for George.” This plan was simple, to the point, and fact based. I know that I get overwhelmed in “how do I???” when I encounter a problem. Breaking the problem down into small parts is the best way to make sure you tackle each component.

Another key point in Chapter 3 are the Good Reader skills that Beers identifies. Prefacing our instruction with “good readers…” helps students reinforce the importance of using specific strategies in order to become an independent reader. We have to remind students that reading is an active process, one that requires their engagement, their active construction of meaning (35).

Beers spells out her beliefs about teaching struggling readers and I couldn’t agree with her more! These beliefs are the foundation from which her book is built and encompass three premises:

• Teachers – not programs – are the critical element in a student’s success
• The goal of reading is comprehension
• Comprehension is a complex, abstract activity

Chapter 2 - Creating Independent Readers

I loved the exchange between Kylene and Leah, the five-year old she took to the fair. Making the connection to George’s inability to verbalize his embedded questions when stating “I don’t get it” was eye-opening. There are many times that I can’t find the words to explain just exactly what I’m trying to say. So, I’m sure for a student that is not understanding what he’s been asked to do…it is equally frustrating!

Beers points out the importance of listening and observing what her students were saying about what they were studying, and found this to be more valuable than what they were actually studying. She shares “Their conversations gave me a glimpse into what they were thinking, and often those glimpses were far more interesting than whatever conclusions they reached” (11). Beers realized that being aware of the process her students were going through was far different than grading the end product.

I liked the fact that Beers acknowledges that anyone can be considered a struggling reader, depending on what they are reading. Struggling readers are not just the disconnected, disinterested students sitting in the back row. In fact, they could be sitting right under your nose and you don’t know it.

The ability to draw on strategies that good readers use is the difference between independent and dependent readers. As educators, it is our job to make sure our students are armed with as many effective strategies possible. We can’t eliminate the struggle, but we can give them the tools they need to struggle successfully. Beers tells us that she wants to do is “teach them how to struggle with a text, how to develop the patience and stamina to stick with a text, how to figure out on their own what is separating them from success with the text, and what they should do to fix it” (16). These skills will stay with them forever and can be used in any area of their life.

Confidence is a huge part of being successful in anything we try to accomplish, reading is no different. I recently spoke with the mother of a 7^th grade student who is struggling with her fluency. The mom states, “She’s beginning to loose her confidence.”  For a young girl in 7^th grade, this is the last thing we want to happen. Beers presents different areas of confidence that come into play with reading as: cognitive confidence, social and emotional confidence, and text confidence. Helping move dependent readers to independent readers builds confidence in all three areas.

Finally, I loved Kylene’s story about her daughter Meredith and realizing that making mistakes is a part of the learning process. Giving kids the correct answer (maybe even repeatedly) can reinforce the learning process. As Beers points out, sometimes we learn best from mistakes we make. We can’t be afraid of making mistakes…and we certainly can’t be afraid to let our kids make mistakes and help they learn through them.

Chapter 1 - A Defining Moment

As with all new adventures, there will be apprehension for each of us as we take our first step into our own classroom. Kyleen Beers shares some of her first teaching experiences and how they have shaped where she is today. Her decision to write this book was based in part on three beliefs:

• Teachers want to help the struggling readers who sit in their classrooms
• These struggling students want to be helped
• The right instruction can make a difference

Beers tells us that students who struggle with reading are fully aware of their problem. Many students who reach middle or high school may have even given up on the possibility of being able to read, they are discouraged and disheartened. These students often get lost in the shuffle or become disenchanted with school altogether. Beers celebrates the fact that these kids even show up, “I believe we must celebrate the courage required to walk through the doors day after day of a place that is designed to reward those who can read when you know you are on of the ones who can’t” (6-7).

As a person who loves to read, I am committed to finding strategies that I can share with my students in order for them to become successful readers, both in and out of the classroom. I know that there is not just one answer for one or all students and I am empathetic to students who feel “deficient” because they have difficulties reading. 

Introduction Post

This blog is for the purposes of posting comments and responding to material as required by the course Teaching Reading with Literature.

Please feel free to comment as you please.

Cheryl