Adolescent Lit Blog: Chapter 7 - Constructing Meaning

I liked the fact that Beers points out that sometimes our students think that they should "automatically" be able to read and understand what has happened. Struggling readers don't think that successful readers use strategies that help them understand text...maybe because they can't actually see it.  Explicit and specific instruction dictates that we need to model (teach) our students successful strategies. Beers tells us "What we must do is show them how skilled readers build meaning" (104).

There are many strategies we can teach our students to use independently, as a group, in the classroom, at home. From a special education standpoint, I really liked the "Say Something" strategy. This strategy encourages students to think about what they have read. Helping them with questions to consider will provide the framework they need to begin to analyze the text in a way they may not have previously considered.

I was surprised when Beers tells us "Rereading is probably the number one strategy independent readers use when something stumps them in a text. It's probably the last strategy dependent readers use" (113). I am a HUGE fan of rereading...sometimes I even reread a passage out loud. I'm working with a 7th grade student who is struggling with fluency, but does well with comprehension (I know that's odd). One of her strategies for fluency is rereading...I think this may be why her comprehension is good! The process of making a list of why it's important to reread makes a ton of sense; all of the reasons that Alexis (page 116) notes are important comprehension tasks.

I think the biggest point this chapter presents is that the point of reading is thinking. As teachers we must teach our students how to think efficiently and effectively, these skills will benefit them in all aspects of their educational career and out into the world. Knowing what you have read is an important life-skill.