Chapter 4 began with another seemingly simple, yet profound
quote, “readers get better at reading and thinking by doing the reading and
thinking” (p. 44). It seems obvious, but
I think too often teachers do all of the thinking for their students! Or they might allow a few students to
participate in class discussions, but let many others hide in the
background. “Active participation in the
discussion is essential if students are to construct meaning” Harvey and Goudvis
state a few pages later (p. 49). One way
that I have found to make participation in class discussions less intimidating is
to use the think-pair-share format. That
way, every student talks, but they may only have to talk directly to one
partner. Then, when I call on pairs to
share, the braver of the two can vocalize their thoughts with the rest of the
class.
Chapter 5 discusses the importance of selecting a variety of
types of text to include in class assignments.
“Read widely and wildly” as Shelley Harwayne put it (p. 60). Harvey and Goudvis emphasize the importance
of short texts, since this is what the majority of non-school related texts
are. Examples include news articles,
letters, brochures and magazine articles.
In general, my classes read a great deal of short texts. The majority of reading selections we read
are shorter – articles on Empower, short stories, excerpts, etc. I would, however, like to include more
practice with “real life” reading materials, such as brochures, tax forms,
leases, manuals, etc. I think that
experience with reading these types of text would be valuable practice for
students and would remind them of the importance of reading for general success
and well-being in life (not just for
the FCAT!!).
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