Note: Normally, I do not publish my blog, English
Updates, on weekends. However, I publish several other blogs during the
week having to do with ideas in English education that are not current, but
still useful. On weekends, I will publish samples of these ideas. RayS.
Question: How can students assess ahead of time the difficulties they will face with a content reading assignment?
Answer: The authors
use an acronym, FLIP as a method for assessing the difficulties—or the
readiness to read—an assignment in a discipline.
F – Friendliness—how friendly is
my reading assignment? Does it contain the following features? Table of
contents; chapter introductions; margin notes; key terms highlighted; pictures;
index; headings; study questions; graphs; signal words; glossary; subheadings;
chapter summary; charts; lists of key facts. The student then rates the
“friendliness” of the text from 1 to 5, from (1) “boring” to (5)“friendly.” If
there are some “friendly” features, they should rate it “3.”
L – Language: How difficult
is the language in my reading assignment? “(5) means there are no new words and
mostly clear sentences and (1) means there are many new words and complicated
sentences.”
I – Interest—how interesting
is my reading assignment? “Here students read the assignment’s title,
introduction, headings and subheadings and summary and examine its pictures and
graphics. A ranking of (5) would suggest that the student finds the assignment
very interesting; (1) would suggest that the assignment seems boring.”
P –Prior
Knowledge—what
do I already know about the material covered in my reading assignment? “The
quick survey completed during the ‘I’ step should let readers determine if they
have prior knowledge of the assignment’s subject matter. A rating of (5) here
means the reader has a great deal of prior knowledge about the topic, while (1)
is fitting if the reader has never heard the information before.”
Comment: An excellent method for “previewing” a
reading assignment in a content discipline. I wish I had known about this
technique when I was teaching. Would give the teacher a clear understanding of
students’ readiness for reading an assignment. Also tells the students a great
deal about the nature of the text. RayS.
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