Title: “Independent Reading of CD-Rom Storybooks: Measuring Comprehension with Oral Reading.” Cathy J. Pearlman. The Reading Teacher (May 2008), 594-602. A publication of the International Reading Association.
Comment: The following quote in this article seems to summarize the changing state of reading today. The authors say that literacy today goes beyond the ability to read and write because of emerging technology. Just how is reading different today when technology is involved? This question is worth thinking about. I need to think about it. RayS.
Quote: “Our society’s definition of literacy changes as new technologies for acquiring information are developed. We once thought people were literate if they could read a little and write their names. As accessibility to public schools increased, it became the societal standard in the United States that the majority of people could read. Today, new communication technologies are being developed at an almost overwhelming pace, and these changes affect not only literacy instruction but also our definition of literacy itself. ‘The reason for these changes lies in the transition now in progress from traditional, print-based literacy to electronic representations of text’ (McKenna, et al. 1999). We may believe there are no fundamental differences in the reading of electronic text because processes such as word recognition, prior knowledge connections and meaning construction are present regardless of the medium; however, there may be differences between print and electronic text that change the nature of reading” (McKenna et al., 1999).
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Topic: Early Reading Difficulties and Technology
Title: “Independent Reading of CD-Rom Storybooks: Measuring Comprehension with Oral Retellings.” Cathy J. Pearman. The Reading Teacher (May 2008), 594-602. A publication of the International Reading Association.
Summary: “In sum, the support offered by the multisensory features of CD-Rom storybooks has the potential to enhance comprehension for students who are struggling with acquiring the skills necessary for the reading process.” p. 602.
Comment: The addition of pictures and sound to CD-Rom storybooks will help struggling readers to learn to read. Worth thinking about. Caveat: The CD-Rom with its multi-sensory features might help the struggling readers comprehend the story on this particular CD-Rom, but will it help them learn to read independently without the aid of the multi-sensory features? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Summary: “In sum, the support offered by the multisensory features of CD-Rom storybooks has the potential to enhance comprehension for students who are struggling with acquiring the skills necessary for the reading process.” p. 602.
Comment: The addition of pictures and sound to CD-Rom storybooks will help struggling readers to learn to read. Worth thinking about. Caveat: The CD-Rom with its multi-sensory features might help the struggling readers comprehend the story on this particular CD-Rom, but will it help them learn to read independently without the aid of the multi-sensory features? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Topic: Writing Letters and Reluctant Writers
Title: “Chatting with Letters: Developing Empathy ;and Critical Literacy through Writing Communities.” Mary B. Nicolini. English Journal (May 2008), 76-80. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is secondary schools.
Summary: The author had students who were reading different books in class write letters to other students about the books they were reading in class. Suggests that letters provide a format that would be more casual than a formal essay. Therefore reluctant writers might enjoy the conversational aspect of the letter format.
Comment: There is a history of great letter-writers. Now the form appears to have disappeared. Will there be great e-mail writers? The thought never occurred to me that e-mail and letters might not be the same thing. Exactly how are letters and e-mail conversations different? I need to think about that one. Maybe the letter could make a comeback. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Summary: The author had students who were reading different books in class write letters to other students about the books they were reading in class. Suggests that letters provide a format that would be more casual than a formal essay. Therefore reluctant writers might enjoy the conversational aspect of the letter format.
Comment: There is a history of great letter-writers. Now the form appears to have disappeared. Will there be great e-mail writers? The thought never occurred to me that e-mail and letters might not be the same thing. Exactly how are letters and e-mail conversations different? I need to think about that one. Maybe the letter could make a comeback. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Topic: Vocabulary for Second-Language Learners
Title: “Sketching to Create Meaning: The Story of a Second-Language Learner.” Chris Altman. English Journal (May 2008), 64-68. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is secondary schools.
Summary: Help English as a second language students visualize the meanings of words. The student—a second-language learner—in this article actually sketched the meanings of the words.
Comment: For the “art-challenged,” how could students learn to visualize the meanings of words? I decided to try it with the word “denigrate,” belittle another’s achievement, which I usually cannot remember the meaning of. I visualized a person waving his hand derisively at another person, conveying to that person, “that’s not very good.” I think the strategy might work. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Summary: Help English as a second language students visualize the meanings of words. The student—a second-language learner—in this article actually sketched the meanings of the words.
Comment: For the “art-challenged,” how could students learn to visualize the meanings of words? I decided to try it with the word “denigrate,” belittle another’s achievement, which I usually cannot remember the meaning of. I visualized a person waving his hand derisively at another person, conveying to that person, “that’s not very good.” I think the strategy might work. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Topic: Repeating Grades and Dropping Out
Title: “Sketching to Create Meaning: The Story of a Second-Language Learner." Chris Altman. English Journal (May 2008), 64-68. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is secondary schools.
Quote: “In fall 2000, the National Association of State Boards of Education reported that ‘repeating a grade twice makes the probability of dropping out nearly 100 percent.’ ” p. 64.
Comment: FYI. That’s a pretty damaging conclusion and a very broad statement. All levels? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Quote: “In fall 2000, the National Association of State Boards of Education reported that ‘repeating a grade twice makes the probability of dropping out nearly 100 percent.’ ” p. 64.
Comment: FYI. That’s a pretty damaging conclusion and a very broad statement. All levels? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Topic: Co-Teaching
Title: "Sharing Command of the Co-Teaching Ship: How to Play Nicely with Others.” Emily Sims. English Journal (May 2008), 58-63. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is secondary schools.
Summary: “Co-teaching is an excellent method of serving the needs of all students in the English classroom; however, lack of training, lack of planning time, and lack of choice in co-teachers can lead to disaster.”
The purpose of this experiment in co-teaching was to create “inclusive” classrooms of special ed and average students; one of the co-teachers was a special-ed teacher.
On the one hand, this article is a case study in how NOT to implement change. On the other, when the co-teachers worked well together, the system worked well. The author suggest the following if you are assigned to co-teach:
Both teachers have responsibility for all kids in the classroom.
Spend time with your co-teacher.
Be ready and willing to share.
It will take a while to get it right.
The relationship between the two co-teachers will be a model for your students.
Devise signals for each other that can be used during class.
Both teachers must be familiar with all materials being taught every day.
Both teachers must be aware of students’ special needs.
Attend all parent-teacher conferences together.
Use rubrics to standardize grading.
Find time to plan.
Work out the small stuff. If you can’t stand students sharpening their pencils, your partner needs to know.
Comment: Incredible that this co-teaching venture was launched two weeks before school with no training, planning or time for planning. A case study in how not to effect change. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Summary: “Co-teaching is an excellent method of serving the needs of all students in the English classroom; however, lack of training, lack of planning time, and lack of choice in co-teachers can lead to disaster.”
The purpose of this experiment in co-teaching was to create “inclusive” classrooms of special ed and average students; one of the co-teachers was a special-ed teacher.
On the one hand, this article is a case study in how NOT to implement change. On the other, when the co-teachers worked well together, the system worked well. The author suggest the following if you are assigned to co-teach:
Both teachers have responsibility for all kids in the classroom.
Spend time with your co-teacher.
Be ready and willing to share.
It will take a while to get it right.
The relationship between the two co-teachers will be a model for your students.
Devise signals for each other that can be used during class.
Both teachers must be familiar with all materials being taught every day.
Both teachers must be aware of students’ special needs.
Attend all parent-teacher conferences together.
Use rubrics to standardize grading.
Find time to plan.
Work out the small stuff. If you can’t stand students sharpening their pencils, your partner needs to know.
Comment: Incredible that this co-teaching venture was launched two weeks before school with no training, planning or time for planning. A case study in how not to effect change. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Family Writing Project
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Topic: Family Writing Project
Title: “The Family Writing Project: Creating Space for Sustaining Teacher Identity.” M. McKinney, S Lasley and R. Holmes-Gull. English Journal (May 2008), 52-59. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is secondary schools
Summary: Once a week families—parents, children, relatives—get together to write, using a variety of writing modes. Sets up a helpful relationship between family, students and teachers.
Comment: I’ve heard of family reading nights, but never family writing nights. Why not? Another one of those “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that?" ideas. RayS.
Topic: Family Writing Project
Title: “The Family Writing Project: Creating Space for Sustaining Teacher Identity.” M. McKinney, S Lasley and R. Holmes-Gull. English Journal (May 2008), 52-59. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is secondary schools
Summary: Once a week families—parents, children, relatives—get together to write, using a variety of writing modes. Sets up a helpful relationship between family, students and teachers.
Comment: I’ve heard of family reading nights, but never family writing nights. Why not? Another one of those “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that?" ideas. RayS.
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