Chapter 5, 7, & 8

Chapter 5 talks about helping students make inferences in the texts they read. I think the most interesting part of this chapter was that she lists very specific types of inferences the students can make, and posts them up on the wall in her classroom. I think this illustrates just how in need struggling readers are of specificity. I was definitely guilty of this -- teachers can easily overlook the specifics and assume that the students know exactly what they are talking about. This chapter basically states that choosing to be vague and general in teaching sets you up to fail in the end. Teaching is modeling and guiding, and if we cannot do that, we are not doing our jobs as educators. I also like the idea of students making notes and marking all over the text as they search for inferences; it turns it into a hands-on type of learning.

Chapter 7 discusses different during-reading strategies that you can use to help students construct meaning. A quote that I found interesting was:

" All this thinking is really the whole point of reading. I mean, if you aren't thinking it, you aren't reading it."

- Dede

I thought this was great way to wrap up the purpose of reading, and the whole purpose of the chapter. Beers talks about how when struggling readers read, they do not hear or imagine the story happening in their head; there is no internal dialogue. I definitely can see that being the cause of many readers' problem with reading -- they don't enjoy it, because they can't follow the story! There were a few strategies that stuck out to me in this chapter.

One was double-entry journals. I like that this strategy allows students to "take notes", but then also think about it in their own terms. I think this could also be a way for the students to reread the text, but on their notebook paper. It also could allow students to make connections with their lives or other texts, etc.

Another strategy was the many purposes for sticky notes. She gave the option of the students using sticky notes to flag what they didn't understand or particularly like during reading. I saw another use for sticky notes when I observed a classroom. The teacher had the students take notes of what they viewed was most important in specific chapters of the textbook. She then used those notes to make the test for the students, and the sticky notes served as their study guide. I like how that option gives the students a sense of ownership over their material.

Chapter 8 is about creating opportunities for students to extend meaning through using after-reading strategies. Beers discusses how certain classrooms frustrate her in that the teachers only see comprehension as an end product, and not as a process. These strategies are a great way to encourage the development of meaning throughout the reading process. Here are some of the strategies that I would like to use one day:

SWBS (Somebody Wanted But So) seems like a great strategy to get students thinking about the plot of the story, as well as the character, setting, and main idea. They also can have a sense of ownership over their chart, and what they view as the main events in the story. The students do not have to write a paragraph about the story, but can cut it up into "chunks", which does not overwhelm them as much. I think this could be effective for ESL students as well.

I also liked Sketch to Stretch. This strategy allows students to be creative, while giving them another way to express the meaning behind the text. I have read that this strategy works with ESL students in that they are not as pressured to write in a foreign language, but everyone knows how to draw on some level. Also, working in groups is perfect for that kind of environment in that it creates a fun collaboration between classmates.

Last but not least, I really liked the Save the Last Word for Me strategy. I am very interested in the ESL classroom (if you couldn't tell :) ), and I think reluctant readers would feel much more comfortable in this setting because they can hear what others have to say before having to explain why they chose the passage. Also, conversation is key in an ESL classroom, so they could practice the language as they discuss the passages chosen.