Strategies that Work("Reading is Thinking" and "Reading is Strategic"

In these chapters, I started to think back again to when I was a beginning reader. I guess I was making those prior knowledge connections that the chapter talked about. I thought that this was a powerful reading because it made me think deeply about the process of reading which is so much more than decoding. Active readers interact with the text. I liked the example the author gave on page 13 when students were asked the essential question, What is reading? Answers like" figuring out words , spelling the words, knowing the letters" were all presented. Even though that is true, it was not until one student said, "when you read, you have to figure out the words and what they mean" that the real idea and purpose behind reading was given. The primary purpose for reading is understanding. I liked the part in the chapter where it talked about true comprehension being more than just literal understanding. Pushing students to interact with the text and go beyond just a literal understanding is the goal of any good teacher. I remember when I was in reading class all those years ago answering simple questions about what was in the story, but I do not remember ever being pushed at a young age to go beyond the literal meaning.

The reading selection goes on to describe the strategies that work to push for that deep comprehension into the text. First, activating background knowledge was described in the reading as being the foundation of our thinking. "We simply can't understand what we read without thinking about what we already know." p 17. Anytime I read a story to students or we prepare to read a selection, assessing their prior knowledge on the subject is always initiated first. Teachers should always guide students to make connections among their personal experiences, the world, and the text they are reading. The article makes the point that this connection of prior knowlede to new knowledge is the core of learning and understanding.

One piece of the reading that really stood out for me was the part that talked about the practice of schools not fostering questions by students. The reading suggested that the educational system requires or demands answers, the kind of answers that are straight forward for tests, and answers to math problems that involve no explanation. I know for my own personal experience teaching math, I am now requiring more and more explanation of their answers. For example a simple problem at the first grade level like 3+5=8 seems pretty straight forward, right? However, I ask them explain to me if you added or subtracted and tell me what tells you to add or subtract? I am referring to the math symbol +. I always am filled with questions even for the most basic problems because I want them to always be thinking about what it is they are doing and know how to explain it. I agree that questions are the heart of being able to move forward and the push they need to move their thinking forward. It made me remember the old saying, "There is never a dumb question."

Next, the reading went on to mention making inferences which I believe is very difficult for some children to do because an inference is not directly stated in the text. They have to dig deep and use their own information and the clues in the story to be able to do this. Visualization was mentioned in this selection as well. This involves a reader painting a picture in his or her mind. Personally this is one that I have always been pretty good at as a reader. I remembered reading Little House on the Prairie and making up my own pictures in the book in my own mind. I visualized the open praire andit was easy for me to do this because I grew up in southeastern Colorado which was flat and prairie. I visualized throughout the entire book, and that is a skill that has stayed with me throughout the years.

In addition, summarizing and sythesizing information were also provided in the reading. Summarizing being the skill to retell the information and sharing it in their own words. Students will have to sift through all of the information presented in the book and present those critical focal points and put them into their own thoughts and words.

As teachers we must be responsible and show our students what these strategies are and how to use them in their own reading. Constantly modeling those strategies for our students every step of the way. I am going to end this entry with a quote on page 21. " When we write we compose thoughts on paper. When we read, we compose meaning in our minds." Reading is so powerful because it opens the door to the world beyond.