8P24 Literacy - Reading Strand

TEACHING STUDENTS THE READING STRAND

WHAT DOES THE CURRICULUM ASK FOR?

In the Ontario Curriculum for Language in grades 4-8, the overall expectations are basically the same and emphasize these key actions:

• Read and demonstrate an understanding
• Recognize 
• Use knowledge
• Reflect

Keeping this in mind while we approach teaching this strand, it is important to recognize that each bullet is highly dependent on the students' experiences with reading. How they have approached reading, what they have read, and the meanings they have taken from what they have read will impact their performance and consequently the way we must teach them.

WHERE DO WE BEGIN?

When approaching the reading strand in the classroom, it is important to acknowledge that all students bring different literacy backpacks to class. No two students are ever the same and we should embrace the differences, but we must identify those differences first!

Dive into the diversity of your classroom and explore the reading backgrounds of your students:

• What types of things have they read? Books? E-books? Comics? Articles?
• What are their favourites? 
• Why? 

This will give teachers an initial understanding of the experience and comfort levels of their students with reading. By acknowledging the different backgrounds, we can prepare ourselves for the different connections and understandings students will make to the materials in class. 

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Reading is a prominent part of everyday life. We interact with text, we read articles, we get lost in stories, but more importantly, we are constantly building our own literary arsenal based off of what we have read. Students will bring their acquired skills and knowledge forward from their past literary experiences and this will influence the way they read.

In a series of videos in a post called Effective Instruction in Reading Comprehension, it is implied that students will subconsciously make connections with materials based off of their prior experience with similar texts. We can capitalize on this behaviour by prompting students to make predictions before interacting with resources. 

• What do you think this resource is about? Consider title, subtitles, pictures, etc.
• Have you read something similar? Similar style? Similar platform?
• What do you think will happen based off of your prior knowledge?
• If you haven't read anything similar, what do you think will happen and why?

This will encourage active participation and critical thinking while reading. It is important that students are in a constant state of comprehending and reflecting versus reading just to read. After students have read through the resource, we can take their previous predictions and apply it to their understanding of the material.

• Were your predictions correct? 
• If not, where were they disproved?

Reading must be an active learning experience before, during, and after the process or the material will not be utilized to its fullest potential. 

But, what happens if the enthusiasm and engagement are just not there? Perhaps it's not about the materials we are using, but the way we are using them.

THE WAY WE READ IS CHANGING

There is no doubt that society has changed the way we interact with information. From the integration of technology to the overwhelming use of social media, our students are fundamentally different than the generations of yesterday. 

In a blog post on Edutopia, the author, Mary Beth Hertz, poses interesting concerns from teachers:

• Students are struggling to read and comprehend longer texts.
• Students are struggling to read deeply.
• Many students report that they don’t read outside of school at all.

However, her rebuttal discusses that students may just be different types of readers, such as "non-readers, occasional readers, and digital readers". Based off of this knowledge, we can look to accommodate students in the ways we allow them to interact with material. Instead of hard-copy books, maybe a digital version or an interactive reading app will help spike engagement. Hertz says:

"Young people have more reading options today than ever before, and these forms of reading require them to read differently."

Society is constantly changing and our teaching methods must adapt with it.

Tying into the idea of promoting student engagement, a post on Edutopia by authors Dr. Donna Wilson and Dr. Marcus Conyers lists a variety of activities that might intrigue students and encourage them to want to read:

• Enacting a favourite character
• Becoming a talk show host
• Using movement in the reading classroom
• Using read-alouds

All of these activities could potentially kick-start interest in a student when approaching reading material and could create a better platform for success.

WRAPPING IT UP

Our classrooms are going to be diverse and students are going to need us to facilitate a successful learning environment that does not prey on their weaknesses, but rather utilizes their interests and strengths. This generation of students is wired differently than their ancestors, and what worked in the past will not necessarily work for them now. They are digitally driven and technology inclined, so incorporating reading apps, e-books, and other methods could potentially produce the most success in a classroom while teaching the reading strand.

It is up to us to embrace our students' pasts, uncover what is in their "literary backpack", and develop their skills by utilizing their strengths and interests.

Sources

“Effective Instruction in Reading Comprehension.” The Learning Exchange, thelearningexchange.ca/projects/effective-instruction-in-reading-comprehension/?pcat=1132&sess=0.

Dr. Donna Wilson and Dr. Marcus Conyers. “Motivating Students to Read.” Edutopia, 17 July 2017, www.edutopia.org/blog/motivating-students-read-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers.

Hertz, Mary Beth. “Reading 2.0.” Edutopia, 18 Feb. 2014, www.edutopia.org/blog/reading-2.0-mary-beth-hertz.