Learning Challenges Archives

Reading Comprehension … It’s All about Background Knowledge

March 18, 2012 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Reading comprehension doesn’t just occur overnight; a multitude of factors contribute to a student becoming an engaged and active reader; one who understands what he/she is reading. Becoming a good reader begins during infancy when a parent talks to his or her child. Strong oral language is the most basic foundational skill needed to become a reader who understands the literal as well as inferential meaning of what is read. Parents who speak to their children, use complex sentence structure and a rich vocabulary are giving them a gift of background knowledge. Background knowledge is critical to comprehension because it helps readers connect new information to something they already know thus making a self-to-text connection. Background knowledge is also built through experiences and exposure to a variety of environments and people. Historically this was done through robust oral language exposure, exposure to children’s literature, field trips and travel. Today, however the internet makes it possible for families to bring the world to their children and open a window of virtual experiences which will help extend and enrich their child’s background knowledge.

Non-fiction text is an important facet of reading comprehension instruction. Many early readers are primarily exposed to fiction as their primary reading experience, but for all early readers, non-fiction text not only provides and extends background knowledge, it also teaches the reader that there are different kinds of text that need to be read differently. A strong early reading program is built on a rich vocabulary, exposure to information in a variety of ways to build and enhance background knowledge, oral language that is varied and informative and time to practice incorporating all of the above.

Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Using iPad Apps to Support Reading Instruction

March 16, 2012 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

To iPad, or not to iPad, that is the question: While some educators believe that these recent developments in technology act as distractions or take students further from social interaction, I disagree. Using technology is an effective way to engage students and presents another medium for learning. Isn’t the purpose of education to make sure future generations are equipped with the knowledge to be successful and thus contribute to our progression as a country? Not integrating new technologies would prove to be a disservice to them. Rather than thinking of technology as a replacement for traditional materials, I think of technology as a variety of tools that improve instruction through a blended learning approach. In the past, I’ve also had success using technology as a reward or incentive for succeeding with some of the more traditional work. Below are 3 apps that my students and I have particularly enjoyed using as part of our reading tutoring sessions.

1) Toontastic – This application allows the reader to create and narrate his/her own story while defining and modeling story arc elements, such as character, plot, and setting. It not only provides character and setting templates, but also gives the option to create your own. It also provides a unique opportunity to observe dramatic play within the confines of a text. With this app, teachers can observe students making all kinds of connections and assess the student’s knowledge of developing literary techniques, such as predictions and summarizing. Most importantly, students have a final product that can be shared online. By publishing, students get to showcase their work and build confidence. Toontastic seems best for children ages 4 and older.

2) ABCheese Lite – There are literally dozens of letter tracing applications in the iTunes store, but this is because it is such an important skill. In this app, the student follows a trail of cheese with his/her finger to create the given letter. I like this particular letter trace app for several reasons. First, the task becomes increasingly difficult to improve reading and writing fluency by presenting various obstacles. Second, it puts an important skill in the form of a game and provides an element of extrinsic motivation that many children at this age still need. Depending on the developmental rate of the child, this app would be appropriate for ages 3 and up. The paid version includes all letters and additional games.

3) Bluster! – This app was created by McGraw-Hill and includes a variety of skills that develop word knowledge and vocabulary. On the opening page, the player chooses the number of players, grade level, and skill – rhyming words, prefixes, or synonyms. The next screen consists of 3 bubbles and a list of approximately 30 words to scroll through. In total, the program has over 800 words. The player is timed and must decide which word to use as well as pick two more words that rhyme, have the same prefix, or are synonyms. I like this app because it is versatile and forces the player to think critically and strategically. Difficulty levels range from grades 2-4.

By David Dickerman, Reading Specialist

Wordly Wise, A Vocabulary Development Program

March 13, 2012 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Wordly Wise is a wonderful vocabulary development program, but it lacks a heart. Think of it as the Tin Man of vocabulary building. The program has a list of about 15-17 words per lesson and then five different activities that test and strengthen the students’ ability to use the words. These workbook activities include: multiple choice questions, replacing the meaning exercises, completing sentences, creating antonyms and synonyms, and the dreaded answering questions of a reading passage using a vocabulary word. It’s provides a very predictable structure each week.

To make my fourth grade class come alive on “Wordly Wise Wednesday”, I like to add the “heart” and lightness by using the words in a variety of different games, such as:

1) Cocktail Party Chatter: Each student gets a vocabulary card. The teacher or class picks a topic. Each student must use the word in a sentence to talk about the topic. Some topics I’ve used are cartoon characters, sports, activities I do on Sundays, and movies. It can get a little loud but it forces students to apply the words in a more authentic context.

2) Machine: Four students get a vocabulary card and must act out the word as a machine with motions that are continuous. The rest of the class has to guess which word they are acting out. This can be very funny, especially when the word is “refine” or “prefer”.

3) Tell Me a Story: Each student gets a vocabulary card and has to use it in a continuous story. Each student has to offer one sentence (only one!) that builds on the story. I find that students need help thinking about how to build on a story by using their classmates’ previous ideas. Some coaching is sometimes necessary.

4) Charades: Use this classic game to have the students laugh and make the words come alive.

5) Pictionary: Oldy but a goody. NOTE: this game can be particularly challenging with verbs or adjectives.

I hope these games help you to enhance the use of Wordly Wise in your own classroom to its fullest potential. If you have more games to add, please share them by commenting below. I am always looking for new and exciting ideas for the classroom!

Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Being An Introvert Versus Being Shy

February 9, 2012 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

The cover story of TIME magazine on February 6, 2012, by Bryan Walsh, was titled “The Upside of Being an Introvert (and Why Extroverts Are Overrated)”. In the article, Walsh discusses the work of Brian Little, a research psychologist and academic lecturer who teaches a class on personality at Harvard. According to Little, there is a phenomenon called the Free Trait Theory, which presents the idea that we can choose to behave out of character despite natural tendencies if it is in the service of core personal goals. In short, human beings balance 3 equal but different personalities:

Biogenic identity–our inborn personality
Sociogenic identity–expectations of our culture, family and religion
Ideogenic identity–our personal desires and sense of what matters

There are many upsides to being an introvert, and it is not necessarily the same as being shy with social anxiety. Introverts may simply prefer being alone for periods of time but are not bothered by social situations. As a result, they may demonstrate increased independence, attentiveness, or perseverance. As teachers, we have to be especially cognizant of our seemingly “shy” students who may have very different thresholds for classroom noise, class participation, and group work. In thinking about how to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of various learning styles, we have to provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate their natural strengths. We also have to provide opportunities that challenge our students’ comfort zones, including both introverted and extraverted students.

In my own classroom, for example, I used to give every student 2 pennies that had to be spent during certain reading group discussions. In this way, each student literally had to contribute his or her 2 cents. For more extraverted students and risk takers, they spent their 2 cents easily. For quieter and less confident students, they had to really work at it. On the flip side, we also practiced independent reading and writing with sustained blocks of time for quiet thinking and reflection.

As introverted students progress to older grades, their three identities are still at play. And as introverted students move onto high school or college, they face the challenge of increasingly difficult social transitions. In a blog post by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, she shares 12 tips for shy college students with introverted personality traits. These tips can be equally helpful for high school students.

Learn the difference between shyness and introverted personality traits
Figure out how introverted you are
Accept yourself as a shy college student!
Create a realistic, healthy school schedule
Combine your natural strengths with social interactions
Learn how to make small talk
Find other shy college students — be open and honest about your shyness
Practice making small talk with other shy college students
Spend time one-on-one with friends who understand you
Join a college club that stretches — yet fulfills – you
Avoid or limit the friends and activities that drain or exhaust you
Get counseling help if your shyness or social anxiety is becoming unhealthy or holding you back from achieving your goals

Whichever personality type you are, just embrace that you were BORN THIS WAY!

Written by: Editorial Team, My Learning Springboard, Inc.

How Do Anaphoric Expressions Impact Reading Comprehension?

February 2, 2012 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

When students have trouble comprehending a text they are reading, it could be due to confusion about anaphoric expressions. Anaphora is when one word or phrase stands for, or refers to, another word or phrase in a text. A reader may have trouble following what a simple term like “it” or “them” refers to, which could happen with texts at just about any level. However, with more sophisticated, longer texts (especially informational texts that are loaded with academic language), readers may have trouble following along and understanding which terms refer to each other. Many times they do not realize that they have the ability to figure out what an unfamiliar terms means just from using context clues in the text. Sometimes it is necessary to pause other instruction and teach students about anaphora as a type of context clue strategy.

When teaching students about anaphoric relationships, I start with more simple expressions. I like to take an authentic text that they are already reading, and write the sentences they’re having trouble with on a separate piece of paper, like this:

He hated March. The birds chirped while snow covered the ground. It pretended to be spring, but it wasn’t.

First we identify all the its, circling them, to zero in on the troublesome part or parts. Then I guide the student to determine what the author was talking about to begin with (March), by rereading the previous sentence or sentences. Going through each it, we figure out if it could refer to the original word, March. If that makes sense, we draw an arrow from the circled word to the word to which it refers.

I follow this up with a series of worksheets, which I go over together with the student. Each worksheet has an example passage at the top, which we go through to make sure the anaphoric relationship, which I color-coded, is clear. With each subsequent passage, I instruct her to circle all of the different versions of the same word or idea, and draw an arrow from the various words to the original word they’re referring to. Each passage contains more and more text, and I gradually release responsibility as the student practices the skill. Ultimately we work our way up to full paragraphs, utilizing more academic language. Like many authentic texts, these paragraphs will contain more than one set of anaphoric relationships, so I have the student use colored pencils when drawing circles and arrows, so she can easily see which words relate to each other.

After this practice, I like to follow up with a game I created, called “Anaphoria!” I use a standard S-shaped game board, and I put out three sets of cards, levels 1, 2 and 3. The cards at each level contain passages with an original word or phrase underlined, and the passages increase in length and difficulty. The student picks a card and then has to identify all of the words or phrases that refer to that original underlined word (with level 3 cards, the student may need to identify more than one set of anaphoric relationships). If the student points out all items on the card correctly, she jumps ahead the same number of spaces as the card she chose. Here is an example of a level 3 card (for more challenge, I may make this type of passage a level 2 and select more sophisticated passages to designate as level 3):

In January, the “Burj” skyscraper opened its doors in Dubai, a city in the Middle East. The tower is 2,717 feet high, and is the world’s tallest building. People are already planning trips to see the edifice.

A reader needs to understand that building, tower, and edifice all refer to the word skyscraper. Understanding this anaphoric relationship is crucial to understanding the whole passage, and to understanding new vocabulary terms within the passage specifically. Even if a student doesn’t know what a skyscraper is, she will likely know building and tower and thus use these context clues to then determine that the original term (which appeared first in the passage) means the same thing. Of course, in an authentic text, this requires a student to slow down, read on, and then go back and reread to ensure comprehension of the unknown terms (and this is thinking we often take for granted!).

Anaphoric expressions help build contextual understanding so that readers can figure out what words mean while reading. Stopping to think, “What is this referring to?” ensures that students are monitoring their understanding of whatever they are reading.

By Liz Lazar, Reading Specialist

Reading Comprehension … It’s All about Background Knowledge

Using iPad Apps to Support Reading Instruction

Wordly Wise, A Vocabulary Development Program

Being An Introvert Versus Being Shy

How Do Anaphoric Expressions Impact Reading Comprehension?

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