What if" questions force an analysis and evaluation from a completely different point of view
I always loved activities where students are analyzing from a different point of view like "what if you were the big bad wolf, just looking for food instead of the three little pigs" maybe the wolf hadn't eaten in a long time.
Critical thinking is the evaluation and analysis of the differing points of view for the purpose of determining which one is "more valid."
I agree here that the end result of critical thinking is to determine validity. Great way to think about it.
Critical thinking is the means by which we objectively analyze the pros and cons of a situation in order to make informed decisions
I here critical thinking a lot in classes and books about teaching and learning but, to be honest, I don't think I have heard the actual definition and it has always been kind of an assumed understanding for me.
d cultures, a tragic loss for us all." While this fictional diary was based upon an actual journal, Litowinsky has stated her understanding of Columbus, and students must discover how realistic her position is
I like this exercise for students to determine how realistic someones position especially on a controversial topic like Columbus
Students may be able to recall facts, but how much do they really know about the people who helped shape history
This is the deficit of rote learning where students memorize facts about history instead of an overarching purposeful way of learning and connecting the facts.
My list reflects an attempt to draw stories from a large variety of cultures as well as to incorporate tales with more female protagonists
This unit lesson is clearly designed to be all encompassing and diverse which benefits student interest for the curriculum.
the trickster appeals to the child in us who questions puffery and silliness in outmoded or ar- chaic institutions and thought
This is true the trickster is usually funny and they are usually the long lasting character who makes it through the story alive and unscathed.
Finally, students will be intrigued to note the prev- alence of the trickster in a variety of cartoon fig- ures from Bugs Bunny to Wily Coyote
Referencing bugs bunny and wiley coyote might require a video introduction to modern day students but it is a good example of the trickster archetype
Be- cause we have no textbooks containing all the sto- ries, students are responsible for obtaining copies of the stories themselves, or, if necessary, pho- tocopying one from my collection
This is good because it gives student's some responsibility to find their story, which may require an exciting trip to the library.
"Most authors of children's trade books?even those intended for the very young child?have never ad mitted to writing their books with a predetermined vocabu
Writing books with a predetermined vocabulary must be very difficult for authors.
ooks to be included in this study were defined as all those books children might choose from the picture book section of a library, and thus both picture books and easy-to read books were part of the sample.
I wonder here if they had some type of statistic or data gathering for determining these most likely to be picked books?
Although these books do not usually fulfill the aesthetic and language goals of literature, Shepherd (1976, p. 2) affirms that they do provide the "necessary bridge between being a listener and being a reade
Bridging the gap between listener and reader is so important for young emerging readers as they transition from always being read to aloud to reading themselves.
he children for whom these books are intended, preschoolers and pri mary grade youngsters, browse and choose those they will take home, with parents helping in the selection or urging their children to hurry.
This is so true, I remember always being hurried to pick out a book in the library while I could spend hours just looking, skimming and hunting for books.
discarding of traditional skill-based instruction. She urges teachers to "use com mon sense and experience to create a combi nation program
Great! finally a mention of common sense! I think this really important as sometimes we as teachers might forget to use commonsense in planning and implementing lessons.
he slotter activity not only provides short a practice; it also teaches the function words was, when, and because through inci dental learning (exposure and repetition). And it enables students to experience comfort and success with sophisticated sentences
I had never heard of this activity and I think it is valuable as it provides comfort and success for students with sophisticated sentences
Teaching phon ics in association with children's literature maximizes learning opportunities for begin ning reader
It is clear that phonics instruction within literature is the most beneficial way to provide learning opportunities to students. However, I think in this article we see both sides to teaching phonics and how they both have their benefits.
ads aloud Angus and the Cat (Flack, 1931). In this listen/enjoy step, the teacher models expressive oral reading and promotes the enjoyment of an engaging tale
It is so important for a teacher to demonstrate expressive oral reading for students. For one it engages the children more and it teaches about the use of exclamation, questions, pauses and how to annunciate properly in specific circumstances.
Proponents advocate the use of whole stories, value a meaning emphas
Using whole stores is an important component to providing a love of literature and for a child's future in reading by valuing a meaning emphasis and to show them that they are not just reading because the teacher or their parents told them to.
did not respond in this way about some of the other issues. They often intimated that the responsibility to change something rests with "they.
This brings up a concept or practice that she mentions "conscientization" where adults try and understand why they are powerless and the forces that control their powerlessness. The use of "they" when talking about social injustice is not helpful, that's why "conscientization" is an important practice.
, I explored the implications of the cre- ation of a community of readers who share responses in socially constructed ways,
Creating a community of readers who share responses in socially in socially constructed ways is what all teachers should strive to achieve in their classrooms with their students.
Freire (1983) used the term "conscientization" to describe the process by which adults must engage in critical analyses of the caus- es of their powerlessnes
Interesting to learn about this term. I may have to practice some conscientization. For older students this practice could be valuable for their future and teach them how to create directed and organized social change.
Smoky Night (Bunting, 1994), a fictional account of the Los Angeles riots, which occurred after three po- lice officers were acquitted of criminal charges for the Rodney King beating.
This story sounds really cool and I plan on checking it out. The LA riots were a part of a difficult and tumultuous tim in American urban history that all high schoolers need to learn about.
Literature has the potential to make a differ- ence in the lives of African American males; that is, reading, writing, and discussing literature can help them to make sense of and negotiate their life experiences
This is true and I think the author's hopeful outlook on literatures impact is a huge factor in making this statement true. If you believe it then you can teach it.
"There ain't no Little Red in my hood, and if I catch one of 'dem little piggies, I'm gon' have a Bar-B-Que.
This really is showing the disconnect between classic rural fairytales and the urban lives of their readers.
iterature response logs are regular records, usually daily, that children keep as running diaries of their read ing. Third, they may update their reading re cords.
This is a lesson in responsibility as the students update their reading logs after each SSR and of course adds the writing component to independent reading. Students can be proud of their reading logs and it will help them during sharing time as well. Also this instills a sense of ownership for students as it is their reading log about the books they chose which differs from their classmates.
o offset this state of emotional neutrality in classrooms, teachers must thoughtfully re consider how reading instruction may be reor ganized to rekindle a sense of joy and ownershi
Yes! This sense of joy and ownership connected to literature is intended to create interest in literature that will last. Students would hopefully be proud of the book they read and as they grow up, be proud of books they own and can recommend to others. I know this is true for me.
he only problem associated with this second block of sharing time is stopping. Sticking to the 10-minute time limit is often very difficult because children sincerely enjoy this time for sharing their ideas, work, and discoverie
The fact that kids are enjoying the sharing time and what they have to share, is incredible! It shows that allowing students to choose their literature can create an extremely engaged population of students.
turn on a CD of classical background music.
Yes! Classical music has been proven to increase brain activity in children and adults. It also will help children focus in on their individual papers and keep interrupting behaviors to a minimum
hen the timer bell sounds, the chil dren begin to write their entries on the lines provided below the spaces where they drew their illustrations. A
Timed writing is an important skill to teach even in younger grades because in a few years students will be taking timed standardized tests.
Each child draws an illustration about the new or ongoing topic he or she has selected to write about. Children may talk with peers or with me about their topics or drawings.
Being able to illustrate and visually represent an idea is very important for all students. This skill touches on fine motor skills, visual processing and conceptual thought. Very important part of the lesson and an effective check for understanding.
Students in such neighborhoods are often too consumed with concerns about mortality and safety to think seriously about either schooling or their uncertain futures.
Providing a safe school is very important to facilitate learning but many of the low income black students leave school and are exposed to dangerous conditions on the street and at home. This can make the educational achievement far less important to students then their own safety and survival. This idea reminds of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the importance of physiological needs like safety, shelter and food. Maslow believed people must meet their basic physiological needs in order to move up in the pyramid and live complete, happy and be self actualized.
he African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass recalled how reading two books set him on his life's course: the political essays and dialogues in The Columbian Orator, edited by David Blight (New York University Press, 1998), which Douglass read in early adolescence; and the piquant documents of the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison.
The fact that Frederick Douglass can attribute his political success just shows how important meaningful high interest texts can be to disenfranchise populations. I'm sure many lives have been and can be change with literature.
Because of this, reading education has to go beyond scientific considerations to include the social,political, and cultural dimensions, if our students are to become the kinds of readers we want in ademocratic society.
Yes! I think social, political and cultural dimensions are immensely important to teaching and arguably more important than the scientific considerations. Although, all those dimensions mentioned, if taken into equal consideration, can be a recipe for success in the classroom.
Second, with today’s conservative political educational agenda, teachers are often forced to adoptreading programs that tell them how to teach, regardless of their beliefs and understandings
I hope that when I am a teacher, we have a more liberal educational agenda where differentiation is encouraged and I can develop my own teaching methods.
It is no longer enough to fill the classroom with high-quality books and read aloud one or twoeach day. Reading aloud and creating a literate environment are necessary but insufficient forimplementing a literature-based approach to reading instruction. A shift in theoretical understandingsneeds to accompany this shift in instructional resources
Serafini makes a good point here. If teaching a child how to read just meant reading books aloud and filling a room with high quality books then any literate parent can homeschool their child. Though it is important to do those things as a teacher, there is clearly much more to teaching literature.
Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.
For this standard, students would have to read a variety of poems, plays and prose to understand the structural differences. Then the students must use the structural knowledge to properly write and speak about poems and plays. A good play for this standard would be Annie and a good collections of poems to understand structure would be from poet Roald Dahl.
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text
Students must read a wide variety of fiction story types, understand the moral, and explain what key details help identify it. I think stories about the greek gods would be fun and exciting for kids, possibly Hercules as a book and movie follow up.
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.
This would require child to read different versions of the same story in order to understand different cultures. Students can make Venn diagrams or use other graphic organizers to compare and contrast
any of the classic fairy tales, cinderella, little red riding hood and more would help teach this standard.
dentify who is telling the story at various points in a text
This would require students to learn about point of view during the story. They might not have to understand terms like first person and third person, but they might be able to tell if it is the author or the main character telling the story.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series would be helpful to understand point of view because the main character is also the story teller.
With prompting and support,
The idea of prompting and supporting students is crucial to teaching. For prompting, a teacher might ask the whole class, calling on students raising their hands in the group or walking around to individual students to assess their knowledge.
For support, a teacher might provide a graphic organizer for a story and events, word banks, helpful hints, fill in the blanks, highlighting key words or verbal support with encouraging language. The obvious support would be reading the story aloud or to an individual student.