I am putting on my motherhood hat to put my two cents in on this one. I am the mother of an eighteen year old boy with significant developmental delays. He reads at a mid-second grade level and comprehension is a huge issue for him--not just reading, but sort of getting things in general. This year he is in a reading workshop with students very much like those you describe and his teacher is focusing hard on comprehension strategies. My son is simply not going to achieve in the same way that other readers do, but this class and this year have impacted his thinking skills. Case in point. He was watching the Nebraska=Oklahoma game on television, and I was sort of (and mostly not) watching with him. I had not been paying attention to the game, but a questionable call against our team (NE) caught my attention and I was surprised how quiet the crowd was. Both teams are big on red, so the crowd wasn't much of a clue as to where they were playing (I did tell you I wasn't paying attention) and I asked my son where they were playing. He said he did not know and then began watching intently. He turned to me and said, "I infer they are playing in Oklahoma because it says OU on the field." You have to realize that the question could just as easily have frustrated him and resulted in a bit of a melt down. I honestly believe his thinking--his ability, to best of his ability, to think critically and to be patient in doing so has been significantly impacted by this class.
Now my literacy coach cap. I have modeled in this classroom and seen amazing things happening among a group of disenfranchised and underabled readers. I recently met a young man who entered high school unable to read and found him to be the most involved and eager speaker, wanting to help me model by doing the oral reading and doing so quite capably at a fourth grade level. He has been in this class for three years and a thinking fourth grade level reader vs. a child on the outside of the literacy club is proof positive for me. Lori On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 14:36 , <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> sent: >It has been a while since I have written but I do have some thoughts and a >question or two. > >I am teaching English to 7th graders in San Diego. I have three Honors >Classes (Proficient and Advanced) and two Basic English (Basic, Below, Far Below, ELD and Resource). All of my classes read, write, and discuss. We use graphic organizers, group discussions, essays, debates (more on the debates). Naturally, I format a different style / strategy for the two different classes. However, as high as my Honors students are in critical thinking and writing; as much as I help and aid my Basic Classes, when it comes to the Assessments they have a difficult time doing well on their own, independently. Am I doing them a disservice by discussing and teaching literary skills to the point that they cannot do it very well on their own?? > >Debates - I am for a resource book of step by step lessons and activities that >would help me to teach my Honors Classes how to debate. I think it would help them when they have to write the District Persuasive Essay in the Spring. > >Thanks to all of your advice. > >Mrs. Mac > > > > > > > > >---- Bill IVEY [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Hi! >> >> I seem to have a knack for scheduling these discussions to start when my >> son's athletic life requires me to drive many hours to cheer the team on >> at far-distant away games (particularly ironic today because he has a >> badly strained calf muscle and can't even play!). So while I'm off to >> central New Hampshire, here are a few thoughts and questions to get things >> started. >> >> First, I feel as though any discussion of literacy has to, at some point >> in time, discuss what literacy actually means. The article brings up these >> factors (page 5): >> - including purposeful social and cognitive processes >> - helps individual discover ideas and make meaning >> - enables functions such an analysis, synthesis, organization, and >> evaluation >> - fosters the expression of ideas and opinions >> - extends to understanding how test are created and how meanings are >> conveyed by various media >> - builds on, but is not limited to, phonemic awareness and word >> recognition >> What are your thoughts and reactions on these points - straight-on >> accurate, besides the point, good but incomplete, all of the above!? >> >> Secondly, I find myself focusing on the specific strategies for adolescent >> literacy outlined on pages 6-7 and focusing on: >> - motivation >> - comprehension >> - critical thinking >> - assessment >> Again, what are your thoughts and reactions here? Where are your schools >> particularly successful? Where do your schools need to be strengthened? >> Are there other specific areas of strategies to promote adolescent >> literacy which your schools are doing well and which aren't mentioned in >> this article? >> >> Thirdly, of course, if you have a burning question of your own, please >> don't hesitate to ask it! >> >> As a reminder, the article is entitled "NCTE Principles of Adolescent >> Literacy Reform" and is a .pdf file downloadable at: >> http://www.ncte.org/middle >> >> See you this evening... >> >> Take care, >> Bill Ivey >> Stoneleigh-Burnham School >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org >> >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ lit_literacyworkshop.org. >> >> Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > > >_______________________________________________ >The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > >To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ lit_literacyworkshop.org. > >Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
