Right now, three of us at my school are exploring comprehension strategy instruction with very young children (K, 1) and also grade 3 learning disabled students. We are using a process called lesson study which I have written about before on this list. Three of us plan the lesson, one of us teaches while the others watch, then we debrief, look at student work and adjust the lesson accordingly and a second teacher teaches it. One of the things we have found through our explorations is that the very young kids and those that are learning disabled are able to think at very high levels but often do not have the language to express it completely. Thus, finding alternative ways to show thinking---drawings, role plays etc---while simultaneously providing rich oral language modeling and opportunities for practice helps build the language kids need to express that higher level thinking. I have seen K kids infer complex themes, synthesize, and even explain their thinking. The key is, perhaps, how we ask kids to express their thinking that may be inappropriate. Just another way of looking at it... Jennifer In a message dated 3/16/2008 12:40:25 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
In terms of the developmental appropriateness of strategies like synthesis, I believe that we wouldn't even be asking questions like that if we had a different way of thinking about comprehension. I also wish those who are concerned about developmental appropriateness could observe, not only Debbie Miller's former first graders, but thousands of other very young children (including some I worked with this week in Northbrook and Midlothian IL) use strategies such as synthesis and inference to dramatically enhance their understanding. Why on earth would we withhold that kind of intellectual engagement from them? Just some thoughts. . . Very best, ellin **************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money & Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001) _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
