Another look at utopia as this chapter delves into the possibility of our students not asking themselves questions before, during and after reading text. I have a question. Does this author have a life? Her mind is constantly working on, embroiled with or planning a new concept, strategy or process concerning reading comprehension. It is wonderful that she spends so much time thinking, reflecting and questioning episodes in her own life. She truly has enhanced abilities beyond the average teacher. However, personally I wouldn’t enjoy trading places with her. Just venting, can you tell that I don’t like this author’s style of writing.
I do agree with the author with the concept that questioning is fundamental to being human – dispelling confusion, probing into new areas, and strengthening our abilities to analyze and deduce. But I thought that the trait of reasoning is what set us apart from other species, not questioning. I guess it is all intertwined.
In this chapter she assists another teacher in getting her first grade students to take more of an ownership in their participation in the classroom. This particular teacher is very organized and her classroom is well managed almost to the point of perfectionism. The teacher does not allow the children to be involved in their learning. They are not given the chance to question, to be curious, to share in the responsibility for their own learning.
The author suggests that the teacher start by showing the students how to use questions as they chose their writing topics. Since first graders are always full of questions, this seemed a good place to start. Over the next several weeks they expand their approach to reading. The students’ comprehension of what they read could only improve with the strategy of questioning. They turned the project into a study and skillfully took notes and observations. Making adjustments and adding and subtracting ideas that worked or didn’t, they found that the students found success. Again, the author was successful in a first grade classroom in just six weeks.
SOME KEY IDEAS
Proficient readers spontaneously generate questions before, during and after reading.
Proficient readers ask questions to
- clarify meaning
- speculate about the text yet to be read
- determine an author’s intent, style, content, or format
- locate a specific answer in text or consider rhetorical questions inspired by the text
- focus their attention on important components of the text
Proficient readers understand that many of the most intriguing questions are not answered in the text
However, when an answer is needed, proficient readers determine whether it can be answered by the text or whether they will need to infer the answer form the text, their background knowledge, and/or other text.
Proficient readers understand how the process of questioning is used in other areas of their lives, academic and personal
Proficient readers understand how asking questions deepen their comprehension
Proficient readers are aware that as they hear others’ questions, new ones are inspired in their own minds.
A Sample Comprehension Strategy Study Using the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model: Some Key Ideas
v Model your questions with picture books or other short text over several days-record questions on chart paper that has categories for each of the purposes and times readers ask questions
v Make clear the distinction between reading aloud and thinking aloud as you model
v Talk to the children about why readers pose questions , how questions help them comprehend more deeply, and how they use questions in other academic areas in their live outside school
v Gradually invite students to share their questions, adding them to appropriate places on the chart in children’s language – continue to model, gradually diversifying the genre of the text you use
v Invite children to meet in small groups or pairs to share and compare questions—encourage them to list new questions generated through these discussions
v Continue modeling with invitational groups of children who might benefit from more explicit instruction
v Remind book clubs to focus on questioning in their conversations throughout the strategy study
v In reading conference, focus on their questions before, during and after reading; ask students to identify places in the text where they had questions and ask them to use the class chart to categorize their questions; invite them to pose types of questions that they have not tried yet; use think-alouds to assess their use of questioning; ask the children to identify ways in which posing questions helps deepen their comprehension; model how posing questions helps deepen your comprehension
v Focus sharing sessions on questions children discovered while reading and can add to the class chart
v Continue large an invitational group modeling of a variety of texts
v Make frequent connections between questioning and other strategies on which the children have already focused
v Use the Major Point Interview for Readers to assess children’s use of questioning as a tool fro deepening comprehension before an after a strategy study
v Use a variety of tools such as coding, highlighting markers on copied text, self-adhesive notes, question maps, story maps and double-entry diaries to help children become aware of and record their questions.
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I'm going to have to agree with you here Barb. This perfect world is getting a bit old. There were a few minor snags but of course they were artfully corrected in a matter of a few days. I did like how I can combine the question strategies with the making connections strategies. I know you were amazed at how short a time it took for the first graders to grasp this concept, but honestly even thinking about doing anything for six WEEKS in a row is hard for me to grasp. Who has six weeks to devote to one thing? Not I said the fly.
ReplyDeleteI have been guilty of having a "too organized" room, and frankly, being a control freak when it comes to my students. I have to catch myself from correcting their papers to the point of making them look like they were just in battle. It was hard for me to let go and give the students the responsibility to correct their own, and each other's mistakes in order to write a final draft. I understand that giving the student's control and responsibility keeps them engaged. That was a positive point I took away from this chapter. I agree with you Barb, questioning does obviously aid heavily in comprehension. I do plan on integrating more modeling of my inner questions while reading to my class.