Module 1 Learning Summary

Exploring Literacy PPT:

This power point reminded me the importance of teaching reading to our students. Of course it needs to be part of every elementary school classroom, but it began to break down how and why we can differentiate it. It made me excited to see all of the possibilities this semester. It also served as a reminder of how closely related reading and writing are.

Expository Text PPT:

I found this power point to be very helpful. First and foremost, I think as teachers we do forget that some of our students may be unfamiliar with expository texts and the way that they are broken down. They contain components that might be confusing and hard to grasp if they have not had exposure with them in the past. It is our job to make them familiar and comfortable with them while exposing students to them. In addition, I really liked the graphic organizers that broke down the different parts of the texts, explained what they were and how they can be used or seen in the text. Lastly, I really liked the examples that were given at the end.

Trip to Hawaii:

I really enjoyed watching all of the videos included in the Trip to Hawaii. This was learning in a way that I had never really seen laid out before. But after watching the videos, I think I have a much stronger sense of how and why to use graphic organizers. I now see their importance in both narrative and expository texts. Graphic organizers make for meaningful learning, which should always be one of our ultimate goals. They also help with comprehension, vocabulary, recall and activation as well. Again, these are goals that we should always have in mind. I liked how the videos pointed out how often these graphic organizers act as visual representations of what is happening in the text. This may be especially helpful for struggling readers. The graphic organizers give these struggling readers a sense of organization and a way to better grasp the material in a new and different way. However, it is important to note that some students might not be familiar with graphic organizers so teachers need to make sure that they are well explained and use many different examples in an effort to show students just how and why they are being used. Another great thing about these graphic organizers that were explained in the trip to Hawaii is that they can be used before, during and after reading. Lastly, the videos did a great job of pointing out all of the different kinds that exist, including: venn diagrams, cause and effect charts, concept webs and flow charts that use a variety of shapes and symbols.

Reading Strategies for Struggling Readers Video:

This video introduced several concepts that readers, especially young readers may struggle with. Then, they gave solutions and ideas that can be used to help with these problems. This included stretching words and sounding out nonsense words and finding main ideas versus details using a graphic organizer. What I especially liked about this video is that it offered strategies that would be simple to use with students one on one both at school and at home with their parents. If we are really trying to make our students successful at reading, these are strategies we need to constantly keep in mind so that they will feel even the smallest of successes. In this same way, the adults in this video often praised the children they were working with, which in itself is a great strategy for us as educators.

Chapter 14, Vaccca et al.:

This chapter brought up the point of using text books in the classroom. While they are very beneficial and are a great source of knowledge and information for children, often times their layout and vocabulary make them difficult for students to use. The chapter brought up such points as students are unfamiliar with them and things are presented in a way they have never seen before. Moreover, sometimes the difficulty of the words makes comprehension much harder. For some students, this is the first time they have experienced difficulty in reading or comprehension so they might feel defeated by the textbook idea. However, the chapter did go on to offer solutions to these problems and ways teachers could introduce textbooks in their classrooms to make students feel more oriented to them. In addition, it spoke to the importance of determining the readability first and foremost to better determine if it is an appropriate text.

Fry’s Readability Test and Irwin-Davis Readability Checklist:

I have heard of Fry’s readability test before and some exposure to it in undergrad. I think it is really helpful to know that there is a system out there that can help me determine if a text is appropriate to use with students or with my class. It is also helpful to know the level, since some students are on different levels from one another. I had not heard of the Irwin-Davis Checklist, but am again happy to know that there are such resources available to us as educators. Since I prefer checklists, I could really see myself using this in the future to help in selecting texts for students both one-on-one and in whole class settings. I also liked how in depth the checklist goes because I really think that proves how strong of an indicator it could be.