“You Can’t Learn Much from Books You Can’t Read”
This article addresses how well our students can read and the way that their textbooks are written. It also addresses the fact that the United States students rank top in grades K-4 but when they get to the fifth grade and above their scores drop to average. That is the major difference and it is said to come fore the miss matched textbooks and there is not much instructional support. Many textbooks are written one to two grade levels above the grade that they are assigned to. Textbooks are also not a one size fits all things. I did however like this article because it gives good examples on how to compensate for the text and the dropped reading levels. One of the ideas was that when student’s needs were being met by a teacher adapting to that child’s way of learning. The second was when students were given choices it motivated them to learn more. I like these ideas and it all boils down to if you teach the whole child and not just the NCSCOS you don’t have to worry about standardized tests.
“From Efficient Decoders to Strategic Readers”
This article was interesting in the fact that it brought up two tings that we ought to do in schools but do not do. This first one was why do we not have programs for students in middle grades and above for them to become more comprehensive and strategic readers. The second was that all subject need to bring in reading and writing to reinforce these irreplaceable skills. I did enjoy this article because it was informative about how well our student read and how to help them. With all of the testing that we do, why don’t we focus more on reading than developing tests? I was also shocked at how much more we’re are going to be depending on reading and writing in the years to come. I also thought that the teacher using the graphic organizers was a genius. They seem to be a fun way for students to share and process their ideas.
