Chapman and King (2003) explain, “Every teacher who wants to be a facilitator of learning must also be a reading teacher, because reading is an essential component of learning in every subject” (p. 1). In order to use textbooks strategically and effectively, teachers cannot simply assign homework reading from the text, lecture from the text, or quiz or question the students to verify that the text was read. Instead teachers should first be aware of, “the powerful bonds between reading and knowledge construction; they need to understand how reading to learn relates to meaning-making and text comprehension” (Vacca et al., 2011, p. 17).
It is important to remember that reading strategies are not the same as comprehension, but instead they are more like tools for aiding and extending comprehension; they should be introduced and practiced one at a time (Routman, 2003). It is also vital to take the time to plan for the use of reading
strategies. Vacca et al. (2011)
states, “The key to content
literacy and learning is the
forethought that goes into
planning instructional frame-
works that support thinking
and learning with text” (p.
124). During planning,
teachers need to make sure
that students will get an expla-
nation of why they are learning a
specific strategy. Routman (2003) notes,
“Just because we teach our students a strategy doesn’t mean that they apply them” (p.120). Students need to know why they are doing the strategy and they need to see the strategy modeled by the teacher through thinking aloud (Routman, 2003).
Activating Prior Knowledge
Readers of mathematics need to have the proper background knowledge for the text at hand. According to Fuentes (1998), “To solve most complex mathematical problems, it is not sufficient simply to have some knowledge on the topic; the reader must have a rich background in the subject” (p. 82). One strategy that can be used to activate students’ prior knowledge is to have them make predictions. This strategy allows students to begin thinking about the content before reading it (Vacca et al., 2011). They use what they already know or their own personal experiences to make educated guesses about the reading.
Another way to activate background knowledge is through the use of anticipation guides. Vacca et al. (2011) defines an anticipation guide as, “a series of statements to which students must respond individually before reading the text” (p. 181). Teachers create the anticipation guide about a certain topic; the students respond to the statements prior to reading and then a class discussion about the statement usually occurs after the reading of the text. Mathematics teachers have had success in using anticipation guides; they can create these to help students address
their own knowledge about the topic
being studied (for example
measures of central tendencies
or fractions) and also to
produce conceptual conflict
for some of the more challenging sections of the chapter that they are
studying. Anticipation
guides can also help to set a
purpose for reading, which is a
great way to motivate students
to read.
Guided Reading Comprehension
Vacca et al. (2011) state “Teachers guide students’ reading by (1) modeling how to read, think, and learn with texts; and (2) scaffolding instruction in the use of comprehension strategies that allow students to learn with the text in meaningful ways” (p. 194). Teachers can help their students by teaching and showing them how to use comprehension strategies to get a deeper understanding of the texts they are reading. Comprehension strategies to be modeled include, but are not limited to: think-alouds, graphic organizers, vocabulary instruction, and math journals.
"Students need to know why they are doing the strategy and they need to see the strategy modeled by the teacher through thinking aloud."
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