Social studies teachers have a responsibility to require rigorous reading and help students develop their literacy skills. Such skills are particularly
important in the study of history, because when history is taught as the
process it is, it requires students to read and interpret historical sources to
reach their own conclusions and syntheses.
Teachings in all subject areas, face the challenge of
teaching students who may not be reading at grade level. This however is
not an excuse to teach students without requiring them to read.
When students are not reading at grade level, teachers must simply
differentiate reading assignments so students are challenged appropriately and
also learn content knowledge and strengthen literacy skills.
When I first began my training as a teacher, I must admit
that I did not recognize how complex the reading process is. I have been an avid reader since I was quite young, so I took the process for granted.
Not only do must students rely on stored information and experience to interpret
what they are reading, they must also read strategically and fluently to be
able to comprehend what they are reading. I was recently re-reading Uncle
Tom's Cabin, and I found that reading the unfamiliar dialect used in the novel
gave me some idea of how difficult it is for struggling readers to not only
read, but to also comprehend what they are reading. Some of
the dialect I read aloud to grasp it more easily. Many readers do not know strategies to help them understand difficult reading material.
Teachers must also provide students with motivation
or a purpose for reading. Reading is an active experience, which is what
makes it so fulfilling. One can learn a lot from passively watching
an educational video, but reading leads a sense of accomplishment because it
requires complex thought processes. Most importantly, reading is an
essential life skill that students will undoubtedly use for the rest
of their lives. It is important for teachers to show students their own
commitment to finding more effective and efficient reading strategies
themselves.
So teaching reading is important. The question is,
what is the best way to teach reading skills? I believe the techniques
that have the most potential for success are those that help students
understand what they are reading and make connections to content based on their
own knowledge. Students will become more involved in reading when they
can relate it to their everyday life or form their own opinions about it.
I often have students connect course content to newspaper articles.
I believe it is important to have students read newspapers, because they
are an example of reading material that many people voluntarily read everyday.
I believe this sets a good example to students who are unmotivated
readers and only read what they are required to.
Activating background knowledge is also a fundamental way
to get students interested in reading. Asking open-ended questions that
relate to a reading helps get students focused on why they are reading.
Having a reason for reading elevates students' confidence when faced with
a difficult text. Even if they are unsure whether they will understand
what they read, they at least know what they are looking for.
Here are some reading strategies I have used
within my own classroom:
·
Vocabulary Concept cards - these include the
vocabulary work, definition, characteristics/features of the concept, and
example from the text, and an original sentence.
·
Photographed vocabulary - this requires
students to illustrate or sometime act out vocabulary terms.
·
Previewing words in context - as a class we
discuss difficult words prior to reading. I often use think-aloud
strategies or ask students to explain how they used the context to determine
the meaning.
·
Anticipation guides - Prior to reading,
students respond whether they agree or disagree with statements and conclusions
from the text. During the reading, students underline sections of text
relating to these statements. After the reading, student use text references
to support their earlier opinion, or justify why they changed their mind.
·
Flow charts - Outline causation explained
within a reading.
·
KWL Charts - Know/Want to Know/Learned
·
Previewing - Students look at the layout of the
text, how it is structured, its features, and determine the best strategies to
locate answers to various questions.
·
Inquiry reading - Reading to answer a question
·
Say something - Students read with the knowledge
they will be expected to say something about what they read. They can
summarize a section of the reading, talk about the main argument, supporting
points, or even ask a question concerning the text.
·
Two-column notes - One side of notes has
headings/Other column has main ideas
·
Group Summarizing - Students are asked to
summarize a text and then meet with a partner to revise their summary
collaboratively. I often pair students across ability levels during this
exercise so that more skilled readers can help those who have more difficulty
recognizing main ideas in a reading.
·
SOAP - Students identify the speaker, occasion,
audience, and purpose of a text. This is a good activity for primary
source documents.
