Objectives
In producing my project my objectives are:
• To integrate close reading strategies with the literacy/science curriculum to improve critical thinking outcomes with a group of 45 kindergarteners in a medium sized suburban kindergarten classroom
• To determine if using close reading can help close the increasing achievement gap between kindergarten and first grade Hispanic and non-Hispanic learners
• To develop a variety of close reading activities that can be used in kindergarten and first grade classes
• To share my knowledge and results with colleagues at my school
Project Description
My project has been to investigate how to implement close reading strategies as a means to develop critical thinking skills starting in kindergarten. Dominant factors in close reading include: multiple readings of complex text that help the reader understand and interpret the text, question the author, connect to the text and comprehend the vocabulary by creating images based on the author’s words. (Lassonde, 2009, 6) Why close reading? Until recently, it was commendable to have students make a connection to the text. According to Boyles (2012) teaching students to make reader/text connections “veered significantly off track”. The ideology behind close reading is a shift from simply making connections to self, to the text, to the world, etc. which, until a few years ago, was thought to create metacognitive readers to thinking critically about what the author is saying. Personal connections left readers with little knowledge of the actual text and created a discussion for images that popped into the reader’s head instead of finding evidence in the text. (Boyles, 2012, 2) The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College an...
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Reardon, S. and Galindo, C. (2009). The Hispanic-white achievement gap in math and
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log message]. Retrieved from http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/2013/07/close-
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Structure of the Model Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy. (2011, October 1).
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. Retrieved
from http://www.parcconline.org/mcf/english-language-artsliteracy/
structure-model-content-frameworks-elaliteracy
The article, “Critical Thinking? You Need Knowledge” by Diane Ravitch, discusses how in the past people have been deprived from the thinking process and abstract thinking skills. Students need to be given more retainable knowledge by their teachers to improve their critical thinking skills. (Ravitch).
Stewart, Stacy D. "United Way's Focus on Early Grade Reading." National Civic Review 100 (2011): 37. Print.
“The Ethics of Close Reading: Close Encounters” is an article written by Jane Gallop for the 2000 Journal of Curriculum. It discusses the topic of close reading itself, the social impact of the concept, the ethical aspect of reading, and the various ways close reading can be applied to daily life. The term “close reading” is used in the article more than fifty-one times, and defined on twelve separate occasions, generally being defined as, “looking at what is actually on the page, reading the text itself, rather than some idea “behind the text.” It means noticing things in the writing, things in the writing that stand out” (Gallop p.7).
Education is the key to individual opportunity, the strength of our economy, and the vitality of our democracy. In the 21st century, this nation cannot afford to leave anyone behind. While the academic achievement and educational attainment of Hispanic Americans has been moving in the right direction, untenable gaps still exist between Hispanic students and their counterparts in the areas of early childhood education, learning English, academic achievement, and high school and college completion.
Finn, P. (2011). Critical thinking: knowledge and skills for evidence-based practice. Language, Speech & Hearing Services In Schools,42(1), 69-72. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2010/09-0037)
Northrop Frye is one of the most influential literary critics of his time, and today. Indeed, one of his most applicable articles was published in 1986, titled, “Don’t You Think It’s Time to Start Thinking?”. He uses several key points to argue that most of society does not think critically and that the skills are purposefully not being taught to keep society compliant. This article, which criticizes how students are taught to think, is still very relevant today. While some may argue that the curriculum has changed over time to incorporate more of critical thinking, that is still not the case. Frye’s article is pertinent even today, especially with the inception of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Society still encourages reading
What critical thinking skills are needed for the leader committed to social justice to effectively communicate at all levels of practice?
Comber, B., & Simpson, A. (2001). Negotiating critical literacy in classroom. (p. 234). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Chris had just been promoted as an Executive Assistant for Pat the CEO, Chief Executive Officer, of Faith Community Hospital. Pat had given Chris her very first assignment on her first day of work as an executive assistant and that was to gather information so that Pat can present the issues to the board of directors. Faith Hospital is faced with issues that needed attention and the board of directors must be notified of the issues so that a solution can be remedy to help the hospital stay in business.
While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.
For my community involvement project, I volunteered at Memminger Elementary School for a program called “Reading Partners.” The program focuses on helping children build strong literacy skills to carry with them into their academic careers. It requires the tutor to read to the student that has been assigned, and in turn, the student reads to the tutor. The program assists in teaching the students valuable reading skills. Being able to read is critical to a child’s educational success.
True to the statement from the Read to Grow website: “The influence of parents in young children’s lives is much greater than early childhood schoolteachers and programs” (Did you know…par.12). And with much reference to an article in the Harvard Research Project website which stated that “parents’ active involvement in the children’s school-related learning and activities has positive impacts in their academic performance”, it is then confirmed that parental involvement improves children's social skills in helping them cope with the dynamic school environment; and that parents who read at home to their child who attends kindergarten promotes greater reading comprehension ability. This paper is with the purpose of ...
“The single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children,” a report from 1985 by the commission
In this information–driven age, preparing students to read a variety of texts with complete understanding should likely be one of our educational system’s highest priorities. Understanding is more than just the ability to produce information on demand (knowledge) or the ability to perform learned routines (skills). “Understanding is the ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows.” (Active Learning Practice for Schools, n. d.) A review of the literature in the area of reading comprehension of elementary-age students shows two principle areas of focus. There is a body of literature that examines the development of proficient vs. struggling comprehenders and another body of literature that compares methodologies for teaching reading comprehension.
Taking a close look at a text takes much more than looking at words or fining word and phrases to answer questions. Close reading is define as the mindful, disciplined reading of an object with a view to deeper understanding of its meaning (Cummins, 2013). According to Fisher & Frey (2012), the practice of close reading is not a new one, and in fact has existed for many decades as the practice of reading a text for a level of detail not used in everyday reading. Therefore, teachers need to foster this skill on students in early stages of literacy skill to become proficient in comprehension. In order for students to examine complex text, teachers need to model and guide them through various strategies that would support their understanding