Reading Strand

  

 

Enokson. (January 18 2012). DISPLAY: Reading Helps Your Mind Bloom – “Reading”. Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/6722238135

Reading is an important skill that one should continually develop one’s strength in. Through reading, you develop comprehension and interpretational skills. These skills are essential to have because they are what allow you to analyze, evaluate, summarize and connect different ideas and concepts. I would argue that this is the most crucial of the strands to learn and develop because without the skills you learn from reading, you are unable to think critically and creatively about academics. I would also go as far as to say that without these skills, you would be unable to think critically and creatively about all that life throws at you, because you will be unable to analyze critically and come to conclusions.

I useful source that I came across while exploring Edugains “Reading” section was a resource entitled “ALERT Necessary for Some: How to Help Students Who Struggle with Reading”. This resource provides teachers with an understanding of the different reading skills and levels that students may be at within a classroom. The article provides you with a chart that is helpful for brainstorming ideas, as well as providing you with a checklist of things that good readers do.



 

How to Help Students Who Struggle with Reading

Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/en/literature-library-reading-owl-297187/

The reading strand of the Ontario Curriculum of Language grades 1-8 states:

“an effective reader is one who not only grasps the ideas communicated in a text but is able to apply them in new contexts,” (p. 10).

This enforced through the article through the use of Ms. Waters example of a reading chart. The chart has three columns: I Read, I Think, and Therefore. This is an excellent chart for students because it focuses their attention on ideas from the reading, as well as making connections to the text and information/ideas that they knew prior to the reading. Students are to use this chart to record the main components that the curriculum views as important.

 

Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/en/books-pattern-reading-wallpaper-157688/



 

 

This article is useful in the classroom because students can learn how to use the example of the chart to help them with their own reading and thinking. Due to the fact that not all students will be at the same reading level as others, and not all students are able to understand the reading, this resource is a great starting point to introduce to your classroom. It is easier to record verbatim what the text says, as opposed to digging into the text at a deeper thinking/reflecting level. They are assigned the task of determining the meaning of the text, and making connections, as well as conclusions, through the use of the chart “I Read, I Think, Therefore”. The chart will reveal to the educator where students are at in their interpretational skills, as well as their reading and comprehension skills. This will allow educators to help develop students develop stronger reading skills where needed.

The chart would look as follows:

 

I Read	I Think	Therefore
Key ideas from the text	Connections from the reading and what you knew prior to reading the text	Draw ideas from the text for a conclusion

The chart will benefit students understanding of texts because they have to focus on certain points individually, as well as draw connections for deeper understanding. It would be useful to utilize this chart individually, but also in small group/whole group discussions. The article has educational benefits because it provides educators with examples on how to get students to think on a deeper level about what they just read. By making this activity an individual activity, students are demonstrating where their current reading and comprehension skills are at. However, by allowing students to discuss their findings afterwards, in small groups or whole groups, students will be able to see different connections and perspectives that they might not have found themselves, but are able to see later.

Therefore, these skills are beneficial for all students to master because students will be able to broaden their understanding in more creative and critical ways. They will learn analytical and evaluative skills that will allow them to summarize and draw conclusions. This can only benefit students learning because once you master these skills, you will become deeper thinkers, allowing you to understand ideas and concepts at a higher level, which allows for growth in understanding and interpretation.  



Jimmie. (August 7 2009). Reading response prompts minioffice cover. Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmiehomeschoolmom/3797363577