When Kids Can't Read-Ch.8

This chapter focuses on after-reading activities that help students focus on constructing meaning. The chapter gives an informative list on what the strategies encourage students to do. Listed below are some examples I found interesting. Activities should:

• question what students don't understand or what is confusing in the text
• clarify what has confused them
• summarize what they have just read
• make inferences and draw conclusions

The activities that teachers present to their students should help student find meaning in difficult texts. Activities that help clarify anything confusing will help with comprehension and also long term memory. If students understand or comprehend what they've read, then they have a much better chance of recalling later on in the semester. Activities that stimulate comprehension and memory are crucial for a student's success.

When Kids Can't Read-Ch. 7

I thought the most interesting thing I learned in chapter 7 was that rereading is the number one strategy independent readers use when something stumps them in a text. It's probably the last strategy dependent readers use. I think that good readers read a text as a whole and then reread bits and pieces that they find confusing. Struggling readers may find rereading takes up too much time and it also may frustrate them, so they give up.

I think it's important for teachers to encourage students to reread in difficult passages because they might be able to get something out of it the second time they read. It may be a hard habit to teach students, but students will definitely benefit from it in the future. When struggling readers read aloud, the teacher should stop the student when he or she feels that the student is struggling to comprehend. The teacher should then encourage the student to reread the passage to help make more sense.

When Kids Can't Read-Ch. 6

The thing I found most interesting about chapter 6 was the anticipation guide. Effective anticipation guides present students with pertinent issues that are worth discussing but that don't have clear-cut answers. The anticipation guide allows readers to think for themselves and choose yes or no answers to questions that can be answered with opinion.

After reading a book, the reader returns to the questions and answers them how the protagonist in the book would answer them. The student will sometimes see that many of their answers have changed. Students must be aware that there is no right or wrong answer for the anticipation guide, so they should not try to guess the correct answer. Students should use this activity to explore their thoughts and ideas about the questions.

When Kids Can't Read-Chapter 5

The thing I found most interesting about chapter 5 was when the author talked about how children construct meaning out of a text. "Students transact with the text, constructing meaning from the information that the author provides in the text and the information they bring to the text." Students who expect the text to provide every single piece of information are often left in confusion about the material they just read.

Students must learn that prior knowledge is essential in making connections in whatever they are reading. It is the educator's responsibility to help student make these connections and help students become better prepared before reading a text where background knowledge is needed. Sometimes the text may not provide enough information on the topic that the student is studying, and what they bring to the text is just as important as the text itself.

When Kids Can't Read-Chapter 4

I thought that the most beneficial information came from pages 42-44. These pages talked about the instructional practices that every teacher should know. The practices were as follows:
1.) Decide what specific strategies you want to model and what text to use.
2.) Tell the students exactly what strategy they will be learning.
3.) Read the passage to the students and model the strategy you want them to learn.
4.) During real reading situations make sure and give the students plenty of time to practice the strategy being taught.
5.) Continue modeling as students' needs indicate or when the genre changes.
6.) Give students time to use the strategy on their own without any help.

These 6 instructional practices would be very beneficial to have in the classroom. They demonstrate each step that a teacher should take to ensure that each student has the proper training to master a specific strategy. I know that I will most likely use these 6 steps to guide teaching in the classroom.