Teaching Phrasing and Intonation Directly and through Dramatic Activities

“It’s one thing to model fluent reading and another to directly teach students how to use correct phrasing and intonation.” (Beers, 2003, p. 216)  As Beers mentions in her chapter on Fluency and Automaticity, the way you read a text can make a big difference in how you interpret that text.  As an actor, I can certainly attest to that.  I remember my very own introduction to the subtleties of language in storytelling.  It was during an acting exercise in middle school.  In the exercise, students were paired off and asked to perform an improvisational scene using one very simple, non-punctuated sentence as the opening line.  I remember being taken aback by the broad spectrum of possible interpretations.  Each set of kids seemed to insert their own punctuation, intonation, and individual background into this simple sentence, creating six completely different stories.

            Beers (2003) suggests presenting a sentence like “You read the book” (p. 216) to the students, asking them to read the sentence four different ways, stressing a different word in the sentence each time.  After that she suggests presenting the same sentence with three different punctuation marks and again having the students read them out loud, followed by a discussion about the sentence and its many potential meanings.  While I find this work extremely relevant, I think it would be a lot more engaging for the students if the strategy were moved on to its feet for some hands-on practice.  I love finding opportunities to incorporate dramatic activities into the English classroom, and teaching the importance of phrasing and intonation while reading leaves the door wide open for this type of work.  In my classroom, I would consider combining Beers’ instructions with the experience I had, asking the students to explore these sentences in the form of a short dialogue in pairs.  In this way, students will gain a clear understanding of the significance of phrasing and intonation in the single sentence, as well as how that one sentence can affect the context of the rest of a story.  

Reference List:

Beers, K. (2003). When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Somebody Wanted But So

        Story summary is a tough thing to teach.  How do you get students to pick out the most important story elements, or the right amount of story elements to include in a summary?  As Kylene Beers states in When Kids Can't Read, students "either offer nothing or restate everything in the story" (145).  In my brief experience with 3rd graders, they often retell everything, and the only guidance I've been able to offer has been:  "Remember, a summary is shorter than a retell.  Just tell the most important parts of the story in a few sentences."
        "Somebody Wanted But So," is a strategy that helps illuminate exactly what needs to be in a summary. This is a strategy that is geared towards traditional narrative structure.  Narratives almost always follow the same pattern of having a protagonist ("somebody") who is has some conflict, is trying to get something or fulfill some need ("wanted").  Something, or many things get in their way ("but"), and somehow they overcome their obstacle(s) or come to some resolution ("so").  Beers offers this in a graphic organizer format, where students can fill out each of those 4 major story elements, and then use their answer to craft a summary, in either written or spoken form.
        What I like about this strategy is that it is so adaptable.  You can change around the labels, using any story language you want to use about those 4 major elements (i.e. "main character," instead of "somebody,"  "conflict" instead of "but").  It's a great way to break down the common pattern of stories so that students can tackle summaries proficiently.  You can use it as a handout, have students write it into their notebook, put it as a chart on your wall, or as individualized cards for students who need that scaffold.

Creating a Good Books Box

In Chapter 14 of Kylene Beers’ (2003) When Kids Can’t Read, Beers focuses on several strategies for helping students find the right book.  In the fifth suggestion, Beers describes an encounter she had while attempting to assist a student in the library.  The student lamented that teachers always say the library is full of good books, but the students do not know how to find them.  The student compared the library to a large department store, where it is difficult to find what you need.  She mentioned that she prefers to shop at The Limited, because the selection is indeed limited, narrowed down, making it easier to find something “good”.  With this in mind, Beers (2003) decided to create a Good Books Box, with a small selection of excellent books. 

            I love this idea!  Joining a new world or activity, whether that is a sport, a school, a club, or even the world of reading, can be intimidating and overwhelming.  There is always a lot of new information to learn, it is often difficult to find exactly what you need, and you do not yet trust your own instincts in this new field or environment.  It may not be immediately obvious that a student could feel about the library the way we feel on our first day at a new job, but if they are a struggling reader, this may very well be the case.  Narrowing things down in the form of a Good Books Box makes the reading world seem less vast, and therefore more accessible to hesitant readers. 

            Also, considering how much of life comes down to self-fulfilling prophecy, the Good Books Box is also a great way to start students out with the right frame of mind when beginning a new book.  Knowing their books came from the Good Books Box, students will likely be more invested in the story, and remain more open minded as they read.

            I definitely want to have a Good Books Box in my classroom.  What a simple, but brilliant strategy! 

Reference List:

Beers, K. (2003). When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Aesthetic and Efferent Stances Toward Reading

            It is important to note the difference of aesthetic and efferent reading stances when attempting to turn students into lifelong readers.  On the most basic level efferent reading often encompasses the goal of gaining information from the text.  Readers who employ this stance are often only interested in answering the assigned questions about the text.  On the other hand, aesthetic reading allows the reader to live through the text.  An example of this is being able to sympathize and feel for the characters in a text.  This is not to say that one reading stance is better than the other; both stances should be seen as being on a continuum.  Most proficient readers employ the use of both stances, because they both have their place in the learning process.  Beers asserts that, “by contrast, struggling readers, as well as reluctant readers, often lack this stance versatility…this is particularly a problem when students are reading fiction and literary nonfiction in their language arts classes” (Beers 269).  Thus, it is the job of the educator to encourage aesthetic responses from our students. 

            Beers notes that is it is important to let your students know that reading is about much more than answering questions.  In order for our students to be truly engaged teachers have to conscious to set up the learning process in a way that gets students personally involved in the text.  Framing the questions in a way that elicits reflection and personal response is a much better way to elicit engagement than assigning questions that are simply text based.  Beers confirms that once the questioning is revamped to fit the varied needs of the struggling reader, that they will eventually be able to better utilize the full continuum of reading stances. 

Works Cited

Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read, What Teachers Can Do:  A Guide for Teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2003. Print. 

Do Not Tolerate Put-Downs

Many teachers feel that eliminating peer-to-peer putdowns in their classrooms is an impossible task.  These putdowns do not always have to be verbal, “smirks, rolled eyes, and hushed laughing can do as much damage as words do” (Beers 266).  Some educators feel that dealing with this behavior is a necessary evil that they just have to deal with; however, I refuse to accept that.  I feel that in order to teach someone you must first earn their trust, because opening yourself up to learning means allowing yourself to be vulnerable. As an educator it is my job to assure that no matter what my student’s skill level is, to instill in them a sense of confidence; allowing them to do their best both inside and outside of the classroom. If I allowed negative behavior to undermine that trust, I would essentially be forfeiting the prior progress that was being made in my class.

The relationship that is built between the teachers and student cannot be overlooked as an integral part of the learning process.  Beers supports this notion by asserting that, “When children are belittled by their peers, something happens that is hurtful almost beyond repair. When it happens in front of an adult, an adult who is supposed to care, and the adult does nothing, then the damage is even greater” (Beers 266).  Beers suggests that apart from setting classroom rules and setting guidelines, that the most crucial thing that a teachers can do in this situation is to be vigilant. It is important that teachers recognize peer-to-peer put-downs as an intolerable distraction, and as something that has the potential to halt the learning process.  

Works Cited

Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read, What Teachers Can Do:  A Guide for Teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2003. Print. 

Identifying a Struggling Reader

The theme of the section entitled “So Who Is a Struggling Reader?” deals with the recognition of a student who is struggling in the classroom.  Most teachers generally assumed that a struggling reader takes the form of a student who seems distracted and disinterested in what is going on in the classroom.  The body language is described as being turned away from the front of the room, with heads down or arms crossed.  However, the struggling reader can come in many forms, such as the popular kid in class or the new foreign exchange student who has the language barrier keeping her from attaining academic success. Beers asserts that, “we cannot make the struggling reader fit one mold or expect one pattern to suffice for all students” (Beers 14). Furthermore, this formulates the idea in the minds of new age teachers about how to reach their students from a different perspective if they recognize them to be a struggling reader.

            I felt that this part of the text directly related to me because I was able to glean a different perspective of who the struggling reader is. I often made the mistake of focusing mainly on the struggling students were the troublemakers of the class, attempting to throw off the focus of the other students in the classroom.  I understand that there are some students that are overlooked because they fit the stereotypical mold of being a model student in the eyes of the teacher and his/her peers.  I can now recognize the need to not only assess the body language of the student but to also pay attention to the quality of his/her work in order to ensure that every child receives the proper attention, regardless of their physical disposition.

Works Cited

Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read, What Teachers Can Do:  A Guide for Teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2003. Print. 

Probable Passage - Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Engagement

I am always interested in teaching strategies that function on multiple levels, particularly involving the too often forgotten element of engagement.  Learning is meant to be interesting.  So is reading.  Finding ways to engage and excite our struggling readers is just as important as assisting them with their actual reading.  Probable Passage is one of those gold-mine strategies that incorporate vocabulary, comprehension, and engagement in one pre-reading activity.  It also provides a great opportunity for post-reading discussion.

            Probable Passage is pre-reading strategy where the teacher creates a list of key words from the chosen text, presents them to the students, ensures that students understand what the words mean, and asks them to arrange the words according to their probable role in the text (characters, setting, problem, outcomes, etc).  Beers (2003) created a Probable Passage worksheet, displayed in Figure 6.3 (p. 88) of When Kids Can’t Read.  Once the students have placed the words in their probable categories, they are asked to use the words to compose a prediction statement describing what the text they are about to read might be about. 

As I mentioned earlier, the Probable Passage strategy creates the opportunity for several things to happen.  First, the students are introduced to key terms they are likely to encounter and need to know when reading the text.  For struggling or reluctant readers, this head start can be extremely beneficial.  Secondly, the students are compelled to consider characters, setting, conflict, resolutions, and potential causal relationships all before ever opening the text.  In this way, students are reminded what they should be paying attention to while reading, while forcing them to make their own connections and predictions about what might happen in the text.  This is where engagement comes into play.  There is something about guessing games that appeals to even the most apathetic of students.  Activities like these help to pique the students’ interest and motivate them to do the reading in order to discover what actually happened and if their predictions were accurate.  In this way, students are given an opportunity to be invested in their reading, while simultaneously feeling prepared for it.  I really like the idea of comparing their Probable Passages to the story after reading in the form of a class discussion.  Beers (2003) suggests asking questions such as: “How did your predictions differ from what happened in the story? Now that you’ve read the story, in what categories would the author place the key words?” (p. 93)  I can really see how this would help to extend and solidify meaning for our readers, and I think given the nature of the activity, the students will want to make the comparisons, which is certainly the best part.  

Reference List:

Beers, K. (2003). When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.