back to the basics

Reading is one of the most basic, and most important skills that we can teach our students. In many ways, I would agree with the article "Middle School Students Need More Opportunities to Read Across the Curriculum," that schools and teachers have begun to move toward teaching to the high-stakes tests, but reading and literacy is so much more valuable. If I could, I would love to allow my students an entire class period to read about what they would like to within my subject area, but to be honest, I don't think it is practical. As a middle schooler, I would hate the idea that I had to sit and read for an entire class period. I understand that these skills are necessary, but can't we instill the love of reading in another way that is not quietly reading to yourself for forty minutes at a time? And not to mention, I love to read, but I know that for studying, I learn best by writing things down and taking notes. So, is the practice/idea of quietly reading and "working the room" really the best idea? I definitely see the need for reading across the curriculum, and introducing students to new types of materials that they could use in the future, but I think that this could be accomplished without a set aside time for doing nothing but reading silently.

Within this same article was the discussion on word mapping and vocabulary building. I love the idea of concept mapping for words, especially in a science classroom (which is where I would like to be one day). Before beginning a new unit, or lesson, I like the idea of having students do a "chalk-talk" to guess what they think a word means, or what we will be studying about the topic at hand. I want my students to be open to new ideas, but also be able to ask questions if they don't understand something. And, vocabulary/ understanding terms is vital in a science classroom, so clearly, this exercise lends itself well to a science room. Just like the teacher in the article "One Teacher's Journey" came to believe, I think that all students are capable of learning, and for many students, it is a matter of finding what works for them. Her "basic" class was looking for a new opportunity to be challenged, even if they couldn't ask for that by name. I was frustrated with the author's outlook at the beginning of the article, as a teacher, how can you not help but question your methods if students aren't wanting to apply themselves in any of your "activities" or in her case, taking notes, and cookie-cutter labs. As a middle schooler, I had teachers who did this, and I can honestly say that I don't remember much from their class. And I want to be a teacher who demonstrates not only a love of my content, but a passion for learning.

The "HEART" method was a particularly interesting part of the article "The Challenge of Content Area Literacy: A Middle School Case Study" because, once again, this study hint would be perfect for a science classroom. After reading a part of the textbook, or a supplemental text, students could complete this activity and have prepared a study guide without even knowing it. I think that this would be perfect for additional readings more specifically because the students could use their previous knowledge of what we had covered in class to have a full-picture of a large unit. For example, if we were studying biomes and I found a great article about a specific plant in the rainforest, it would be a perfect time to include information like the climate of the rainforest, or how this plant would relate to its environment. Overall, the entire RCA idea seemed to be a good one. I would be interested to know how students felt about this new curriculum, and if this was fruitful for the teachers, students and administrators involved. The idea of incorporating reading into the classroom and within our content areas is exciting to me. I love reading, and I think that is partially because I had parents and teachers who passed their passion on to me. So, I'm all for any ideas which can be helpful to students--whether they are avid readers or students who see no need to pick up a book.