June 21st readings

I found the article Kindergartners Can Do It, Too! very compelling and I was impressed by the level of comprehension Mrs. Hope was able to achieve with her kindergartners. She used so many different strategies but none too far removed from the others. I liked the way she gave her children very concrete visualizations so that they would better understand what she was asking them to think about. I especially enjoyed her explanation of schemas through the "Velcro Theory." I feel that it really made the concept simple enough that her children could easily grasp it.

I thought it was interesting how the article What every teacher needs to know about comprehension talked about the readers world knowledge being key in their comprehension. I think it is so important to consider this when working with children on comprehension. My sister worked in an inner city Memphis school this past year teaching third grade and her class had to read a story that used the word "lawn." Not one child in her class has ever lived in a house, therefore the majority of them did not know what a lawn was. It is vital to keep in mind the context in which you are teaching when considering comprehension.

The article The Comprehension Matrix only verifies the point that I made in the previous paragraph. If a reader has no background knowledge on a subject it is impossible for them to comprehend it. I think that this is a definite struggle that we as teachers will have to face. In addition, this article  mentioned a study that was done asking teachers what environmental factors effect their ability to comprehend and they mentioned things such as worries and noise. I think it is really important to keep this in mind when asking students to read and comprehend.

In chapter 7 of the book I really loved the idea of the Oprah Winfrey interview. What a great way to get children thinking about details and really paying attention! It seems like such a fun, interactive way to encourage comprehension in your classroom and it is definitely something I will keep in mind for my own classroom some day. In addition, I liked the section on KWL charts. I have actually done these several times in the preschool that I work at and I have seen what a valuable tool they can be in getting children to really notice things about what they are studying whether it be reading or some other topic of interest.