In the following video, Ms. Martin employs two strategies to improve students' fluency and expressiveness in reading.
Reading with Expression
Based on her comments to her students, why is Ms. Martin teaching students to read expressively?
What is the relationship between reading expressively and reading fluently?
Describe two strategies Ms. Martin models and teaches to help her students read with expression. Explain how these strategies relate to comprehension?
Application Exercise 8.2: K-W-L Activity
In this video, an algebra teacher introduces a unit on equations to students who are English language learners. She begins by engaging students in a K-W-L activity.
KWL to Solve Equations
Why do you think this algebra teacher is conducting a K-W-L activity at the beginning of the unit on equations?
To what extent do you think these students need additional background information in order to comprehend informational text about equations? Support your answer.
Application Exercise 8.3: Reading Comprehension
In this video, Ms. Martin introduces a new word and engages students in a discussion of the meaning of the word. She emphasizes the importance of comprehension and the use of text to provide clues.
Understanding Motivation
Why is it important for Ms. Martin to engage students in this discussion about motivation before students read the text?
Describe how Ms. Martin checks for understanding during the discussion and explain why this step is important.
Application Exercise 9.1: Assessing and Teaching the Writing Process
In this video, second-grade teacher Ms. Jansuz is conducting a writing workshop. She coaches Sofia, a struggling writer, and scaffolds the process of writing an opinion piece.
Writing Workshop
Describe the graphic organizer Sofia is using and identify the part of the writing process in which such a tool is recommended.
How do you think the graphic organizer will help this struggling writer when she drafts her opinion piece?
Full Answer Section
Two strategies that Ms. Martin models and teaches to help her students read with expression are:
- Using intonation: Intonation is the rise and fall of the voice as we speak. Ms. Martin shows her students how to use intonation to convey the meaning of the text. For example, she might use a rising intonation to indicate a question or a falling intonation to indicate a statement.
- Using phrasing: Phrasing is the way that we group words together when we speak. Ms. Martin shows her students how to group words together in a meaningful way to convey the meaning of the text. For example, she might group together words that describe a character or words that describe a setting.
These strategies relate to comprehension because they help students to understand the meaning of the text and to communicate the meaning of the text to others. By using intonation and phrasing, students can emphasize important words and ideas in the text. This can help students to better understand the text and to communicate the meaning of the text to others in a more engaging way.
The algebra teacher in the K-W-L activity video is conducting a K-W-L activity at the beginning of the unit on equations to:
- Activate students' prior knowledge about equations
- Help students to identify what they want to learn about equations
- Provide a framework for students to organize their learning about equations
K-W-L is a comprehension strategy that can be used to help students learn about any topic. It stands for Know, Want to know, and Learned. To use K-W-L, students first brainstorm a list of what they already know about a topic. Then, they generate a list of questions that they have about the topic. Finally, after they have learned about the topic, students reflect on what they have learned and add to their list of what they know.
The algebra teacher's students may need additional background information in order to comprehend informational text about equations. For example, students may need to know about different types of numbers (integers, decimals, fractions), different types of operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), and different types of expressions (algebraic expressions, equations).
The teacher can help students to develop the necessary background knowledge by providing them with explicit instruction and by giving them opportunities to practice using the concepts. The teacher can also use scaffolding strategies, such as providing students with graphic organizers or sentence frames, to help them to comprehend informational text about equations.
In the Understanding Motivation video, Ms. Martin engages students in a discussion about motivation before students read the text because she wants to help students to connect with the text and to be motivated to read it. When students are motivated to read, they are more likely to pay attention, to comprehend the text, and to remember what they have read.
Ms. Martin checks for understanding during the discussion by asking students questions and by observing their responses. She also asks students to explain their reasoning. This helps her to identify any areas where students may need additional support.
Checking for understanding is an important step in the reading process because it allows teachers to identify students who may need additional support. When teachers check for understanding, they can provide students with immediate feedback and clarification. This can help students to avoid developing misunderstandings about the text.
Overall, Ms. Martin and the algebra teacher in the videos are using effective strategies to help their students to learn and to comprehend text. Ms. Martin is helping her students to read with expression, which can lead to better comprehension. The algebra teacher is using a K-W-L activity to activate students' prior knowledge and to help them to identify what they want to learn. Ms. Martin is also checking for understanding during a discussion to ensure that students are comprehending the text.