This week had a large emphasis on students being ‘text user’s’
in both the lecture and the tutorial. The purpose of students becoming engaged
with the text as a text user is to achieve purpose in society, to become
involved, which will bring different forms of social and cultural functions.
This can be achieved through the viewing of a wide range of texts.
Specifically, within the tutorial we had a deeper look at
factual texts and how their properties are useful to engage a reader as a text
user. Some of the properties include a table of contents, glossary, diagrams,
maps, graphs and an index. An example used to explore the properties was “The
Seashore”. As a group we looked at such factors:
Purpose: To inform students about the seashore.
Authors point of view: The authors describes the information about the seashore to the reader. It is important to note that the text is slightly biased in the part where it says “everyone likes the seashore”.
Genre: Non-fiction
Connections between students and the text: The use of basic language, the layout of the page and the use of pictures and diagrams all assist finding a connection between the students and text.
What do you want students to get from this: Students will gain a lot of information from this such as the basic information of the seashore, an introduction into the topic. To make the students a text participant, engaged in the ideas around the text and analyse the points within.
Purpose: To inform students about the seashore.
Authors point of view: The authors describes the information about the seashore to the reader. It is important to note that the text is slightly biased in the part where it says “everyone likes the seashore”.
Genre: Non-fiction
Connections between students and the text: The use of basic language, the layout of the page and the use of pictures and diagrams all assist finding a connection between the students and text.
What do you want students to get from this: Students will gain a lot of information from this such as the basic information of the seashore, an introduction into the topic. To make the students a text participant, engaged in the ideas around the text and analyse the points within.
The Seashore could be introduced as a guided reading text. In
doing so, it is important to have groups at a similar level. From the guided
reading the students should be better at reading the text than they were at the
beginning. There also should be a focus on vocabulary and structure (can focus
on different focus’ each session).
Finally, as a group we looked at the factual report called “Holding
On” and the narrative “Prayer to St. Jude”. We were asked to make a 20 minute
lesson based around these texts. Some of the ideas that were presented on the
text “Holding On” included:
-A guided reading activity
-Writing up words on the board that the students don’t know the meaning of… dictionary meanings activity?
-Looking at specific topics presented on the page, writing 5 interesting points, or even researching 5 animals.
-The teacher and students could also look into the relationship between the headings and texts, having students place them together,
Several ideas that were discussed on the text “Prayer
to St. Jude” included: -A guided reading activity
-Writing up words on the board that the students don’t know the meaning of… dictionary meanings activity?
-Looking at specific topics presented on the page, writing 5 interesting points, or even researching 5 animals.
-The teacher and students could also look into the relationship between the headings and texts, having students place them together,
-Ask the students to think of a plan to stop the house being built.
-Ask who the character is, her age, why she is writing such a letter.
-The teacher could discuss the text type with the students, how do you know it is in the form of a letter? Discuss how to structure a letter. Students could then write their own letters.
An addition to the factual text analysis of 'The Seashore' included its technical language that is very specific to the text topic. Such as spiny squat lobster, coastline, seashore wildlife, seashore creature.
ReplyDeleteWe also considered the importance of working at different levels of a text. Such as working on a single word, then a sentence then a paragraph then the page or appropriate chunk. Working at a small level and then building up allows for understanding of the importance of each word within a sentence and the importance of each sentence within a paragraph. Students can consider if each word and sentence is necessary and if the text will still make sense without it.
Guided reading is vital for all students and teachers. It allows the teacher an opportunity to assess students' abilities and to provide cues, questions and tasks to help them develop the necessary skills that have been identified by the teacher.
Guided reading is becoming evidently important in classrooms. We considered how guided reading can be used, not only as a tool for collecting needed information about students level of reading and their position as a text user, but also as a way for students to read and work with peers that share a similar level of understanding in terms of reading and understanding texts.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the text "The Seashore" there is a lot of specialised language to read and understand, if students are at a similar level of understanding of reading they are able to learn these words together as opposed to being told what they are or how to read them by a student who is highly capable in the area of reading and being a text user.
Guided reading should be an important part of each classrooms reading scheme as it is a valuable way to collect information about students understanding and help students to assist in each others reading and learning.