-How important is accessing prior knowledge for students? (Baseball study)
Accessing prior knowledge is extremely important to students. In my classroom we call it activating our schema. We start simple and move to more complex topics. I was found myself underlining, starring and taking notes quite a bit for this chapter. Many things stuck out to me. The chapter talks about encouraging students to become active meaning makers. I love the fact that reading is an active process and it says that active thinking begins before we enter the text. The more schema a student has in long-term memory the more space they have in short-term, working memory to learn more. The more they know, the less “cognitive overload” they have and the new info does not overtax the short-term memory. They more schema a student has about a topic, the easier it is to learn even more.
How do you immerse students in background knowledge or text sets to facilitate activation?
I try to learn about student interests in the beginning of the year by conducting a learner interest survey. If possible, I try to have students read and learn about something that interests them. If they are interested, chances are they have some schema about the topic. I provide students with thinking stems and graphic organizers to help organize schema. We watch videos and look at books (easiest to hardest). We learn from the schema of others. We start with a K-W-L or a B-K-W-L (I learned about these from the book Teaching Students to Read Nonfiction Grades 2-4 By Alice Boynton and Wiley Blevins) In a B-K-W-L the B stands for Background. You provide the students with a bit of background before they tell what they know and what they want to know. It gives a bit of context and gives just enough information for the students to be able to pull from what they know. I also use a KWHL- the H stands for how you plan to learn what you would like to know. It helps the learner to take responsibility for their learning. Another take on the KWL is to start with Schema. Add new learning. Record any misconceptions that were listed as schema. I have dabbled in anticipation guides but I need to start doing more than dabbling. Finally, I use open-ended, interactive charts. An example is, “_____ Can, Have, Are”. This is a big hit with 3rd graders.
-Multiple exposures are important for retention and independence. How will you offer these opportunities?
I try to offer multiple exposures in a variety of platforms. We use short videos. I make text sets(easiest to most difficult). I try to find audio books. I use posters, graphics, photographs, diagrams and any other visual aid that I can. I ask the students to bring books, magazines, photos. This is something that I need to give some more thought to. I need to do a bit more research and find more ways to offer opportunities for multiple exposures.
-What strategies stuck out to you in this chapter and what ones and how will you bring them into your instruction?
I will use most of these strategies. I will use them for Reading, Math, Social Studies, Science, SEL. It is exciting to have these new strategies! I hope my enthusiasm will be contagious! I hope my kids love them.
-Anticipation Guides–it’s time to start doing these again.
-KWL 2.0-Probable Passages
-Possible Sentences
-Tea Party–this is going to be a strategy I use soon!
-Knowledge Rating Charts
-Thematic Clusters- I’ll use this at the beginning of our geography unit
-Read, Rate, Reread- how powerful and simple at the same time
-Think Aloud- I will continue to value and use this
-Sketch to Stretch
-Syntax Surgery
-Notice and Note Signposts- These come from 2 books by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst- I have the Strategies for Close Reading (fiction). I started reading it at the end of the year and used a few signposts with my students reading above grade level. After this book study I will finish it and put more of it into practice.
-SWBS- I use this now but I use SWBST, it has been an effective way to have students summarize.
-I’m not sure about Genre Reformulation- this may be a mid to end of year strategy, I have to look at it more. I am open to it. I actually see great value in it. I just feel like I may need to focus on some more foundational strategies first. Stay tuned!
-Retelling- I cannot wait to use this rubric and progress chart. I will begin by making the rubric a micro-progression rubric and then go to the numerical rubric.
-I would like to eventually use the Three Big Questions
–Semantic Differential Scales- this will be great to use during our RUOS #3- Character Studies.
-It Says, I Say, And So
-BHH
There are so may strategies, I am going to try to make a prioritized list so that I don’t try to do too many all at once. Been there, done that. This is all very exciting.