I Read It, But I Don't Get It
Teaching students how to read is probably one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. They are all challenging do not get me wrong, but this is a big one. Teaching how to pronounce words and sound them out is one thing, teaching them to understand the context of the reading and analyze the literature is a different thing. As students progresses in school, reading literature becomes more difficult. Using tools to help students read and understand it is the job of an educator, and we should use all the strategies that we can find.
To teach students how to read literature and understand the context, you must know strategies. In chapter 9, “What's the Plan?”, strategies of how to read are available with examples following them. A strategy I found most useful is “stopping the readings”. That is right, stopping the reading. A good reader stops when they do not know something or if they do know something. Good readers use the information that they know to help them understand they information that they do not know. I have always encouraged students to tie in knowledge they know into new works that are in the class. I believe it is a way to bring their own culture into the classroom and a way for them to understand tough readings or challenging knowledge.
What is great about all of these strategies in “I Read It, But I Don’t Get It” is that they are all applicable in any sort of curriculum. You do not have to be a reading expert to teach these strategies. This is good to hear, these methods should not be hard to teach. I want to teach my future students easy ways to interpret the readings. It is always fun when students know how to read literature, yet not everyone will get it. This book has helped me learn new ways to guide students into the wonderful world of reading literature properly.
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