Due March 18th:
Chapter 6-Some of our students are very good accessing background knowledge and others either lack experience or language skills in the case of second language learners. Post 3-4 ways to help struggling students connect their life experiences and what they are learning in all of their classes. Respond to one post. Also address ways we can help students dive a little deeper using connections.
See my comments for chapter 5. Plus the old standby KWL chart is a good graphic organizer when reading a non-fiction book. I'll be back soon. Happy Spring Break!!!
ReplyDeleteI think making the connections is a good opportunity to teach in a thematic unit. If the social studies teacher is at the civil war period, I like to select a novel/reading that reflects that era. If you know your student's interest, you may want to bring it into the conversation. I had a student who did not under stand who the Hessians were as it related to American History, but he certainly was interested in soldiers of fortune so I would tie the present to his interest to gain greater understanding. Often teachers don't want to use movies or television to relate to literature, but if that is where students have their experiences, use what they have. I also liked the idea under teaching point, page 76 about recording connections of chart paper so they can piggy back off each other.
ReplyDeleteI have used circle maps and KWL charts to help make connections. I have also used video's and the internet; visuals are a great thing! The 8th graders read "Diary of Anne Frank" during the last 9 weeks of the school year. The 8th grade English teacher said she will spend at least 2 days covering background information before reading the play. She uses visuals such as video's about WWII and pictures of concentration camps off of the internet. She also compares apartments in town to the kind that Anne Frank and the others lived in. Unfortunately WWII is not covered in the curriculum by this time so she devotes a couple of days to giving the students adequate background for the unit. They can relate to the war part because earlier wars have already been covered in Social Studies. Making connections can be as simple as asking the class if anyone has been to the zoo or a beach, something about the setting so they start using their own visualizations and having them share their experiences. We read a passage from the Spell Read mini lesson book about 2 boys playing football in the park and one broke his ankle and had to go to the doctor. All students could relate to playing a sport in a park but only one could relate to breaking a bone and getting a cast. We also read about Japanese coming to America, it was set pre- WWII. The students had very little, if any, knowledge of WWII so it was very difficult for them to really understand the passage. I give them a brief synopsis of the history of WWII in regards to the Japanese. It was interesting that some thought everyone should want to come to America, why would you want to live in any other country. This dealt with fact/opinion so we had to discuss that. One student pointed out that Japanese students are smarter than American students so their country is just as good as ours if not better. Another thought because the country is now devastated they will all want to move here instead of staying and rebuilding. Their experiences gave them an opinion, which is a starting place, but not necessarily a good understanding. I need to build on their experiences by providing them with more background concerning facts and/or history. When we read novels I will spend 1 day doing pre-reading activities to help them understand what they are about to read. I will also make several clarifications along the way in a book to keep their understanding in check.
ReplyDeleteIn my class I have some students who are really good and bringing in their personal experiences and background knowledge and for others they do have difficulty. It just depends on the topic that we are discussing. Some things that I have used with my students to help provide background knowledge is venn diagrams. These can be used to show how things can overlap and how things are different, it also shows them how to bring the information together. Another thing I use which is kinda like the KWL chart, but I design it in away them to use the text to reader connection by connecting what they read to themselves, to the world, and to something they have already read. The KWL chart is also a great tool. It allows you to see what the kids already know about the topic, what they want to learn about the topic and finally it allows you to see if they have actually learned something. One thing I really like to do is just put a topic in a bubble map and have the kids tell me everything they can about that topic. By doing this it allows me to see what they already know or think they know about the topic, and then we can discuss things that they hadn't mentioned. Before we read a book in my class, I really like to see what they students know before diving in and reading the book. In my experiences if the students know a little bit about the book before reading it they have an easier time comprehending the text and do not spend a lot of time re-reading and just reading the words. Other great ways to bring in background knowledge can be done through videos and field trips as well and can be excited and a great learning experience for some kids.
ReplyDeleteCarol,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the different examples you gave on how you try to access background knowledge for your students. I think finding ways to make these connections is an important thing. It not only helps them comprehend things better,but it also exposes them to new things and for some of our kids they need that exposure.
Ashley
Ashley- I have used Venn diagrams before but always at the end of a lesson to compare and contrast 2 different things we read about. I have never used it at the beginning as an introduction to a book. I will have to try that! Carol
ReplyDeleteCarol - I agree with you that visuals are a great thing! Many times I will use Google Images to find a quick visual aid in order to explain something from a book. For example, while the 8th graders read "The Conender" I had a student ask me about Madison Square Garden. She did not understand why they were boxing in a garden. I showed her a picture from Google and it helped her see that it was an arena in NYC.
ReplyDeleteSoc. Studies - History always repeats itself so it is easy to relate current situations of the world to those in history.
ReplyDeleteMath – We use numbers and computations everyday in the real world. When teaching math, it is easy to relate the problems to everyday situations that the students face.
Science – Using experiments is a great way to create background knowledge. For example, a simulated experiment can help students understand the science of things on a larger scale, and you can always reflect back on the experiment.
Lang. Arts – Visual aids and graphic organizers are great ways to reflect on writing and stories that are read. Stories can almost always be related to something learned in science or history classes, or can relate to students’ own lives.
I think relating what is being learned to pop culture is a great way to teach students. I realize that a lot of times, students have seen movies or TV shows, or have heard songs that a teacher can use as a teaching tool. For example, Disney movies often include a lot of different cultures that can be used to give examples for a social studies class.
I think when we tie our subjects together kids get more out of it.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who teaches FACS in Wichita. The teachers all meet and discuss the topic being taught and each incorporates that topic into their teaching for the specified amount of time. One example is when they were teaching an african unit in geography in FACS they made a sheath that was native to Africa and the language arts teacher had them write about Africa.
All the above ideas are good. I feel that our students need this connections from class to class. Who knew we would use algebra in real life when we were in school. and we do everyday without even really thinking about it or the grammar etc.
Just checking
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think I should copy and save my comments in case they get lost like this one had...
ReplyDeleteCreating that valuable background knowledge connection is so crucial to understanding life. Unfortunately for me, so much of it seems to be on the fly. A lot of the times I don't realize the connection isn't known or correct until it pops out from my Vietnamese guy. Then I can't think on my feet fast enough or I need to pull him from the room to explain the situation.
Thanks to Discovery Education short films, many topics can bridge what isn't known to the here and now.
I could tell when my students were keyed into what was being read for the week. News2You also provides short clips on the topic. Unfortunately, my 45 minutes doesn't seem to be enough time. As I get used to all of the available technology, I should get better at time management.
Several times a year, the social science teachers and the English teachers piggyback off of each other. It makes it nice for us to be able to pick up and fill in the gaps, that extra time that is needed, during study lab.