In Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?, Cris Tovani states that if reading teachers are the only ones teaching reading that there is a problem. Students need to be taught how to apply reading strategies with all types of text, and a reading teacher cannot take on this task alone! However, many content area teachers are in their fields because they are experts on their content, not because they want to teach reading. Teaching reading as a content area teacher could be an overwhelming and daunting task, as it seems like this would add more work onto an already full workload. However, since the goal of all classes is to comprehend the material taught, and much of this information is conveyed through reading, combining content area instruction with reading really makes a lot of sense! In the end, this could actually save time spent teaching and reteaching reading strategies in reading classes, as students would have more exposure to these in their other classes and learn how to apply them in all types of texts in their everyday reading. It could also save the content area teacher from having to reteach content that the students did not comprehend due to difficulty understanding the reading material.
A great resource for content area reading is the International Reading Association's publication The Reading Teacher. This journal frequently features articles dedicated to content area reading and gives tips to alleviate the stress felt by teachers trying to teach content area material and reading strategies in one lesson. This entry features articles from the publication that pertain to content area reading. Visit the IRA's site at http://www.reading.org/ and click Publications to learn more about The Reading Teacher.
Comprehension Instruction in Content Area Classes
http://embedit.in/jnVfkCo8U6
Think Tac Toe
http://embedit.in/ptEFkCKPKT
QAR: Enhancing Comprehension and Test Taking Across Grades and Content Areas
http://embedit.in/hzICN9eU6V
The ABCs of Performing Highly Effective Think Alouds
http://embedit.in/z6CbsA8SrM
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