Where to start?
I'm not finished with the article yet - there is so much here you have to take it a few pages at a time and digest before you can move on to the next pages. Marsha is starting with the ACT article since I've started with CALC. We keep discussing facts and figures we discover, comparing notes, etc. These have definitely sparked a LOT of conversation!
Someone is FINALLY listening to middle and high school teachers who have been saying for years, "The kids cannot read the textbook!" We know they can read, just not the books. The speakers are pointing out the strategies needed for students to comprehend content- heavy texts; some are generic and some wil be content specific.
TExtbooks are a specific genre all to themselves (according to Dr. Carol Lee) with their own structure. Teachers above 3rd grade need to teach the genre or kids will never understand. Therefore - content area teachers HAVE to teach kids how to read in their classes.
One suggestion is to give them something to do as they read - such as teach them to do an outline so they can see how the big ideas relate. (personally I like power outlines)
I'm going back to reading now. There is just so much here it's hard to get my thoughts organized - but in a good way!
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