Constructing meaning through reading and writing
Inferencing: This is the process of judging, reasoning or concluding from given information and some researchers have described it as the heart of the reading process (Pearson, Kamil, & Barr, 2000). Inferencing can be integrated into the learning process by allowing students to make predictions before and during reading and by so doing improve their abilities to construct meaning. Teachers can access this strategy by judging students' predictions and evaluating whether they can substantiate them.
Monitoring: This is the process of knowing when what one is reading is not making sense and having a means of overcoming the problem. A reader can anticipate hitches in his/her understanding and correct them as they come about hence improving their abilities to construct meaning. Such a strategy can include looking up words in the dictionary, reading ahead, or asking assistance from someone. By observing the students' while reading or writing, teachers can access their monitoring skills and hence their progress.
Summarizing: This involves pulling together important information in long texts (Stahl & Hayes, 1997). This strategy has to be developed with learners over time. Since the structure of expository text is different from that of narrative text, summarizing should be taught differently for these texts. In narrative texts, it entails focusing on the elements of the story map while in expository texts it entails identification of main ideas. This strategy can be assessed by giving students different texts to summarize. A good summary should give an objective outline of the entire piece of writing.
Question Generating: In using this approach, students come up with their own questions which are to be answered as they read. Students can be evaluated as making good progress if they can correctly answer the questions they generate.
Scaffolded Instruction: This concept is founded on the idea that students require a lot of support at the start of learning; gradually, this support is withdrawn so that students can try their independence (Pikulski & Cooper, 2007). In assessing this strategy, the teacher takes away the support and tests the students' level of independence. In the event that students are not able to achieve independence, the support system is brought back to assist students until they are able to attain independence.
Modeling: Modeling first takes place through the literature itself and the way in which it is organized in thematic units. Modeling is done by using text that has been read as models to illustrate the use of skills and strategies. Modeling can also be done by the teacher through reading aloud, demonstrating response discussions and activities, and through shared writing. Furthermore, students can provide modeling for one another through cooperative learning.
Cooperative Learning: This instructional strategy works well in instruction that is literature based. Students learn how to read, write, and think through having meaningful interactions with individuals who are more experienced. These individuals may often be their peers. This can be evaluate by giving group assignments to students and judging how well students interact and learn from each other.
Having Choices: By having choices in learning how to read and write, students meet their personal needs. Teachers can give students options to select from in the literature they read, how they read it, and how they respond to a piece of text hence allowing them to dynamically construct their own meanings. Different students have different preferences. Teachers can access their choices and advice them accordingly as to whether their choices are appropriate or not.
Independent Reading and Writing: Independent or self-initiated reading and writing are important instructional strategies that can be used in literature-based instruction. This strategy can be used by students in their own free time to practice and improve their reading and writing skills. Teacher can evaluate this by giving assignments to students which they can mark later.
Modes of Reading: This refers to the different ways that texts may be read; independently, shared, aloud by the teacher, guided by the teacher or cooperatively. Altering the modes of reading employed for different students enables teachers to scaffold instruction and provide diverse levels of support to students hence making them successful in reading pieces of literature.
Prior Knowledge Activation: This strategy is important in literature-based instruction. Several diverse strategies can be used to activate prior knowledge; a good number of these strategies help students to become self-reliant in activating their personal prior knowledge. Students construct meaning by utilizing their prior knowledge to relate with the text. The activation and development of prior knowledge can also be supported by a thematic organization wherein themes are vigilantly developed with related pieces of text; by reading several correlated selections, a student builds on his/her prior knowledge from prior selections as they read the subsequent selection.
Responses to Literature: Teachers can encourage and allow students to respond to literature and by so doing promote active construction of meaning by the students. This strategy can be accessed by gauging the students' responses. Appropriate responses should objective, meaningful and related to the literature. Different students will give different responses and this will enable teachers to determine the level of understanding for each student.
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Monitoring: This is the process of knowing when what one is reading is not making sense and having a means of overcoming the problem. A reader can anticipate hitches in his/her understanding and correct them as they come about hence improving their abilities to construct meaning. Such a strategy can include looking up words in the dictionary, reading ahead, or asking assistance from someone. By observing the students' while reading or writing, teachers can access their monitoring skills and hence their progress.
Summarizing: This involves pulling together important information in long texts (Stahl & Hayes, 1997). This strategy has to be developed with learners over time. Since the structure of expository text is different from that of narrative text, summarizing should be taught differently for these texts. In narrative texts, it entails focusing on the elements of the story map while in expository texts it entails identification of main ideas. This strategy can be assessed by giving students different texts to summarize. A good summary should give an objective outline of the entire piece of writing.
Question Generating: In using this approach, students come up with their own questions which are to be answered as they read. Students can be evaluated as making good progress if they can correctly answer the questions they generate.
Scaffolded Instruction: This concept is founded on the idea that students require a lot of support at the start of learning; gradually, this support is withdrawn so that students can try their independence (Pikulski & Cooper, 2007). In assessing this strategy, the teacher takes away the support and tests the students' level of independence. In the event that students are not able to achieve independence, the support system is brought back to assist students until they are able to attain independence.
Modeling: Modeling first takes place through the literature itself and the way in which it is organized in thematic units. Modeling is done by using text that has been read as models to illustrate the use of skills and strategies. Modeling can also be done by the teacher through reading aloud, demonstrating response discussions and activities, and through shared writing. Furthermore, students can provide modeling for one another through cooperative learning.
Cooperative Learning: This instructional strategy works well in instruction that is literature based. Students learn how to read, write, and think through having meaningful interactions with individuals who are more experienced. These individuals may often be their peers. This can be evaluate by giving group assignments to students and judging how well students interact and learn from each other.
Having Choices: By having choices in learning how to read and write, students meet their personal needs. Teachers can give students options to select from in the literature they read, how they read it, and how they respond to a piece of text hence allowing them to dynamically construct their own meanings. Different students have different preferences. Teachers can access their choices and advice them accordingly as to whether their choices are appropriate or not.
Independent Reading and Writing: Independent or self-initiated reading and writing are important instructional strategies that can be used in literature-based instruction. This strategy can be used by students in their own free time to practice and improve their reading and writing skills. Teacher can evaluate this by giving assignments to students which they can mark later.
Modes of Reading: This refers to the different ways that texts may be read; independently, shared, aloud by the teacher, guided by the teacher or cooperatively. Altering the modes of reading employed for different students enables teachers to scaffold instruction and provide diverse levels of support to students hence making them successful in reading pieces of literature.
Prior Knowledge Activation: This strategy is important in literature-based instruction. Several diverse strategies can be used to activate prior knowledge; a good number of these strategies help students to become self-reliant in activating their personal prior knowledge. Students construct meaning by utilizing their prior knowledge to relate with the text. The activation and development of prior knowledge can also be supported by a thematic organization wherein themes are vigilantly developed with related pieces of text; by reading several correlated selections, a student builds on his/her prior knowledge from prior selections as they read the subsequent selection.
Responses to Literature: Teachers can encourage and allow students to respond to literature and by so doing promote active construction of meaning by the students. This strategy can be accessed by gauging the students' responses. Appropriate responses should objective, meaningful and related to the literature. Different students will give different responses and this will enable teachers to determine the level of understanding for each student.
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