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Think about the before, during and after reading activities you chose during class. Choose one "before reading" activity. Explain how that activity will build background knowledge for a topic you will ask your students to learn?
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ReplyDeleteMariano
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ReplyDeleteI(Toni) am choosing sequencing illustrations as my BEFORE reading activity.
ReplyDelete(I am referencing a generic book, as I am still unfamilar with appropriate reading books.)
The pictures that the students will be attempting to sequence, will begin to give them information about what the story is about. It will allow them to make predictations about the story based on the order they put the pictures. Vocabulary will also come into play as they discuss the orger of the picture in their small groups.
It will all be a good lead in to the skill set needed for reading.
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ReplyDeletehuh?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of asking students to predict what a text will be about by using key vocabulary words from the text. You can tap into the students' prior knowledge about the word and its associations, and this will help students be able to connect their reading to their personal lives. Plus, they can work on their prediction skills and predict what the text might be about if this word is in the text. Creating semantic webs also builds stronger connections with the vocabulary. Students can brainstorm the part of speech, synonyms, antonyms, meanings, usage in sentences, or draw pictures around the word so that they will recognize the word when they come to it in the reading.
ReplyDeleteps this strategy is on page 1 and is called "predicting from words." :)
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Toni's before reading strategy I will be using visuals to get the students engaged and give them background information on the topic we will be studying. My lesson will be somewhere in the middle of one of my first of the year. I will have the students analyze the picture, do a think pair share and then report out to the class. I will pair my ELL students with my more advanced kids. This will provide the background knowledge needed to move on to the reading activity for the rest of the class.
ReplyDeleteI chose "sharing existing knowledge" as a before reading activity. In this activity the student would receive an information grid or tablet or concept map with the topic of the reading. For example if the students were reading a text on diabetes they would fill out the concept map with anything they know about diabetes. Then the students would get into groups and share what they wrote down with the group. The students would be teaching each other about the topic and also providing new vocabulary for each other. By the time the students start to read the text they would already have a bank of knowledge about the topic of the text to draw on as they read.
ReplyDeleteThe "Predicting From Words" strategy helps build background knowledge for a topic I am asking students to learn in several different ways. First of all, as they brainstorm words they associate with the topic they begin thinking about what background knowledge that they they already have (their prior knowledge is activated). Secondly, it increases their vocabulary and knowledge base as other students (and, eventually, I as the teacher) suggest items that may be new to some students. These new items will help build up their base as they begin the reading activity. Finally, discussion the connections between the items in the web after we finish making the semantic web will further reinforce the connections between the items and strengthen and deepen their background knowledge as they prepare to read
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ReplyDeleteI chose the “Predicting from the Title”. I will be teaching a lesson using a picture book to learn about characters (main and secondary). Using the picture in the title of the book we will be reading together, I can ask the students questions that would focus their attention on the characters of the story and predicting if they will be main or secondary (there is a little presentation before this activity that will introduce the concept of main and secondary characters). I can also use this predicting activity to relate it to the student’s previous experience by asking them about characters in their favorite’s stories.
ReplyDeleteIn response to The Mariano:
ReplyDelete"Predicting from the Title" is a great activity for all groups and levels and all subjects. Like The Mariano said it helps to focus the students on the topic and sets the stage for reading the text. It also fun to hear what the students come up with based on the title.
I like to use the "storytelling" technique or "picture walk", as I am used to calling it. We read the title of the story and first talk about what that tells us about what we are going to read. From there, we look at each page of the book and students construct their predictions about what is going to happen or what they are going to learn in the reading. They can draw on schema they bring to classroom to help them understand what we are going to learn .
ReplyDeleteI guide students if they are getting too far from what the reading is actually about so they can focus on the topics that will help them better understand the reading to come.
Hello everyone! I am sorry I wasn't able to participate in this activity.... I am feeling a bit better and writing this from my bed while looking out the window at the lovely rain and thunder ; )
ReplyDeleteI would present the subject by giving a one or two sentence synopsis of the article or story. I would then have the student take that "Thesis statement" and research it in the library. We would take a mini "field-trip" to the library where they would have a chance to look up the key words and take notes on what details the subject may be describing. Then, when we start reading the assigned material, the students can connect facts with information they have already discovered. I believe this would give the students a sense of ownership as they read about facts they have already discovered on their own.
Please excuse my typos *students*.
ReplyDeleteTo elaborate..... I believe the students would be more motivated to learn about the given subject when they have already researched it individually and then see their discovered knowledge validated by the assigned text.
I also really like the storytelling technique that Zelda used. It is a great way to create excitement about the reading, and gets the students thinking about predictions. I like the page break down that she suggests.
ReplyDeleteThe “before reading” activity that I liked the best was “predicting from a key illustration”. This illustration idea could be expanded to include a painting about the lesson content ( as suggested by Anna in class). It could also be a photograph, political cartoon, advertisement, brief You-tube clip, an object. A picture can stand alone without words or it can enrich the words—it is a visual mode that transcends language barriers. The picture could be a terrific starting point or hook for discussion. It can be a way of introducing vocabulary, customs, geographic region, time in history, the possibilities are unlimited. I have often said or heard the adage: a picture is worth a thousand words; but until today I did not consciously think about how it is such a good pre-reading activity. Hmmm…I guess that is why I always look at the pictures in my National Geographics even if I never get around to reading the entire text!
ReplyDeleteWell said, Claudia (and Anna for the idea)! I like the idea of using maybe a historical poster or painting or short video clip or even a song to preview a reading about something historical or non-fiction, most likely.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas everyone! Tomorrow I will show you clips of classrooms illustrating some of the examples you discussed such as storytelling, sequencing, using visuals and sharing existing knowledge.
ReplyDeleteAnother fun way to build background knowledge about a topic is to have students interview a friend or family member - that way they can build personal connections to the topic.
I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!
Similar to what Zelda is talking about, in high school we do a similar activity with looking at the sections or subsections in a content reading set. You can jigsaw out the headings and have the kids predict what the unit is about and have a discussion about what you are about to get into.
ReplyDeleteOne of the activities I would like to try is ‘Predicting from a Key Illustration’. It would be great to see what the students initial ideas about the story are based on one or two of the illustrations they would analyze before reading the story. Giving the students a few prompt questions would help get them prepared to be asking many of the important questions when they hear the story. This is also a great way to evaluate the students’ prior knowledge or interpretations of visual ques.
ReplyDelete