The Realities of Reading from I Read It, But I Don’t Get It by Cris Tovani

High school teachers are required to cover vast amounts of material. It is essential that students have the ability and the motivation to read on their own Some do Some can, but choose not to Some try and have difficulty The expectation for a teacher to cover a large amount of material is not uncommon There can be more information than there is time to teach it

Even if I knew how to teach reading, when would I do it? If students were better readers then: More content can be covered More content can be covered Move through material faster Move through material faster Material in school is not understood by just reading words Understanding requires a variety of thinking processes, many of which need to be taughtdemonstratedmodeled practiced practiced shown shown

By Grade 6 they know how to play the game. Resistive Readers – can read, but choose not to not to Word Callers – decode the words, but do not understand remember not understand remember what they have read what they have read

I’ll Do Anything but Read Reads their own choice of material (magazines) I don’t have to read school material I wait for the smart kid to answer the teacher’s question I wait for the smart kid to answer the teacher’s question If no one talks the teacher gives us the answer If no one talks the teacher gives us the answer Teachers often feel obligated to keep the class on track. This sometimes means feeding them the information.

I Read the Words but What Do They Mean? They have mastered decoding, but don’t understand that reading involves thinking I’m sick of reading, this stuff doesn’t make sense They don’t know how to go beyond the words Reading strategies are required to help them construct meaning

I Read the Words but What Do They Mean? Background knowledge may not be seen as valuable to those who struggle to make connections/understand Not concerned with understanding the material well Just complete the assignment and get the grade If it is too difficult then it is not worth reading

I Read the Words but What Do They Mean? Sounding out words /rereading / guessing at meaning by themselves are not effective when comprehending difficult text Avoid intellectual involvement Do not like to use information to draw conclusions Hate thinking beyond the words

I Read the Words but What Do They Mean? Make the teacher responsible for my learning The teacher will tell me what to think Parrot the teacher, it’s what they want I don’t want to be in charge of my own learning When I’m confused it is the teacher’s job to fix it

I Read the Words but What Do They Mean? Students are tested on what they understand … not on how they understand Too many bright kids sit back and expect to be filled with knowledge It is time to pull the plug on this type of behavior and begin teaching adolescents how to read so they can construct meaning for themselves.

Redefining Reading Decoding is the beginning, it is not comprehension, readers need to employ reading strategies Reading levels are not defined by the ability to decode words Reading is about thinking and constructing meaning

Redefining Reading Successful readers: Use existing knowledge to make sense of new information Use existing knowledge to make sense of new information Ask questions before, during, and after reading Ask questions before, during, and after reading Draw inferences from text Draw inferences from text Monitor their comprehension Monitor their comprehension Use “fix–up” strategies when meaning breaks down Use “fix–up” strategies when meaning breaks down Determine what is important Determine what is important Synthesize information to create new thinking Synthesize information to create new thinking Create sensory images Create sensory images Reading is thinking – deliberate, thoughtful cognition

Redefining Reading Six cueing systems that readers use to understand text: On the Surface On the SurfaceGraphophonicLexicalSyntactic Deeper Structures Deeper StructuresSemanticSchematicPragmatic

Redefining Reading All six work like an orchestra. Take away some of the instruments and you do not get the full effect. Dogmatic reading philosophies promote inflexibility and force teachers to teach the prescribed program rather than the person

Shouldn’t They Have Learned This in Elementary School? If your students read with understanding … they did. Only eight of my students read the selection from the science text and found the answers. Where are your students?

Shouldn’t They Have Learned This in Elementary School? Text becomes inaccessible when: Don’t have comprehension strategies to unlock meaning Don’t have comprehension strategies to unlock meaning Don’t have background knowledge Don’t have background knowledge Don’t recognize organizational patterns Don’t recognize organizational patterns Lack Purpose Lack Purpose

Shouldn’t They Have Learned This in Elementary School? Secondary Teachers Focus on Content Jargon is taught through vocabulary lessons Unfamiliar topics are learned by reading nonfiction

You can improve students’ comprehension by following two suggestions

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