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Synthesis Blog #1


Chapter two of Subjects Matter was very interesting to me. Before reading this chapter I hadn’t ever put much thought into what reading actually was or what all the term “reading” encompassed. I like how the chapter starts off and explains the difference between reading and decoding. I think it is so important to recognize that many students may be able to decode the passage and phonetically read all the words but have little to no comprehension of the things they just read. I also learned from this passage that most reading comprehension is only accomplished if the reader has some sort of prior knowledge to build upon. As teachers, it is our job to lay some sort of foundation to our students before assigning them a reading. I like how this chapter explains the many processes our brain has to do simultaneously in order to read any sort of passage because it puts into perspective how much work reading is, especially for students who are still learning. This quote explains it best “if the real task of reading involves a complex series of cognitive operations, it’s no wonder that kids are often adrift” (How Smart Readers Think, 37). This chapter also explained many ways that we as teachers can help set our students up for success when it comes to reading that I had never considered before. For example, giving them pre-reading activities and questions to guide them as they read are both ways to help students comprehend what they are reading. This chapter gave me a new understanding of how reading works as well as how I should adjust my teaching to best help my students.


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Comments

  1. Autumn BAugust 22, 2018 at 10:10 PM

    I love that your gif relates to your post and I can totally relate to it. When I was in elementary school, I did not like reading because although I was able to read the words on the paper, I had to repeatedly re-read the passages because I wasn’t able to grasp the information. This can be very frustrating, but I became proficient as I read more and slowed down. Occasionally, I still have this issue if it isn’t interesting to me. I also think this chapter did a great job of putting us in a position of how students may feel when they don’t have the prior knowledge. As you stated, it can be beneficial for the students if we provide them with some information prior to giving them any reading so they are able to comprehend it better.
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