Helping with Reading
Not all students can understand what they have read. Good readers use some of the following strategies, and they can be used to help weak readers improve.
Before Reading — whet the appetite
- Preview the text. Look at any titles, pictures, or the print. Look for clues that might indicate what is ahead. Ask the student what they anticipate is going to happen from the clues that they observe.
- Ask them what they already know about what they are reading.
- Set a purpose for reading. Student should ask questions about what they want to learn as they are reading.
During Reading — know what is happening
- The student should be able to paraphrase what they have read. Start with paragraphs, then pages, and then chapters.
- Use context clues to determine what difficult words mean. Look for the answers in the surrounding text.
After Reading — review what has been said or what happened and why
- Summarize what has been said. Try to summarize content first and then summarize ideas and theme.
- Evaluate the ideas in the text. Ask whether the student agrees or likes what is going on. Get them involved in the thoughts of the writer.
- Apply the ideas to other situations. Make links to other stories that have been covered or that are within the student's experience.
Helping with Writing
Even if you are among the most experienced teachers, you must continue to find out about your students -- look for their strengths. Capitalize on those strengths giving each student a chance to shine.
-Robert DiGiulio
One of the easiest things to do when commenting on a student's writing is to point out all of the obvious spelling and grammar errors. This sends the message to the student that the appearance of a piece of writing is more important than the content.
Students must pay attention to the mechanics, but the content of a piece of writing is the first thing you should comment on. This will allow the student to write more of what they want to comment on.
- Look for the message that the student is trying to convey.
- Respond to the message by commenting on what's written. Try to be positive when you comment on the mechanics of the writing.