The article “You can’t learn from books you can’t read” has
been really thought provoking for me. I am currently a 5th grade
long term substitute who started in the middle of the year. A lot of class
resources were already in place and it was up to me to use them. One of these
resources (for each subject) is the “one size fits all” textbook. One of the
two classes I work with is inclusion. These textbooks are on level for about 5
students out of 22. I realized very quickly who those 5 students were because they
were the only ones who really understood the material. The teacher whom I
replaced would give readings for homework and take the review questions as quiz
grades. These strategies left a lot of students behind to struggle. In 5th
grade I believe it is important for students to be able to independently read
and walk away with meaning. To better fit this class I make different homework
packets that have the same information but the reading is better leveled to fit
the students needs. One time I believe having a full class textbook is a good
tool is for whole group read aloud. If the teacher is reading the words and
supporting the class through making meaning, a one size fits all textbook (as
long as it is grade level appropriate) is an appropriate resource to use. If
you would like students to work on inclass activities, achieve3000 is an online
database perfect for this task. At the beginning of the program students take a
placement test. As the teacher you may assign certain articles and subjects or
students may search for them on their own. The pictures, titles, and subjects
are the same for every student but the text is leveled to fit their specific
needs. 5 students may sit next to each other and never know the difference
between the articles. Harder vocabulary words have a dictionary option and
sometimes may even read it to you. All in all, as teachers we need to be
sensitive to our students reading levels when using reading in the content
areas because the can’t learn from books they can’t read.
1 comment:
I can't agree with you more! If a student is reading a textbook that isn't on their reading level then obviously they aren't going to be able to comprehend what they are reading. I think that it is great that you have found a useful source to make packets and such on your students' reading level so they better understand the readings.
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