Are you tired of your students’ indifference towards reading?
Are you frustrated daily with your students’ lack of comprehension of key points in texts?
Where do you think the ideal model for professional training is (and it isn’t Finland!)?
Are you ready to hear some of the BEST reading strategies you may every be privileged to hear on a podcast or anywhere else for that matter? Jennifer Serravallo has swept in to leave a trail of golden breadcrumbs so that your students know the way from one cover to another of any book you may challenge them with. So much fun and effective reading strategies you aren’t going to find anywhere else!
Jennifer insists on the importance of strategies as ways of scaffolding reading – yes…she not only knows, but revels in the concept of scaffolding!!! She includes Inferencing, summarising, , using the title to remember key points, the first and last lines of the story, what does the main character want to achieve, and what happens that stops them from reaching their goal and so much more.
Activities to use this podcast in your classes:
- One of Jennifer’s shares strategies to absorb the plot of a book or text is to diagram key points. In groups, ask students to identify 5 key words in 5 different chapters of a book and then illustrate those words. Exchange illustrations and the receiving group writes a summary of those five chapters using the key words they believe the illustrations represent. Return summaries to the original group and they write comments as to how accurate the group was in identifying the key word. As a class, share summaries and each group comments on similarities and differences from the summaries of other groups.
- Another of Jennifer’s foci is to make sure students connect with the characters of the book socially, physically and culturally. Outside of class, students read a certain amount of chapters. They make a list of similarities and differences they have with the main characters of the story with reference to these three elements. In class, students work in groups to compare lists. They compile their lists and either use specific names or not of similarities and differences. They mount these lists on the walls of the classroom and groups write down any similarities or differences that were ont on their own lists. Have a class discussion about the task.
- Another strategy Jennifer shares is to identify social, physical and cultural cues that are similar or different from the readers. Outside of class, students read the class text/book and take notes on these three elements of the ma
- in charcter/s in relation to themselves. In class, students work in groups, share notes, and make a list of similarities and differences of the main characters, using names (or not) of specific students.
Music: Fires of Revolution
Jennifer’s book
Jennifer’s podcast
The Science of Reading (Neil Duke, Kelly Cartwright)
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Scaffoldingmagic.com is your entryway into DYNAMIC bilingual learning methodologies, such as Phenomenon-Based Learning, CLIL, EMI, and ESL. You’ll find ways to implement critical thinking tools (DOK) to promote higher level thinking, the growth mindset, instil an ethic of excellence, deep reflection on learning, and all through multi-cultural, interdisciplinary activities. We have the keys to turning competences into action and to creating collective efficacy in your school so you move ahead as a unified, enthusiastic team.
