Return-Path: <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id hBBF08m05986; Thu, 11 Dec 2003 10:00:08 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2003 10:00:08 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <3FCF4BEC.9080604@ccsdistrict.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Jane Meyer <meyer_j@ccsdistrict.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:884] Re: Teaching to the test & more X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 1258 Lines: 29 George E. Demetrion wrote: >We have a basic literacy group in which the tutor spends perhaps 45 >minutes going over various "decontextual" grammar exercises and word >lists, and the rest of the time (over an hour) on reading interesting >articles from The New for You, or biographies, or other stimulating >texts. Students enjoy both approaches. > I find it is helpful and motivating to blend these 2 approaches by contextualizing the "grammar exercises and word lists" in the interesting text. Use the interesting text and then pull a word or concept out of the text and build your lesson. Finally, return the word to the text. This way students understand that reading connected purposeful text is the objective and that there are skills readers need in order to read the text. When you separate the skillas lesson from the interesting text students (and teachers/tutors) tend to think of the decontextualized lessons as the learning and the interesting text as extra fun stuff that they like, but don't really have time for (which of course is not true). Contextualizing the skills lessons in the text also helps the students learn to transfer the skills they are learning to real reading situations. Jane Meyer Canton, Ohio
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Mar 11 2004 - 12:17:00 EST