EDRD 7718- Module 1 Learning Summary

Struggling Readers Video
This video did a great job of catching my attention. I think that the strategies they gave, such as the nonsense word game are great strategies that teachers can use to teach kids without an actual structured lesson.  Students who are struggling are almost always aware that thy struggle.  I think that this video did a great job of sharing different strategies teachers can use that the whole class or a small group can grow from so that these child do not feel picked out of lower than anyone else.

Expository Texts PowerPoint
With this PowerPoint my greatest takeaway is understanding text organization.  Text organization is not always evident.  It is important to be aware of this so that when the students are looking through the text, the teacher and the students can take a moment to look at the structure and physical text, looking for cue words to have a better understanding.  In my classroom we already have the sequencing words up but I think that teaching other signal words is a great way for student to dissect the text to figure out where the text is "going".  As the children get older, they will see these same expository texts, and same signal words, but the content will be harder.  Teaching them this at an early age is bound to be helpful as they progress throughout the different grades

Fry's Readability Test
When I first read this, I had a hard time deciphering the graph because of how the document was scanned in.  After researching and reading about it in the Vacca test I think it is a very successful and strategic way to determine a reading level.  There are so many ways for a child to determine if a book is too easy or too hard for them, and although this is nothing like that, it is another tool that teachers can use when teaching literacy in the classroom.

Vacca Chapter 14: Making the Transition to Content Area Texts
When I first read the title of the chapter I immediately thought of the difficulties of content area texts.  As I began to read the chapter the author pointed even more of them out.  When working with younger children like most of us do I sometimes find it hard to find just right texts for everybody because my students' Guided Reading level vary from a K-N.  What I found to be most interesting in this chapter was the use of non-fiction trade books.  In our units of study we do two whole units on non-fiction.  This is a great way for students to learn not only about specific non fiction topics, but how to read these books.  These students often pick up fun facts or content specific vocabulary that can be applied elsewhere.  I absolutely loved when Vacca talked about using the interdisciplinary model when teaching reading.  I often use reading in every subject, even math (problem solving). I think that by combining the subject areas the students are forced to see the connections across the disciplines. I find it very easy to incorporate more than 2 subjects together without even realizing it.  It is important for students to realize that all of the subjects are not isolated, but strung together to give them a better understanding of the world around them.