My first lesson of GLT was actually a 2 day lesson. On day one I read an informational text about what school was like during the pioneer days with my students and then we filled out the K and W sections of a KWL chart. The KWL not only tied into our social studies theme of the pioneer days, but also the field trip we were taking to a nature center the next day to continue learning about life 100 years ago. The goal was to think about what we already knew and generate new questions that we could take with us on the field trip. The next day after returning, we completed the L section and filled it with the new information we had learned. During day one of the lesson.
I was surprised by how much my students struggled to come up with information they already knew about the pioneer days, especially since just minutes before I asked them to think about what they already know we had just finished reading an entire book about the topic (not to mention the information I assumed they had in their brains from the 2 books the previous day). As we were reading they were having no trouble shouting out tid bits of things that they found interesting or different or surprising, but as soon as I asked them to raise their hand and share what they knew, I was hearing answers that were anything but relevant. They started telling me things about tornadoes and bugs, but nothing about what the pioneers wore, how they rode horses, hunted for food, heated their homes, etc. I was confused because as we read I had heard them say all of the exact things I was expecting and hoping they’d share at the end during our KWL discussion. I know that the students learned specific details about the lives of the pioneers at their homes and schools (mainly similarities and differences between then and now) but they were struggling with retrieving and sharing what they had learned.
The more I thought about the situation the more I realized that my students had had very few experiences with informational text before this and maybe they were processing their comprehension of informational texts differently than they did with narratives. I had never seen them struggle with discussions before but I realized all of them had revolved around fiction. I now realize that there are different strategies and even ways to use the same strategies for comprehending informational text verses narratives and to be more aware of that. If I were to do this again I would add to the K and W sections as we looked at the information in the non-fiction book and not wait until the end. Because my students seemed by the end to be almost overloaded with information, I think they would not only more easily reflect but also find it easier to share what they know throughout our reading during short comprehension breaks as we read.
(I teach my next two lessons this week.)
Great reflection at the end! I have had students give me the same "deer in the headlights" look before. My strategy to overcoming this has been prompting them with more specific questions, but your approach seems much more helpful because it helps the students do the bulk of the thinking. I have learned from my CT constructive critic that students need to be checked for understanding often just as you would be doing if you asked questions during the book instead of after. When I do check for my students' understanding or brainstorm ideas before sending them off on their way, students seem more engaged in the task then when I fail to.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting reflection, showing that what we teach is not always learned! I wonder if students were having trouble finding a way to organize all the details that you were discussing? Or do they have adequate background knowledge to make sense of the details in the story? Often, if there is no schema for how to organize the information, it is hard to remember it.
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