October+9+-+How+do+we+read,+interpret,+and+respond+to+texts?

Sedita, Joan. "Effective Vocabulary Instruction." Insights on Learning Disablities. (2005): 33-45 www.keystoliteracy.com/reading-comprehension/effective-vocabulary-instruction.pdf Since students success is strongly linked to word knowledge, teachers need to engage the best kinds of vocabulary instruction which should include technology. This article cites research on the "fourth grade slump" and on affix decoding. It gives practical vocabulary strategies which teachers can use in high school. It reiterates the need to have students read often to encounter words in text and have multiple exposure to words so students will know more than just the definition but how words function in different texts. It goes on the explain how to select vocabulary words from reading assignments and how to use context to discover meaning. It concludes with how to use a dictionary effectively to understand the words background and how to pick the correct definition for the context.

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(Richardson) Blau, Sheridan D. "Literacy as a Form of Courage." //Journal of Reading// 25.2 (Nov., 1981): 101-05. International Reading Association. Web. 09 Feb. 2012.

Sheridan Blau commentates about readers not giving themselves enough credit when they encounter a difficult text. Oftentimes once students run into a text that challenges them, they downplay their reading abilities and so do teachers. Blau contends we have to allow ourselves time to become familiar with the texts, confront the problems presented in the reading and take the time to work them out. “What most high school and many college students need to learn is not how to avoid problems but how to confront them. They need to learn that frequently what they perceive as a “problem” in understanding a text is not a sign of their inability to read but the result of their authentic engagement in the reading process” (105).

[|Write That Professional Article] Burk, Anne. "Write That Professional Article!" //English Teaching Forum.// (2010): 12-17

This article encourages teachers to share ideas with each other. If you have a successful lesson plan, then why not share it to benefit other teachers and students? Burk asserts that "Besides giving teachers something tried and true to work with, successful lesson plans help teachers reflect upon what makes an approach to language teaching effective in the classroom (12)." Not only does this article describe ways for teachers to share lesson plans, it also provides information on how to organize them. Before writing, Burk encourages teachers to think of an instance in which students responded to a lesson particularly well. Burk also includes a series of steps teachers should consider taking as they write lesson plans. These steps include information about: creating a title, identifying the problem for the target audience, stating your objectives for the class, describing procedures of the lesson plan, and writing a conclusion (13).