March 13th Blog

Since our noteblog was about Thompkins Chapter 5, Developing Fluent Readers, I decided to write about the article I chose to read for this week, “Schema: Thinking Aloud-Showing Kids How” by Miller. Not only did I find this article very interesting to read, but I found that it was extremely helpful regarding my lesson plans and mini-lessons. I feel that this article is very beneficial for teachers of younger grades to read. I enjoyed how the article was written- it kind of went step by step, describing aspects teaching using your students’ schema and prior knowledge. I really thought that the first and second step were the most important. The first step is that “authenticity matters”- It is important that the books and activities that are shared with the kids are real and meaningful. I feel that the kids know when the teacher is just making it up or winging it. The second statement is “Use precise language”- I think it is important to use repetitive language so the students can catch on (and so the ESL students can consistently follow what is going on). It is also important that you use the language that the students should be using- this type of modeling will be beneficial for the students’ responses during discussion. It is also important to ask the students “why”- they may be making connections within the book that aren’t apparent to the teacher, so instead of just writing them off, have them explain their understanding. Most importantly, the teacher states the objectives before the lesson starts- I believe that this is very helpful for the students because it shows them exactly what is expected of them. Overall, I think that teaching using schema is a very effective way to teach. I think it is helpful for the students to connect their current knowledge with their old knowledge, as well as connecting things across texts.

If you didn't read this article and are in a lower el class I would recommend it!

-Nicole Lendo