Critique or critical analysis...

For more advanced secondary learners, an educator can give students a topic, article, or any other form of text, and ask them to write a literary analysis on this. It is comparable to a book review, but evokes a more in depth process then simply summarizing a text. Analyzing it thoroughly, and choosing a thesis, but given an open topic from which to develop a thesis, is vital. The student should not create a thesis beforehand, however, as it is better to develop a thesis as one writes. A critique truly is a technique in which learners analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a text or subject and then makes thoughtful suggestions to improve it or to strengthen it.

Corners

Here is a basic strategy entitled Corners:

Pose a question that has multiple answers.

Move students to a corner of the classroom that has been designated as a meeting place of like opinions.

Students should discuss why they believe the way they do.

Selected students will write down collective answers and report them to the teacher.

Some sample topics:

Which character in a book would you like to meet the most?

Name four historical figures who you believe have changed the world, and why?


This strategy will gets kids to think in an interactive way, and then to write their answers down in a thoughtful and helpful manner.

Laura Candler

An educator by the name of Laura Candler developed a website, lauracandler.com, that has a myriad of instructional strategies online for educators and students alike. She has six literacy strategies with a lot of material on how to utilize these in the classroom and at home. They are: Balanced Literacy, Literary Circles, Reading Workshop, Book Buddies, Literary Lunch Brunch, and Spelling & Vocabulary.

Here is an excerpt from her site:

Great Classroom Books on Shelfari

Need ideas for great literature circle books, read alouds, or novels for whole class study? Check out the Teaching Resources Shelfari page, a collection of books and recommendations by teachers. Click on the shelf link to see what others have recommended. What books do you enjoy sharing with your students? Please add your titles and recommendations to the Shelfari website. Click the Shelfari link and log in with the information below. Then search for your favorite book and click the Add link to add the book to the shelf.

User Name: teachingresources@hotmail.com

Password: greatbooks

Note: This community bookshelf is for educators only. Please do not allow your students to add books and recommendations. If you would like to use Shelfari with your students, sign up for a free account.

Professional Resources

Over the years, I have read many wonderful resources to help me get started with Literature Circles, and I would like to share my four favorite books with you. The material on my website is helpful, but if you are serious about implementing Literature Circles, I would suggest purchasing at least one of the books below. To help you decide which books might best meet your needs, I've written a short recommendation for each. Enjoy!

Buzz groups

Buzz groups are an instructional strategy in which students discuss a topic or issue in small groups. It helps students practice effective communication skills. The educator places students into groups, gives the topic, and specific instructions on how to address the topic. The educator may give the students suggestions, and then they may write some short paragraphs on whatever topic it is. This could be really great for interweaving current events into the curriculum as well.

Journal Writing...or Blogging!

Giving students an opportunity to write their own thoughts, private to themselves or public to the whole world, can only increase brain activity and help the students. Much like we are currently doing my Secondary Education - Teaching Writing in Junior/Senior High School, any writing activity is beneficial to a student. There are many opportunities for a student to write, and many resources for a place to write. A student could simply keep a journal or diary, they may write stories, they can start a blog, they can keep a composition notebook. The possibilites are seemingly endless. There are also many free sites online (like blogspot!) that can be private OR public, depending on the writer's choice. There is a really great resource online for instructional strategies for journal writing. One particularly great one is: http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/strats/journal/index.html

Modeling

"Modeling has been shown to be a vital part of helping students learn the process of constructing meaning and of helping them learn the various strategies and skills involved in this process (Bandura, 1986). Modeling takes place first through the literature itself (Walmsley & Walp, 1990) and the way it is organized in thematic units. Modeling of specific strategies and skills is also provided by the teacher for those students who need it. This is done by using literature that has been read as models to show the use of strategies and skills (Walmsley & Walp, 1990). These lessons are known as mini-lessons and they may be formal or informal (Cooper, 1993). Modeling by the teacher is also done through reading aloud (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, 1985), through demonstrating response activities and discussions (Martinez & Roser, 1991), and through shared writing (Cooper, 1993). Students also provide modeling for each other through cooperative learning."

Works Cited: http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/literacy/lit_ins4.html

Modes of Reading

Modes of reading is defined as the different ways in which literature may be read. It could be read aloud by student, teacher, both student and teacher, in groups, cooperatively, or independently. By utilizing all of these modes in the classroom, an educator can see what fits each students' needs best. We then are able to scaffold instruction and thus can support each student at their respective level, and this in turn will hopefully lead to success when reading a text or literature.

Schema Theory and Prior Knowledge

Activating prior knowledge is something that is necessary in any classroom to build upon the foundations of what your students already know. "Schema theory was developed by R. C. Anderson, a respected educational psychologist . This learning theory views organized knowledge as an elaborate network of abstract mental structures which represent one's understanding of the world."

Context

Understanding some principles from schema theory can help in your work. Here are some principles to apply:


It is important to teach general knowledge and generic concepts. A large proportion of learner difficulties can be traced to insufficient general knowledge, especially in cross-cultural situations.
Teachers must help learners build schemata and make connections between ideas. Discussion, songs, role play, illustrations, visual aids, and explanations of how a piece of knowledge applies are some of the techniques used to strengthen connections.
Since prior knowledge is essential for the comprehension of new information, teachers either need to

help students build the prerequisite knowledge, or
remind them of what they already know before introducing new material.
Schemata grow and change as new information is acquired.
Learners feel internal conflict if they are trying to assimilate schemata which contradict their previous suppositions. Teachers need to understand and be sympathetic to this tension.
Deep-seated schemata are hard to change. An individual will often prefer to live with inconsistencies rather than to change a deeply-held value or belief.
Discussion

Research by schema theorists indicates that abstract concepts are best understood after a foundation of concrete, relevant information has been established (Schallert 1982:26). The general knowledge provides a framework into which the newly-formed structure can be fitted.



Here are some characteristics of schemata according to Anderson (1977:418--419):


Schemata are always organized meaningfully, can be added to, and, as an individual gains experience, develop to include more variables and more specificity.
Each schema is embedded in other schemata and itself contains subschema.
Schemata change moment by moment as information is received.
They may also be reorganized when incoming data reveals a need to restructure the concept.
The mental representations used during perception and comprehension, and which evolve as a result of these processes, combine to form a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts.

Works Cited: http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/implementaliteracyprogram/schematheoryoflearning.htm

Independent Reading

It seems that today's youth and young adults put literature on the backburner, not recognizing its fundamental values in its inherent ability to stimulate creativity and thought. While searching for strategies, I came across a very good quote I thought would work well in a modern classroom. "Children and young adults learn to read and write by having meaningful, authentic reading and writing experiences and by getting support from more experienced individuals. In order for students to become expert readers and writers, they must have time to practice and apply what they are learning - reading and writing. Therefore, it is essential that the literacy-centered classroom provide time for students to read independently in self-selected books and to engage in self-initiated writing." Essentially, we must allow students to read what they want, in addition to assigned texts. If children are allowed to explore options not always available to them, this can do nothing but help. A child will be infinitely more inclined to read a text of their choice than one of arbitrary choice by an educator or parent.


Taken from:

"http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/literacy/in_read0.html

Writing Instructional Strategies...Take One

The first strategy I will introduce is kind of a simple one. To become a successful writer in any facet, we must all learn to read correctly. Not everyone reads at the same pace. There are many internet resources out there, but one that I discovered in my Educational Foundations 307 class is http://kaganonline.com/. This website utilizes cooperative learning structures such as Showdown, Rallytable, Pairs Checks, and Numbered Heads Together to review skills relative to writing and reading. There are many free articles available, and a lot of them are on research and rationale. They utilize Kagan Structures, which "are scientifically research based as well as backed by classroom evidence from districts, schools, and teachers experiencing success with Kagan."