Chapter+3

//"If someone could teach these kids how to read, I could teach them science"--Melanie, high school science teacher//
 * Chapter 3 Parallel Experiences: Tapping the Mother Lode**

Different content areas must address literacy differently. [|Reading blueprints] is a highly technical--and for some highly difficult--skill that requires a different skill set than reading a novel.

For Example:
 * Principles for Students Reading Math Textbooks**
 * Speed kills. This isn't a magazine
 * Read/Reread with a pencil and paper in hand for notes.
 * There are never enough commas. Insert your own pauses to help you slow down.
 * Draw and label diagrams as you go.
 * Think about related problems and procedures as you read.
 * You can't just read; you have to "do it" as you go.
 * Magic sometimes happens between the lines.
 * Follow the instructions.
 * The figures and table are //important//.
 * The same number has different faces. (one quarter, 1/4, .25)
 * Mathematical writing has an idiosyncratic structure that when mastered will aid construction in [|meaning].

Despite fears of being poor readers, teachers are actually much better readers than they believe themselves to be. Math teachers might think themselves poor readers, but they will certainly read math problems better than English teachers will. //They probably know how to read so well that they're not aware of all the thinking that they're doing to make sense of their content. (p. 26)//
 * Mental Modeling**
 * Gives students insights into how good readers and writers make sense of text.
 * Allows students to see options that are available to them. Students can see how good readers and writers decide what to do.
 * Helps students understand the complexities of reading and writing and that they are ongoing thinking processes.


 * Exercise--**Try to make sense of the [|following text]. This will show you how good readers use contextual clues and information to understand what they are reading.

Depending upon what you're reading, you might model one of the following skills:
 * Figuring out the "How of Modeling"**
 * determine what's important
 * recognize and repair confusion
 * negotiate difficult reading situations
 * start new books
 * remember key words--previous vocabulary lessons
 * figure out unknown vocabulary
 * research topics
 * remember what you read
 * understand a poem
 * understand a word problem
 * infer meaning
 * recognize and use literary devices

1. Identify what readers are struggling with.
 * What Works:**
 * rereading text
 * reading difficult or boring text
 * starting a book
 * making sense of [|graphs]
 * understanding how to read word problems
 * making sense of poetry

//Good readers have a variety of strategies they know how to use flexibly depending on the task at hand.//

2. Select a challenging piece of text to model for the students.
 * use a piece that is unfamiliar and challenging
 * target thinking at how to handle the struggle
 * Notice what you do as a good reader to overcome the struggle

//Good readers are aware of their thinking. When understanding breaks down, they can consciously apply strategies to reconstruct meaning.//

3. Share with students how you overcame the struggle.
 * How does rereading the text benefit your thinking?
 * How do you stay engaged in a boring or difficult piece?
 * How do you start and stay with a book?
 * Do you notice titles when reading graphs, word problems, or poems?

//Good readers automatically apply new strategies to help them understand what they read.//