5.9 Demonstrate research-based comprehension instructional practices for developing students' higher order thinking to enhance comprehension.
|
Using Authentic Texts Higher order thinking can be incorporated into the classroom in more ways than one might expect. It is not enough to just get students to read. They must comprehend what they read and begin to question it. Students are not simply empty vessels to be filled with knowledge. It is imperative that they are challenged, enticed, and overcome with an insatiable desire to learn.
One research-based practice that I have found to be especially useful is the use of authentic texts. Students do not perform their best when they learn information from worksheets or Basal readers. They often retain the most when they learn from more relatable texts. When we studied habitats, I read from Welcome to the Neighborhood by Shawn Sheehy and Way Up in the Arctic by Jennifer Ward. These texts were informational, but they were also entertaining to the students. I discovered that gravity would be our next area of focus, so I became determined to find texts that would present the necessary information in an engaging way. Pictured are some of the texts I have been using to make learning about gravity more interesting. Science and Social Studies text books are often dry and merely informative. However, by using fiction texts (rooted in fact), we can ensure that our students will want to read all about it. The use of authentic texts in the classroom is an excellent strategy. I hope to switch the books in my library as we transition from topic to topic so that my students have a variety of books to choose from. I also intend to use authentic texts during small group reading instead of worksheets or decodable readers. I will still level the books so that all of the students' needs are met, but they are acquiring the information in a more creative way. |