Voice Thread Book Preview
Activating prior knowledge is important when introducing a new text. Rather than have the students approach a text with no context, I like to give a brief summary of the plot synopsis and some of the issues presented. I don't like to obfuscate the purpose my class is reading a text. If students have a clear understanding of where our discussions will begin, they can read the text critically with those concerns in mind. I'd rather my students actively read with a context I gave them in mind, than to struggle through the beginning of a text with no guidance.
One way I try to provide context is through book reviews. Unless the review is especially difficult, I try to use reviews from sources such as the New York Times because the language is mostly familiar, but still challenging to the students. It's important to continually provide more and more challenging material to the students, so that their skill level grows. Instead of having full length texts that are challenging, I prefer to start with shorter, more difficult texts.
In addition to activating prior knowledge, research has shown that students benefit from hearing fluent language every day in class. Ideally, a segment of every class would be devoted to me reading to the students. However, there are now ways for students to connect with their teachers while at home. Voice Thread is a website that enables users to record audio over an uploaded image or embedded URL.
Using Voice Thread, students will listen to my narration of the New York Times review of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. After they have finished listening, each student will respond to some aspect of the book discussed in the review such as their anticipation of what the protagonist is like, what a savant is, how autism may play a role in the story, the dynamics of Christopher's family, or what the curious incident refers to.
One way I try to provide context is through book reviews. Unless the review is especially difficult, I try to use reviews from sources such as the New York Times because the language is mostly familiar, but still challenging to the students. It's important to continually provide more and more challenging material to the students, so that their skill level grows. Instead of having full length texts that are challenging, I prefer to start with shorter, more difficult texts.
In addition to activating prior knowledge, research has shown that students benefit from hearing fluent language every day in class. Ideally, a segment of every class would be devoted to me reading to the students. However, there are now ways for students to connect with their teachers while at home. Voice Thread is a website that enables users to record audio over an uploaded image or embedded URL.
Using Voice Thread, students will listen to my narration of the New York Times review of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. After they have finished listening, each student will respond to some aspect of the book discussed in the review such as their anticipation of what the protagonist is like, what a savant is, how autism may play a role in the story, the dynamics of Christopher's family, or what the curious incident refers to.