Chapter 11 Synthesis Blog

Reading is a fundamental concept that should be learned before the middle grades, however this is not always the case. In order to combat this, chapter 11 focuses on strategies for helping struggling readers. One of these strategies that stuck out to me was “use materials students can successfully read, but also give them extensive support for more challenging texts.” When using a text in the classroom, it is so important that we choose one that students can read. If they can’t read it, then there won’t be any understanding. This is not to say that we only need to choose below grade level or very easy text. It is important that we choose texts that still challenge our students, all of our students. In order to successfully do this, we must know our students and their reading levels. As a teacher, we must be intentional about making decisions in our classrooms based on our students' needs. Reading across the curriculum is important, and many times needed for student achievement and growth. However, so often we hear teachers say “I’m a physics teacher, not a reading teacher” (278). Although this may be the case. You may be a physics teacher, or you may be a math teacher. However, if we assign a texts to our students that requires reading, we then become a reading teacher as well. It is our job to foster student growth and understanding, so we must integrate these strategies into our classrooms if we want to see growth with struggling readers.

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Resource Blog 5

Finding different resources throughout this semester has been one of my favorite things to do. I have no doubt that having all of these resources at my disposal will come in very handy in the near future. The resource I found this week is linked here . Mathalicious is a website jam packed with lessons that relate to the common core standards. These lessons already have the standards listed and are ready for you to take and use in your own classroom. Not only are they easily accessible, but they are actually interesting. I remember when I was learning math, if I couldn't make a connection with what we were learning to something else in the world, then I had a hard time understanding and enjoying that particular thing. The lessons provided on Mathalicious relate to any and all things in the outside world. From xbox to hair growth to the beach to money, these lessons take something most kids are familiar with and use it to teach them math. By implementing these lessons that students c

Let's write about math

Mathematics and literature are two terms that aren’t typically correlated, however in a classroom, these two things need to be connected in order to better student understanding. If you can read and write about something, that means you understand it. This is the case for all subjects, including math. The article I have linked here describes this importance and gives examples of how to incorporate literature into mathematics. But, before I get into the article, I think it is important that we establish what exactly literature is. I think sometimes people assume that literature is only book. However, this is not the case, especially in a math classroom. Literature and literacy can be embedded in a multitude of different ways when teaching math. The article lists different ways to integrate literature into a math classroom: exploratory writing, informative/explanatory writing, argumentative writing, etc. We need to have our students write there answers to math problems in complet

Book Club Pitch

Trouble River by Betsy Byers https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-River-Betsy-Byars/dp/0140342435 Summary: Trouble River is a novel that takes place on an isolated prairie farm in the 1800s. When 12-year-old Dewey Martin frightens off one Indian trespasser, Dewey fears a raiding party will soon follow. His parents have gone to distant Hunter City to have a new baby, leaving behind Dewey, his grandmother, and his dog. The fastest means of escape is the small raft Dewey has built but does not know how to use. The three set off—with Grandma on her rocker—on Trouble River, a twisting and unpredictable route that offers its own challenges to safety. As they head for Hunter City, they cling to the hope that Dewey's parents have not encountered the raiders. The travelers fend off a pack of wolves and overcome raging rapids before reaching Hunter City, reuniting with Dewey's parents and new little sister.

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