by Kevin D. Cordi, Ph.D. Ohio Northern University, August 2015

What would you do

How do we make sure that our students

It is about making connections

Good readers are active in constructing meaning through the process of interacting with what they read and connecting this knowledge with what they already know
(Anderson, Herbert, Scott, & Wilkerson, 1985).

Let me demonstrate

I am going to show you seven groups of letters. The groups are small. They total only 20 letters. I want you to time yourself and see if you can memorize all seven groups of letters in 10 seconds.

J FKFB INAT OUP SNA SAI RS

JFK   FBI   NATO   UPS   NASA   IRS

What connections did you make?

Let us look at it another way

The Batsman were merciless against the Bowlers. The Bowlers placed their men in slips and covers. But to no avail. The Batsman hit one four after another along with an occasional six. Not once did their balls hit their stumps or get caught.

(Daniels, Zemelman, 2014, p. 27.)

What if I shared this is talking about

What was missing for many of you was:

"Without the spur of motivation, struggling students stand less chance of becoming engaged readers."
Vacca, 2006, Educational Leadership

It is key to remember that "self-efficacy and text comprehension are situational."
Vacca, 2006, Educational Leadership

Knowing about the subject motivates the reader.

Hector's Story

What can we do?

We can help students predict the text to increase investment.

Strategy: Visual Prediction

Untitled Slide

Strategy: Visual "Positioning" (Enciso, 2010, Harre, 2003)

Story Impressions

Guided Imagery

Anticipatory Guide

IEPC (Imagine, Elaborate, Predict, Confirm)

The Connections to text has to be meaningful.

As teachers, we not only need to recognize this, but work so every student can read.
It is our job.

Recap

• Access prior knowledge
• Find ways to motivate students to read
• One way to engage is to help them predict the text before they read it.
• Knowing our students can increase involvement
• Make connections

Remember..."Students can read potentially difficult text if they think they can...

Reading may never become as effortless for us as flying across the sea is for seagulls. But if we provide situations in which students feel both motivated and competent, even daunting texts will have no chance of grounding them.
(Vacca, 2006).

But once they master it, they will fly.