What a great experience to be able to work with the same two boys again this week! My MT is very worried about their comprehension, so I taught them a lesson about how to use the questioning strategy of comprehension to be able to stay engaged in the text and understand what is going on. This is a great strategy, especially for the book that my teacher wanted me to use because it was an expository text.
Louis* and Trevor* weren't excited to be pulled out of the classroom for another time to work with me on reading, but it wasn't as bad as last time, because they weren't in the middle of an engaging activity. The boys were also both more awake today. Louis actually told me that last time, he had to stay up the night before taking care of his siblings, which is why he wasn't as engaged. I explained to the boys the chart we would be using for today, which only had the words "preguntas (questions)" and "respuestas (answers)" on them. I wanted to simplify the chart from last weeks so that the boys would be able to understand it more clearly.
Right away, Louis was asking questions and digging into the content of the book about bald eagles. It took Trevor a little bit more time to focus in and he was frustrated that "Louis was taking all of his questions" at first, but in about a forty minute lesson, we only got through half of the book because the boys were asking a ton of questions and finding the answers within the text. I was so impressed with how engaged they were and how they were thinking critically about what questions they might ask, as well as what previous questions may have been answered. My chart filled with questions and we only got through half of the book. This time, the boys were pointing directly toward where they were finding the answers to questions, and they were working together to sort out the answers.
There were a lot of strengths to this lesson. First, it gave the boys a strategy to help them stay engaged in a reading task when this is their struggle. Because the boys were thinking reflectively about what questions to ask and what answers to the questions might show up, their engagement level was a lot higher than I've ever seen it. The chart helped the boys track the questions and answers, and having only one chart promoted their cooperative sides. They cooperated on who would read what first, and they directed the lesson a lot more than I did once they got the hang of the chart. I was so impressed!
A limitation to this lesson would be that it is possible that some questions the boys ask aren't answered in the book, or that they don't ask the questions that are answered in the book. While at the end of the lesson not all of the questions were answered, the boys asked a great deal of questions that were answered. This book was on their level enough that I think it worked in relation to the questions they asked.
About myself as a teacher, I was extremely apprehensive going into this lesson and not as motivated as I could have been. Last week's lesson with the boys was difficult, and I wasn't sure if these comprehension strategies were actually helping them. When I simplified things as much as possible and made directions clear and explicit, however, the boys caught on much faster and took ownership in the activity. I learned that while not every lesson may work for the students I have in my class, trial and error may be one of the best strategies that I can use as a teacher. In addition, if I maintain patience and build a good relationship with the students, it doesn't matter how bad I think a lesson may go, I still haven't lost having a good reputation with the students. The boys worked hard, and so I felt comfortable enough to let them go have their snack and join the class when I could tell that they were starting to get a little tired. While I normally would have wanted to get through the whole book, my objectives were to teach them the strategy of questioning and I think that got across without reading the whole book.
Questions that I have are I wonder if I will be able to create time in my own classroom to sit down with small groups of students and help them with specific things they struggle with. It will definitely be a challenge budgeting my time and trying to figure out how to level activities so that students are receiving the proper support that they need. I think I will develop these skill through observing more experienced teachers, reading, and trial and error on my own part. This experience was beneficial toward my development as a teacher, and I am glad that I got a chance to enact part of the Tompkins book!
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