Framing our Reading - Part 3 (Extending Thinking)

Text or Citation	Rationale for Using	Text Frames	Strategy
http://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/ resources/highschool /chemmatters/articlesbytopic/acidsandbases/chemmatters-april1983-swimming-pool.pdf	This article covered complex topics without confusing vocabulary. This text is relatable to most people because it is about swimming pools. It also covers a variety of topics taught in a chemistry classroom; acids and bases, pH, balancing equations, and equilibrium.	Problem/solution Concept/definition (Buehl, 2014)	Sketch to Stretch (McLaughlin, 2015)

            Choosing an article that students can relate to goes a long way in creating a successful assignment. My partner and I chose this article because it is very relatable. Most students have had an experience with a pool and therefore can relate to the topic. It is also important to help students make real life connections. Students can see how chemistry is related to pools and therefore the topics are better understood. Some questions I get a lot in my classroom is “how does this relate to me?” or “why do I need to learn this? I will not ever use this again.” This article shows how topics, like acids and bases, pH, and balancing equations, can be used in real life applications.

            As my partner and I discussed, one of the most difficult aspects of this text is that students would need some background knowledge on the topics covered in the article. The article does not explain the basics of the topics covered but rather explains the concepts specific to swimming pools. Without background knowledge, students would easily be lost and lose interest quickly. This article would work best during an acid and base lesson. Although pH, equilibrium, and balancing equations is also discussed, they are discussed more briefly and less in-depth than acids and bases. Dani and I also discussed how this article could easily tie into labs.

            The strategy I chose was sketch to stretch. Sketch to stretch is a strategy that requires students to sketch a personal relationship or understanding they had after reading the text (McLaughlin, 2015). After students complete the reading, they are asked to sketch how they connected to the article, and then they share their sketch with members of their small group (McLaughlin, 2015). Group members are given an opportunity to comment on the meaning of the sketch, followed by the illustrator discussing the meaning behind the sketch (McLaughlin, 2015). As a class, students would be guided through a reflection process which would allow them to discuss the importance of the activity and whether or not it helped their comprehension (McLaughlin, 2015). I would also ask my students whether or not making real world connections was helpful.

            After reading the article, I drew a picture of a swimmer that had just been in the pool with red eyes. This is something I have encountered in my times swimming in pools in the past. After reading the article, I know that this irritation comes from a lower pH which in turn raises the level of HOCl. I chose this strategy for several reasons. Firstly, my students enjoy drawing. This strategy allows them to develop a relationship between something they enjoy and chemistry. I also like the aspect of working in small groups. Students like working together and sharing their ideas. They also can learn better and develop deeper understanding when working with their peers. Finally, I like that this strategy encourages real life connections. As this is often an idea that students do not grasp, sketch to stretch allows students to develop and understand real life connections where they cannot always readily see them.

References

Buehl, D. (2014). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (4^th ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

McLaughlin, M. (2015). Content Area Reading:  Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness.  Boston:  Pearson.

Framing Our Reading - Part 2 (Guiding Thinking)

Text Link	Rationale for Choosing	Text Frame	Strategy Used
http://news.discovery.com/tech/nanotechnology/even-superman-couldnt-bend-this-steel-160408.htm	The article was chosen for both its length and connection to mainstream media, the new Batman vs. Superman movie was released this year. The article easily sparks off new research topics and can be easily incorporated into a variety of lessons.	Proposition/Support Text (Buehl, 2014)	I wonder… Statements (McLaughlin, 2015)

            The article we chose was “Even Superman Couldn’t Bend this Steel” found on my www.news.discovery.com. This article was interesting because there was I direct connection to mainstream media, referencing Superman. We thought this article would appeal to students because of this reference. As discussed in part 1, my partner and I prefer shorter articles that do not have a high difficulty level due to our classroom experiences. However, as a way of progression, this article is slightly more difficult than our previously chosen article. The article contains more scientific language. It also opens up a variety of branches for discussion to take off.

            One topic that could be explored is having students hypothesize other uses for the new material. In the beginning of the article, it mentions that there is a published journal about the research that was completed. This would be a good way to introduce our students to a journal article and have them read/explore aspects of a journal article. The one downfall we discussed is that the article mentions superman in the title, but there is no reference back to superman. This could cause a lack of enthusiasm and motivation for some students. However, to turn this into a positive, a lesson could be generated to teach students the importance of proper labeling, especially in the lab in order to avoid accidents. There are many ways this article could be built into our curriculum and only a few listed above.

            The strategy I chose to use was I wonder statements. I really like this strategy because it activates prior knowledge while practicing questioning skills (McLaughlin, 2015). I think this strategy is good for students because there are no wrong answers. It would be interesting to have students work in small groups and discuss their I wonder statements and reasoning for the statement with each other. It would allow students to hear different perspectives, if they had the same questions, or it would allow students to hear different questions that they didn’t think of. From these statements, additional research can be done to enhance understanding.

            As I read the article, I created my own I wonder statements. My first I wonder statement was created from the title. I wonder why Superman can’t bend this steel because Superman can bend anything. This question is then answered through the discussion of how much pressure this new steel alloy can withstand. However, there is no direct correlation to Superman. Additional research could be done to determine the strength of Superman, looking at what kind of materials he was able to bend, and determining if it would be possible for him to bend the new material or not. My next statement, I wonder why this steel alloy doesn’t scratch because most metals can get scratched, especially when used to cut through rock and various other uses. Additional research could be done to determine if there are other metals that can scratch or what specifically about this alloy protects the steel from scratching.

            Continuing reading the article produces additional I wonder statements. I wonder why a material is just being developed because amorphous metals have been around for a few decades. Research into this statement could include when the research on the alloy steel began. It could also include determining if other alloy metals have been developed. Finally, I wonder why the material doesn’t rust because most metals rust. Through this statement, lessons on oxidation could be used. We could discuss how rust forms and look at different types of metals as they rust.

I found this strategy really easy to apply to the article. As I developed my I wonder statements, prior knowledge was activated. Having the format for developing questions, I wonder…because, made it easy to fill in the blanks. My partner chose the paired questioning strategy. I like this strategy as well because it incorporates questioning skills and collaborative work. Paired questioning also has students develop answers to the questions they are asked. I like my partner’s idea of then incorporating what they did in partners as part of a classroom discussion and then asking questions of her own to her class. I really think this article opens up a lot of doors for applications in the classroom.

References

Buehl, D. (2014). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (4^th ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

McLaughlin, M. (2015). Content Area Reading:  Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness.  Boston:  Pearson.

Framing Our Reading - Part 1 (Engagement)

Framing Our Reading- Part 1 (Engagement)

ED 620

  

Text citation or link	Rationale for Choosing	Text Frame(s)	Strategies Used and Resource
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2012-2013/open-for-discussion-tattoos.html	We chose this article because it is applicable to our students. We have observed numerous students that already have tattoos within our classrooms. This article was not difficult to read and is short in length. This is good for a classroom where little reading is currently done. Many activities can stem from this topic and can be completed in one class period, including reading the article.	Concept/ definition (Buehl, book)	Making Connections/ Coding the Text (McLaughlin, 2015)

My partner and I spent a good deal of time discussing qualities an article would need in order to be an appropriate choice to be used in our classrooms. The two main qualities we decided on were that the article needed to be on the easier side and it also needed to be short in length. In both of our experiences, our students are not accustomed to reading during class. In order for this assignment to be successful, it would need to be easier in order to engage our students. Currently, in my classroom, my students do not use a chemistry textbook. Asking them to read a difficult article would be more than they would probably be able to handle. Although it is important to have students practicing literacy, I believe it is important that literacy is introduced gradually. When students become discouraged, they shut down and progress cannot be made. We also liked the idea of the article being short so that an accompanying activity could be completed in the same class period. This is helpful so that students can maintain focus. Through our personal experiences, we have found that activities that span over several class periods are more difficult for our students to complete. As our students develop better strategies and skills, including critical thinking and problem solving, our students will be more able to complete longer standing projects. 

The strategy I chose to use for this article is coding the text and can be found on page 65 of the McLaughlin (2015) text. I chose this strategy because I want my students to be able to connect to what they are reading. As students create connections, they can better understand what is being read. In coding the text, students indicate "where we are able to make text-self, text-text, and text-world connections" (McLaughlin, 2015, p. 65). Each student would write directly on a text hand out where these connections are and briefly describe the connection (McLaughlin, 2015, p. 65). After they completed reading the text, they could discuss their connections in small groups. Whether or not a student currently has a tattoo, they are more than likely be able to connect to the topic in a variety of ways. 

I believe the hardest connection students would be able to make is text-text. As discussed above, our students have limited reading experiences within our classrooms. While they might have connections with outside the classroom reading selections, not everyone would be able to do this. With my class, I would explain what each connection type is and ask students for examples. I would also encourage student to consider notes and topics that were discussed in class as possible options for text-text connections. Although I believe text-text to be the hardest connection for my students to make, I think making connections in general is difficult. I really like this strategy because it asks the student to explain briefly the connection as they are reading. This is really important so that students will be able to participate in group discussions afterwards.

Reference:

McLaughlin, M. (2015). Content are reading: teaching and learning for college and career readiness. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.