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.