building background knowledge through wide reading

1. Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum

2. Challenging Goals and Effective Feedback

3. Parent and Community Involvement

4. Safe and Orderly Environment

5. Collegiality and Professionalism

Factors Influencing Achievement

School

Building Background Knowledge

through

Wide ReadingFactors Influencing Achievement

9. Home Environment

10. Learned Intelligence/ Background Knowledge

11. Motivation

Student

Factors Influencing Achievement

6. Instructional Strategies

7. Classroom Management

8. Classroom Curriculum Design

Teacher

Identifying similarities and differences

Summarizing and note taking

Reinforcing effort and providing recognition

Homework and practice

Nonlinguistic representations

Cooperative learning

Setting objectives and providing feedback

Generating and testing hypotheses

Cues, questions, and advance organizers

Identifying similarities and differences

Summarizing and note taking

Reinforcing effort and providing recognition

Homework and practice

Nonlinguistic representations

Cooperative learning

Setting objectives and providing feedback

Generating and testing hypotheses

Cues, questions, and advance organizers

Nonlinguistic Representations

Indirect Approach

10. Learned Intelligence/ Background Knowledge

• Wide Reading

• Direct Instruction Wide Reading

Students are systematically engaged in a variety of reading experiences with the goal of expanding background knowledge.

Wide Reading

systematically

background knowledge.

varietyengaged

engage

Sustained Silent Reading recommended in

1.Students identify topics of interest to them.

2.Students identify reading material.

3.Students are provided uninterrupted time to read.

4.Students write about or represent the information in their notebooks.

5.Students interact with others about the information.

Sustained Silent Reading

1.Students identify topics of interest to them.

2.Students identify reading material.

3.Students are provided uninterrupted time to read.

4.Students write about or represent the information in their notebooks.

5.Students interact with others about the information.

1.Students identify topics of interest to them.

“Quick Reads” to stimulate interest in reading

• Use as “sponge” activities.

• Select topics that engage the reader

• Read aloud to class, have students read in pairs, or have individuals read silently.

• “Variety” is a key but, when possible, stay with a topic over time.

• Prompt student reactions.

Excerpt from To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader, William B. Brozo

Results of surveys and research studies that focused adolescents’ reading interests …point unwaveringly to the following genres favored by males who participated in the studies.

• Humor

• Horror

• Adventure/thriller

• Information/picture

• Science fiction

• Crime and detective

•Monster/ghost

• Sports

• War

• Biography

• Fantasy

• Historical

Origins:   Though these are presented in e-mailed forwards as "actual newspaper headlines for 1997," they aren't. Similar lists -- some shorter, some longer -- have been circulated in both the online and offline worlds for many years now. For instance, many of the entries in this "1997" list were recorded in a similar round-up posted to the newsgroup rec.humor in 1992. Likewise, the 1987 Richard Lederer offering, "Anguished English," contains many of the entries on the "1997" list.  

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/humor/nonsense/head97.htm

1. Include Your Children When Baking Cookies

2. Teachers Strike Idle Kids

4. Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted

3. Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

5. High School Dropouts Cut in Half

Did these headlines actually appear?

9. British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands

8. Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over

7. Iraqi Head Seeks Arms

6. Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

Did these headlines actually appear?

Fiction is always appropriate,

but the emphasis here is on nonfiction

http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/spring2003/Basal_readers.pdf

American Educator

Spring, 2003

The dog watch is actually a "clock for keeping time at a rate other than human time" and was invented in 1991. Why would you need to know dog time?  Beats the heck out of us but with this handy watch you can perceive time at your animals rate instead of your own.

How does it work?  According to the inventor the watch multiplies every human second, minute and hour by seven, thus giving us "doggy time".  If Fido lives to be the ripe old age of 14, that translates into 98 human years!  Or is that 98 dog years?

Dog Watch US Patent Issued In

1991

totallyabsurd.com (no www) America's Goofiest Patents!

Sven is a happy camper.  Why is Sven so happy?  Because it's cold outside and his new Happy Camper sleeping bag allows him to unzip some zippers and poke his arms and legs out and walk around.  Why walk around in your sleeping bag?  So you can answer Mother Nature's call, that's why! 

Other strategically placed zippers allow you to open strategically placed openings for necessary nighttime relief, all within the comfort of your warm, downy sleeping bag.  Oh sure, there may be a draft or two but it sure beats leaving your warm bag.  Might we also recommend the BumperDumper.com? Is it just us or does Sven look like a big burrito for bears? 

Happy CamperUS Patent Issued In

1985

totallyabsurd.com (no www) America's Goofiest Patents!

Many people live in big cities and enjoy the companionship of man's best friend.  But with the master working all day, poor Benji can only count on relief during his morning and evening walks, putting a strain on… their relationship.  Now it's possible to end canine discomfort with the Portable Pet Potty.This revolutionary invention is made from hermetically sealed polyethylene and is strapped to the hinny of your hound.  While this solution may prevent unwanted accidents, don't forget to take Benji for his walks.  The Portable Pet Potty doesn't collect Tootsie Rolls.

Portable Pet Potty

US Patent Issued In 1998

totallyabsurd.com (no www) America's Goofiest Patents!

The tattoos of Shaquille O’Neal

“First of all, I got my tattoos because I was allowed to get them. You better believe I asked my mother first.

And she told me I could get the tattoos but I had to keep it corporate….no tattoos that I couldn’t cover up with a short-sleeve shirt.

Superman, baby. That ‘s me. ‘Cause just like me there’s nothing that can stop Superman. Except for Kryptonite, and everyone knows that’s not even real.

Brian Grant

“Grant got the tattoo [of Bob Marley above the word PROPHET] when he dabbled in Rastafarianism. But ultimately he thinks of Rastafarianism as a fish:

You eat the meat and spit out the bones.

As far as Brian Grant is concerned, the prevalence of marijuana in the Rasta world was discardable, fishlike bony part.”

      Q: Where did the cat go when he lost his tail?

-- Submitted by: Walter, Age 7

A: The retail store!

   Q: In which school do you learn to make ice cream?

-- Submitted by: Megan, Age 11

A: Sunday school!

   Q: Why did the farmer have to separate the chicken and the turkey?

A: He sensed fowl play! -- Submitted by: Al, Age 15

Q: How many knees do people have?

A: 4. Your left knee, your right knee, and your two kid-knees! -- Submitted by: Sarah, Age 11

How do you find the time to integrate

Wide Reading?

Students are systematically engaged in a variety of reading experiences with the goal of expanding background knowledge.

Wide Reading

From Reading Don’t Fix No Chevvies, Michael Smith, Jeffrey Wilhelm

•Would you rather your students read the newspaper every day OR a novel once a month?

• Would you rather your students read a lot of series like Animorphs OR a very occasional Newberry winner?

• Would you rather your students always did their homework but rarely read for enjoyment OR that they often read for enjoyment but often did not do their homework?

To what extent are students provided with wide reading experiences like this now?

To what extent is there discrepancy between students experiences and what you believe?

What would students do less often—if these experiences were integrated systematically into their day?

Not really To a great extent

1 2 3 4

To what extent do you believe students should have experiences like this?