Talking,  Typing,  Teaching: Helping Students Overcome Challenging Texts

Rebeca B. Delgado | Commonplace Entry #2

I recently had this conversation with my best friend from high

school:"

It made me sad to think that his English teacher did not give the students the confidence and tools to engage in the reading. "

My friend’s plight with Paradise Lost made me wonder what his teacher could have done to make the story accessible."

Looking  over  Beach  and  Wiggins,  I  found  that:  

talking about the text,  

creating interesting forms of writing responses,  

& clearly explaining how you want the students to understand the literature  

are  all  valuable  ways  in  assis<ng  students  with  challenging  texts.  

TALKING

Beach  (2012)  explains  that  one  of  the  most  integral  roles  that  an  English  teacher  plays  is  that  of  a  discussion  starter.  GeHng  students  to  talk  about  the  text  helps  them  to  externalize  their  thoughts  or  ques<ons  and  demonstrate  understanding.  

Dialogic  discussions,  as  men<oned  by  Beach  (2012),  contribute  to  ensuring  that  students  do  not  fall  into  limi<ng  I-­‐R-­‐E  discussions  that  offer  only  closed  ques<ons  (ques<ons  with  only  one  answer)  that  the  teacher  facilitates.  However,  having  students  talk  to  one  another  about  the  text  and  ensuring  them  that  literary  analysis  supports  many  understandings  and  interpreta<ons  will  encourage  students  to  look  at  the  text  with  new  perspec<ves.  According  to  Wiggins  &  McTighe  (2005),  it  is  important  that  teachers  explain  to  students  that  the  study  of  literature  is  not  finite  and  that  “learning is an unending quest for findings”.  

TYPING Another  fear  that  many  students  share  from  junior  high  to  university  is  the  dreaded  essay.    

But  what  if  teachers  considered  other  methods  of  wri<ng  responses?  

TYPING Beach  (2012)  explains  that  students  can  become  engaged  with  newfound  wri<ng  ac<vi<es  through  reading  and  crea<ng  comic  books.  One  such  work  that  is  op<mal  for  study  in  a  high  school  seHng  is  Art  Spiegelman’s  MAUS  (1986).  

Students  may  also  construct  narra<ves  in  response  to  texts  by  wri<ng  their  own  drama  scripts  (Beach,  2012).  These  works  could  expand  upon  the  text  or  simply  be  a  crea<ve  wri<ng  ac<vity  on  their  own.  This  wri<ng  can  help  students  view  the  core  elements  of  the  story  in  new  light  as  they  work  to  adapt  the  plot  into  another  format.  

TEACHING

As  previously  men<oned,  being  clear  about  what  students  are  supposed  to  understand  from  a  text  is  helpful  in  dismantling  dense  works.    

Beach  (2012)  discusses  the  importance  of  evalua<ng  students’  work  through  forma<ve  assessments  that  give  students  consistent  feedback  about  their  progress  and  results.  Another  form  is  the  “feed-­‐up”  forma<ve  assessment  that  asks  students  to  “con<nually  clarify  their  purposes  and  expecta<ons  for  what  they  want  to  accomplish”  (Beach,  p.  237).    

TEACHING Another  important  element  to  consider  as  an  English  teacher  is  the  likelihood  of  students’  encountering  hurdles  in  the  reading.  Wiggins  (2012)  explains  that  this  “awareness  of  predictable  misunderstandings”  will  help  teachers  becer  prepare  lessons  that  cater  to  the  “rough  spots”  so  that  students  are  effec<vely  guided  through  them.  

A  way  to  achieve  clarity  in  explaining  expecta<ons  for  reading  and  wri<ng  to  students  is  to  use  rubrics  (Wiggins,  2012).  Rubrics  provide  a  visual  breakdown  of  the  exact  criteria  that  the  teacher  expects  the  student  to  meet.  As  Wiggins  (2012)  writes,  rubrics  help  to  explain  that  understanding  is  “a  macer  of  degree  on  a  con<nuum”  and  answers  key  assessment  ques<ons  that  students  may  have.  

In  reconsidering  my  friend’s  story  ader  comple<ng  the  readings  from  the  past  three  weeks,  I  have  found  that  there  are  many  tools  and  ac<vi<es  that  his  teacher  could  have  u<lized  to  becer  prepare  the  class  for  Paradise  Lost.    

By    teaching  with  clear  goals,  geHng  students  to  talk  about  the  text  &  write  in  crea<ve  formats,  teachers  can  becer  help  their  students  overcome  dense  and  in<mida<ng  texts  with  confidence  and  clarity.    

REFERENCES  

•  Beach,  R.,  Thein,  A.  H.,  &  Webb,  A.  (2012).  Teaching  to  exceed  the  English  language  arts  Common  Core  State  Standards:  A  literacy  prac<ces  approach  for  6-­‐12  classrooms.  New  York,  NY:  Taylor  &  Francis.    

•  Wiggins,  G.,  &  McTighe,  J.  (2005).  Understanding  by  design  (expanded  2nd  ed.).  Alexandria,  VA:  Merrill  Educa<on/ASCD.