Chapter 6

As I read, I continue to feel more confident about what I am already doing in the classroom. Although still concerned with my students' constant dependency when it comes to independent work, I am doing a lot of the things she discusses in this chapter.

For example, I always try to activate prior knowledge. In fact, sometimes I'm trying to activate prior knowledge from before lunch because I know they have already forgotten what we have done. We anticipate, do charts..especially K-W-L's (they love it!) and really try to bring personal interest from outside the classroom into whatever we are doing.

I always bust out my big book of reading strategies and try to find something that is relevant and meaningful. I never just throw something on their desk and say "do this." We go over directions, answer questions, and mentally prepare for the task at hand the best a group of nine year olds with E/BD knows how.

When it comes to thinking about ways to improve how we go about things, I can think of hundreds. For example, maybe picking one strategy for this entire class of mismatched abilities is the problem. Maybe we need to start breaking into smaller groups to target what's at hand. Maybe I need to slow it down. I feel like we move at a snail's pace, but if my student's aren't comprehending the reading material even with these strategies then maybe an even slower pace is called for.