Chapter 4 - Reading, Genre Awareness, and Task Design

1 - In the past three years I have mainly read for the purposes of teaching. Rarely is there a time when I can read for pleasure and then apply that reading to my personal writing. I did not read much in high school and definitely not much in middle (I don't remember much about reading in K-6). With that being said, it's incredibly difficult for me to read anything without thinking about my students or how I can blend the information to my teaching style.

As an L1 reader I never thought much about the correlation between my reading and writing skills. Now, as a teacher, I can appreciate why reading and writing courses should be taught in tandem. My campus has reading and writing separated for 7th graders. Students compartmentalize the two subjects and generally struggle with one, if not both. Reading and writing should be taught together, so students are able to see words/phrases in "action," rather than some arbitrary lesson.

2 - As an academic reader I encounter non-fiction texts that are highly dense and contain a plethora of research based facts. As a non-academic reader (very rare these days), I encounter young adult fiction (Ms. Marvel and Serafina's Promise) and some literary non-fiction text (Between the World and Me). I have learned cultural sensitivity and the ability to deeply investigate viewpoints that are unlike my own. The new Ms. Marvel is about a girl named Kamala Khan who becomes the superhero, while simultaneously coping with teenage angst and being a first generation American. Serafina's Promise discusses education and society in Haiti through the eyes of Serafina. Lastly, Between the World and Me is a sociological quest about race relations in America. I'm not sure how these impact my writing, but they definitely impact my approach with the world at large.

3 - When "auditioning text" for my classroom, I gravitate toward material that can provide me with a variety of opportunities to learn and teach. I need material that is rich in color - both literally and figuratively. Students are exposed to an array of material from traditional and social media. I want them to experience cultures in text using the reading skills for our class, while simultaneously making connections with unfamiliar territory. Ideally, I'd like cross-curricular material that will easily weave its way into multiple lessons. However, I'll settle for texts that offer more depth than breadth. Just because a text is lengthy and multicultural does not mean it is suitable for my students' needs.

4 - An L2 textbook should include a glossary of familiar or commonly used terms. The information should also be presented in a straightforward manner. This means there should not be an excess of digression in one way or the other. Students should be able to get in and out of the textbook without being lost in too many examples/anecdotes/unnecessary information.

5 - Teachers should augment materials when the given materials are unable to be reasonably understood by those learning the primary language. For example, if a student is reading assigned pages from and textbook then answering questions then, they should be able to reasonably locate definitions and piece together the necessary information. However, if a student is struggling with how to apply the definitions to the task at hand, then accommodations should be employed.

6 - Students should read and write in small segments to gain their confidence in the primary language. Students should be able to connect with text on a personal level at first. This is achieved through reading. Then, students can draft a response based on the mentor text. As time progresses, students should be given increasingly difficult tasks and readings. This allows students to establish a distance from the text that encourages objectivity and using evidence to support their claims/draw accurate conclusions.