All of my children require explicit instruction. The only trouble is that they need explicit instruction in different things at different times. I address this during conferring while sitting alongside a reader. Most of the time when children are having trouble lifting the text off a page it's because the text is too difficult to use for instruction. When there is too much to teach, every word is an effort. A more supportable text is required. Ruby
----- Original Message ---- From: Linda Crumrine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 8:22:55 PM Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] phonemic awareness/segmentation help wanted Hi, I have been reading all the posts and basically agreeing with what everyone has been saying - even when the posts were contradictory! I think that different readers require different types of instruction, and that our challenge is to understand the needs of our learners and teach accordingly. I think most readers learn best in context. However, some children need explicit skill work, and then need explicit instruction in how to apply the skills they are learning to the reading process. I have found that the more a student struggles, the more explicit I need to be. Some students who appear to be over phonicated, have actually not become automated enough so that they can leave the decoding stage. Lifting the words off the page requires so much cognitive energy that there is nothing left over for constructing meaning. My analogy is that I am athletically challenged. Immersing me in softball did not help me to improve my game, although most of my friends improved. I would have required much more specific instruction on how to catch and hit a ball in order to become barely adequate. Consequently, I can still not play softball. Sorry I rambled, Linda _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
