The Ontario Curriculum, page 10
Reading Between the Lines
The second strand of language and literacy that we have looked at in class is Reading. We were asked to look at a few educational ministry resources to get an idea of what this strand entails. Reading goes beyond the ability to recite words presented to us. It requires an understanding of the text and an ability to notice distinct features within variety of texts.
Reading Expectations
Much like the Media Literary strand, the Reading strand has four overall expectations and are outlined in The Ontario Curriculum. These four expectations are listed in this picture. While these expectations share similarities to the Media Literacy strand, they are geared towards Reading. As these expectations outline, Reading requires an understanding of multiple texts and prior knowledge to help with fluidity and understanding.All Students Can Learn
One of the resources I explored is called All Students Can Learn. This video, along with several others, focuses on the testing of Grade 3, 6, 9 and 10 through EQAO. This video in particular discusses the relationship between a student success and their socio-economic status.The research given in this video argues that and individual's socio-economic status may aid in a student's success, but it is not the driving factor or determinant. This video also discusses how teachers need to have a flexible "outreach" mindset and that we need to be sensitive to "differentiated characteristics of the students and families we serve".
A teacher will never have a class of cookie-cutter students and must know how to approach teaching while including all students. Due to their socio-economic background, some students may not be able to purchase a tablet or new laptop. Teachers need to be aware of this situation and make sure that while technology can be an extremely effective tool to teach with, some students do not have that luxury.
Beyond the Sticky Note and Venn Diagram
The article Beyond the Sticky Note and Venn Diagram discusses the role of technology within the classroom in more depth. It discusses the use of "out of school" literacies, which involve new technologies and the ways in which we can integrate them in the school curriculum. There is a seemingly endless amount of applications and online activities that students can use to learn with and teachers can use to teach with. With a growing interest in these applications, teaching needs to step away from the strategies that were used years ago and step towards strategies that incorporate these new technologies and engage students with learning.
Examples of "out of school literacies" associated with 21st Century comprehension:
EQAO and The Venn Diagram
Both of the articles mentioned above tie into the Reading Strand in The Ontario Curriculum. Reading is an important skill that needs to be developed as a student and plays a crucial role in life. Reading takes on many different forms, such as seeing an advertisement, reading a book, and using social media.
As mentioned in the EQAO article, success is not determined by a students socio-economic status, income of their family, or education of their parents. Reading falls under this category as all students can learn to read regardless of any other factors previously mentioned. The other article that talked about "out of school literacies" also ties into the reading strand as it argues that online space has the potential to empower students to become active participants in their learning process. Reading is everywhere and social media is no exception. If students are interested in online articles and educational contents as opposed to a physical book or newspaper, they should be given the option to read online.
Reading in My Placement
My teaching placement takes place in a rotary Grade 8 class. Between two Grade 8 classes, I have been exposed to teaching math and social sciences. Within both of these subjects, reading plays an important role as it is the primary form of communication. Whether my associate teacher posts the assignments online or hands out notes on a piece of paper, students are required to read. Word problems within math are a central to some of the tests that I have seen. As I have watched students write these tests, I notice that they focus in on specific numbers and words. While math specifically focuses on the relationship between numbers, reading is still a skill necessary to solve problems. A fun way to teach math is through word problems as a teacher can create a problem that relates to students. They can use sports, politics, or any other area of interest that engages the students and challenges them through a mathematically centered word problem.
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