Beyond Phonics Laying Foundations in the Grammar and Dialectic Grades for Rhetoric Level Reading

Elementary Reading Decoding the words on the page Understanding basic meaning, explicit and implied

Inspectional Reading Systematic skimming Determine the structure and parts of the text Determine what the text is about Determine what kind of text it is (genre) Determine what questions or problems the author is attempting to address

Analytical Reading Thorough, complete reading Active reading to gain understanding Identify and understand the author’s use of terms Identify and understand the author’s leading propositions Identify and understand the sequence fo arguments.

Analytical Reading (cont’d) Determine which problems or questions were solved (and whether the author knows it) Distinguish fact from opinion Determine where the author is uninformed, misinformed, illogical or incomplete in his account or analysis

Syntopical Reading Comparative reading of multiple works Begin with specific questions or problems to be answered Find passages in multiple texts that contribute to answering the question Come to an understanding of how each author uses terms and, if necessary, construct neutral terms.

Syntopical Reading (cont’d) Define the leading issues and how each author answers them Determine what each work contributes to the discussion of the issues Construct an original analysis that is not in any of the works.

Principles Understanding builds on prior knowledge Integrate with content areas All teachers are reading teachers at all levels Teach students to read actively Teach students to monitor their own understanding

Teaching Vocabulary Degrees of vocabulary understanding: ◦Being able to provide a basic definition when others use the word ◦Being able to perceive subtleties and shades of meaning that distinguish a word from other similar words ◦Being able to use the word to communicate shades of meaning

Teaching Vocabulary Teach vocabulary in context as much as possible Give attention to etymology and other words with similar roots

Vocabulary Tiers (Isabel Beck) Tier One ◦Common words known by nearly everyone ◦Yesterday, house, running Tier Two ◦“High utility” words used frequently in sophisticated adult communication ◦Incessantly, repertoire, countenance Tier Three ◦Words used infrequently and usually in discussion of specialized topics ◦Isotope, metacognition, antediluvian

Studying a Word in Context “If the citizens could dream of his prospective arrival with his bride, they would parade the band at the station and escort them, amid cheers and laughing congratulations, to his adobe home.” (From Stephen Crane’s The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.)

Reading Skills to Teach Determining the organization of a text Determining the purpose of the book, including the main topic(s) and the scope Connecting the work to prior knowledge and experience Finding topic sentences and summaries Recognizing that texts have human authors who lie, make mistakes and don’t know everything

Reading Skills to Teach Distinguishing fact from opinion Evaluating the surety of facts Identifying setting, plot, characters in fictional works Supporting their conclusions or interpretations with the text Asking questions of the text

Reading Skills to Teach Inspectional Reading Recognizing the influences on perspective of the author or the characters, such as worldview, experience, knowledge or ignorance, culture, time period, culture, previously read works, etc. Recognizing the author’s craft: manipulating plot, mood, descriptions, rhythm, alliteration, allusions to other works, symbolism, theme

Reading Skills to Teach Identifying the form of the author’s arguments (fiction and nonfiction) Examining the sources of an author’s information and recognizing a poorly sourced work. Evaluating the truth of an author’s propositions and assumptions Evaluating whether an author was successful in accomplishing his purposes.

Teaching Methods Model active reading Fact finding (nonfiction) Inspectional reading assignments Pre-discussion assignments ◦Guided journaling ◦Note-taking organizers Interpretive discussions Debate

Types of Discussion Questions Factual Questions ◦Ask for information that is stated explicitly or can be easily inferred. ◦Usually have one right answer and do not lend themselves to discussion Interpretive Questions ◦Have more than one possible answer. ◦Usually begin with “Why?” ◦Why didn’t Scratchy Wilson shoot the sheriff? Evaluative Questions ◦Judge the effectiveness of the author’s craft or the truth of his assertions. ◦Evaluation cannot happen before interpretation.

Rules for Discussion Participants All participants must have read the text at least once and completed pre-discussion assignments All ideas must be supported by the text (avoid speculation) Participants respond respectfully to the ideas of others Participants speak to one another, not to the teacher.

Rules for Discussion Leaders Leaders ask interpretive questions, but do not answer them Leaders can summarize, probe for clarification or ask for textual support Leaders should resist the temptation to offer interpretations Allow for pauses and time for reflection Encourage disagreement Focus the discussion when it gets off track Keep a record of participation