| Most educators today realize that
| |
| | reading passage, but with much greater
|
| teaching students how to read is not the
| |
| | success. I would simply start the lesson
|
| sole responsibility of the language arts
| |
| | with a short video clip. The best tool
|
| teacher, yet many teachers still struggle
| |
| | I've found for using video clips in the
|
| to come up with effective ways to
| |
| | classroom is unitedstreaming.
|
| actually improve reading comprehension in
| |
| | The beauty of unitedstreaming is in its
|
| the classroom.
| |
| | simplicity. It took only a few minutes
|
| After all, the primary purpose of reading
| |
| | for me to find the perfect video clip on
|
| is comprehension. Unless you comprehend
| |
| | the middle passage from unitedstreaming's
|
| what you read you might as well be
| |
| | massive database and download it to my
|
| reading a different language.
| |
| | own computer.
|
| Unfortunately, for many students, reading
| |
| | Knowing the students had difficulty with
|
| in the content areas may actually seem
| |
| | the reading by Gustavus Vassa the year
|
| like a different language.
| |
| | before, my intent was to tap into and
|
| This is particularly true in social
| |
| | build on their prior knowledge before
|
| studies classes when using primary
| |
| | tackling the difficult primary source
|
| sources that may date back several
| |
| | reading.
|
| hundred years. I can recall a lesson I
| |
| | This time around I started by playing the
|
| did in my own 8th grade social studies
| |
| | video clip I had downloaded earlier. The
|
| class in which I used a primary source
| |
| | video clip was only about 5 minutes long,
|
| written by Gustavus Vassa, an ex-slave
| |
| | but the effect it had was undeniable. Not
|
| who wrote about his experiences on board
| |
| | only, did the video tap into and build
|
| a slave ship during the middle passage.
| |
| | upon prior knowledge, but it also sparked
|
| Unfortunately, for the students, the
| |
| | student interest and motivated students
|
| primary source reading might as well have
| |
| | to want to learn more about the middle
|
| been written in a different language, for
| |
| | passage.
|
| while my students read the passage, they
| |
| | Following the video clip, I had students
|
| certainly did not comprehend its meaning.
| |
| | complete a short map exercise in which
|
| However, the Gustavus Vassa reading was,
| |
| | they identify products exchanged in the
|
| and still is, an excellent primary source
| |
| | triangle trade (including slaves on the
|
| to use in the classroom. It was my job as
| |
| | middle passage). The map activity is much
|
| a teacher to figure out how.
| |
| | more relevant to the students now that
|
| What I needed to do to improve reading
| |
| | they can make the connection between the
|
| comprehension was tap into students'
| |
| | arrows that represent the slave trade on
|
| prior knowledge about the "middle
| |
| | the map and the visual images of the
|
| passage" and the horrors of the slave
| |
| | harsh conditions onboard the slave ships
|
| trade before reading the first-hand
| |
| | that was shown in the unitedstreaming
|
| account written by Gustavus Vassa. That's
| |
| | video.
|
| right, understanding reading is based on
| |
| | It is not until the video and the map
|
| what you already bring to the table when
| |
| | work were completed that I first
|
| you open a text, what you already know
| |
| | introduced the reading by Gustavus Vassa.
|
| about a particular topic, your prior
| |
| | While the video most likely answered many
|
| knowledge.
| |
| | of the questions students might have had
|
| There are many ways teachers can tap into
| |
| | about the slave trade and the middle
|
| students' prior knowledge such as Venn
| |
| | passage, it also raised many more. By the
|
| diagrams, KWL charts, and various
| |
| | time we got to the reading assignment, we
|
| prediction strategies. However, one of
| |
| | not only anticipated and addressed
|
| the most effective strategies, if not the
| |
| | possible comprehension concerns, but also
|
| most effective, is to use video clips at
| |
| | motivated the students to want to read.
|
| the beginning of the lesson prior to the
| |
| | The materials I used in this lesson from
|
| reading assignment. By using video at the
| |
| | one year to the next were nearly
|
| beginning of the lesson (rather than at
| |
| | identical. The only difference was adding
|
| the end), the teacher will tap into and
| |
| | the unitedstreaming video clip to the
|
| build upon the students' prior knowledge
| |
| | beginning of the lesson. This one
|
| thereby improving reading comprehension.
| |
| | significant change, transformed the
|
| Furthermore, using video at the beginning
| |
| | lesson from being an ineffective lesson
|
| of the lesson will increase student
| |
| | to a lesson that inspired student
|
| motivation to learn. Believe it or not,
| |
| | learning and improved reading
|
| students will actually read because they
| |
| | comprehension.
|
| want to read.
| |
| | Today, I use unitedstreaming at least
|
| When the time came to teach about the
| |
| | twice a week in my own classroom to do
|
| "middle passage" the following year I
| |
| | just that...increase student motivation
|
| knew exactly how I would use the same
| |
| | and improve reading comprehension.
|
