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