Why Am I Reading This?

“Why am I Reading This?”

There must be thousands or even tens of thousands of children in New Mexico asking themselves the same question as they sit down to read their school assignments. I know as a child I often wondered what it was my teachers wanted me to get out of my reading. I have to admit I've even asked the same question in regards to the readings for this class.

In chapter 5 Tovani explains the importance for determining purpose in reading. By setting a purpose in reading we can help our students determine whether they should scan for information. The example Tovani  gives is looking for a name in the phone book. We scan over many until we find the right one. She explains that readers studying a math text will most likely slow down their reading so they can catch the important information.

Defining purpose for teaching and assigning reading projects will help our students develop a purpose for finishing a difficult text. Many teachers use the same text over and over, she says this makes us experts in our content. As we know our text better and better we start asking deeper and further reaching questions than we did when we started using the text. We need to remember for many of our students it is the first time they've encountered the contents in the text we are teaching from. We need to keep in mind what it was like to be a beginning reader in a new discipline.

To help define purpose for reading, teachers can have their students formulate questions as to what they want to know from a given text. For example, a history teacher is preparing to start a unit on World War II. Having a group discussion at the beginning of the unit to determine what students know and help them formulate questions that will inspire them to push through the boring parts. Have the students write these question down on a separate piece of paper. Encourage them to look for the answers within their reading. If they don't find the answers they can write them down on sticky notes and place them in the margin to be asked in the next group discussion.

Something that I found very interesting in this chapter was the notion of having a reciting voice, and a conversation voice that we hear in our heads when we read. Tovani describes the reciting voice as being the way we hear reading when we are just reading the words but not searching for content. It often comes across as dry and boring, readers often lose interest when reading any reciting voice. The conversational voice on the other hand, is inquisitive asking questions of ourselves and of the text. She describes it as an ongoing dialogue between the reader and the text.

 I've never thought of reading in this way before, at times I do catch myself just reading the words and trying to power through a difficult text. When I do this I inevitably have to go back and read it again. On other occasions I find myself slowing my reading and searching deeper for meaning. I've even asked myself questions about what I thought was coming up in the text. Asking questions of the voices in my head seems a little schizophrenic. As far as teaching goes it seems like a good idea.

What Works - Cris Tovani page 65 of ”Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?”

What Works:

1. Be selective about what kids read. If everything in the text isn’t important or well-written, don't assign it all. Sift out the best parts-it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

Teaching point: good readers skip, skim and scan texts continually, based on their purpose. They also reread, slow down, and reread again if it suits their purpose.

2. Be specific about your instructional purpose. Give students a lens for reading the piece.

Teaching point: good readers know a purpose will help them focus their reading and determine what is important. They also know that purpose determines how they read the material.

3. Decide how your students will use what they are reading.  Explain to them how they will use the information when they are finished.

Teaching point: good readers approach assign text with a renewed assault in mind. They consider what they will have to do with the information after reading.