Blog #3

While reading the design thinking article I really enjoyed the way they gave you specific examples of how to use this strategy in the classroom.  The six steps were very simple to follow and would work great in the classroom for solving a real life problem.  While reading, I focused more on the ways to use it in the classroom rather than the strategy itself.  It was a lot easier to understand rather than having to read the step and think of ways to use it in the classroom.

The article written my Barbara Moss was very interesting and actually brought up a lot of my own background knowledge from courses in the intermediate block.  I did not realize that informational text was such a big problem in the schools today.  When I was observing classrooms on Tuesdays and giving a reading lesson in a kindergarten classroom, I realized that students seem to enjoy expository text more than narratives.  Therefore, in my opinion, this article was correct when they discussed how reading to learn motivates students to learn to read.  The students loved when I read them expository texts and I was helping to build their background knowledge.  In my opinion, teachers would get a lot more feedback from their students if they used more expository text. 

The article also talked about using strategies to help students to comprehend what they read.  We learned a lot of different strategies that teachers can use in order to help their students comprehend what they read.  A great strategy that seems to work for a lot of different ages was the KWL strategy.  It helps students to comprehend what they have read and  has a specific format for them to follow. I plan to use these strategies in my classroom because I got the chance to experience them through a lesson and they were very helpful.  

What are some really good expository text topics that children enjoy reading?


What are some specific ways to incorporate expository text into a lesson?