Entry #9

       For class last week we had to read Tompkins (2009) chapter on expository texts to prepare. As part of this preparation we also had to bring in examples to use during class, this was when I realized how many different types of expository texts students encounter every day. There are so many difference in them and there are so many topics that they could cover. I think that this variety is what makes the task of teaching expository texts so overwhelming. During the lesson Dr. Jones brought to our attention that we need to stop and focus on modeling and explanation of how to read expository texts. This step is a most when exploring expository texts before we can expect students to pull information out of the text and fill in the graphic organizer like we used to explore our books during class.


       I have been observing a working with a first grade class since the beginning of the year and i have seen firsthand how important this modeling step is. The teacher of this group has modeled everything and anything you can think of that impact their day in the classroom. She has created an environment that after 2 months that an outsider would see as full of independent workers that function well as a group. Now, to apply that to expository texts, I have seen the students pull information out of their read aloud books without any issue, but when it came to reading an expository text on their own they have much more difficulty. To help address this the teacher was meeting with guided reading groups and mini lessons, where she goes through nonfiction texts structures as they read. I had the opportunity to lead one on these groups; we worked on the different structures that appeared in their text. We covered captions, labels, glossary, heading, and bold words. We discussed what each thing was and what it was used for in the text and how it helps you to understand what information is important. We practiced identifying them in the text and explaining what they do in our own words. There were able to pick up the features easily but it was harder for them to understand how they were useful during reading. To help with understanding we talked about nonfiction texts and why they were important and then the specifically important information from the text we were currently reading. I still don't think that these students would be able to fill out a graphic organizer on their own yet; they would need much more modeling. These experiences of mine support the point that Dr. Jones raise about how complexity of the text is the first that we have to tackle before we get to content.
          I have also considered this as I plan my genre presentation with my partner because writing new types of pieces can be quiet the challenge and the first step we really need to focus on is modeling and scaffolding. Once that has been established the form of writing can be addressed and students can start to write with in that genre. I think that my experiences in the younger grades so far this year has truly emphasized that importance of quality modeling so students have the best example possible when learning new things.