Monday, September 24, 2007

Using the Comprehension Strategies in the Library

I am reading the book Reading is Our Business by Sharon Grimes and loving it. (Carlene recommended the book to Donna, who told me about it.) During the last couple of years I was part of a group of teachers who were working hard to incorporate the comprehension strategies into their teaching and as I read this book it was a pleasure to see how I could incorporate that work into my current teaching assignment.

I like the way she sets up her library, the routines she uses and how she teaches students to self select "just the right book". I knew the 5-finger rule, which is 5 words on a page which the student can not read, means the book is to hard. But I didn't know the Goldilocks strategy, in which the reader looks at the spine of the book and asks themselves, "Is this book too big, too small, or just right for me?

I feel I know the strategies well enough to teach them to the primary students, I am not as sure how to use them with students in the older grades. However, I like the idea of older students sharing their book picks with the rest of the student body.

When I read how Sharon teaches I wondered how much time she has with students. The way my schedule is set up in half hour blocks leaves little time for flexability and to get all the things done that she does with students.

I'm not quite finished the book, but I know that it will be pivitol in determining what my library will look like in the future.

I would recommend this book to other teacher librarians.

1 comment:

Eclectech Educator said...

Hello Amy,

Grimes' book is a must read for all teacher-librarians. Pair this book with Keene and Zimmerman's Mosaic of Thought and The Comprehension Toolbox.