D & G Chapters 3 & 5

In the selected reading there were two suggestions that I felt would help my high school students in increasing their vocabulary, their comprehension and in their fluency.  The first two ideas discussed teaching vocabulary in the context that it occurs in, such as, have the students define economic terms from their economy textbook, but also have them exposed to the same terms in other readings that would reinforce the definition of the word in the way that it applies to the topic that you are teaching.  This will help the students learn the word and increase understanding, but also help them to understand its uses and give them an advantage as they expand their learning further in their topic.

Another idea that was given in the book, which I really connected with, was the age-old idea of having students read what interests them!  When they do this, they gain fluency, vocabulary, and they will comprehend what they read about.  It is a good way to encourage reluctant readers to read and improve upon themselves personally, as well as academically.  This will help them in all problem areas of vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

In my classes I typically have my students do a vocabulary assignment with each unit, where they write the definition, find a relevant example, and write a sentence to show their understanding.  This is traditionally the first lesson in a new unit.  I do this so that as we progress through out the chapters/unit they know the words that are used to explain the themes or concepts that they are learning.  When my students are doing their vocabulary, I remind them they will find a more accurate, context specific answer to they search if they use the definition that is listed in the chapter that we are studying versus the glossary in the back. 

The biggest concern that I have regarding fluency is that while you can encourage and provided opportunities for your students to read and discover literature, and in topic or subjects that interest them, you cannot ultimately force them to read.  They have to find intrinsic value in reading to create a fluent reader.  This is something that cannot be made by a teacher.  I believe that this is a problem that many teachers and parents have, and unfortunately there has not yet been a proven answer to solve this dilemma.  Since active reading assists students in the vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency, until parents and teachers are able to build both intrinsic and extrinsic in students in reading, we will always have discussion as how to build these key areas of reading.