When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 4

This chapter focused explicitly on ways to help students comprehend a text.  The author focused on the strategy of thinking out loud or modeling specific thought processes for students.  While using this method, instead of just explaining the meaning of a text, the teacher helps students learn how to create meaning out of future texts on his or her own.  This can be done either on a one on one basis, or as a class.  When working with a student one on one, a teacher can read a passage to a student while pausing frequently and explaining the specific way in which she made inferences and drew conclusions from the text while she was reading it.  In this way, the student is able to see a model of the teacher's thought processes and ask specific questions that will help aid the student with his own reading in the future.  Furthermore, in a group setting, the teacher can model texts as a way to lead a group discussion.  This helps students to become more engaged in the text and to learn how to draw conclusions from texts. In my opinion, modeling thinking is a great way to show students the correct way to understand a text.  It allows them to see exactly what type of thinking the teacher is asking for, and how they can achieve this.  I think this is much easier than trying to explain thought processes to a student or asking them to simply reread a passage.  This lays out exactly what they need to work on and how they can achieve a better understanding of reading.