When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 8

This chapter focused on strategies for increasing reading comprehension after a text has already been read by the students.  The author stressed the fact that simply asking a student to read a text and then ask questions is ineffective for readers who do not understand the content.  Instead, she proposed a number of useful strategies for increasing students' understanding and allowing them to be more interested in what they read.  I particularly liked the the strategy of text reformulation.  I think this is a great way to get students to talk about a text with their peers and be creative with their work.  As the author said, it makes students discuss the the theme, main idea, setting, and characters without forcing them to discuss these elements in a strict and structured way.  I also liked the strategy of creating representative sketches of the texts.  This reminded me of the activity we did in our class and I think this another great way to get students thinking about the important elements of a text in a non-traditional way.  I liked the fact that the author outlined many different strategies to use in the classroom.  By using a mixture of these strategies, a teacher can increase student understanding by using a number of meaningful strategies without becoming monotonous or routine.  I will definitely use these strategies in my classroom and during my tutoring in my field experience.