Teaching Strategies
Read Alouds
While read alouds (the reading aloud of a text by the teacher) are common practice in lower grades, they are not as common in secondary classrooms. According to the International Literacy Association, “Read-alouds are just as important for middle and high schoolers as they are for younger kids. All readers need strong models of prosody in order to build their inner voices and support comprehension as they tackle more and more challenging texts.” [72] For the first read of the text, I will be reading David Walker’s Appeal out loud to students. There are several purposes for using this strategy. Since this is a complex text, reading out loud ensures students can focus solely on comprehension and effect on the reader as I read out loud and they listen. As mentioned earlier, Walker intended this text to be read out loud for those who may not be literate. Reading out loud also ensures that it can be read with the volume and energy required for such a powerful text that was intended to be read with passion and energy. To ensure that students are engaged and reading along I will use a strategy of pausing at specific words, at which point all students need to read that next word out loud. This will be their first read of multiple reads of this text.
Multiple Reads
Multiple reads (or close reading) of a text is a strategy where students read the same text multiple times in order to develop a deeper understanding of the text. This can be especially helpful with a complex text. I will use multiple reads with students while reading David Walker’s Appeal. Each read should have a specific purpose. During the first read students will read along to the text (while I read it out loud). Students will record their general understanding of the text as well as their initial reactions. This stage is just about getting the gist and it is okay (and expected) that they do not fully understand the text. During the second read, students will focus on comprehension. They will annotate the text, paraphrasing what Walker is saying in their own words. During the third read students will pay attention to the structure and language of the text, specifically the choices the author made. For example: What words did the author repeat? Why? What language does he use to make the text more persuasive? What images does he create?[73]
Building Background Information with Gallery Walks
Gallery walk is a method that allows students to move around and gather information that is posted around the room. Students need to rotate around and either record information directly on the display or on their own document. In this unit students will use gallery walks to build background information for the different texts we read. This gets students moving and processing information in a different way than sitting in a chair and reading a text. Before reading Kindred, Douglass’ Narrative, and David Walker’s Appeal I will use gallery walks to help build background information. Around the room I will hang multiple short pieces of text. I will include quotes from the author, biographical information, and facts about how this text was received. This can include quotes from the author, anti-literacy laws, facts about slave rebellions, etc. Students rotate around the room collecting key information and recording it on their graphic organizer. Background information helps students better comprehend the texts they read and give them important context to fully understand the importance of what they are reading.
Annotation
Annotation is a process of “talking to the text” as you read. Actively reading the text. When students annotate as they read, they are processing and thinking about the information more deeply. This aids in their comprehension and helps them refer back to the text. Annotating is more than highlighting the text. It is about being in dialogue with the text, jotting down questions, reactions, summaries, and ideas. Students should have guidelines on what they are annotating/how they should be annotating rather than a general direction “to annotate the text.” For this unit, students will have two purposes for annotation: 1) use annotation to process what the author is saying in their own words 2) identify methods of resistance. Students should annotate directly on the text when possible, but if not can record their annotations on a separate piece of paper.
Comments: