Science Teacher, I Wanted to Select a

¶ … science teacher, I wanted to select a non-fiction reader on a topic of interest to me, and one with which I could share my love of science with students. I chose Remarkable Rocks by Ron Cole. I thought the students would enjoy seeing my rock collection, which I brought in as part of the lesson. The students had an opportunity to observe and sort rocks and use information they gleaned from the book to label them.

I expected that the lesson would have strong appeal to the students because of the hands-on activities. They could easily identify the purpose for reading and I expected that they would be engaged from the beginning. One student in the class, Justin, does not have any diagnosed disabilities, but he is considered a struggling reader. The at-risk benchmark for 6th grade students is 40 words per minute. Justin reads at this level and is therefore considered to be reading below grade level. He is a sweet, well-mannered student.

He was attentive during the lesson. He eagerly participated in the anticipatory set, when students were asked to share some of the ways rocks are remarkable and the ways that rocks are important. For the written work, Justin tried his best and produced quality work (at his level). I ensured my students understood the content of the lesson. I made informal observations by walking around the room as they were completing their graphic organizers.

I asked questions and invited them to ask questions; I could gauge their level of understanding by listening to their responses. I also noted how they completed their graphic organizers. The final writing activity was a good indication of their ability to think beyond the text, applying what they learned. The purpose of the lesson was to investigate nonfiction reading strategies. This was a cross-curricular lesson since I also incorporated some science learning. The students enjoyed looking at the rocks and sorting them.

We discussed the components of a nonfiction book. By 6th grade, the terms used in discussing the book were familiar to them. We talked about the lack of a glossary in the book and how the addition of a glossary might have been helpful to readers. We also discussed summarizing, a skill the students have been practicing since first learning to read. As books become longer and contain more complex ideas, the ability to summarize becomes more challenging and more important.

I gave Justin strips of paper labeled with headings from the table of contents. He read the book independently and placed the labels over corresponding text, demonstrating his comprehension of what he read and also demonstrating an understanding of how Remarkable Rocks is organized. I would teach this lesson again but perhaps use two class periods instead of one to do so. I was surprised at the fascination the students had for the rocks and it would have been good to devote more time to observation and discussion.

It was very helpful to students to use strips of paper to delineate topics in the book as outlined by the table of contents. Justin did well with this activity in terms of comprehending the assignment and its purpose, but because he is a slow reader, he was not able to keep pace with the class. He did not express any frustration, but I wondered whether he might be feeling it.

Perhaps he would have felt more successful if he had partnered with a stronger reader who could have helped him. In absence of an assigned reading specialist, this might be the best solution for Justin, in addition to continued effort and practice on his part and as much extra help from the classroom teacher as possible. The 6th graders were not really sure how to take notes, so I would spend a little more time discussing this aspect of the lesson.

Most of the students copied whole sentences from their books; I would show them how to write down key words and phrases to.