Professional Documents
Culture Documents
University of Kansas
March 2, 2017
I wrote this book with my 7th grade ELL student in mind who reads at about a second
grade level. Im not sure if this is a common trend in middle schools across the country,
but my 7th and 8th grade boys LOVE basketball. With this in mind, I wanted to select a
topic that is interesting for middle school students and might provide them with some
surprising new information, but still a low-level read. After much brainstorming, I decided
on the invention of basketball. I figure that my students probably didnt know much
about its origins and how much it has changed over the years.
simultaneously trying to keep things simple. To help organize the text, I started with a
table of contents. I added headings according to the topics in a bolder font so that they
stood out in contrast to the main text. I included an anticipation guide prior to reading so
that I could have students think about their own experiences with the sport and what
they might already know about some of the rules. I followed up the reading with a
comprehension check, using some of the same questions from the anticipation guide so
students could see how their knowledge had evolved. I kept myself limited to one coach
because I didnt want to take away students focus from the text. The coaches were
used to prompt students about comprehension and reflection questions while also
reminding them to check the glossary to find meanings for the underlined words.
Print Features
When reading Maloch and Horseys article about the importance of informational texts
in the classroom, the Pause and Ponder section really got me thinking. Do all of my
the day (i.e., in their independent book boxes and our classroom library)? The article
The article also shared how the teacher, Michelle, taught her students the different
purposes, structures, and features of informational texts. I thought about the types of
text features that I find important and made sure to include them in my EBook. I
relating to the pages text, photo captions, underlined vocabulary words, and a glossary.
Fluency
Module 5s Softchalk on fluency, I learned that the three components of fluency are 1.
word choice at the independent level. My goal was to avoid the slow and laborious
address in this assignment. Because the read was supposed to be independent, I chose
not to include a voice-over because I felt that would defeat the purpose of reading to
oneself. Then, I attempted to brainstorm ways that I could address pitch, stress, and
juncture, but I couldnt seem to think up a way to do that from within the text other than,
My topic didnt easily lend itself to much academic language, so I focused on the three
tiers from Module 6s Softchalk when planning my writing. The bulk of my text was
added some high-frequency words for mature users, too, like evolved, judged,
opponent, and permitted. Finally, I added specific, low frequency words, such as dispute
and consecutive. The student was able to use the narration to help with pronunciation of
new words and the glossary to help with the definitions. The basic, tier I words allowed
the student to read with fluency while the tier II and tier III words helped to stretch the
Comprehension
From the Softchalk in Module 3, I learned that studentslike my ELL 7th graderat the
second grade transitional reading level need a primary focus on comprehension, then
word recognition, and the smallest amount of time is spent on fluency. After learning this
information, I decided that I was going to be sure to include pre-reading and post-
reading activities and then include questions ranging from basic recall to critical thinking
prior knowledge prior to reading and following up the reading with questioning to help
To accomplish this, I began with an anticipation guide. The yes/no statements were very
basic, asking the reader if he or she has played basketball, knows the rules of
basketball, and if they have a favorite team. The true/false statements checked to see
what they knew prior to reading about the invention of basketball. These were
statements like, The inventor of basketball coached at the University of Kansas, and
After the reading, I asked the students to actively use their knowledge to answer the
question, Write what you thought was the most surprising about the invention of
basketball and In your own words, how do you think the game of basketball has
changed? Do you think it is better now? I also followed up with by repeating the
true/false portion of the anticipation guide to see if students were able to accurately
label some of the statements that they may have missed prior to reading.
Comprehension: During
When working on the comprehension piece of the EBook, I worked on climbing up the
o Do you know some of the ways that players can get fouls in basketball today?
Retelling Opportunities:
o Look at the picture. What do you think the player in mid-air is trying to do?
o Where have you played basketball? In PE? Outside? On a team? In your driveway?
o How do most girls and women dress now when they play a game of basketball? Is it the
o The University of Kansas is still known for its basketball program. Do you know the
o Do you think basketball would be as fun to watch or play if dribbling was not allowed?
o Have you ever seen players rest the basketball on their hip during a game? Why might
Acquiring Knowledge
o In your own words, how do you think the game of basketball has changed?
o Do you think it would be easier or more difficult to have with 9 players per team? Why or
why not?
o Why do you think Dr. Naismith didn't want players to hit the ball with a fist? What
o In your own words, how do you think the game of basketball has changed? Do you think
it is better now?
o Write what you thought was the most surprising about the invention of basketball.
Conclusion
The CAST Bookbuilder site allowed me to incorporate many of the print features
invention of basketball, I am next considering ways I can use it with my 8th grade
students. I think it is something they would enjoy and it would allow them to be
creative and produce something they could easily share with others.
References
Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2013). Comprehension at the core. The Reading Teacher,
66(6), 432-439.
Matloch, B., & Horsey, M. (2013). Living inquiry: Learning from and about informational
texts in a second-grade classroom. The Reading Teacher, 66(6), 475-485.
Module 3 Softchalk on Reader Development. (n.d.). Reading.
Module 5 Softchalk on Fluency. (n.d.). Reading.
Module 6 Softchalk on Vocabulary. (n.d.). Reading.
Module 7 Softchalk on Comprehension of Expository Text. (n.d.). Reading.