CLOSE Reading - What Does It Really Mean? (Special Education Use?)

Thanks to Grant Wiggins at TeachThought.com I have found great material on really helping me to understand what Close Reading really is and how to implement it in my Special Education classroom.  (See complete article here.)

The main take away for me is that Close Reading should and can become as natural as reading itself. Unless you have some difficulty in reading or processing. Yet, that's where I found my epiphany. In finally understanding all the steps and process in Close Reading through the writing of the article posted,  I can see where I wasn't spending the right amount of time discovering the layers of meaning hidden within the text.

Once I began to break down the reading selection into "chunks" digestible for my students (i.e., get to know your students capabilities and then stretch them) - we were able, together, to navigate the depths of the text.

"Going down deeper!" I would say, as we would re-read, re-think, and try to see if we could find something that we hadn't see before. The discovery was the "fun" part. The analysis not so much. So we, keeping with the metaphor, we focused on the treasure - looking at what we  found, how did it relate to us, where was it found? What does it look like on the bottom? On the top? On the side?, etc. Yes, we had to take the time to teach the analysis steps in ways the students would come to find as an extension of the discovery. Then folding in the comparing and contrasting from what we had found earlier, we were well on our way through the analysis portion of the Close process.

Now we can discuss what we found, what we have concluded and predict or think ahead on what we will find as we continue to move through the text. It has been exciting to do this and to watch this unfold for each of the students in their own specific manner and pace.

Pacing was my Nemesis. I wanted to move through the book much faster than they did. Just as life, for us typically-abled we zoom through things and more often than not, miss things. But as my individually-abled students keep teaching me, when we go at our own pace, somethings become more important at the time than other things. The focus on the color of the dress the princess is wearing is just as important as the focus on the type of sword the prince may use to slay the dragon. While those may not be the main points, they are to those students. It is my job, to help them see the details as well as the main topic of the text. When we have all finished our analysis, then we can summarize to reach the main topic(s) and move forward. This takes several iterations. But, oh my, how joyful the journey.

I'm convinced that more we practice the more we will increase our speed of the process. I'm even more convinced that not practicing at all is a disservice to each person. What important lesson we are teaching by excluding the rich details as we summarize the main points and thus complete the comprehension of the story? After all, I may not remember all of the details of what I read, and sometimes the main idea that I've reached is different than a colleague based upon my prior-knowledge and attention to (or lack thereof to) such details. That is the fun and joy of reading - discussion and learning by interaction within a safe relationship.

Thanks again to the great staff of writers at TeachThought-com as I go back to see if we can determine the type of dragon - you know, even if not fully stated it is important to those who focus and know a lot about dragons.

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I teach K-3 special education students in an urban school district in Middle Tennessee.

Differentiated Teaching Tools

Amy Bowker from her blog "Classroom Collective" has a section called Differentiated Learning which is a
collection of great tools and strategies for teaching.

While she has an excellent collective to tips and strategies for all teachers, as an Exceptional Education teacher I've linked to the Differentiated Learning section.  She is willing to share her findings and other postings as well. Take a look by clicking on the link above.

Remember "we all work together to unlearn, relearn and teach new tips and techniques all the time."

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don.breedwell@gmail.com has shared: What is “Stimming” and Why is it Important?

	What is "Stimming" and Why is it Important? Source: special-ism.com September 20, 2012 By Gavin Bollard, Does your special needs, child frequently rock, bob their knee, make annoying humming noises, squint or smell strange things that they shouldn’t?  These behaviours are sensory, stimulation or stimming, and they’re not simply normal. For a child on the autism spectrum, , they’re an essential part of coping with life. Stimming, involves supplying feedback to the senses. There are five commonly discussed senses; sight, , hearing, , smell, , taste, and touc...

don.breedwell@gmail.com sent this using ShareThis. Please note that ShareThis does not verify the ownership of this email address.

A great website for Speech and Language (SLA) skills.  There are several sites and some really great information and it's free, too!!

http://www.playingwithwords365.com/2012/03/12-sites-where-i-get-free-therapy-materials/


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A great collection of resources for the Inclusive Classroom

A great tool is a Live Binder account. An even better tool is a Live Binder account that is shared by a great resource educator. Such is one that was listed in Twitter today. I was amazed at the content and quality of the Inclusive ideas and information that had been accumulated. You will find, as I did, a wonderful plethora of great materials, resources, and information.

Resources for the Inclusive Classroom
The LiveBinder is sponsored and curated by www.theinclusiveclass.com
Please go to their website for more info and to tell them how their collection has helped you and your co-teachers.

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