In
the article “Kindergarteners can do it too! Comprehension Strategies for Early
Readers,” I was amazed by the idea that schemas should start to be used with
children at such a young age. I loved that fact that these young readers knew
what schemas were; I did not think they learned them that young. I think it
really helps children make connections to what they are reading; it certainly
helps the students comprehend the information of the text better. I know that
if I read an article or book that I relate to, it is so much easier for me to
remember the information later. This is extremely helpful for the students
especially if there was an upcoming test or quiz.
I have witnessed this in my Education 100
class when I was sent to an elementary school for a second grade classroom.
Sometimes while I was at the school I was there during their reading time. The
students were able to go to the library and pick what they would like to read
some days, and on others the teacher would have the class all read one book. I
discussed with the teacher if the students are better at reading what they like
compared to what they are told they have to read. She assured me that the
students are definitely more intrigued by their choice of book compared to what
they are made to read.
I read that article as well and was shocked to find out that the kindergarteners knew what a schema is and could define it. I think it is great that they could do this because activating prior knowledge is such a huge part of comprehension. I definitely agree that being able to relate to what you are reading makes it much easier to comprehend and remember for future use. I think students would really benefit from being able to find ways to relate what they are reading to their own lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree that connecting new ideas to prior knowledge helps the reader retain the new information. I like how the article called it the "Velcro Theory". This name connected to my prior knowledge of Velcro, and now I am able to recall this theory and its meaning quite easily.
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