Collaborating Independent Reading

When reading to students or encouraging independent reading, students can have limited information about the topic of the book. The role of the teacher is assuring that students understand what they are reading, and to ask questions as they are reading. Tompkins (2014), explain several methods teachers can use to check if students understand the reading. One method is asking students to make predictions as they are reading the story. By pausing in specific areas, students reflect on what they have just read, and what they think might happen next (263). Pausing the story in specific areas will help teachers check for understanding and analyze the areas students are having challenges. In several classroom observations, I have seen teachers have
small written notations inside of the books to know when to ask the students to make a prediction about the reading. Students were asked to speak with a person next to them and to make predictions on the reading. Monitoring how much students are comprehending helps teacher give additional support to students. Students who have challenges reading have a lower self-esteem when it comes to the role they play in reading.
For students to become engaged in the reading, collaborating with a group or partner will help those who are struggling. Collaborating in groups or with partners keeps students engage in the reading and they are able to teach one another (Tompkins, 2014, 280). Incorporating collaboration as part of the reading structure will help the students who are struggling in reading, because their classmates will assist them in the areas they need support. Students will be able to understand the reading and help each other with additional material attached to the reading. The method of collaboration will incorporate students to explain to each other interpretation of the reading and work together to fully understand the reading. Having students’ collaborate will increase student involvement in their reading because they are keeping each other
accountable. When students are in the early phases of reading, they are less knowledgeable of the elements in a story.
Thompkins (2014) emphasizes, “The most important story elements are plot, characters, setting, points of views, and theme” (297). During observations, I have seen a reading lecture where the teacher reviews the main elements of a story at the end of the reading. Teachers either do a group activity or students work independently to point out each element. Looking for the story element becomes challenging for students in higher grade level because the structure of the story becomes more in depth. Students begin to read stories that challenge their orced to become critical thinkers of stories. When students are introduced to a new structure of reading, teachers guide students through each chapter to find the key components of the story. Students do have challenges finding specific elements and that is when teacher incorporates group activities for students to work together. The elements of story structure helps students decode the story and informs teachers how much of the reading students are
understanding.