Reading Strategies: Improving Implementation in Middle School Science

Using reading strategies to teach middle school science is a skill that I would like to make a conscious effort to improve. Working in an administrative capacity for the last six year, and now teaching at the middle school level, I am concerned that my knowledge of reading strategies, especially at the middle school level, may not be current. My schedule requires that I teach 7th and 8th grade science, and 6th and 7th grade math enrichment, in three different room assignments, so I need strategies that are efficient and effective. I also have several students with Individual Educational Plans who require modified instructional strategies to meet their special learning needs. I chose articles that focus on specific vocabulary strategies and reading strategies in my content area of science, as well as strategies for struggling readers and that incorporate current technology tools. Comprehending text or even notes presented in class can be difficult for students with limited vocabulary, or for english as a second language students; hence, vocabulary instruction must be fully and clearly explained or demonstrated. However, with the pressure teachers are under to cover a list of standards that encompasses more subject content than they have time available to teach, they little room for isolating and teaching vocabulary to meet the needs of multiple learner abilities. Learning new vocabulary involves more than assigning students a list of words to look up and define. Teachers must be knowledgeable of and incorporate a wide variety of vocabulary specific strategies that meet the needs of learners at every ability level, and give them time to use the new words in conversations guided by the teacher, as well as reading and writing assignments, creating graphic organizers, and playing games (David 2010).

David, Jane L. (March 2010). What research says about.../closing the vocabulary gap. Reading to Learn, 67, 85-86.