The+Strategies

= Teamwork, leadership, skills, analyzing our play =

Tips for struggling readers (written by students)
 * break the story up into smaller chunks and really read then slowly and maybe write a summary on each paragraph. They could do this independently and then come the next day and meet with other students or the teacher to compare summaries and clarify comprehension.
 * slow down and reread until you understand it better, maybe taking it paragraph by paragraph and really focusing on what is happening or what a sentence might mean.
 * while you are reading, leave notes, questions, or comments on the side of the text (in the margins)
 * read it as a group, then afterward do a group discussion on what you just read; when there is point I have got lost on, or didn't understand, I was are able to ask questions, and other people in the group would do a good job of answering my questions.
 * when you have trouble understanding, try rereading it slower, more efficiently the next time.
 * write down any question you have whether it is a vocabulary word, a sentence, or even a whole paragraph, bring it to the next class to ask someone if they have any idea what the book is trying to say.
 * to get a better understanding of what exactly is taking place, it helps me most to get a group of people and act out either the scene, the paragraph, a summary, or a chapter.
 * When I don't understand something I go back over and read it again. I really try to figure out what is going on in the scene. I take note of all the characters and what is going on in the story. If I still don't understand, I write down some questions and try to narrow down what I don't get. Then I ask someone else and see if they have the same questions; then we can both discuss it and help one another.
 * look up the definition of unfamiliar words and see it used in a sentence.
 * if you find a text pointless or irrelevant, reread it to help understand it better, try using your imagination to see if that way you enjoy it more.
 * I read it out loud; using your auditory sense and moving your mouth means you are using your brain more, which helps in understanding the story.
 * when the book has a lot of character names, I jot each name down on paper as they appear in the story, which helps me concentrate on the story.
 * I tried rereading parts of the text I had a difficult time understanding, and I tried recording questions about the text in order to see whether or not the text answered those questions later. Both these methods expose you to the passage more in order that they will understand what is being said.
 * read/think through the piece in a state of emotion. Rather than analyze the work rationally, send your mind through the story [by feeling and experiencing it]. Afterward examine the aftertaste left by the work and draw your conclusions from there.
 * Avoid reading to your students. This teaches them to eat out of your hand. They really don't develop very much from this.

Tips for teachers who want to help readers: (created by students in Eng 11/12)

 * talk with them about the book and try to answer any questions they have
 * be ready for students to ask you questions, because when I don't understand a story I ask the teacher for advice on what I can do. So all teachers should prepare for that and be ready to answer their questions.
 * Sharing your thoughts and ideas with the student really makes us [students] think more, and more critically.

Style Analysis A Child's Christmas:
 * dry humor
 * exceedingly long sentences
 * clever
 * emotionally detached from the memories
 * consonance, assonance, alliteration
 * rhyme
 * -ed and -ing adjectives (past and present participles)
 * analogies
 * descriptive detail
 * similes
 * multiple and compound adjectives ("fish-freezing")
 * color references
 * relates words with things we can imagine

Essay Skills AP
I want to learn...
 * how to write the ends of essays
 * efficiency - stick to the point; increase vocabulary usage
 * balance new and known; pose better questions
 * selection of apt supporting detail
 * organize paper, get reader's attention, how to apply constructive criticism
 * use of quotes
 * conclusions
 * persuasive support, but not in chronological order
 * not to sound like a robot
 * to have a structure for getting ideas (brainstorm/concepts)

Proper burial ceremony (priest wanted) vs. burial without the ritual ( family wanted)
Why did they seem to not care so much when Teofilo died?