Reading Chapter 12: The Human Price in Carson, R. (1962). Silent spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Text Frames: Concept/Definition
Strategy: Guided Imagery (Buehl 2014)
Tommy and I initially discussed using another reading that I
have been on the fence about for a while. It was about nitrogenous waste
deposition in the Chesapeake Bay. However, that reading has so much integrated
ecology information that it requires in-depth prior knowledge that the students
wouldn’t necessarily have until much later in my senior class. We decided to
take the other reading that I had chosen from Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.
I chose this reading because it shifts from the environmental
perspective to a more human-based approach of pesticide use. It illustrates
that often times, something that harms the environment harms our bodies as
well. It also explains that long term effects are a distinct possibility and
that they have just as dangerous effects on the human body over a longer amount
of time. This can sometimes be a very unrealistic scenario to my students.
Buehl describes the Guided Imagery activity as enabling students
to mentally visualize their assigned reading and then place it on paper enhance
their understanding of the assignment (2014). First, it is suggested that each
student is given a small object to look at and then draw to a partner, without
telling them what it is. They should be able to do so accurately through their drawing.
It is important to write what worked and what did not on the board so that they
are able to have a structure for the actual reading exercise. Next, they will
take a worksheet (see my drawn example below…excuse the messiness!) and write a
“DVD” scene selection using the text that the read the night before. They will
also need captions to describe their scenes, using the language that the author
uses (2014).
My DVD Scene Selection for Carson's Silent Spring chapter on health effects of pesticides
In the past, I have used drawing images to enhance learning and
the students were extremely receptive to it. This reading is difficult to both
read and digest because of how grim it is. I think that guided imagery will
help to bring a visualization to the information in this final chapter of Silent Spring. Buehl also writes that
this activity is for “imagery rich short texts” which this most definitely is
(2014). It is important with a reading like this that the students are able to
establish a personal connection, as I think it helps then establish how
detrimental environmental problems can be to someone’s life. This is a great
activity to promote discussion and interpretation of the reading after it is
assigned. It will also help them in summarizing the main ideas of a reading
with a lot of information. Finally, this activity requires students to use observational
skills to accurately and thoroughly explain what they have gathered. This is a
tool we are currently working on in my class through field observations.
When I conducted this
activity myself, I found myself rereading the chapter sequentially without even
realizing that I was doing so. (It was pretty cool!!) I also found that this
was the first activity that actually had me doing what the text described,
which was to improve my depths of knowledge of the reading through drawing
pictures. I am most definitely going to use this for one of my reading activities
in my classes!
Buehl, D. (2014). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (4th ed.). Newark, DE. International Reading Association
Ted, as always I appreciate your openness to provide us with tasks that have been both successful and unsuccessful in your classroom. Although I am currently teaching, as a long term substitute, it has been difficult to develop and understand the skills my classes respond to the best. Having your insight helps me better understand how these different strategies can play out in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really interesting strategy you chose to use and somewhat similar to the strategy I chose this week. Where mine was drawing one image, I like the idea behind drawing DVD images to help students visualize the text. I think visualization is really important to comprehending texts. I know this is something that is easily done in fiction texts, and something I do on a regular basis, but can see this being difficult to transfer to scientific texts. Meaning, visualization does not come as naturally because the text tends to be more complex and difficult for students to read. Having students visualize the text will only deepen their understanding and help them practice skills that are being taught in class.
The idea of guided imagery really intrigued me when I was reading about the different reading strategies. I wasn't sure how it could be used effectively for many of the texts that I was looking at. Your text seems to have lent itself well to this strategy. This is a particularly interesting strategy because it's asking students to do more than simply restate something in the text through a summary. Instead, students have to incorporate their summarizing skills with the skill of translating written text into a meaningful image. Personally, I learn much better when I can create mental images from what I am reading, so this activity would definitely help students like me to develop this skill.
ReplyDeleteThe other benefit that I see from this activity is that it makes written material more accessible to students. If they are able to create an image from the information, it will be easier to generate a connection between the text and a similar scenario in the real world. As you mentioned, students could form a personal connect to your reading by visualizing the health impacts of pesticide exposure. While gruesome, I would imagine that having to draw this effect would result in the text having a greater impact on the student than simply reading about it.
When providing this activity to students, what are some things you would have to keep in mind when grading? Considering that some students may struggle with drawing, would you ever grade this activity for anything more than participation?