How to become a Text Expert

As students, teachers or a general learner everyone struggles with learning the new material and becoming proficient.If the learner is a motivated person who is persistent in they're learning will accomplish the goal of understanding the text and afterwards talk like an expert in the material. Buehl in chapter 6 talks about the developing Reader moves,(2017,237) that I believe that all of us, subliminal apply when reading for understanding.Buehl says these moves(the term moves reminds me of the Moon Walk that Micheal Jackson performed live and made history) represent the self directing and planful thinking mind of an accomplished reader.Some examples that he gives are connecting to the author's message, trying to create an image in mind about the author's message. I personally love this one. I make the weirdest images in my mind but as long as it works and I can retain the material and make connections. So be it!!

The next one is asking questions for clarification, prediction and critique and ponder. The answer to these questions leads the reader to become an expert on the material. The summary of the material become s an easy matter. Sometimes the author is implying a message but it is not said directly but her author wants the reader to ponder and come up with their own interpretation. These are the cognitive moves(2017,237). The meta cognitive moves makes the student wonder why they did not get the material or what's putting them off. I think this gives the definition of a good reader. "A good reader, then should be one who questions what is read, rereads confusing passages, and evaluates his or her understanding of what the author is trying to communicate"(Baker and Beall 2009, 390).

To understand the text there are multiple methods for scaffolding. The most common is text marking, underlining or highlighting the parts of the text that seem important and are usually giving the main idea of the text or describing the cause and effect(2017,241).I find this method useful and I would recommend students to highlight the text after the first read. The first read is to just read and skim through the text, becoming familiar with the author's style, the new vocabulary and the main idea . In the second read, highlight what seems important and is the gist of the text.If it's an easy text the reader will be done but for a complex text the reader can highlight in another color and underline the text that explains the main idea. This method works from. I am taking a international Studes call and the theories are introduce in this class. Political science has its own language and it took me some time to get use to it. I read the theory and do not underline. The second read i highlight what seems important and on the side I apply another strategy and that is making notes as I read. The writing part helps me retain the text. As I am writing an essay in the test, the visuals come in my mind that help me recall the information that I need at that moment.For the recent exam preparation, I drew bubbles with information and in another color made the connections to the another author's material. The connections became evident to me. The best way to know if you are an efficient note taker is when the material is crystal clear to another individual. I guess typing the noteswhe the teacher is going a lecture helps some students but I would personally suggest students to make notes in a notebook, the old fashioned way. I believe this method helps with memory retention and reconstructing the knowledge is enhanced.

Another scaffolding method is making codes(2017,246-249). Some codes are humorous and helps the students to retain the information . Students sometimes come up with their own codes that help them in retention.Last week a student in my ELL class mentioned she had a hard time remembering the spanish verbs so the teacher helped her remember them as a song. She sang the verbs to us. It was pretty cool.

Paraphrasing(2017,250-252) a text is method to recite the text in the learner's own words. The learner writes what he or she understand from the material. They could be written on the margins or sticky notes can be used.When I paraphrase I use arrows to connect my thinking.Writing a summary could be used a s a formative assessment to check the student's learning. The 5th grade that I am volunteering the teacher uses a method called Read,Stop and Jot. The students read the book and write what they seem is important in their own words.There is a short jot only writing the facts and a long jot when the students has to write and explain their thinking.I will definitely be using this strategy in my classroom.

The interactive reading guides(2017,268-270) is an excellently for scaffolding the amateur readers who are plunging into complex text reading. The guided reading can help them understand what they are looking for in the text.The book talks about the biological science example. The word DIGESTION is written vertically and the students have a clear visual what will be discussed, make connections to prior knowledge. Students can work in groups and read the text and through the guided questions explore for the concept and answer the questions the sheet. Iam a big fan of collaborative reading(2017,273-274).The students are given the assignment to read in groups and discuss helps them retain the knowledge. This is a method that I will almost always apply in my class.

Graphic organizers are a great way to organize your thoughts. I used them even before I knew they were called graphic organizers. (Most of my schooling was outside the United States). The graphic organizers can vary in shape and could be a table, flowchart, matrix, grid, concept map, cycle diagram or hierarchy pyramid(2017,262). beaus mentions that the graphic organizers should be used as tool for rehearsing, elaborating and organizing a text rather than using them for an assignment. I agree with his theory because I use the graphic organizer to organize the complex text and rehearse my exam material.The image below is my favorite, I call it "The Bubble Machine."

My minor is Political science and that subject involves a variety of complex text. Political Science has it's own unique language. My professor gives us a question reading guide for the complex readings. It helps the class to focus on the big idea. What is the author's message ? What is /she trying to convey us?

For the exam we had to read the theories for an essay question. What are the Realist,Liberal and Constructivist theories and who are the big advocates for these theories? These texts were complex and the graphic organizer helped me to put the big idea in the center and make connections with the similar mind -set theorists and then make connections with the other theories, if there were any.

Graphic Organizer

I would encourage the use of graphic organizers in my classrooms . i would let the students select the style that suits their personal studying methods . but I would make sure to have them rehearse and practice a couple of times in the classroom to make sure it is effective for obtaining deep understanding of the complex texts