To teach comprehension, I taught a setting strategy!

This summer, I spent a considerable amount of time cleaning out my house. As I was cleaning out the attic, I found boxes of books from when I taught 5th grade in Buffalo. Each class of fifth grade students I taught consisted of many more boys than girls. One year, I had 17 boys in class to 6 girls. It was that class of students that shaped how I approach reading with students.

At the beginning of the school year, you want to learn about the students who are in your classroom. You want to learn about who they are as individuals, their backgrounds, and what they enjoy doing outside of school. Learning about your students will help you connect your students to the curriculum.

Literacy is a hot buzzword at the moment. But, what exactly does this word mean? When I begin working with college students, I ask them what comes to mind when they hear the word ‘literacy.’ The most common responses are reading and writing – they have heard that literacy means reading and writing. While that is true, I want to expand on the definition of literacy.