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NOVEMBER 2005

Hundreds Attend Reading Reform Foundation Conference

By Sybil Maimin

Sandra Priest Rose
Dr. E.D. Hirsch, Jr.
Muriel Silberstein-Storfer, Founder of Art for Children , Metropolitan Museum of Art
Philip G. Miller, Senior Specialist, Customer Operations, Con Edison

In a workshop on using the newspaper to develop skills, Roz Eskenazi, a consultant to The New York Times Knowledge Network, shared tips and examples of exciting and effective ways to incorporate daily papers into the curriculum. The newspaper is “a living textbook,” she explained, “that addresses things in a child’s world.” It can be used to develop vocabulary, comprehension, and analytical skills. A newspaper has no reading level; each writer has his or her own style and a teacher has “to know her own kids” and determine what is usable. Generally, students can benefit from newspapers from grades 5 or 6 on. As one workshop participant suggested, “If the article is difficult, the reach can be good. It may stretch the mind.” The teacher should filter stories and information for appropriateness. News journals offer well-written, well-edited English. Many papers note mistakes in a “corrections” section, setting a good example.

Some specific classroom uses of the newspaper include: photos as prompts for creative writing, research projects based on news stories, differentiating fact from opinion in editorials and advertisements, identifying new words, analyzing political ads, developing a science vocabulary, distinguishing domestic from international news, and using news summaries and briefs to teach succinct writing. Fun and fruitful projects might include a scavenger hunt in which students look in the paper for such things as an unfamiliar name of a country, the e-mail address of an editor, an article illustrated by a map, a new word, the name of a reviewed book or movie, and the page that has the most information about money and the economy. A rich teaching tool is obituaries of important people. Obituaries tend to be more accurate and up-to-date than textbooks and contain history, biography, and unique perspectives. They may help children examine themselves and their place in the world. A useful writing and civics lesson might be selecting an article about an issue of concern, identifying a person or advocacy group in the article, and composing an opinion letter to be sent to that contact.

An enriching workshop on improving reading comprehension entitled “Becoming a Strategic Reader” was given by Dr. Eileen S. Marzola, Professor at Teachers College. Marzola provided instrumental assessment tools for diagnosing reading difficulties and provided research that confirmed that retention is significant through the use of teacher generated questions, but 20 percent higher when students generate their own questions.

The Reading Reform Foundation offers educators classes based on solid research, direct classroom training, an annual conference with workshops, and follow-up support. Sandra Priest Rose is a founding trustee and enthusiastic guiding force of the foundation.

Many thanks to Con Edison, represented by Philip Miller, the corporate sponsor of this great event.#

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