Module 1 Instructional Challenge

Module 1 Instruction Challenge

 Hocked gems financing him, our hero defied the scornful laughter. Think of it as an egg, not a table, he said. Then three sturdy sisters sought proof, forging over vast calmness, and sometimes over turbulent peaks and valleys, until at last welcome winged creatures appeared, signifying monumental success.

 

Answer these questions about the passage:

 

1.      1. What are the hocked gems?

I picture hocked gems as being “something” valuable to a person that might have been taken and sold to supply money for the voyage of Christopher Columbus.

 2. What should we think of as an egg and not a table?

I read this short passage several times trying to gain more meaning with each additional reading. The first time I read this passage, I thought it had something to do with a voyage on the sea due to the line “forging over vast calmness, and sometimes over turbulent peaks and valleys.” To me this indicates a ship sailing over calm and rough seas to reach a destination. On my second reading, the line “Think of it as an egg, not a table” provided additional meaning to the passage. This line allowed me to make the connection to Columbus and his voyage. Columbus thought the world was round (egg) and not flat (table).

 3. Who are the three sturdy sisters?

 In my third reading, I realized the three sisters were the other ships Christopher Columbus took on his voyage. He took The Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria.

 4. What kind of winged creatures appeared?

I believe the winged creatures that appeared were birds to help Columbus know land was ahead. He used the birds as evidence that the world was in fact round, not flat. The birds would need some place to land after flying.  

If you were to use this passage with students, what schema would you need to activate with them first?

 If I were to use this passage with my students, I would first have to activate the student’s prior knowledge or schema on Christopher Columbus’ voyage to set the reading stage on this particular passage.

 

How can you help teach children whose schema and the text’s content don’t match?

I can see how this passage could be difficult to understand if a student didn’t have the appropriate schema in placed prior to reading this passage. This would be a great passage to read as a ending activity to close up a unit on Christopher Columbus. This would allow all students to have background knowledge of his voyage to understand the text as a whole. If students are still having difficulty understanding the text at the end of the unit, I would read the passage line by line explaining how it relates back to Columbus. Another activity I would try is to take the passage and write in in context the students would understand as it relates to Christopher Columbus. Using the re-written passage, I would have students match each line to original passage. This would allow for students to make some connections on their own, before a whole group discussion takes place.  
 

How much time should children spend in texts that don’t match their interests or schema?

      It doesn’t make any sense for me as a teacher to have my students read something that they are having so much trouble comprehending. As a teacher, I teach reading at my students level in order to teach comprehension skills that won’t cause them frustration or tears. It’s important for students to read passages on their independent level, when reading on their own, and instructional level when reading in a small group with the teacher. If it’s an activity that is to be completed whole group, I would probably pair up students to read the passage and allow for students to converse on what they read. If students are still having issues, I would offer context clues to help them access their schema to understand the text. I would also break down the passage line by line if any students continue to show difficult with understanding the text.