Module 2: Activity 1 and 2

 Activity 1:

Complete Exercise #3c on page 58 in the text: first write a definition of each word listed. Did you notice yourself using any fairly consistent principle for determining what the words might mean? Discuss. Then read the first chapter of A Clockwork Orange to find the meanings of at least six of the words: http://www.ebooktrove.com/top_ten/AClockworkOrange.pdf. In each case, how do you finally determine what the word means? Combine this assignment with Activity 2 in this module. Create a blog post.

Definitions: Prior to reading, I tried my best to determine the meaning of these unknown words, which was not an easy task. I used my knowledge of word ending, parts of speech, and relationship between other words. I thought maybe the words were misspelled initially. This first part of the activity was a challenge in just trying to determine meaning from words I was unfamiliar with. I can see how student feel when faced with challenging words in isolation.

Definitions prior to reading            

Creech-approach

Droogs-animal or dog

Glazzies-describing eyes

Goloss-to miss something

Malenky-little or small

Messel-sickness

Millicent-some sort of currency (money)

Poogly-describes the appearance

Razrez-

Skorry-apologize

Spatted-fighting

Zoobies-bugs 

Definitions after reading     

Creech-?

Droogs-friends

Glazzies- ?

Goloss- voice/music/noise

Malenky-little

Messel-

Millicent- officers of the law

Poogly- scared

Razrez-tear/destroy

Skorry- ?

Spatted-?

Zoobies-?

 After reading the selected chapter from A Clockwork Orange, I was able to find meaning in some of the words, but not all. This was a challenging task to complete. The words were used multiple times in the text and in different contexts. This allowed me to figure the words meaning. As I was reading, I would substitute the meaning I believed the word to mean, and the sentence seemed to make sense. I was able to use the context clues around the unknown words, which included the sentences prior and after to determining meaning. This helped define the words and allow me to understand it’s meaning in context to the text.

                         

 

Activity 2:

Read Exercise 7 on p. 85 and rather than showing it to an audience, complete the exercise yourself. Answer the questions, including the two at the top of p. 86.  

1.      Who tried to read the words letter-by-letter? Why not?

I did not try to sound the words out letter-by-letter because I teach my students that letter and sounds have relationship the letters within the word. Sounding words out letter-by-letter causes a problem when trying to blend the sound together. It’s important to chunk and break words down when sounding them out.

 

2.      Who tried to read the words mostly by chinking them into syllables?

I used the strategies of “chunking” to assist me in sounding the words out. I also used the pronunciation next to the word to assist me in the task of sounding the words out. I felt using the both strategies helped with sounding out and reading the words.

 

3.      Who tried to read the words by sampling the letters more or less all at once? My main strategiy was the use of the pronunciation key and “chunking”. I did not read the words by sampling the letters.

 

4.      What words do you know the meaning, or think you know the meaning of? To be honest, I don’t know the meaning of any of these words. However, I can make connections to words that are similar, but it doesn’t provide the actual meaning of the words in question. When looking at the word extravasate, I automatically think of extravagant, mostly due to the word beginning -“extra.” I do know the meaning of extra (added to or over and above) which might provide insight in determining the word meaning.

 

5.      Did pronouncing the words give you insight into their meaning?

The pronunciation key provided valuable insight in how to sound the words out. Although, it was a good strategy to determine the correct way to pronounce a word, it didn’t help me in determining the meaning of the words.

 

6.      How do you handle unknown words when you encounter them in normal reading?

As I’m reading, I use context clues in the reading selection to help determine the meaning of unknown words. I find it is helpful when determining unfamiliar words. As I’m reading I tend to use sentences before and after to help give clarity and meaning to the words. This strategy typically works for me when determining the meaning of words I may not understand. If this doesn’t work, I use my post-it notes to jot down the unknown words or question I might have in relation to the word. This allows me to remember words I need to look up to find meaning in order to understand the text successfully.

 

7.      What do you think are the implications of this experiment and discussion for how we should help students deal with unfamiliar print words?

This activity reinforced that reading is not about reading words in isolation. But it’s about reading words in context to understand a story. I can read a list of words and find no meaning behind them. If I was given a reading passage with those words, I would be able to use context clues to help determine word meaning. As teachers, our instruction should not just be on learning to read unfamiliar words, but how can I find meaning of unknown words when I’m reading.