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Jonathan Johnson
Amy Schmer
EDUC 340
27 April 2014
Case Study
My time interacting with the students of Preston middle school, has taught me much in
regards to the statement All teachers are teachers of reading. Reading or literacy is the most
crucial element of a students educational experience and success. From Biology to Literature,
reading is the key cog of learning for every subject taught in and outside of school. As teachers
we must strive to arm our students with the tools of being a successful reader. A successful reader
who uses the text as a way of independently thinking or creating new connections. Successful
reader do not just solely Read on a superficial level or find ways to circumvent content literacy
tasks altogether (Pearson Custom Education 2011) However, reading now, is much different than
reading was in the past, as well as reading will be different in the future (Pearson Custom
Education 2011). Reading constantly evolves. And as it evolves, as teachers we must constantly
evolve our methods in helping teach the students how to critically read. From utilizing new and
interesting technology, to integrating current events to keep students intrigued. Therefore, based
off my experiences with the students in Mrs. Dudley and Mr. Walzs class as well as the readings
from class I now know, how all teachers regardless of content area are vessels of learning when it
comes to reading.
As I shuttled back and forth from an English class to a geography class, many things
differed. From the layout of the class, the posters on the wall, the subjects being taught, and
much more. However, one thing that didnt change was the importance of reading successfully in
the overall learning in both subjects. Both teachers implemented a variety of strategies in all of

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their lessons, wither it be a writing tool such as quick writing in Dudleys class, using the net
books in Walzs, or using the smart boards. All of these strategies, forced the students to look at
the text in different ways. Forcing them to think, react, and talk about what they read. All things
that drastically improve a students reading skills (Pearson Custom Education 2011). What struck
me most was how even though the lesson plan was focused on a subject pertaining to their
overall studies, all of their lessons implemented strategies that were designed to improve
students reading levels. The strategies were just flawlessly interwoven into the plan. Take for
example, Mrs. Dudley bringing the class together to read aloud a piece of text on the smart
board, while at the same time having the students write about the text on the smart board. It was
mind-blowing! The students were engaged and learning at the same time! A double whammy!
Through my interactions with the students I found out firsthand how crucial a solid
reading skill set was for students trying to tackle new concepts, particularly in English and
Geography. In one of my early sessions with a student in Dudleys .class I experienced a student
that either just did not like reading or was embarrassed with his reading skills. I discovered this
out during a popcorn reading session about an article about Disney getting rid of junk food on
their channels. This particular student when pop corned read one sentence slowly, then pop
corned quickly to another person. After this occurrence several time I became concerned. But I
didnt want to ask him/her why, so as I could avoid him/her any embarrassment. I didnt know if
any other extremities were affecting him/her that could be distracting him so I didnt press
him/her to read aloud. Not surprisingly, when it came to discussing the questions with the group
the student kept to himself/herself and didnt contribute at all. He/she wrote down the answers
that were talked about but, I had a suspicion that he/she didnt really understand or know what
was being talked about in the text. It could have been reading affiliated. Or personal issues. Im

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not sure. I do know for sure that it negatively affected him in a very strong way, and I shudder to
think what would have happened if this lesson had been much more important (Not that all
lessons arent important!). Would he/she have gotten the meaning of the text? Or just sit in
silence and slowly slip behind the rest of the class? Sadly, we both know what the probable
outcome would have been.
Thankfully, not all of my experiences with the students were this sobering. In fact, a vast
majority of my time with students was actually very fun and entertaining watching them learn.
One moment that I can distinctly remember was in Mr. Wahlz class, where I introduced my
group to the strategy of Raft Writing. At first they were skeptical, but as I explained it more in
depth, I could see their minds racing with ideas. Johnny, Launa, and Sauna, were all given the
task of writing a journal entry from the perspective of either an Israeli or a Palestinian during the
Arab-Israel conflict. First, all three of them were assigned pages from a textbook about the
conflict to read. I gave them the option of either popcorn reading or silent reading, and not
surprisingly they all picked popcorn reading. My personal favorite as a child I must confess,
but I digress. All three of them seemed to be very strong readers, and the popcorn reading went
off without a hitch. After we all finished, I gave all three of them I gave them about seven
minutes to write, and the end result was astonishing. All three of them personally invested in
their stances. I could see how they were creating personal connections with what they just read,
and it was amazing. What really surprised me was how the journal entry wasnt just emotional,
they also included concrete details about the conflict. Like dates, terms, and information like
that.
As a history major, my content is very reading and lecture based so having literary
strategies that peak students interests and keep students personally connected in the subject

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matter. To start, I could easily implement the strategy of the verbal visual model in teaching
students about various terms in history. I would have to revise the model; in place of definition I
could have the students talk about the significance of a term. The verbal visual model, could be
used in two ways, assessing prior knowledge or a way to assess the students as well. For example
I could have the students do a verbal visual on the gold standard. The students would then draw a
picture of the gold standard, the significance of the term, and how the term could applied to the
economy or world today. This creates a personal connection to the text. So as to help the
students long term memory as well as comprehension. Either this model could be done
individually or in a group of students, and can be presented to the class or kept as a reference, the
possibilities are endless.
Another excellent strategy that would I could apply in my content area would be the after
reading (Give one/get one). This strategy would be absolutely fantastic in for students to use
after reading as a way to assess students knowledge and also a way to build connections
between students in the class. After reading an expert on the Civil War, the students would have a
series of questions that they would have to answer. These questions would range from
Something that they learned about while reading Any possible questions that they might
have Something that peaked your interest How does this relate to the world or any question
like that. These questions would force the students to re-read and re think the text helping the
connection between text and student grow. Now, once the questions are answered by the student,
the real fun begins. All of the students are to now switch assignments with other kids in the class,
so that they can write their own personal thoughts or ideas on the civil war as well, or they could
write thoughts and ideas on the original students thoughts. We could allow the students to work
with people they know, or even switch it up and bit and randomly pair students to grow the

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community between the students. Granted, this assignment would require a highly respectful
classroom environment where all of the students ideas and thoughts were respected by their
peers and the teacher.
Another excellent strategy that I could use in my content area is summarizing (Something
is an absolute must for history). For as we both know, history is content area where the extent of
the content could be almost overwhelming. History is constantly being created and always being
unearthed. So summarizing, is essential for early readers and writers as it forces them to sift
through all of the facts. While some facts might be interesting, they might not be all that
important to the overall idea of the text. Therefore they should not be given the time for absolute
memorization or absolute relevance. A strategy therefore is needed that forces the students to use
as little words as possible to summarize the text. This summarizing strategy or the 2.00
summarizing forces writers to get to the point, by putting a word limit on the text. This can be
done by assigning each word a numerical value. Some words such as a, the, and, or, and etc. are
free for the writers to use. While the key terms and words cost 5 cents or 10 cents depending on
the teachers discretion. A good example of this would be having the students read a piece of text
about the civil rights era; and then give the students 3.00$ to write the summary, giving them the
words civil, rights, era, African American, and filler words for free.
One more strategy that I could use in my content area would be Raft writing. Now, this
strategy is one of my personal favorites, for it allows the creative or free thinking students to
connect to the text as well as allows me to use the creative side of my brain (a side that sadly,
sometimes gets neglected). Raft writing allows students to personally get inside a character,
basically becoming a carbon copy of a person. Students must write from the point of view of the
character, making them react in ways that would be credible in any certain situation. Take for

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example having the students write about the Cold war from the perspective of an elementary
school student in America. The students could write about the duck and cover practices. Such as
the fallout shelters, the stirring frenzy of patriotism, and how the Russians were so negatively
perceived. I personally feel like this strategy would be an important part of my teaching
strategies for, sadly many students feel disconnected and uninterested in history. This exercise
allows students to experience first-hand events in history. By personally investing themselves in
the character the students can hopefully feel the emotions coursing the elementary school
students minds and bodies as they write first hand from their perspective. Next, this strategy
doesnt have to solely by writing. In an effort to implement technology and movement or drama,
the students could be given a free reign (by the teachers permission of course) in their ways to
show that they know about the topic. By means of a skit, a podcast, a song, a rap, and so much
more; the possibilities are endless and hopefully this creates excitement and a yearn for learning
for the students.
The last model that I will talk about using in my content area (Though I will definitely
use so much more) would be the quick write strategy. Much like the raft writing strategy, this
strategy will incorporate creativity into the lecture. I could use the quick write in a variety of
ways. As a way to activate prior knowledge about the subject, a way to informally assess the
knowledge of a student about a topic, or just for a nice way to transition into another subject. To
start, before giving the students a lecture or a textbook reading about the Revolutionary war, I
could make the students write for about three minutes on any knowledge they might know about
the Revolutionary war. If the students dont know anything about the revolutionary war, then
they could write about what they would like to know, or what they think they might know, or just
write. Also, I could use this for a way to informally asses the students retention of the topic by

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having them write after they all had finished reading or after I had finished lecturing or at the end
of the subject. This could be done at the end of the class, and later that day I could read all of the
quick writes and see what topics need to be re taught.
My experiences with both the lecture side of Educ 340 as well as interacting with
students as really enhanced my understanding about education as a whole, as well as what the
term All teachers are teachers of reading. Reading and literacy is the core of all academic
success as teachers we must strive to have each and every student achieve a high literacy and
high reading skill so they can personally succeed in academics and life. Through my personal
experiences and observations I saw first-hand how important reading is, and as a hopeful future
teacher I plan on making sure my students not only grow content wise, but also reading wise.

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Works Cited
Pearson Custom Education: EDUC 340 Literacy & the Learner (2011)