Summary

A classroom of unruly students treat their caring and lovely teacher with complete disrespect. They throw spitballs during story-time and refuse to sit in their seats during math. They take advantage of their teacher's good nature until she disappears and they are faced with a vile substitute. Near her wits' end, Miss Nelson doesn't come to school one day. Instead, the kids have a vile substitute--the nasty Viola Swamp--who loads the boys and girls with homework and never gives them a story hour. By the time Miss Nelson finally returns, the children are so grateful they behave well. But now Viola Swamp is missing.....

Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion

by Taryn Hargrove

Miss Nelson is Missing discusses many philosophical themes which include identity, repect, fear, power, and deception. The question sets encourage children to explore: what is respect and who deserves respect; what is fear and what are we afraid of; what is it to have power and do people need power; and whether it is ok to deceive. In the story, the teacher, Miss Nelson, has trouble controlling her classroom. To get the children to behave she disguises herself and comes in as a strict substitute teacher. The students do not misbehave in the presence of the substitute. When Miss Nelson returns back to the classroom the children are so thankful for having her back and they behave in a positive manner.

Respect is one of the first themes mentioned in the story. Respect is of great importance in everyday life. As children we are taught to respect teachers, parents, elders, school rules, family and cultural traditions, and other people's feelings and rights. It is hard to specify what respect is. These questions help students to explore what is involved in respecting others and oneself. The discussion will bring up the issue of whether we respect someone because of their title or position. Do we respect people like our teachers because we are told to even if how we were brought up does not agree with their actions or beliefs? These questions also ask if showing respect just means doing the appropriate action or if intent must be known to determine if an action is respectful (this ties into the fear question). They also bring up the issue if respect is a right or an honor.

Fear is another theme in the story. The children are encouraged to discuss what they are afraid of and why, and also how they are able to overcome that fear. Discussing the theme of fear among children may lead to an interesting conversation about whether one action done out of fear is different than doing the same action out of respect. Do children respect who they are told to respect because they are afraid of what will happen if they are disrespectful? Iis it still respect if the behavior is out of fear? The discussion will also include whether or not we can tell if someone is afraid by their appearance and actions. Some children may say that if you are afraid it will always show on the outside and some may say that you can be afraid in the inside and not show it. Some may also say that because you have a reaction to an event your body reacts to the event and causes you to be afraid. This may lead to whether our physical response causes fear or if fear causes our physical response. Is it is better to show that you are afraid or not to show that you are afraid? If you don't show that you are afraid are you still afraid? Is it ok to use one's fear to achieve a good end? Does the end justify the means?

Power is a theme mentioned in the story. Miss Nelson loses control of her class and, therefore, does not have any power over the children. The questions will engage the children in a discussion concerning the meaning of power, whether we need power, and how do you gain and lose power. Power can be given to us and can also be taken away. This topic also asks if we have control over any power that we have and if it is ever better to let others have power over you. Children are always asked to give the power they have to grown ups and it is important to ask them why that is happening. Can power ever be achieved if those that are under it truly don't want it? Do we have power because we are respected? Discussing these questions will give the students some understanding of what it is to have power. The last two themes of identity and deception somewhat tie together in the story. Miss Nelson changes her identity and deceives the children. Identity also ties in with the previous themes of respect and power. Do people change who they are to gain acceptance, respect, and power? Can we change our identity and be the same person or are we different? What defines our identity? Are there essential parts that makes us who we are? If you change everything about yourself are you the same or a new person? Identity ties into deception because Miss Nelson tricks her children into believing something. Is this the same as deception? For example, what if a friend lied to you for your own good? Is it ever ok to not tell the truth or trick someone? Is a trick the same as lying?

Miss Nelson in Missing!

by James

Marshall and Harry Allard

Questions for Philosophical Discussion

Taryn Hargrove

____________________________________________________
The Nature of Respect

The students in Miss Nelson's class did not respect her.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

How did the students act towards Ms. Swamp? What is it to have respect for someone? How do you know someone deserves respect? Can you respect yourself? Does obedience for an elder show respect? What types of people are usually disrespected? What actions display respect? Why did the students respect Ms. Swamp and not Ms. Nelson?

The Meaning of Fear

The children in Miss Nelson's class feared Ms. Swamp.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Did the children respect Ms. Swamp because they were afraid of her? Why did Ms. Nelson's class fear Ms. Swamp? Would you be afraid of Ms. Swamp? Is fear different from respect? Are you more obedient to someone you fear? What are we afraid of? How do you know someone is afraid? Can someone be afraid and not show any signs of being afraid? Is it better to show that you are afraid or not to show that you are afraid?

The Meaning of Power Ms. Nelson has very little power over her students.
1. Did Miss Nelson loose power over the class because the children did not fear her? 2. What is it to have power? 3. Do people need power? 4. If someone has power, do you need to respect them? 5. If you have power, does that mean you are respected? 6. Do we need people to have power? 7. How do you gain power? 8. How do you lose power? 9. How does it feel to be powerless? 10. How does it feel to be powerful?

The Idea of Identity

Ms. Nelson changes her identity and comes in as Ms. Swamp.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Would you change who you are to gain more acceptance or respect? Is Ms. Nelson still the same person after she changes her identity? Does someone's identity define who they are? What defines a person? What is your identity?

6. Is someone the same person if they alter/change their identity?

The Meaning of Deception

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Does Ms. Nelson deceive her class by changing her identity? Is it okay to lie? Is it okay to lie if it is for a good cause? Is tricking someone into believing something the same as lying? How would you feel if your best friend lied to you but it was for your own good?

Miss Viola Swamp" is styled as "the meanest substitute teacher in the whole world", in three children's picture books by Harry Allard and James Marshall, entitled Miss Nelson is Missing!, Miss Nelson is Back, and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.

Miss Nelson is Missing!

Miss Nelson is a grade-school teacher whose students constantly take advantage of her nice nature. After an especially rowdy day in Miss Nelson's class, her students discover that she is not coming to school the next day. "Now we can really act up," yells one of the students (Allard, 8). However, before they get the chance to make mischief, a substitute, Miss Viola Swamp, shows up. Swamp is a strict disciplinarian and gives the students significantly more school work than Miss Nelson ever did. The contrast between the two teachers is so great that the students actively go looking for Miss Nelson and make unlikely conjectures about what may have happened to her. After many days of tyranny under Miss Swamp, Miss Nelson returns to class and the children rejoice. At the end of the book, it is implied that Miss Viola Swamp was Miss Nelson in disguise.

Miss Nelson is Back

After Miss Nelson informs the class that she will be absent for a week, the class fears that they will again have Miss Viola Swamp as their substitute. Their fears are momentarily relieved when Mr. Blandsworth, the school principal, substitutes. However, Mr. Blandsworth gives extremely boring lectures and so the students plan a scheme to disguise themselves as Miss Nelson in an attempt to lead Mr. Blandsworth into thinking that his services as a substitute teacher are no longer necessary. This works in the morning, however after Miss Nelson finds out about the scheme, the "real" Miss Viola Swamp substitutes for her class the next day. Once order is reestablished by Miss Swamp, Miss Nelson returns to class.

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day

The Horace B Smedley School football team, the Smedley Tornadoes, "hadn't won a game all year. They hadn't scored even a single point" (Allard, 6-7). When Miss Nelson overhears some of her students complain about the team at Lulu's ice cream parlor, she and Mr. Blandsworth say "HMMM". The next day Blandsworth dresses up as a witch saying he's Miss Viola Swamp, but everybody doesn't fall for it and Blandsworth says "Oh Rats! How can they tell?" But then Coach Swamp comes back and tortures the team. Coach Swamp applies her trademark discipline to the team and they start getting better. At the end of the story, the Tornadoes beat the opposing team "seventy-seven to three." But then at the very end it is revealed that Miss Nelson's sister actually was Coach Swamp in disguise (or, alternatively, her sister was posing as Miss Nelson while Miss Nelson posed as Coach Swamp).

Definition: A flat character is a minor character in a work of fiction who does not undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story. Also referred to as "two-dimensional characters" or "static characters," flat characters play a supporting role to the main character, who as a rule should be round.

http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/CLit/study_elements.htm

The Elements of Literature

Characters Conflict Setting Theme Narrative Point of View Style Plot Tone

*Story Example: Goldilocks and the three bears (video, interactive book)

Characters
1) Types of Characters:

Protagonist (hero): the central figure with whom we usually sympathize or identify Antagonist (villain): the figure who opposes the protagonist and creates the conflict Foil Character: the figure whose personality traits are the opposite of the main characters. This is a supporting character and usually made to shine the protagonist.

2) The ways characters are portrayed:

Flat Characters (stock, static characters or stereotypes): they have no depth and no change; we only see one side or aspect of them. Most supporting characters are portrayed in this way, for example, a strict teacher, a helpful policeman, and an evil stepmother.

Round Characters (dynamic character): they have more fully developed personalities. We expect the protagonists and antagonists to be rounded individuals who express a range of emotion and change throughout the narrative, usually toward greater maturity.

3) The ways characters are revealed:

What the narrator says about the character What the other characters say about the character What the character says about himself or herself What the character actually does

Setting

1) The setting refers to the time, the geographical locations, and the general environment and circumstances that prevail in a narrative. The setting helps to establish the mood of a story. 2) Two types of setting:

Integral Setting: the setting is fully described in both time and place, usually found in historical fiction.

Backdrop Setting: the setting is vague and general, which helps to convey a universal, timeless tale. This type of setting is often found in folktales and simply sets the stage and the mood. For example, "long ago in a cottage in the deep woods" and "once upon a time there was a great land that had an Emperor."

Narrative Point of View

Internal Narrator (First-person Narrator; the narrator uses "I" to refer to himself/herself): the narrator is a character in the story, often, but not necessarily, the protagonist. This narrative point of view allows for a very personal touch in the story telling.

Omniscient Narrator (multiple points of view; the narrator is "all-knowing"): the narrator is not a character in the story but knows everything about the story. The omniscient narrator can show the thoughts and experiences of any character in the story. It permits the writer the broadest scope.

Limited Narrator (External Subjective Narrator; the 3rd person point of view): the narrator is not a character in the story but looks at things only through the eyes of a single character. This type of narrative permits the narrator to quickly build a close bond between the protagonist and the reader, without being confined by the protagonists educational or language restrictions.

Plot
1) The plot of a story is a series of interconnected events in which every occurrence has a specific purpose. A plot is all about establishing connections, suggesting causes, and showing relationships. 2) Four types of plot structure:

A Dramatic or Progressive Plot: This is a chronological structure which first establishes the setting and conflict, then follows the rising action through to a climax (the peak of the action and turning point), and concludes with a denouement (a wrapping up of loose ends).

An Episodic Plot: This is also a chronological structure, but it consists of a series of loosely related incidents, usually of chapter length, tied together by a common theme and/or characters. Episodic plots work best when the writer wishes to explore the personalities of the characters, the nature of their existence, and the flavor of an era.

A Parallel Plot: The writer weaves two or more dramatic plots that are usually linked by a common character and a similar theme. A Flashback: This structure conveys information about events that occurred earlier. It permits authors to begin the story in the midst of the action but later fill in the background for full understanding of the present events. Flashbacks can occur more than once and in different parts of a story.

Conflict
1) Common types of conflicts:

The Protagonist against Another The Protagonist against Society The Protagonist against Nature The Protagonist against Self

2) A single story may contain more than one type of conflict, although one often predominates. The conflict provides the excitement and makes possible the growth and development of the protagonists character.

Theme
1) The theme is the main, underlying idea of a piece of literature. It is woven subtly into the fabric of the story rather than being lectured or preached by the author. 2) Among the frequently found thematic issues in childrens literature are the problems of growing up and maturing, such as adjustment to society, love and friendship, achieving ones identity, and finding one's place in the world.

Style

1) Word Choice 2) Sentence Length and Construction

Short sentences best convey suspense, tension, and swift action. Longer sentences work best when explanations and descriptions are needed. Prose has rhythm just as poetry does. Its rhythm can be produced by the juxtaposition of sounds, the use of repetition with a slight variation of patterns, and the varied length of sentences.

3) Exposition: the narrators passages that provide background information and/or introduce characters to help readers understand the events of a story. Children prefer a balance between exposition and dialogue. 4) Dialogue: the words spoken by the characters, usually to each other, not to the reader. Children especially enjoy dialogue as a realistic and convincing way of defining character.

Tone
1) Tone refers to the authors mood and manner of expression in a work of literature. The tone can be serious, didactic, humorous, satirical, caustic/sarcastic, passionate, sensitive, sentimental, zealous, indifferent, poignant, warm, agitated, and so on. 2) Humor:

Incongruity is the foundation of humor. We laugh at the tension resulting from something out of the ordinary.

Humor is elusive. Humor tends to be age specific. Humor can be either sympathetic or negative. One prerequisite is that the victim must seem to deserve the fate or the harm must not be critical.

Ten Types of humor most common in childrens books (Kappas, 1967):

Exaggeration Incongruity

Surprise Slapstick Absurdity Situational humor Ridicule/satire Defiance Violence Verbal Humor: word play, name-calling, jokes and puns, malapropisms (the unintentional misuse of language), or the misinterpretation of language.

3) Parody:

A parody is a literary imitation of another piece of literature, usually using exaggeration for comic purpose.

A parody implies a degree of sophistication that deconstructs the original story and depicts the characters from a different perspective.

Parodies can demonstrate the vitality of literature and can suggest new ways of interpreting old tales.

4) Condescending tones:

Condescending tones are inappropriate for children's stories, placing the adult narrator in a superior position.

For examples, a moralizing, didactic, sentimental, or cynical tone is not appreciated in children's literature nowadays.

Extension: Classroom Connection

Student Activities:
Try these activities with your students. Read-alouds. Choose a book that you think your students would enjoy, but that may be too difficult for them to read independently. Establish a regular time for reading and discussion. (Many teachers like to do this first thing in the morning or right after lunch as a way of easing the transition back to the classroom.) Think-alouds. Model this by choosing a book you havent read. Read some aloud, pausing to share your thinking with your students as you go. Pose questions, make connections, posit predictions. Demonstrate the ways you make meaning when reading literature. When you finish, ask students to discuss what they noticed you doing. (You may wish to record their observations on chart paper to post.) Use literature to support instruction in another subject area such as math, scien ce, or social studies. Ask your librarian to help you find appropriate titles.

Teacher as a Reflective Practitioner:

What classroom activities observed in this workshop program did you find particularly appealing? How might

your students respond if you incorporated them into your literature instruction? What support might they need to become successful?

Students can make personal connections with literary texts as well as use them to learn about worlds and experiences very different from their own. Talking about literature helps students enjoy and appreciate it more fully. Many envisionment-building teachers find ways to use literature when teaching subjects other than English/language arts. Students may need help learning ways to reflect on their reading and make connections with their own lives. Some students need help learning to make mental images from their reading. Often teachers can use their own experiences as readers as a guide when designing ways to help their students become more effective readers. Think-alouds model strategies for making meaning and allow students to integrate them into their own repertoires. Effective readers often begin with a plan, a purpose, or a goal before they start to read. Learning to choose the right book is an important aspect of being an effective reader. Effective readers like to discuss their literary experiences with others. Students in envisionment-building classrooms feel comfortable and trust that their views will be respectfully received. Teachers in envisionment-building classrooms recognize the importance of giving students choices about what they read

Workshop 1. Foundations Meet the eight teachers in the video programs and find out what kinds of literary experiences have had the most meaning for them. The group talks about how they have brought a love of literature to their students. Observe the teachers in their classrooms and see how this love of literature directly informs their work. In a think-aloud, the teachers demonstrate the habits and processes that successful readers employ. Go to this unit. Workshop 2. Looking at Literature The teachers in this video program talk about ways in which story affects their lives and the lives of their students. They move on to talk about selecting texts, considering age- and interest-appropriateness, text availability, and other issues. Classroom visits punctuate the discussion, showing practical ways to implement the suggestions the teachers discuss. Go to this unit. Workshop 3. Starting Classroom Conversations This session concentrates on the basics of good discussions: defining good questions, identifying those who should have an opportunity to ask questions, and explaining the goals

for this technique. Learn how teachers can make everyone feel comfortable contributing to a literary discussion and strategies for involving reluctant participants. Go to this unit. Workshop 4. Classroom Dialogues The teachers examine the various roles the teacher plays in class discussionsmaintaining a careful balance among leading, being a part of, and observing discussionas well as which topics are better discussed with the whole class and which are better for small groups. Additionally, they offer important suggestions for folding traditional elements of the language arts curriculum, such as identifying literary elements, into the ongoing class discussion. Go to this unit. Workshop 5. Using Art and Other Disciplines To Enrich Classroom Conversations Learn how the arts and other disciplines can enhance individual literary experiences for each student. Through classroom footage and group discussion, see how drama, drawing, and music add depth and dimension to literature, and offer students alternative ways of expressing their understandings of the text. The group also talks about various ways to encourage students as writers. Go to this unit. Workshop 6. Beginning the Year The kind of classroom that supports active and engaged readers begins with seeds sown in the first few days of the school year. The teachers share their thoughts on specific ways to set the tone for the year, setting goals as they begin, communicating these goals with their students, and tailoring literary experiences to meet students needs. Classroom visits on the first few days of school show some of their suggestions in action. Go to this unit. Workshop 7. Many Students: Many Voices and Abilities Each student has an individual perspective to share with the world. In this session, you will learn about ways to celebrate their uniqueness, providing an atmosphere in the classroom in which each student plays a respected and respectful role in conversations surrounding literature. You will see how background, reading levels, language acquisition levels, and other personal characteristics allow for the formulation of multiple perspectives that add significantly to a groups interaction with literature. Go to this unit. Workshop 8. Reacting to Students Work In this session, you will see various ways to evaluate students, use that information to influence strategies, and communicate expectations to students and families. This session also addresses high-stakes assessments, deciding when to assess and when to evaluate, and suggestions for helping students assess their own work and the work of their peers. Go to this unit. Workshop 9. The Professional Teacher In this video program, the teachers talk about the ways in which they nurture themselves as professionals: their mentors and heroes, their activities, and the ways they reach out to their peers as they all grow in their careers. Documentary-style footage showcases the myriad ways in which they maintain their professional edgelearning from their students as well as other professionals. Go to this unit.

Teaching Tips Fiction Nonfiction

Teaching Tips for Fiction Before Reading Help students understand that the illustrations can give information that will help them understand a story.

As a pre-reading strategy, allow students to transform their own existing background knowledge into drawings. This strategy also works well for nonfiction. Ask students to look closely at the pictures of a story before reading it and make a list of what they see. Tell them to look for ideas as well as things that appear in the pictures, such as the main problem, supporting details, and characters. Have students make connections from one illustration to the next to understand sequence and the progression of events in the story. Using an appropriate story, have students draw a picture of what happens in the story between one illustration and the next. Have students "take a walk" through the pictures and tell what they see as they go along. Ask them to describe orally for each picture what or who appears in the picture; what is happening; what messages, ideas, or feelings are being shown; and how the picture makes them feel toward the characters and about what's happening. Ask students to describe how the artist uses such techniques as symbols, color, contrast, placement (composition), and point of view to communicates ideas and feelings. Work with the art teacher to help students understand these concepts so they can use them to comprehend what they read. Facilitate a discussion using the questions from "Picture Analysis." Before reading a selection, have them visualize settings, time periods, and so forth. Give students specific key images or words to visualize. Suggest things for them to see in their minds. Have students pair up to describe to one another what they see in their mind's eye. Include a discussion of students' feelings and senses. Connect the imagery to students' personal experiences.

During Reading Help students make connections between the pictures and the text through visualizing while they are reading.

Have students find a location in the passage (page, paragraph, etc.) that is illustrated. Discuss how the words and illustration support each other. What written information is also shown in the picture? Are there things in the picture that are not written in the text? Why? Are there things that are written in the text that are not shown in the picture? Why not?

Ask students to read a portion of a story that is illustrated. Have them describe similarities and differences between the illustration and how they visualized this part of the passage. Select an illustration or illustrations from a story and ask students to write a sentence or two predicting what is likely to happen next. Then, have them read the story and write what actually does happen next in the story. Have them compare/contrast their predictions with what actually occurred. Discuss the clues they used to make their predictions. Then, have them play detective to find any clues they missed. Have students draw pictures as they read a chapter book to practice visual note taking. The pictures they draw can be literal representations or symbolic/conceptual pictures reflecting what they have read. When students go back to find information, they can use these visual cues to guide them to the appropriate place in the text.

After Reading Provide opportunities and instruction for expressing words in pictures and expressing pictures in words.

Have students pick out one or more main character(s) from the story and draw the character(s) using the descriptions from the story. Their drawings should reflect how the character acts and feels, as well as the character's physical appearance. To aid student understand of the story's setting, use the following questions to help them visualize and feel themselves in the setting. Then, ask them to express their interpretation of the setting using a medium of their choice.
o

What can I tell about the setting from the illustrations? Where does this story take place? In some make-believe place? In a place that looks familiar? In a city? In the country? In more than one place? When does the story take place? Long ago? Modern times? During what season(s) or time(s) of day? Does it appear to take place all in one day, over a few days, or longer than that? Why do I think so? Is there anything about the colors used in the illustrations that tells me where or when this story might take place?

Have students draw a picture of their favorite part of the story, an important scene in the story, the solution to the problem posed in the story, or a message from the story. Allow time for story painting after each chapter, letting students illustrate what they think are the key scenes or ideas in each chapter. To help them decide which scenes or ideas are most important, provide them with this guideline: If this story were to be made into a short movie, which scenes must be included for the story to make sense? Which scenes could be included for added interest, humor, et cetera? Then, compile the illustrations into a book, with class summaries of each scene. This activity will help students sort main ideas and events from supporting details.

Work closely with the art teacher to provide students with opportunities to learn creative thinking processes and artistic methods they can use to express their ideas. Have students practice communicating ideas to others visually. This process will help students understand how illustrators communicate their ideas to the reader. Assign students to read an entire passage without any pictures, and ask them to illustrate specific parts. As a class, review the drawings and discuss ideas students appear to have comprehended, as well as those they may have not comprehended adequately.

Teaching Tips for Nonfiction Help students use images and visual imagery to improve reading comprehension.

Select five to 10 pictures from a book the class will be reading. Choose some pictures that students would expect to see in the book, as well as others that may be less obvious.
o

Show students the pictures and ask them which ones they think would be in a book titled [title of book]. As a group, have students sort the pictures into three categories: in the book, not in the book, or not sure. Ask students to cite the reasons for their decisions. Have students read the book to confirm their choices. After reading, ask students to rearrange the pictures into the correct categories and discuss their reasons for moving them. A variation on this activity would be to select pictures from the book to be read and from other books.

o o

Prior to reading an informational book or passage, conduct a guided imagery activity about the topic to prepare students for the reading (see the "Guided Imagery" lesson plan). The purpose of this activity is to help students create their own mental images so they have a fuller understanding of the information. Have students draw pictures to improve their understanding of a report.
o

Ask students to draw a picture of what they already know about the topic to be studied. Have students form small groups to share their drawings and discuss similarities and differences in each other's drawings. Follow-up with a wholeclass discussion. Ask students to modify or make a new drawing based on what they read. Reconvene the small groups and ask students to compare and contrast their first and second drawings, focusing on what they learned that led them to

o o

make their changes. Encourage students to refer back to the reading assignment.

Assist students in using pictures to conceptualize ideas in a report. o Before reading, have students view pictures, charts, maps, and other graphics in the order they appear in the report.
o

As a class, discuss the global ideas shown in all the graphics and the relationships among them. Then, have students look at each individual graphic, read the caption, discuss its importance, and explain how it relates to the global idea.

Guide students to create and use Venn diagrams, charts, grids, or other graphic organizers to understand commonalities and differences between two related texts. o Select two related texts and create a list of words and phrases that convey important information from each one; that is, things you plan to compare and contrast.
o o

Have students read both texts. Ask students to make a Venn diagram representing both readings. Direct them use the list of words and phrases to fill in the center (similarities) first, and then complete the diagram with information that is unique for each selection.

Students can practice the visualizing strategy using the interactive student section of this Web site. Video program #4, Visualizing, introduces this strategy and provides examples of teacher modeling and questioning techniques for use with visualization lessons.

Activities for Non-Fiction Books

The following activities can be used with non-fiction books (see suggested titles below) in order to foster research skills in students of all grades.

Acting/Writing in Role
Step #1: Ask students to read a non-fiction book (see suggestions below) and take what they feel is important from the text. Ask them to highlight important action words, and note historical dates, titles and events. Step #2: Ask students to great a time line where they note dates chronologically, associate important events with above mentioned dates and choose a focus for their time line. Step #3: Have students choose an interesting individual to emulate through acting or writing in role. If students choose to act, encourage them to stage a scene in which them act in role

using costumes and props. If students choose to write, encourage them to write a letter or journal entry to express what they think the historical character might have said or felt.

Portfolio Assignment
Step #1: Have the students pick a topic, place or issue that is of interest to them. Step #2: Have the students write poetry, short stories, essays and dramatic skits about their topic. Step #3: Encourage the students to express themselves through visual arts. Step #4: Have the students assemble a portfolio of their written and artistic work.

Reading strategies

Before the 1980s, little comprehension instruction occurred in the United States (National Reading Panel, 2000)[citation needed]. Palinscar and Brown (1984)[citation needed] developed a technique called reciprocal teaching that taught students to predict, summarize, clarify, and ask questions for sections of a text. The technique had positive outcomes. Since then, the use of strategies like summarizing after each paragraph have come to be seen as effective strategies for building students' comprehension. The idea is that students will develop stronger reading comprehension skills on their own if the teacher gives them explicit mental tools for unpacking text (Pressley, 2006). There are a wide range of reading strategies suggested by reading programs and educators. The National Reading Panel identified positive effects only for a subset, particularly summarizing, asking questions, answering questions, comprehension monitoring, graphic organizers, and cooperative learning. The Panel also emphasized that a combination of strategies, as used in Reciprocal Teaching, can be effective. Today, most reading comprehension programs teach students explicit reading strategies using teacher direct instruction with additional student practice. Comprehension through discussion involves lessons that are "instructional conversations" that create higher-level thinking opportunities for students. The purpose of the discussions are to promote critical and aesthetic thinking about text and encourage full classroom involvement. According to Vivian Thayer, class discussions help students to generate ideas and new questions. (Goldenberg, p. 317) There are specific comprehension strategies that some teachers are now using in the classroom. A great resource for elementary teachers on these specific comprehension strategies is to go to the "Into the Book" website [1]. There you will find songs, book lists, posters, and activities to teach these specific strategies.

First, teach students about prior knowledge. On one of the posters from the Into the Book website, it explains that "Prior knowledge is using what you already know to help understand something new." To help students comprehend and learn from a specific reading material, they can access their prior knowledge on a subject to help them relate to the subject that they are learning at the moment. Making a connection is when a student can relate a passage to an experience, another book, or other facts about the world. Making connections will help students understand what the author's purpose is and what the story is about. You can use connections with any fiction or non-fiction text that you read. Questioning is another strategy that will greatly benefit a student. Dr. Neil Postman has said, "All our knowledge results from questions, which is another way of saying that question-asking is our most important intellectual tool" (Response to Intervention).[citation needed] There are several types of questions that a teacher should focus on: remembering; testing understanding; application or solving; invite synthesis or creating; and evaluation and judging. Teachers should model these types of questions through "thinkalouds" before, during, and after reading a text.[citation needed] Visualization is when a student can create a picture or movie in their mind while reading text. Use terms like "mental image" and asking sensory questions will help students become better visualizers. Another way of looking at visualization, is to think about bringing words to life.[citation needed] Into the Book's website explains that inferring means to "figure out what it really means from clues in the text." Inferring is difficult for students. For the younger students, one suggestion is to have your class become book detectives. Explain that detectives use what they already know along with using clues from the book to help "solve" the mystery.[citation needed] Summarizing is a comprehension strategy that also needs to be taught. Summarizing is not telling what is important about the text. A summary might include the answers to who, what, where, when, why, and how. You can not have students summarize any text that you are using the classroom.[citation needed] Evaluation is about making judgments on what you read and then explaining why you made those judgments (Into the Book). Some activities to help with evaluating can be as easy as having a small group book talk or having students rate a book. Evaluating non-fiction texts can be done by using a criteria checklist (i.e. table of contents, index, titles, headings, etc.) to help students rate a text.[citation needed] Synthesizing is putting the pieces together to see them in a new way (Into the Book). Students will take what they already know about a subject along with their reflections from the book to create their own interpretation and ideas about a certain text.[citation needed] Putting all of these "tools" together will give your students a toolbox of strategies to help them with reading comprehension. For more reading activities, you can check out these websites: Reading different types of texts requires the use of different reading strategies and approaches. Making reading an active, observable process can be very beneficial to struggling readers. A good reader interacts with the text in order to develop an understanding of the information before them. Some good reader strategies are predicting, connecting,

inferring, summarizing, analyzing and critiquing. There are many resources and activities educators and instructors of reading can use to help with reading strategies in specific content areas and disciplines. Some examples are graphic organizers, talking to the text, anticipation guides, double entry journals, interactive reading and note taking guides, chunking, and summarizing.
[edit] Professional development for students and small children

The National Reading Panel noted that comprehension strategy instruction is difficult for many teachers, particularly because they were not taught this way and because it is a very cognitively demanding task. They suggested that professional development can increase teachers' willingness to use reading strategies but admitted that much remains to be done in this area.[citation needed] The directed listening and thinking activity is a technique available to teachers to aid students in learning how to un-read and reading comprehension.