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:
(Please keep in mind I love to read and I teach first grade. HA!)
After reading this passage, I decided my schema of this passage was very similar to "Harry Potter". I found myself immediately comparing the items within the passage to mystical creatures and remedies. I then decided that the hocked gems would be precious or rare jewels. They were hypnotizing and taking over the hero.1. What are the hocked gems?
The gems should be thought as fragile, like an egg. They are delicate and should be handled with care. Tables are known to be thick and sturdy. It was the author's way of displaying gentleness.2. What should we think of as an egg and not a table?
The three sisters were the three wise women whom our hero had encountered. They helped him with guidance and led him through mountainous terrains, through oceans and valleys. They kept an eye on our hero, made sure he remained safe while on his journey.3. Who are the three sturdy sisters?
The winged creatures that appeared was Pegasus. The white coloring of Pegasus allows us to believe he are kind, and powerful. This was when our hero knew he had succeeded in the adventure and his job was finished. He felt the power and excitement after caring for the gems and magic bestowed within them. He felt a sense of accomplishment.4. What kind of winged creatures appeared?
If you were to use this passage with students, what schema would you need to activate with them first? How can you help teach children whose schema and the text’s content don’t match? How much time should children spend in texts that don’t match their interests or schema?
I would first start a discussion about heroes. I would let each of my students tell me everything they know about heroes and allow them to offer some examples. I would start with heroes because in the first grade all children have heard or have read about heroes, whether they are real or make believe. Then I would discuss "peaks and valleys". This maybe a little trickier, but I would go onto to explain how mountains have peaks and in between valleys there are valleys. Then we would go on to discuss, gems and the comparisons between tables and eggs. I would ask them what they thought about the winged creatures and what is means to be successful.
If the child's schema and the text do not match I will offer my own examples as well as examples from their peers. If this still did not work, I will read a book about a hero and allow them to give examples from the text that were similar to the new discussion at hand.
How much time children spend in books that don't match their interests or schema is a tough decision. I would say it really depends on the reader's experience. If it is a young learner, I would say to involve the child with a broad spectrum of reading materials in hopes to peak a variety of interest and to familiarize them with more concepts. However, if the reader is older and is not interested they should find what does interest them. You want reading to be fun and a lifelong skill. If they are uninterested or do not understand they may feel disengaged or unsuccessful.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI loved your interpretation of the passage! It was interesting to see where your imagination would take you, because mine was in a completely different direction with stolen gems and more of a crime/detective feel. It would be really neat to do an activity like this with students to see all the various stories a class could get from one single passage. However, if you were to take the passage in your direction then allowing the students to become interested through group discussions about heroes is a great way to get their minds reeling. Allowing peers to get involved with enhancing a child's schema is a great way to get students interacting with one another. They would definitely become involved and interested in the lesson.
I found your responses to the questions very interesting. I’m assuming you didn’t “Google” any lines from the passage like I did. Your responses are very creative, but make perfect sense, which makes me think you must have a great imagination. I bet that comes in handy while teaching your students. I noticed you teach first grade. I teach first grade now as well, and sometimes I wish I was able to use my imagination more creatively with my students.
ReplyDeleteI thought starting your class discussion with heroes in general instead of focusing on one specific person was a great idea. I would assume all or almost all children have some sort of schema about heroes. Once you activate that prior knowledge and get them brainstorming and learning from each other, you can start to teach new information about the topic. This would help make our teaching more understandable and meaningful.