Abstract.
In this article you will find an useful activity we did the 25th of September of 2013 at Exploring Children's Literature in English subject
with Raquel Fernández teacher. In one hand, it's a good idea for
teachers because they know about students' reading experience, and
for students because it helps to have a general vision of your own
reading life. In the other hand, this activity is useful to share
students' personal opinions and experiences creating a confident
environment where you are not going to be judge.
It's
important to start with a warming-up activity using the technique
“think, pair and share”. Normally we share about our own ideas,
in this case not. We have to report about our classmates' experience.
The interview to our classmates consisted of three simple questions
about the time when he/she wasn't able to read, the book which he/she
read most in childhood and the most influential book along all
his/her life. Also it's important the language scaffolding in order
to answer the questions: “When I was a child...”, “As far as I
can remember...” and in order to share the classmate's answer:
“she/he said that...” or “she/he told me...”.
At
the end, our teacher showed us how to do a reading map. She explained
her own reading “life” while she was drawing a map on the
blackboard. Then using the technique that we like we have to create
our own reading map taking into account the model that Raquel showed
us. Sure you are thinking about what a reading map is, and sure you
can imagine it...
What
is a reading map? A graphic way to represent important events
referring to reading using graphic metaphors and other images to
represent different stages or other key moments. A tip to start is
to create a time line, think about some books that have influenced to
you and located them in the time line, or think about important
moments in your academic life like highschool, university,... and
located it in the time line then relate them with a book. It's a way
to represent your “reading life”.
Here
you can see my first sketch of my reading map, without drawings, just
the time line and the concrete books and life moments. In some days
I'm going to upload the final version of it. I hope it is going to be
useful for you to see the creation process.
Well done, María! You're analysing my lessons in terms of CLIL elements... Wow, I need to work harder now :) (kidding!) I'm really curious about your reading map. Let's see how the final version is :)
ResponderEliminarHi María. I totally agree with your comment due to many reasons. First of all, it is true that it is a good idea for teachers to learn about their students' experience in their childhood. On this way, students can show the books have had a great influence in their lives, even they could recommend some of them for partners or future pupils. Secondly, I also believe that students have to follow the structure “think, pair and share” before doing the reading map as a warming-up. Furthermore, I think it is very important to do different sketchers before doing the final one because we could forget some important books which have “travelled” around our life's path.
ResponderEliminarHello Maria!
ResponderEliminarI've just post something related with reading maps and now I see your post.
I like your analyse about the activity, because you divide and explain the task in all their aspects, in other words, a person that is not in our university can understand it. But maybe your post is too inpersonal, in order that you did not comment using your point of view about the activity, just expose information and I want to know what do you think about this task? do you think that it could be usefull in primary education?
PD:I totally forgot to comment in my post about the warning up activity to keep in touch with the correct expressions that we have to use =S
First of all, thanks for your comments Miguel and Sergio!
ResponderEliminarRelated to Miguel's point of view I think starting with this activity in order to share and recommend books could be a good idea, then it's a good starting point for a reading club. In this way, you can see the reading background of your partners and what are their likes and maybe find something in common!
What I have to say to Sergio is that sure you have stolen my article idea!! (hehehe) If you read between the lines of the Abstract part, you can see my own opinion. Well I don't want my opinion has much presence in the article, for this reason is very subtle. But if you want my opinion, the comments I think is a good place:
The activity is hard, even more if you don't have a good memory, like me :) I spent more time thinking than drawing. As Miguel says is necessary to do different sketches before to choose the final drawing, because you can remember and also change the drawing. I love talking about reading, watching films, and listening to music, then for me the previous activity is crucial to motivate and to make students "want to share".In the other hand, also if you are not good drawing you can choose other ways to share your reading life like dancing, acting, what comes to your mind!
According to your question about Primary Education, in my opinion is fantastic for discovering what a time line is and this concept can be used in other subjects. And they relate reading, with time and memory, relating literature with something that leaves even time pasts.
And that's all! :)