Quote: "Readers bring their background knowledge to every reading experience; in fact, they read a text differently depending on their prior experiences. Zimmermann and Hutchins (2003) explain that “the meaning you get from a piece is intertwined with the meaning you bring to it” (p.45). Readers think about the topic before they begin reading and call up relevant information and related vocabulary to use while reading. The more background knowledge and prior experiences readers have about a topic, the more likely they are to successfully comprehend what they’re read" (Tompkins).
Comment: I thought this was an interesting idea. When one student reads a story, they will have a completely different experience from a student with different background knowledge and experiences. This makes sense, but I have never thought about how it will affect my classroom. Usually I think about how background knowledge and prior experiences affect my scripture study. There have been many times in my life when I read a passage one day and get nothing out of it; I might read it a few weeks/months/years later, however, and have an extremely spiritual experience. Because I had different experiences in the time lapse, the same words meant something entirely different. Even though it won't be in spiritual sense in our classrooms, I think it is important for us to remember that different students will comprehend reading at different levels because each will walk into my classroom with a unique background full of unique experiences.
Question: What are some things we can do as teachers to make sure the reading we assign is valuable to all students, regardless of their backgrounds and prior experience?
I think that when we assign reading we need to previously assess each individual student's reading level and interests. Then we can suggest or assign books that will fit those students. I think that any reading that the elementary student is interested in can be valuable. We've talked about in class that some students like to read magazines about Pokemon or skateboards instead of books. I think this is great, and as long as they are reading the teacher should be satisfied. Of course this approach demands a knowledge of numerous and various books, an extensive classroom library and constant assessment of the student's reading level and interest, but we don't want to be teachers for the pay, so I think the time and effort is worth it when we see our students succeed in reading.
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