1. What are the hocked gems? The hocked gems are goods that have been stolen by the hero. He sold, or hocked, them in order to gain funds to finance whatever operation he is running.
2. What should we think of as an egg and not a table? This is tricky. I believe that this is referring to the goods our hero is trying to dispose of. An egg, in this case, is referring to a new life. By disposing of the table, the hero is providing the three sisters with a path to a new life.
3. Who are the three sturdy sisters? They are the buyers of the table. The authenticity of the table is in question. The sisters know what characteristic would make the table unique and important. Their journey through “vast calmness, and sometimes over turbulent peaks and valleys,” is their emotional turmoil while searching for the identifying characteristic.
4. What kind of winged creatures appeared? In many cases, angels blowing trumpets signify the end of a quest (a satisfactory ending). In this case, the three sisters found what they were looking for and were both relieved and excited.
In order for the students to use this passage, I believe the most
important schema to activate would be schematic context and situational,
pragmatic context. I think that this is
a passage geared more towards older children, and as such they would have seen
or heard many of these words in different contexts. They would need to draw on these experiences
in order to interpret the passage correctly.
While some of these words may be unfamiliar to students, understanding
and using the context of the paragraph would help in answering any
comprehension questions about the passage.
To help children in a case where their schema and the text’s
content don’t match, I would discuss this with them. Try to get the students to recreate the
passage in a context that they would understand. While doing so, I would have a dictionary
handy to aid in the students’ understanding.
Another way is to recommend activities outside the classroom. Many of the concepts in the passage above can
be learned by reading more advanced books.
As children’s reading abilities grow, the range of books for them to
read will grow ever wider and the subject matter expands exponentially.
A student needs to devote a good bit of time on a text that
doesn’t match their interests or schema.
In a testing environment, the student needs to take the time necessary
to determine whether or not they can answer the questions given their
schema. If not, they need to make an
educated guess and move on. In a normal
reading environment (book), the student should take the time to expand their
knowledge. The more you know about more
things, the more interesting life is.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteYou made a very good point when you stated that students need to devote a good bit of time on a text that doesn't match their schema. When I answered these questions, I was thinking that the students shouldn't waste their time. If their schema is not aligned with what the particular passage calls for, then they more than likely will not understand what they are reading and need to find something else.
However, I like how you put this situation into a testing environment. Students are given passages they must read on a test, that regardless their schema, must attend to. With this perspective being used, I completely agree that students need to spend a decent amount of time working with a passage that does not necessarily match their schema. Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI too think that you made an excellent point about students devoting a certain amount of time to books that may not match their schemas. I think that as young readers develop, it is our jobs as teachers to surround them with a broad reading spectrum. I think that once they explore new types of genres and develop new schemas they may decide they are interested in new books after all. All learners test and feel out new situations to decide if it is indeed worthwhile. I love how you refer to his as the "testing environment". That is a great way to look at the reading process.
Katie, I see how you said that students shouldn't waste their time. I would hate for them to pick up a book and know nothing about it. They may easily get frustrated or become disengaged readers. This is where I believe teachers come into the picture. I think as our readers develop we should be there to offer guidance. We should go through the processes of how to find what you are interested in. Then teach them how to select books on their instructional reading levels and the necessary steps good readers use while reading. I think that with our guidance of teaching them to explore and pick out good books they will also evolve into life long readers.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your interpretation of the passage! I too believe that it is important for students to spend a good amount of time reading outside of their normal schema. How could a child learn if he is only reading texts relatable to his schema? The more a child reads, the more he learns because new schemas are developed throughout the process. However, I do become concerned with testing situations in which students don't have schemas that relate to what is being assessed. In my post, I used an example: A student just recently moved from Montana to New York. On a test, there is a text talking about taking the subway to school. The student from Montana has maybe never ridden a subway or even seen a movie with a scene similar to a person riding a subway, so they have not developed a schema for that particular situation. As an educator, I'm just not sure where to "draw the line" because I recognize that the child eventually has to be assessed and not every student has the exact same schemas.
I'm glad that you agree that students should spend a decent amount of time reading stories outside their schema. When it comes to our standardized tests the passages aren't always going to relate to each child's schema and if students haven't spent time reading outside their comfort zone how are they supposed to do it then? I too had a different interpretation of the passage than many other people in our class and I think that proves that everyone is coming from a different place, so allowing students to interpret short passages from their schema and sharing with their peers can be very enlightening. I love how you ended your reflection and I completely agree!
ReplyDelete