Catching Readers Before They Fall Chapter 4

                    In Chapter 4 of Catching Readers Before They Fall, the main idea is word-solving strategies. The author states that meaning, structure, and visuals are used to help students solve a word they don’t know (Johnson & Keier 53). I thought it was interesting when the author states that students usually don’t use these three strategies of learning words when they are beginning to read (Johnson & Keier 53). I think this is crucial information for a teacher to know. Teachers, like myself in the future, should teach beginning readers how to use all three of these strategies to help students with their readings. When discuss this topic in class, I plan on modeling the strategy for students multiple times. I, then, plan on having partners and/or groups try using the strategies. The partners/groups would work together to help solve an unknown word given the information the teacher modeled for the students. I would assess the students’ use of the skill from listening to conversations of students solving unknown words and watching to see if they have difficulty with solving unknown words. From there, I could let the skilled word solvers to practice using that skill on their own and I would work more with the students who are struggling. The plan I created for my classroom is an example of the gradual release of responsibility. To me, it is important that students learn strategies for solving unknown words and that they start to use multiple strategies for solving words they do not know. The text helped me realize that not all students know how to use word-solving strategies so it is my job to teach them.