Retelling Expository/Nonfiction!!

Hello Everyone!

I am a firm believer that when kids can see and touch their learning, whether it be math, reading, spelling, really anything, they will be able to grasp the concepts, take them to heart, and even use the concepts to extend the learning and apply it to other concepts more quickly and thoroughly. Introducing new learning through visual and tactile means builds relationships and connections. I see evidence of this every single day. This is the main reason I try to create anchor charts, reminder posters, charts, connections, etc, that are stimulating visually. That is also why, after introducing a new concept, kids have access to these visuals, and then set out to create their own through touch. Many people think that the connection activities I have my students do are nothing but fluff. I can see where that may be how it looks from someone who doesn’t see the whole process. The observation and stimulation of the thinking process, the recognition of relationships and connections, the interpretation and perception of new discoveries, and finally, the analysis and self-expression to show learning, must be taken in for anyone to understand what went into that “fluff.”

This week we have been working hard on retelling an expository/nonfiction text in order to show comprehension. We start off by comparing fiction and nonfiction text, and discovering those differences by looking at examples. Then I showed the kids some anchor posters to help them visually get the connections needed. And just like the retelling rings we made for narrative text, we made rings for expository. Some might consider this fluff, but the visual and tactile reminders of the components of the texts we read are invaluable to some …if not most kids!! The kids take both out while reading and manipulate the beads as they retell to reading partners. This is the kind of fluff I’ll support any day! Watch the whole process!