Literacy instruction has left the English Lit. classroom and made its way down the hall into all other subject areas. We know literacy instruction is most successful when embedded in interesting content rather than in stand-alone lessons. Regardless of whether you see yourself as a literacy instructor, you are one. The kids depend on you for it, administration expects it of you and Common Core demands you embrace it.
That said, here are three simple ways everyone from paras to principals can support literacy instruction using Pear Deck tools.
- Draw to Visualize: Being able to visualize a text is an essential skill involved in reading. Most good readers do it without realizing it. Use the drawing feature to elicit visualization of a scene in a novel or a historical event to help students make sense of a text. Take it further on the next slide by prompting students to quote the line that inspired the illustration. For an extra fun way to teach about visualization and its importance read Freak the Mighty by Rodmin Philbrick or watch the film.
- ‘Talk to Text’ to Build Meaning: Part of the drag and drop feature includes the ability for students to put a dot on an image. Use this feature to annotate a text or question. The easiest way to do this is to take a screenshot of the text and make it the background of the student slide. Students can then indicate part of the text using the dot. Take it further by having students explain their choice annotation using the free response text feature as your next prompt.
3. Summarizing: The ability to summarize rarely gets the attention it deserves. It’s hard to do, hard to teach, and conveys both a deep level of understanding and word-smithery. Being able to summarize is a key skill in literacy. Use the short text question to have students summarize a passage or idea in 10 words or fewer. The box and the word limit force students to think carefully about what they want to say. Take it further by posting the summaries on the board and discussing which ones are great and why. Use the Ask Again features to have students write new summaries after the discussion to see real, immediate growth.
