Reading and Thinking to Become a Better Learner
國際處主任 賴國宜
Since last semester, the third and fourth grade teachers have selected several reading strategy articles from Reading Street and together with online questions, have encouraged students to read independently at home. Our curriculum coordinator, Ms. Tina Wei, explains how to use this online reading system to improve the reading of children after class in order to cultivate their confidence and critical thinking skills.
In the Kang Chiao Future Skills class, the grade 5 students made pinhole cameras and learned the science behind photography. Through the process of designing, creating, and improving their cameras, the students experienced how scientists and engineers think and work. Have a look at their photographs, and you won't believe that their cameras were made from only a cardboard box, a pin, a piece of photograph paper and some tape.
自上學期開始，三、四年級外師從Reading Street指定數篇閱讀策略文章，並配合線上問題，鼓勵學生在家自由閱讀。課研組長Tina Wei說明如何利用此線上閱讀系統，提升孩子課後的閱讀量，鼓勵多閱讀、多思考，才能培養具備自信、獨立思考能力的閱讀者。
您常拍照嗎？習慣用手機或是相機？其實，只要一個紙箱、一些膠帶、一張相紙和一根針，就可以自製相機喔！五年級的康橋未來技能課程，利用「針孔成像」原理，讓學生自製針孔相機，經過不斷的嘗試、研究和改良，當孩子們在教室改裝的簡易暗房中，沖洗出照片時，那種成就感和興奮的心情，絕對不是用手機或照相機攝影所能比擬，歡迎您欣賞孩子們的攝影作品，從他們的專題報告您將學習到如何製作針孔相機及運用它拍照的小撇步。
才剛開學，許多活動已經在校園熱鬧展開，感謝多數家長參與3月9日班親會，不克到校的家長可以在班級網頁下載親師座談的簡報。英語班際競賽已經在第3周啟動，孩子們利用課餘時間緊密鑼鼓的練習，我們一起為孩子們加油，希望今年大家都有最好的表現。
~ Tina Wei
Curriculum Coordinator, International Department
Reading and thinking go hand in hand and we want our students to critically think about what they are reading. So how can we help our students become better readers? We developed an online platform to help students improve their reading comprehension and confidence in reading critically.
Reading with a Purpose
Critical reading is when you engage in what you read by actively asking questions. It means being able to provide an argument based on textual evidence. As students read the text, they should be thinking about what is happening and why it is happening to further advance their understanding. Oftentimes, students read at face value and are not able to answer questions about what they just read. We want our students to be able to develop a reading strategy and to think critically about what they are reading.
How to Improve Reading Comprehension
Every other week, a strategy reading will be placed on the online KCIS Student System and will stay available online for two weeks. For grade three, the readings will be read in class first and then the students can answer five multiple choice questions online to check their comprehension. For grade four, the readings will not be read in class so this will be a good opportunity for the students to practice comprehending unseen readings on their own.
This online platform is designed to follow the curriculum, but it is flexible in that students can choose when to assess their comprehension, and how many times they want to retake the questions (for a maximum of ten times). It is not a test, so students do not need to memorize the readings and answer the questions from memory. Instead, we want to encourage the students to refer to the readings for textual evidence.
This platform will help reinforce the comprehension skills and strategies taught in class by allowing the students to check their own comprehension. This additional practice at home will then build students’ confidence and independence in reading critically.
Ways to Help at Home
There are a few ways students can utilize this platform so that they can improve their reading comprehension. We want to encourage the students to read the readings aloud to the parents first. Then, they can answer the multiple choice questions on their own. Parents can help clarify any questions they may have. The students can choose to retake the questions as many times as necessary until they fully understand the content. We hope that this platform will motivate students to develop the habit of reading more independently, and to read critically so that they can become critical thinkers.
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