The Directed Reading-Thinking Activity - Paper Example

Introduction

The Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) is a useful strategy used by teachers and guides students in asking questions about a text, making predictions and later reading to confirming their predictions. It enhances a student's ability to be active and thoughtful readers, and as a result, it leads to improving their comprehension skills.

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Summary

Reading is very compelling and it is a crucial element in language development, in my study I will give each student a reading section that I will later ask questions about. I will then instruct them to summarize the story in their own words. Paraphrasing is a crucial skill in reading and later giving out a response about the story you have read.

It is essential to understand that basic knowledge creates a passion for reading as students try to get new ideas as they build interest. I asked the students a question on how car tires are made and how they have changed the motor vehicle industry. When was the first tire made and who invented the inflated tires? This creates a stimulating discussion in the post-reading phase, and after the discussion, I came up with an activity that would test how tires are useful in the current cars.

I had two toy car models, and one had inflated small tires while the other one had small metallic tires which I had improvised from bottle tops. The one with inflated tires moves smoothly on an inclined surface, while the other one moves slowly unless pushed.

William, Maxwell, and James were the first to come up with a predictive idea when I first introduced the experiment even without further explanation on what we were experimenting. Thomas and Grace seemed to be not interested and paid little attention as they gazed outside the window. Alex was already anxious to predict what would be the observation after he noted the first model was moving smoothly without being pushed.

Conclusion

My lesson was not so effective, and I was not happy with the feedback I got since a lot of my students were not able to relate to the experiment. I also found out that my class needed more attention on reading since when I showed them car pictures with tires and old cars which did not have rubber tires, few were able to identify the difference. I should have made my lesson more interesting and try to involve Thomas and Grace who got lost in the middle of the lesson. Grace seemed to be completely turned off even when I read a few words for them to spell. On the other hand, Georges mind seemed to go back whenever I asked a question; he struggled to remember then he gives up. I appreciate my students for being cooperative even though it did not go perfectly; I am happy I carried out the learning activity with them.