I came across this article on Reading Rockets, my new favorite web site, while looking for articles on comprehension. Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) teaches children comprehension skills through the integration of science and reading. I know that next year we’ll be using the MCPS integrated curriculum and this seems to be a strategy that supports an integrated curriculum.
The aim of CORI is to:
1. increase student’s reading comprehension in grades 3 – 5 by increasing their reading engagement
2. increase students’ knowledge of life science in the domain of environmental science
3. increase student’s motivation to read with an emphasis on motivation, self efficacy, perceived autonomy, social interaction, and mastery goals in reading.
The article outlines the various strategies used in the CORI intervention. I really liked the fact that activities are differentiated so all levels of readers can be challenged. Daily lessons were comprised of fluency activities, mini lessons on comprehension strategies, guided reading, and independent work. These are the typical components of a standard literacy block but the difference is in the types of reading materials that are used. The majority of the reading materials in CORI are informational texts. These are supplemented with novels, poetry books, and story books. I have not seen the integrated curriculum yet but I imagine it has a similar structure.
A big component of CORI is motivational support. There are several motivational practices that are central to COI, including relevance, choice, collaboration, self-efficacy support, and thematic units. We have learned a lot in class about the importance of motivation and self-efficacy in promoting learning. The article provided some good suggestions on how to implement motivational support in my classroom.
The article speaks to the benefits of focusing on a theme. When students focus on one theme, they are given the opportunity to become experts on a topic. This helps them make the connection that reading, and specifically comprehending what they read, is the key to expanding their knowledge in all areas. It also helps to build their self-confidence and improve motivation.
It seems that integration is a new theme in education, or maybe it is just new for me. From what I have read and the things I have tried in my own classroom, integration certainly seems to make learning more interesting and engaging for young learners. For me, the challenge lies in finding enough materials to make the integration effective and interesting. I look forward to seeing the new curriculum and trying it out in my classroom next year.
References:
Retrieved from www.readingrockets.org Excerpted with author's permission from Guthrie, J. T., McRae, A., & Klauda, S. L. (2007). Contributions of Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction to knowledge about interventions for motivations in reading. Educational Psychologist, 42, 237 - 250.
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. I just completed an assignment for another class that required us to use the state curriculum to develop a thematic unit plan incorporating at least three content areas each day. It was a challenge but very interesting. Once I started to look for similar themes that I could link together, they became more apparent. I wanted to link lessons together in as natural a way as possible in order to enhance learning in each subject. Overall, I think it was a great way to expand how I looked at the curriculum. Our professor recommended a book that uses children’s literature as a basis for science lessons. It appeared to be very thorough and offer hands on lessons. It is called "Picture Perfect Science Lessons" by the National Science Teachers Association and can be found on their website.
Thanks for recommending the book. I'm going to check it out for my first grade class. Sounds like a great resource.
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