The Missouri Reader Vol. 40, Issue 3 | Page 23

Classroom Close-up

Reviewed by Tiffany Flowers, Assistant Professor of Education at Georgia Perimeter College

There is no one strategy that fits every content area, age group, or situation but each strategy needs to be chosen based on the goals of the lesson."

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I wanted students to know more than just the nucleus was the control center. Here is what a finished product might look like.

The important thing about the nucleus is that it is the control center of the cell.

It contains the DNA or genetic code.

It controls everything the cell does and makes.

It is large and round and is located near the center of the cell.

But the important thing about the nucleus is that it is the control center of the cell.

Another example of how it could be used is with the various rock types. Once again, I wanted students to know more than just how they were formed.

The important thing about igneous rocks is that they are formed from melted rock that has hardened.

Some have crystals - big or small.

Some are glassy.

Some have air holes in them and may even float.

But, the important thing about igneous rocks is that they are formed from melted rock that has hardened.

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product might look like.

Gray Squirrel

Who is small and gray with a fluffy tail, a

great climber, and loud when warning of

potential danger?

Cousin of mice, rats, chipmunks, and other

rodents

Lover of acorns, berries, bark, and “flying”

from tree to tree

Who feels shy around other animals and

humans, territorial around other squirrels,

and brave when jumping from tree to tree.

Who needs seeds and nuts for food, tall

trees for food and shelter, and leaves and

sticks for their nest

Who fears owls, hawks, cats, and coyotes.

Who gives up tail hair to make nests for

the young, forgotten acorns to become

saplings in the spring, and time to raise

1-5 kits each spring.

Who would like to see unguarded bird

feeders, mild winters, and large nut trees.

Resident of the temperate forest

ecosystems

Also known as Sciurus griseus

Content area teachers can enrich their

teaching by adding reading strategies that

not only help the students build valuable

reading skills, but also bring deeper

understanding and comprehension to the

content.

.

4. Biopoem: In this strategy, students take on

the role of a character or object in the text and

use information from the text and their

inferences to fill out the structure. This is a

good strategy to use when students need to go

beyond memorization of facts and begin

applying information to a specific scenario. The

structure of the biopoem is listed below from

Vacca et al. (2014).

Line 1. First name

Line 2. Four traits that describe character

Line 3. Relative (“brother,” “sister,”

“daughter,” etc.) of ___________________

Line 4. Lover of ________________ (list

three things or people)

Line 5. Who feels ______________ (three

items)

Line 6. Who needs ______________ (three

items)

Line 7. Who fears ______________ (three

items)

Line 8. Who gives ______________ (three

items)

Line 9. Who would like to see

______________ (three items)

Line 10. Resident of __________________

Line 11. Last name (p. 289)

This strategy works well not only for

biographies of scientist or other important

people in history, but I teach biology and bio-

means life, so I like to modify it slightly to work

for the living organisms we study. I would use

this when studying the different habitats/

ecosystems/biomes and the animals that are a

part of them. Students would take on the role

of one of the organisms living in the area and

fill out their biopoem accordingly. Most

animals do not have first and last names,

therefore, some modifications might be

necessary, or scientific names could be used.

The following is an example of what a finished

.