Students often think they understand a body of material and, believing that they know it, stop trying to learn more. But come test time, it turns out they really don’t know the material very well at all. Can cognitive science tell us anything about why students are commonly mistaken about what they know and don’t know? Are there any strategies teachers can use to help students better estimate what they know?
There is no research showing that books are superior to excerpts (or vice versa) in developing reading ability. Schools can combine both excerpts and whole books in their ELA instruction — fostering both depth and breadth.
Rather than reducing text demands, we should offer instructional and emotional supports that build comprehension and motivation — be positive and encouraging and focus reading lessons on texts worth reading.
Word hunts are a fun and engaging word study activity that encourages students to apply their knowledge of spelling patterns, sight words, or vocabulary words in a real-world context.
