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By Doug Buehl
Hmmm . . . Jet Lag . . .
The author of this article says that sleep cycles are not the only body system disrupted by jet lag. The dislocation that results from traveling across several time zones also impacts the body's digestive system, the synchronization of body temperature, and hormone secretions.
I certainly noticed this phenomenon personally. I not only felt sleep deprived, but I had an unsettled stomach for several days after that first flight to England . I was fatigued and just generally "under the weather" until I was able to adjust to London time.
This information underscores that jet lag is more than merely not getting enough sleep one evening. Jet lag disrupts the way your body is used to functioning.
The author goes on to criticize a "jet lag diet" for being nutritionally problematic as well as highly inconvenient. But I tried such a diet the second time I flew to England and it seemed to work remarkably well. I guess I need to find out more about jet lag diets and see if the version I followed is similar to the one mentioned by the author.
Imagine eavesdropping into the thinking of a reader immersed in the flow of comprehending a written text, in this case a newspaper article offering advice on the phenomenon of jet lag. On one level, we are attending to the words of the author, who dedicated the time to compose a message into print for us. But invariably, we can't help but personalize what an author tells us. As readers, we find ourselves talking through an author's message, interjecting our own thoughts and experiences, as we customize our understanding of what a text means.
Undoubtedly, we recognize these internal dialogues with ourselves as a familiar daily mental routine. Reading is in many respects a conversation with another person. Although the author is not physically present, this individual is definitely talking to us-the reader-to tell a story, to inform and enlighten, or even to influence. Of course, as we track what an author has to say to us, we can't help but talk back. Perhaps we remind ourselves of how our lives connect to the author's words. Or we factor in something from our personal knowledge banks. Or in some cases we may even want to argue or disagree.
And as this exchange between author and reader unfolds, we periodically take stock of our thinking. We register what we understand, we sum up key thoughts and ideas, and we periodically draw conclusions and make judgments.
The Strategy
Comprehension is the culmination of this interaction between an author and a reader. Activities that prompt students to monitor this "give and take" nature of reading, as they converse with an author, can be embedded in a variety of ways into classroom instruction.
"The Author Says/I Say" is a variation of a strategy developed by Beers (2003), which uses a chart as a graphic organizer to guide students in constructing meaning of a written text.
Step 1: Begin with a review of inferential thinking. (Refer to previous Reading Room columns that outline instructional strategies for helping students make inferences). Underscore that comprehension is an interplay between explicit statements by an author ("The author directly says it") and implied meanings ("The author provides clues but the reader needs to figure it out.")
In your discussion, remind students that both the author and the reader have crucial responsibilities if a text is to make sense. The author has to anticipate who the reader will be and tell enough so that a message will be reasonably clear and not misconstrued. The reader has to "fill in the rest," identifying what an author has provided and bringing in personal knowledge and experiences to gain an understanding.
Step 2: Introduce "The Author Says/I Say" chart. The chart is devised so that readers track what the author says about something they are wondering as they read. In addition, readers are prompted to "weigh in" with what they are thinking. The final column returns students to what they were wondering, as they sum up what they now understand.
In effect, four critical phases of comprehension are elicited: questioning ("I wonder"), determining what is important ("The Author Says"), making connections to prior knowledge and inferring ("I Say), and finally, synthesizing new understandings ("And So").
Model this strategy with a think-aloud. For example, a segment of an article on food safety provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate all these phases of thinking using "The Author Says/I Say" chart (see example below).
This article focuses on what people can do to avoid becoming ill from the food they eat. I wonder how serious a problem this is. The author says that 76 million Americans become sick from food related illnesses each year, and 5,000 die. I had no idea "bad food" was this extensive, although I remember reading about deaths from spinach and pet food that was contaminated. It seems that we take our food supply for granted and we need to be much more careful about checking what we eat . . .
As you talk your way through the text, emphasize how statements by the author spark your thinking. Reading becomes an interchange between the author and reader, as both have something to say about the topic. And the key is the "And So" column, which registers how you have pulled your thinking together into ideas that you have learned from this text. This summing up column prompts students to verbalize what they will take away from the text.
Step 3: Provide ample opportunities for students to practice using this strategy to enhance comprehension of potentially problematic texts. One method involves asking students to use sticky notes to record those questions they notice themselves wondering about-before, during, and after reading. Then instruct them to focus on five questions that seem to be the most significant. These five questions are then charted on "The Author Says/I Say" graphic.
Advantages
"The Author Says/I Say" strategy is an effective method to help students orchestrate their thinking as they engage with challenging material.
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Further Resources:
Beers, K. (2007). When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do . Portsmouth , NH : Heinemann.
Shute, N. (2007). Better Safe Than Sorry. U.S. News & World Report . 142:19 (May 28), pp. 67-72.
Doug Buehl, teacher, Madison East High School
Wisconsin State Reading Association.
dbuehl@madison.k12.wi.us
Posted May 30, 2007