Lesson 6.01 It's Up to Me!

In all of your classes, you will have to comprehend what you are reading. But, on the contrary, reading comprehension skills are seldom taught at the high school level. Take the skills that you have learned in this course and apply them to your reading material. Not only will you improve your comprehension, but you will also improve your grade. You do not have to use every strategy; however, effective readers benefit from implementing a variety of strategies. In contrast, poor readers lack these strategies; therefore, they comprehend very little because nothing much is making sense to them.

There are multiple strategies to apply before reading, during reading, and after reading. You can choose what works best for you. Essentially, you want to select any type of strategy that encourages active reading. One primary goal of reading is to make connections with the text to your life and the world around you. As you read the next poem, apply various reading strategies to help you comprehend the poem.

The poem you will read is titled "Wanted: Someone Who Cares." What do you think it will be about?"

Read the poem "Wanted: Someone Who Cares" aloud several times.

What are some of the "shortcomings" that people may have?People believe their shortcomings are their weaknesses or imperfections. This could be anything.

WhoYou do! has the greatest effect on how you grow as a person?

Identity is a popular theme in literature. In fact, the quest, or hunt, for identity has been present in American literature since the 18th century. Your sense of identity comes from what you accept to be true and what you perceive to be important. You may have learned that the culture you live in influences your beliefs and values.

• Do your parents have a Dyson vacuum? James Dyson created the prototype, and he had to practice 5,126 times before he got it right.
• Do your parents own a light bulb? Thomas Edison failed 10,00 times before he invented the light bulb.

Failure is a part of being human. The speaker wants the readers to know that you are your biggest cheerleader; you are the person who cares the most about yourself and your future.

What was your favorite toy as a child? Do you have a special memory about it? Share this now with your peers in the 6.01 Favorite Toy Discussion.

For the next selection, maintain an active focus during reading. Use the before, during, and after reading strategies that you have learned thus far. Don’t continue reading if you are unsure what you just read. Try to think back where you lost track of what happened.

Before you read, let’s predict the content of the text. Look at the title: "Barbie-Q." WhatThe title looks like the word barbecue, barbeque, BBQ. The barbies may get "cooked." is significant about the spelling of the name?

Predicting occurs when you assume what the author will discuss next in the text. Your predictions will be either right or wrong. So, you can begin your purpose for reading to confirm or disprove your guess or prediction. Furthermore, it is helpful if you link the new knowledge you encounter in the text with the knowledge you already possess.

While you are reading, ask questions about the story. These questions may focus on details from the text like the people, places, and things; or they may be questions of interpretation focusing on symbols, themes, and underlying messages. By asking questions during reading, you are clarifying what may be confusing to you.

Read "Barbie-Q" by Sandra Cisneros.