Link to Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/-0DjMHJhWQor2OIKRfkkeE8TWAKUvbb98X5ToNjLwf2xPpXKYp1-e40yRhTb-90C.V3yIhrDbSUr5MX7R?startTime=1644073590000
Scientists have long known that readers who have knowledge of the topic--or more academic knowledge in general--are better comprehenders. But for complex reasons, it's been hard to show that building students' general academic knowledge boosts scores on standardized reading comprehension tests. At the same time, it's been relatively easy to show positive effects in studies of teaching comprehension strategies. In this session, you'll find out why studies of comprehension strategies can be misleading -- and learn about recent studies showing that knowledge-building curricula can have significant positive effects on comprehension.
Education journalist Natalie Wexler focuses on two ideas that have solid evidence behind them but have been mostly overlooked by schools and reformers: immersing children from less-educated families in knowledge about the world, and linking that knowledge to writing instruction. In The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System–and How to Fix It, Natalie focuses on the relationship between our current largely content-free elementary curriculum and the so-called achievement gap. The book will take readers inside schools and classrooms, showing them what the skills-focused approach to literacy instruction looks like, explaining how and why it has become so entrenched and charting possible routes to the knowledge-focused instruction that is our best hope of achieving educational and social equity. Natalie is also the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades. It provides a clear, step-by-step explanation of how to teach both writing and content at the same time, using the method developed by Dr. Hochman.
