I have been impressed with Cobblestone Publishing's magazines since the first issue of COBBLESTONE ® magazine was published. I continue to become excited with the release of each new issue because I see how students read and discuss the content. I must admit that I personally enjoy reading them as an adult - even though I'm way over the recommended age. In fact, I was recently thirty thousand feet in the air when a passenger sitting in the seat next to me exclaimed, "Isn't that a children's magazine?" He couldn't believe that I was marveling at the editor's choices of topics, the illustrations, and the potential I could see for exciting classroom encounters around the issues.
Cobblestone Publishing's seven magazines can be used in so many ways in your curriculum. I recommend that intermediate and middle school teachers have a library of each magazine with every issue ever published - and multiple copies of topics your students study each year.
Cobblestone Publishing's seven magazines can be used in so many ways in your curriculum. I recommend that intermediate and middle school teachers have a library of each magazine with every issue ever published - and multiple copies of topics your students study each year.
- The most obvious use for the magazines is for text in the social studies program. With 600 back issues available, many if not most mandated topics have been addressed. I encourage the use of theme immersion where students take responsibility for the selection of questions and the researching of the topic. Cobblestone Publishing's magazines are especially designed to support theme teaching.
- The magazines can be used for independent reading as well as for encouraging students to explore other non-fiction reading. After reading an article in a magazine, they can find a full-length book to satisfy the interest that has been stimulated.
- The magazines also provide a source for short, snappy, and interesting text for students who are not yet reading age-appropriate materials. Middle school students who aren't successful reading a commercial textbook can often find information they need in one of Cobblestone Publishing's magazines.
- The articles can be used for developing reading strategies during a reading workshop. Many of the articles contain paragraphs that can be used as the text for a mini-lesson. Each piece is of a length that can be used as a genre study, and almost every comprehension strategy can be studied with the text. Because many of the articles relate to an issue, rich peer discussion can occur in small and large groups.
Before Reading
There are things you can do before and during reading to help students think critically and use metacognitive strategies - instead of waiting until students don't understand something they just read. The most important way to foster comprehension is to activate prior knowledge. You can do that and set the purpose for reading a particular issue/article by using the KWL chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned). You and/or the students list what you know about the subject in the first column (materials read previously, media on the topic, personal experience). In the second column, formulate questions about the topic/theme. After reading, a third column is completed that reflects what you learned.
There are things you can do before and during reading to help students think critically and use metacognitive strategies - instead of waiting until students don't understand something they just read. The most important way to foster comprehension is to activate prior knowledge. You can do that and set the purpose for reading a particular issue/article by using the KWL chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned). You and/or the students list what you know about the subject in the first column (materials read previously, media on the topic, personal experience). In the second column, formulate questions about the topic/theme. After reading, a third column is completed that reflects what you learned.
- Help students examine the meaning of key words.
- Establish the purpose for reading by helping students to predict what they will learn and generate questions.
- Encourage students to skim/sample the text and observe the format and style.
During Reading
A few helpful activities may include:
- Writing new questions that were generated while reading.
- Jotting down answers to questions students asked before the reading.
- Making notes of facts they want to refer to during discussion.
- Writing a list of ideas if there is a sequential order to events or ideas presented.
- Summarizing sections of the text.
- Making notes about the page and paragraph number of places to refer to after the reading (i.e., favorite excerpts they want to read aloud).
- Recording unfamiliar words for further study or using the dictionary, thesaurus, or other reference sources.
It's beneficial to give students a few minutes to reflect on what they have read. I like to have students talk in pairs before there's a large group discussion.
One activity I use consistently is asking students to visualize what they have just read. Making mental pictures, and then orally describing the scene, is helpful for the individual student and often helpful to other students who are listening to the descriptions.
During this time I ask students to record issues that are controversial, identify passages they didn't think they fully understood, and discuss words they are uncertain about meaning (words they recorded during reading)
Other Skills to Develop
- Recalling the sequence of events or occurrences
- Comparing or contrasting events or processes within the text or with other events
- Determining the cause and effect of events
- Finding the problem/solution of events
Every teacher is a reading teacher. The longer I teach, the more I am convinced that this clich' © is true. I think the reading that takes place outside the reading workshop is of equal value to the material students concentrate on when learning to read. For some students, I believe that content area time (social studies, science, interdisciplinary theme) may be even more valuable in increasing their reading skills. Some students read more and think harder when a topic "grabs" them; the teacher fuels the fire by helping these students find text and other media on the topic. Our challenge is helping students become strategic readers by providing the necessary support to develop critical thinking and study skills.
Why do I have a love affair with Cobblestone Publishing's magazines? Because they provide some of the very best resources available in the content area. The articles are well-written - short enough for independent reading, paired response, and small, large, or whole class discussion during one class session. The topics grab students' attention because the editors focus on interesting topics. The overall presentation also holds students' attention because they are enticingly designed and illustrated.
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