Entry #9

Prior to reading chapter 7 in Tompkins (2017) and Zipke (2008) Teaching Metalinguistic Awareness and Reading Comprehension With Riddles I honestly never even thought of how we learn about riddles or how to solve them or that there about the multiple meanings of a word. I am trying to think back about what I did in school and I remember playing rhyming games when I was young, playing knock knock jokes, and rhyming on the playground. However, I don't really remember learning about riddles or multiple meanings to a word. The only thing I remember is that if I thought a word meant a specific thing in a sentence then I would be corrected and told that that word also meant something else. An example of this could be the word glasses. Reading the article and the chapter brought up some internal frustration because I realize just how complicated the English language can be sometimes. How do we effectively teach children the inner complexities of the English language? How do we teach multiple meanings to a word? How do we teach children the English vocabulary?

Tompkins answered my questions with examples which was really conducive to my understanding of how to go about this teaching as an educator. I know this all cannot be taught at once but in what sequence should it be taught. Someone told me recently that literacy learning should be being used all the time by what the children see, games during breaks to pass time, and other ways to keep the children learning throughout the day. Tompkins states, "The goal is for students to become more aware of words, manipulate them playfully, and appreciate their power" (Tompkins, pg. 223). When I read this sentence I realized that children are already learning words through home culture, school, and play already. They may be in different stages if their knowledge of words but they all have some idea of the vocabulary they are learning and using. On page 221 in Tompkins (2008) there is an example of the list of words covering the three tiers of vocabulary. The three Tiers are the Basic Words, Academic Vocabulary, and Specialized Terms. In a routine these words are put up, learned and then replaced or words are added to the list to continue the learning of vocabulary covering the three tiers. They are words that are used socially, words used more in written than oral language, and the words that are usually content specific. This system, allows the students to slowly take in the vocabulary and understand the words in a meaningful way. The sequence shown in Tompkins (2017) such as the learning of vocabulary, then word knowledge, word consciousness, multiple meanings of words, to synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, root words and affixes, etc. is how educators will effectively teach students this knowledge and skills.

When I was growing up there was a point in time that very few people believed in my ability to take accelerated classes and push myself because of some trauma I had been through. I disagreed and began to tell myself every time something got hard that what I was doing now I am ready for. What I did prepared me for now and what I am doing will prepare me for where I go next. This got me through my education and built confidence in myself and my learning. I feel like by using this sequence we are instilling this same idea in our students. We are taking it one important step at a time and using play to help guide us through the process.

In Zipke's (2008) article they mention how using rhymes and riddles helps students manipulate language and internally learn the idea of different meanings in words. Zipke (2008) states, " Riddles are the perfect medium for learning how to manipulate language" (Zipke, pg. 130). When I read this I was shocked. I don't ever remember doing riddles in school until I was older and all I remember is getting frustrated because I never understood them. I started to think about how frustrating it is for kids to get the answer wrong. As the article went on I began to understand that it wasn't about the children getting the answer right or wrong, in fact they aren't even asked to necessarily answer. Instead it is meant to be a learning lesson on ambiguous words. The word that is ambiguous or could have two meanings is then explained and the students understand that that word can be used in two different contexts because now they can also think of an example of when it was used differently. I think that in using play, images, games, rhymes, and riddles stimulates students use of memory which makes them more engaged and more likely to retain what they are learning.

Tompkins, G.E. (2017). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Zipke, M. (2008). Teaching metalinguistic awareness and reading comprehension with riddles. The Reading Teacher, 62(2), 128–137. https://doi.org/10.1598/rt.62.2.4