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TE ACHING TIP
USI NG
SM A RT PHON ES
TO SU PPLEM EN T
C L A SSROOM
RE ADI N G
A
Karen Bromley
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DOI:10.1002/TRTR.01130
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U SI NG S M A R T P HON E S T O S U P P LE M E N T C L A S S RO OM R E A DI NG
Using My Smartphone
I consulted my smartphone to answer
these and other questions as I read.
In doing so, I contrasted my reading
experience with that of students
in classrooms where smartphones
are not used during reading. I had
freedom and could chose to pursue
what I wondered about. I used my
favorite tools for searching the Internet.
I found the meaning of contentrelated words I didnt know. I made
mathematical conversions. I read deeply
and thoughtfully as I made inferences
and investigated topics beyond the
print. I read in ways that developed my
vocabulary, comprehension, technology
skills, and ability to write persuasively.
The following sections discuss this
experience in a think-aloud and include
classroom implications with ties to the
Common Core State Standards (CCSS;
National Governors Association Center
for Best Practices, Council of Chief State
Vocabulary
If you ask students what makes reading
hard, they blame the words (Shanahan,
Fisher, & Frey, 2012, p. 59). Some of the
words in Kakapo Rescue were hard for
me. Seeing the words stoat and snark
sent me to the back of the book, where
I did not find a glossary; neither was
either word in the index. So, I used an
online dictionary to find the meaning
of both words. I discovered that a stoat
is an ermine or short-tailed weasel,
and a snark is similar to a snipe, a bird
that is impossible to find. The text told
me that rescuers provide food for the
Kakapo in a small, black waterproof box
called a snark, but there were no pictures
of snarks. The text told me that snark
comes from The Hunting of the Snark,
a Lewis Carroll poem that I googled and
read.
I also viewed a video on YouTube
that clarified the meaning of lek for me.
It showed the performance of a male
Kakapo during breeding season as it
danced, hopped, and strutted to attract
a mate. The meaning of other terms like
Sirocco and fettle were also available from
my online dictionary. Overall, using my
smartphone was quicker and easier than
using a dictionary and a better solution
than skipping a word and wondering
what it meant.
Comprehension
Using my smartphone, I connected with
the text in other ways. One connection
www.reading.org
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U SI NG S M A R T P HON E S T O S U P P LE M E N T C L A S S RO OM R E A DI NG
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Classroom Implications
The CCSS propose that close,
attentive reading is at the heart of
understanding and enjoying complex
literary and informational text. The
CCSS indicate that students should
be reading a range of increasingly
complex text independently and
proficiently. The assumption is that
students will do better if they read
more difficult or challenging materials
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U SI NG S M A R T P HON E S T O S U P P LE M E N T C L A S S RO OM R E A DI NG
TA K E AC T I O N !
1. Select an informational text on a
topic of interest to your students.
Final Thoughts
Supplementing classroom reading
with access to smartphones can
acknowledge and build on students
out-of-school literacies as they become
www.reading.org
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U SI NG S M A R T P HON E S T O S U P P LE M E N T C L A S S RO OM R E A DI NG
MORE TO EX PLORE
IRA Journal Articles
Envisioning New Literacies Through a Lens of
Teaching and Learning by Diane Lapp, Barbara
Moss, and Jennifer Rowsell, The Reading
Teacher, March 2012
Young Childrens Limited and Narrow Exposure
to Informational Text by Ruth Helen Yopp and
Hallie Kay Yopp, The Reading Teacher, April
2012
Book
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2010). Web 2.0
how-to for educators. Eugene, OR: International
Society for Technology in Education.
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R E F E R E NC E S
Allington, R.L., & Gabriel, R.E. (2012). Every
child, every day. Educational Leadership, 69(6),
1015.
National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices, Council of Chief State School
Officers. (2010). Common core state standards.
Retrieved January 4, 2012, from www
.corestandards.org/the-standards
Supporting Information
L I T E R AT U R E C I T E D
Montgomery, S. (2010). Kakapo rescue: Saving the
worlds strangest parrot. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin.
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