User:Christiana Dalton/Independent reading/Bibliography

Article Selection


 * I selected the Independent Reading article because this topic is critical for sustained literacy skills. As one of my mentors once said, “as teachers, we plant seeds. We often don’t see the full life-cycle of how those seeds grow and blossom.” This piece of advice is directly related to independent reading as what’s being cultivated in the classroom is the inspiration to be a curious person and a lifelong learner. If students feel inspired to continue learning, they will likely choose to pick up a book and engage in independent reading outside of a formal academic setting. Independent reading is an important part of building sustained literacy skills.

Lead Section


 * The lead section of Independent Reading is ineffective with the language chosen. The way in which the concepts are described are not entirely clear. For example, the article has the following sentence in the lead section: “students that read independently have an emphasized creative choice in what they want to read and choose to learn.”  This sentence is ineffective because students are not the ones emphasizing the creative choice. The student is emphasizing the choice, the student is making the choice. The language in the lead section needs to be precise for the article to be more effective.

Content


 * The Independent Reading article has some useful information, but it has quite a few gaps. This Wikipedia page doesn’t incorporate important information from key research studies related to the topic. This page is incomplete as it is lacking substantial information about the topic. This article is also weak in terms of the manner in which it was written. Most sections are written in a list form instead of paragraph form. This makes the article seem choppy and underdeveloped. This article also provided suggestions for teachers

Tone and Balance


 * The tone of this article can be improved by changing the bulleted lists to paragraphs with prose. The current tone is unbalanced as the majority of the article is written with in bullet point style. This makes the article choppy. The article can be improved if it is written in paragraph form.

Sources and References


 * The first source on the works cited page is a website called Education World which is not a primary research source. The second source listed is a textbook called “School to Work A Student Handbook & Teacher's Guide.” This book is an instructional guide, not a primary research source. This source does not provide the reader with an unbiased point of view because the aim of the handbook is to provide instructional strategies, not to provide concrete evidence about independent reading. The sources I chose are reliable, primary sources from reputable research entities.

General Quality


 * The general quality of the article is poor. There are many gaps and there should be better quality sources cited. The textbook is not an unbiased source as it is a handbook. The other sources are also not primary sources. Therefore, the sources are not useful and diminish the quality of the article.

Overall Impressions


 * My overall impression of the article is that it is underbaked and lacking important information. I think this article needs quite a few edits in order to be more credible and accurate.

You will be compiling your bibliography and creating an outline of the changes you will make in this sandbox.

Outline of proposed changes
Change #1: I will change the opening sentence.


 * Example: "Independent reading is a term used in educational settings to describe when students engage in uninterrupted reading individually. "

Change #2: I will also add more details about the research related to independent reading in the introduction.


 * Example: "Research studies have shown that independent reading can increase student achievement. "

Change #3: I will change the bulleted lists under the "More names for independent reading," section into paragraphs with prose.


 * Example: "Independent reading may also be called SSR (Sustained Silent Reading), DEAR (Drop Everything And Read), or Voluntary Reading. "

Change #4: I will include sections discussing research brought up in the introduction of the article.


 * Example: "A 2011 study of fifth grade students indicated that independent reading increased student achievement. "

Change #5: I will change the bulleted lists under the "Aims of independent reading" section into paragraphs with prose.

Change #6: I will change the bulleted lists under the "How to include independent reading into a routine" section into paragraphs with prose.

Click on the edit button to draft your outline.