Samantha Jackson

Graduate Portfolio

Standard 7 Reflection

EDRD 630: Teaching Reading in the Content Areas - Use a large supply of books, technology-

based information, and nonprint materials representing multiple levels, broad interests, and

cultural and linguistic backgrounds. (IRA 4.2)

Radford University

Fall 2022
 Reading in the Content Areas was a class that was rich in classroom resources and tools

for content teachers. Reading is a skill that is used in all our classes and is an important skill to

make sure students are practicing. There were many discussions where we shared our favorite

resources to use in the classroom for reading and vocabulary. The standard, “Use a large supply

of books, technology-based information, and nonprint materials representing multiple levels,

broad interests, and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. (IRA 4.2),” was extremely beneficial for

my classes. I gained added resources from this class like DOGONews, Newsela, and made sure

I was allowing students to use the physical textbook in class. Having a large reserve of reading

materials allows me to incorporate reading into my class in a variety of ways.

The first resource that this class added to my supply of nonprint materials is the website

DOGONews. DOGONews has a wealth of current event articles for students to read. I really

liked that they focused on Science, Civics, Social Studies, World News, and Environmental news

articles. The Civics, Social Studies, and World News pages give me lots of current events that

relate to my specific class, and I can try and tailor my searches to student interests. The articles

are easy to differentiate for my students because they have an original version as well as a

simplified version. There is also an option for a read aloud of the article for my students who

require this for accommodation. At the end of the article there is also a video that relates to the

subject or topic detailed in the article. This can help extend the assignment for students who need

a little extra or give them background information on the topic. For example, there is an article

on DOGONews that explains how students in Massachusetts cleared the name of the last Salem

Witch. At the end of the article there is a video that gives the history of the Salem Witch Trials

to help give the students a back story of this event in history. This website is extremely easy to

use. The only drawback is to get any extra assignments or activities from the website, I would
have to pay for a subscription. The free version, however, allows me to use the article and

differentiate it for the students who need it, which is the important part. DOGONews has been a

great current event resource that I gained from Reading in the Content area and has helped me

incorporate reading at various levels in my classroom.

Another resource I gained from this class is the website Newsela for current event

articles. This website is similar to DOGONews in its content, but there are some special parts of

Newsela that I like even more. First, Newsela includes multiple versions of the article at

different Lexile reading levels. Students can adjust the level to what suits their needs, or the

teacher can lock the reading level if needed. I can also print out the article at each level if I want

to have them complete the assignment on paper. One thing that is interesting about Newsela is

that it will automatically adjust the students' reading level over time as they answer the review

questions at the end of the article. This adaptive part of the website is helpful because it takes

something off my to do list when assigning articles to students. This website also includes a read

aloud option that goes along with the document for student accommodations. I can assign

articles to my class and my students can sign in using Clever and work on the assignment online

or on paper in class. This website, like DOGONews is a great digital resource to incorporate

digital and paper reading activities into my Civics class.

The final resource I have explored using in my class is our Civics and Economics

Textbook. My first year of teaching (2020-2021), we did not use it as much because Google

Meet’s slowed their computers down a lot. This made it difficult for students to go through the

E-Textbook while trying to complete an assignment. Last year, however, I was able to explore

using the textbook a lot more since we had physical copies for the students to use. This also

coincided with the timeline for my Reading in the Content Areas, which was perfect timing!
This textbook is nice because we can utilize the E-Textbook along with the physical textbook.

That way, if any of my students need audio they can access the E-Textbook to use their

accommodation. I like to use the textbook to help introduce topics and help students gain a basic

understanding of the topic we will be discussing. I use guided notes activities for their

notebooks and/or reading response questions to check their understanding. Then, after we have

completed these activities, we will do a hands-on activity or read a news article to help them

connect it to the real world.

In Conclusion, the course Reading in the Content Areas gave me lots of ways I could

incorporate reading into my classes. I was able to gain a lot of resources and ideas once I

completed this class, which helped me in my own classes. These resources helped me

implement the standard “Use a large supply of books, technology-based information, and

nonprint materials representing multiple levels, broad interests, and cultural and linguistic

backgrounds. (IRA 4.2),” in my lessons and activities. DOGONews, Newsela, and my class text

are a few of the different ways I included reading in my Civics and Economics class. I like to

use DOGONews and Newsela to find articles on current events and topics that relate to my class.

These resources help me relate what I am teaching to real world events with my students, and

this allows them to practice their reading skills outside of reading class. I also use the physical

textbook in my classes to help the students take guided notes and introduce the content for my

units. All these resources and more have helped me broaden my supply of reading materials in

my classroom and improve my lessons for my students.