MERLOT Resource Review

As a fourth grade teacher I use Reader's and Writer's workshop daily in my classroom. I am always looking for new activities to incorporate and share with my students. Becoming a member of MERLOT allowed me to search their learning materials to find resources for teaching comprehension strategies. 


I found a website that I am really looking forward to using with my students. It is called Into the Book and it focuses on having students engage in interactive activities to practice applying 8 research-based comprehension strategies during independent reading.  I love that the website is divided into a teacher area and student area.  Everything is clearly labeled and toolbars throughout the website provide very easy navigation.  Students can complete the learning activities independently, I can model lessons with the whole group using my projector, and because it is web-based students can access it from home for additional practice! 


Quality
All of the comprehension strategies highlighted on this site are research -based and appropriate for intermediate readers. The student activities effectively scaffold students by showing them examples for how to complete an activity before they are asked to do it independently. Audio links are available for readers that prefer to hear the text and videos are also available for students to view.  Being able to process the information in more than one way should help students retain it better. Successfully selecting and applying a variety of reading comprehension strategies is ESSENTIAL for students to be able to read increasingly complex texts.  This resource should help students develop a deeper understanding of texts they read. 


Effectiveness
These learning materials can be used to demonstrate effectively using any of the 8 focus reading strategies and can be used for students to independently practice using the strategies.  The main objective is for students to understand when each of the strategies can be used and how to apply the strategies while they are reading.  The activities are self-checking and feedback is provided for students to help them evaluate whether or not they need more practice with a particular strategy. I think the computer/technology basis of these activities will motivate and engage students in the learning and provide a great supplement to small group instruction in the classroom. There is also the option of sharing this resource with parents as activities they can complete with their student at home.  This resource can easily be integrated into my current reading curriculum because we learn and review a variety of reading strategies throughout the year. The learning goals are easy to identify because each activity is set up like a mini-webquest that students can work through at their own pace. I think it would be very easy to show students how to use this resource and provide an outline for them with directions so they can navigate each of the activities. 


Ease of Use
The website is very colorful and appealing. I like the use of navigational menus and toolbars used throughout the website that are clearly labeled so it is easy to move through the steps of an activity or find a resource. There is no 'getting lost' or painting yourself into a corner. All pages are clearly labeled and have many options (next, back, home, exit, etc). There is also a help button available should a question arise or clarification is needed.  I like that the students receive feedback immediately as they work through the learning activities. I also appreciate the fact that in the teacher area there are resources available for download and working links to other helpful websites on related topics. The resource is flexible in that it only requires a computer with Internet access. The material is presented in a way that is both familiar and attractive to students.  Moving through the different pages is similar to moving from room to room in a video game. All buttons are clearly labeled and easy to see.  Integration of sound, video, and colorful images all attract attention to the screen and keep the reader guessing what is coming next.  There are also places where students have the opportunity to type in their own text (questioning strategy) instead of simply selecting from multiple choice options. 


Overall I think this resource can be a very powerful learning tool in my fourth grade classroom. I am looking forward to discovering other useful learning materials through MERLOT!