It Says... I Say... And So

"It Says... I Say... And So," is a writing activity that targets the skills of making inferences and drawing conclusions.  It is also a way to provide scaffolding for students as it is needed.  It is usually done in a chart format, but as I have learned from my mentor-teachers, every activity has variations.  In the first box labeled "It Says," the students find information from the text to help them answer the question.  The next box, labeled "I Say," the students consider what they know about the information.  Finally, the next box labeled "And So," the students put together the information from the text with what they know, and then answer the question.

Since I'm so very dense when it comes to technology, I will not be using a chart format, seeing as I have no clue how I would go about putting one of those on here.  I will be using the It Says, I Say, And So method to answer one of the questions posed at the beginning of Chapter 5 in Content-Area Reading.  The question is: What is involved in designing a text lesson based on a B-D-A instructional format?

It Says...
When planning a lesson, there are a number of things to take into consideration.  First of these, is standards.  Depending on the school, it likely has a set of standards given by the state, district, or diocese that they must follow when teaching.  These standards are very important because they shape the way a teacher teaches the content.  The next item to consider is instructional goals.  What will the student need to know and be able to do?  What skills will the student need to know, what skills will the student learn, and what strategies will he or she need to complete the task?  It is also important to address the essential questions that will be asked or answered through this lesson.  Next, instructional strategies, activities, materials, and resources must be taken into consideration.  Finally, what assessment tools will be needed to evaluate student learning?

What is B-D-A Instructional Format?  B-D-A stands for Before, During, and After, and the idea of this concept is to consider what the teacher does before the reading assignment, during the reading assignment, and after the reading assignment.  This framework can help teachers incorporate instructional strategies and activity into lessons involving content and literacy.  Before-Reading activities often emphasize motivation in readers, building and activating prior knowledge, introducing key vocabulary and concepts, and developing metacognitive awareness of task demands of assignments.  During-Reading activities include such things as writing unknown definitions, the use of study buddies, cooperative reading groups, and list-making.  Finally, After-Reading activities springboards the students in to a thinking process in which they form a basis for discussing and articulating ideas developed through the reading.  They also create a structure that refines emerging concepts.

I Say...
Based on my experience creating lesson plans, I know how important it is to incorporate some sort of B-D-A instructional planning into the lesson.  That being said, I have never heard it referred to B-D-A planning until reading this chapter.  I wish I had read this prior to creating lesson plans for my last field experience.  It would have make teaching about the prophet Jeremiah from the Old Testament much easier!  I also realize how important the Before-Reading aspect of this strategy is, especially teaching religion.  There are a lot of dense reading materials in my content-area, and it's important students know and understand certain terms and concepts prior to reading them in order to grasp the big picture of the text.  I also understand the necessity of a good lesson plan in order to have students move to the level of comprehension and deeper thinking.

And So...
Putting together the information from the text and what I know about the information, I am convinced that using B-D-A Instructional Framework is an essential way of getting students to the level of articulation of the important ideas of the text.  It is also vital that the teacher has a good lesson plan that implements every step of this framework if he or she hopes to have the students develop into the kind of thinkers they need to be.  In my particular content-area, religion, there are a lot of issues and concepts that will go unanswered.  This will likely be frustrating to some students.  If I am able to implement this strategy into my lessons well, they may walk away able to ask the important questions that arise with difficult concepts in the subject.

Take Home Lessons for the Day:
1. The "It Says, I Say, And So" activity is a great way for students to really think about the text they are reading.
2. B-D-A Instructional Framework is a great lesson plan implementation to use to help students become active readers and provides great scaffolding for students to begin to take responsibility for their reading.
3. It's my mom's birthday today!  Happy Birthday Mom!