340

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

fter visiting New Zealand, I wanted to

learn more about the Kakapo, a nearly
extinct parrot that
smells like honey,
growls like a dog, booms like
a bullfrog, chings like a cash
register, and lives for 70100
years. So I purchased the awardwinning book Kakapo Rescue:
Saving the Worlds Strangest
Parrot by Sy Montgomery (2010).
As I previewed Kakapo Rescue,
Isaw three modes or systems
of meaning that enhanced
my engagement with the text: visual images, design
elements, and written language (Youngs & Serafini,
2011).
The books visual images include Nic Bishops
gorgeous color photographs that show Kakapo, the
people who are rescuing the birds from extinction,

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and the lush landscape of Codfish Island, where

the recovery program is located. The design elements
include captions for photos,
chapter titles in green print,
chapter openers in brown print,
main text in black, narrow tree
branches dividing sections of
text, and a silver fern motif
background on several pages.
Sy Montgomerys written
language creates an engaging
story in third-person narrative
with conversations in quotes.
Also included are Fast Facts,
authors notes, a bibliography of related books, Web
addresses, and an index.

Karen Bromley is a professor at Binghamton University, New York, USA;

e-mail kbromley@binghamton.edu.

DOI:10.1002/TRTR.01130

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As I began to read Kakapo Rescue,

Iconcluded that it is one of the new
informational picture books because
it possesses the qualities Gill (2010)
identified: visual appeal, accurate and
authoritative information, and an
engaging writing style. The book offers
science concepts (e.g., the environment,
endangered species, and extinction) that
can supplement quality science texts
(Rice, 2002). Books like Kakapo Rescue
can attract young readers, help them
learn about a topic, and invite further
thinking and exploration (Gill, 2010,
p. 260). However, as I read, I wanted
to know more than what was in the
book. I had questions that the visual
images, design elements, and written
language did not answer. For example,
what is a stoat? How many pounds are
in a kilogram? Who funds the recovery
team, and how could I join one? Is
saving the Kakapo realistic or possible?

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

Using my smartphone, I synthesized what

Iread in the book and extended my connections
to the world beyond the book.
School Officers, 2010; www
.corestandards.org/the-standards).

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

occurred when I read that one Kakapo

weighed 1.7 kg. The text told me to
multiply by 2.2 lb to determine its weight
in pounds. When I computed it on my
smartphone, I found it to be 3.74 lb. Still,
I wondered what a pound equates to in
kilograms. So, I googled kilogram and
went to Wikipedia, where I found that a
pound equals 0.45 kg. I also learned that
the kilogram is part of the International
System of Units. A kilogram weighs the
same as a liter of water, which I then
realized must weigh 2.2 lb. I could also
have learned about the history of kilo,
but decided I had enough information to
go back to the book.
Using my smartphone, I synthesized
what I read in the book and extended
my connections to the world beyond
the book. For example, I noted that one
Kakapo died after ingesting spoiled
walnuts provided by an unknowing
recovery team. This made me wonder
about the sensibility and cost of making
the Kakapo so dependent on fallible
rescuers to provide food and the danger
of the birds dependence on them.
Ialso thought about dinosaurs, wooly
mammoths, and cars like the Edsel and
wondered if extinction is part of the
natural order of things. Being a nature
lover, however, I also hope to see other
endangered species like this lovable
Kakapo saved from extinction.
I was interested in this recovery
effort and wanted to know how to join
a recovery team. So on the Web I went
to www.Kakaporecovery.org.nz. There
I discovered the rationale for saving the
Kakapo and the cost of this venture.

www.reading.org

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This integration of technology and traditional

print allowed me to more fully and deeply
interpret and understand the ideas in the book.
Idiscovered that Kakapo are the oldest
living birds and decided this was part
of the reason for the recovery effort. If
I became a rescuer, I learned I would
need to cover the cost of my airfare to
New Zealand and pay $250 toward the
cost of transportation to the island and
my food. I learned that New Zealands
summer is November to March, the
opposite of mine, and that is when
volunteers are needed.
Volunteers must be older than 18 and
can volunteer for only two weeks at a
time. My duties would involve preparing
food for the birds, walking over steep
terrain on the island, carrying a heavy
pack for up to eight hours a day, and
sleeping in a tent. I could be a nestminder, who monitors the nests at
night and doesnt get much sleep, or I
could volunteer to cook for the other
volunteers. I also learned that the birds
will not mate this year, so I would need
to wait a year to volunteer because
feeding only occurs during breeding
season. My understanding about
funding the recovery program improved
as I read and discovered I could donate
hours or money.
At the Kakapo recovery site, when I
clicked on Volunteer, Get Involved or
Start a Project and then Work with
Threatened Species, I learned there
are also projects to save the Kiwi, the
Fairy Tern, and Huttons Shearwater.
These three were the only projects
listed and made me wonder about
information in Kakapo Rescue that said
New Zealand had established teams
to rescue 15 other endangered birds.

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However, I left that investigation for

another time.
At the bottom of this page, I noticed
a link to the New Zealand Department
of Conservation at doc.govt.nz. There,
when I clicked on Conservation, I
read the governments statement about
the economic benefits of saving New
Zealands native species. Conservation
allows the public to see conservation
at work, and it provides for an increase
in New Zealand products such as
native plants, animals, ecosystems
and habitats, and historic places and
structures. Conservation also provides
outdoor recreation and appreciation of
landscapes and the historic heritage,
as well as clean water and a pristine
environment. I hadnt thought about
any benefits beyond saving species
from extinction, so this gave me the
New Zealand governments rationale.
However, I wondered if the costs
outweigh the benefits of the rescue
program. I wondered where the Kakapo
fit in the ecological chain and what
might happen if Kakapo were allowed to
disappear.

Technology and Writing

To comprehend better as I read,
Iusedmy smartphone to explore

onlinesources (e.g., www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary.htm,

www.Kakaporecovery.org.nz, and
doc.govt.nz). I practiced using different
modes(e.g., visual images, design
elements, and written language) as
Ifound information from the Internet to
supplement the book. In my searching,
I did what many teachers tell their
students to do. I visited sites with .org
or .gov suffixes because these sites are
usually more credible than .com sites.
Inoticed and used standard spelling as
I typed website addresses. I clicked on
appropriate sites and used the cursor to
scroll up and down pages. I skimmed
and scanned to find answers to my
questions. As I looked at Web pages,
Iaccessed video and audio that are not
available in Kakapo Rescue, and I found
newer information than that in the
book. This integration of technology
and traditional print allowed me to
more fully and deeply interpret and
understand the ideas in the book. In
addition, my use of digital and print
modes together prompted me to write
what appears here.

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

I hadnt thought about any benefits beyond

saving species from extinction, so this gave me
the New Zealand governments rationale.
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(Shanahan, Fisher, & Frey, 2012). From

conversations with area educators,
Iknow elementary and middle school
teachers have increased the amount of
informational text students read, from
the typical 20% or less to at least 50%,
as the CCSS suggest. Thus books like
Kakapo Rescue will certainly appear in
more classrooms in the future.
As well as reading more
informational text, the CCSS identify
these important goals at all grade levels
K12: vocabulary knowledge (determining
the meaning of difficult, content-related
words that may be above a students
reading level) and comprehension (of
increasingly complex text and the ability
to understand what it says explicitly
and make interpretations). In grades
312, the CCSS identify skill in using
technology and digital media, including
the Internet. Additionally, in grades
312, the CCSS identify skill in writing
that involves gathering information
from print and digital sources to do
research, produce a report, and publish
their writing. In grades 612, students
should also be able to assess the
credibility of sources.
Using my smartphone, I found myself
addressing each of these standards.
Irealized that I accomplished the close
reading and analysis the CCSS list as
overall goals. I found definitions, details,
and examples that explained concepts,
answered my questions, clarified my
misconceptions, and helped me make
inferences. I explored the texts themes
and summarized its ideas. I compared
and contrasted information from the
text and the Internet.
As I considered how the smartphone
scaffolded and supplemented my
comprehension, I documented it in
the think-aloud that appears earlier. A
think-aloud like this one is an effective
teaching tool for showing students
how to use a smartphone as they read.

Perhaps we need to model and think

aloud for students the questions we
have as we read, the strategies we
use to find answers, the unanswered
questions we are left with, and the
rich and thoughtful reading that
comes as a result. Before we expect
students to comprehend what they read
independently and proficiently, they
may need to be shown how to do it,
as well as being taught some specific
search strategies.
Using my smartphone to dive deeper
into Kakapo Rescue, I thought about
todays classrooms and hoped students
have the freedom I had to explore their
questions, evaluate, interpret, and
synthesize as they read. I believe schools
that adopt a no phone policy during
reading might want to rethink this
decision that robs students of a richer
reading experience. Smartphones give
students access to websites, newspapers,
magazines, and other resources of high
interest that are often more current
and credible than textbooks, which are
often dated. Plus, using technology
is a motivating way to engage those
students who are struggling or turned
off to reading. When a student doesnt
have access to a smartphone, she or he
can pair with a student who has one so
that no one is left out of the experience.
Of course, time for students to talk
about their book reading and screen
reading is important. Several studies
conclude that student conversations
about what they are reading provide
measureable benefits in comprehension,
motivation, and even language
competence (Allington & Gabriel,
2012, p. 14). When classroom talk
weaves digital reading with book
reading, students can analyze,
comment, compare, and broaden their
knowledge as they think about what
they are reading. When students are
personally invested in their reading,

TA K E AC T I O N !
1. Select an informational text on a
topic of interest to your students.

2. Preread an initial section of the text.

Pose questions you have and identify new
words and difficult concepts you encounter.

3. Use a search engine or online

dictionary to answer your questions, define
words, and explore the concepts.

4. Read the same section of the text to your

students. Think aloud as you read and show them
how you use your smartphone to find answers
and develop your understanding of the text.

5. Continue reading the text to students. Have

them pose their own questions and identify
difficult words and concepts they encounter.

6. Have students use their smartphones to

answer their own questions and find word/
concept meanings. Encourage access to an online
dictionary, websites, newspapers, magazines,
and sites with .org, .gov, or .edu suffixes.

7. Have students share and discuss what they

learned and discovered from their smartphones
and any new questions they now have.

we may not need to require them to

contribute to class discussions. It may
well happen spontaneously. Students
may more naturally share their own
questions, the strategies they use to find
answers, and what they learned from
comparing and contrasting print and
digital text. They may eagerly share the
websites they visit or take notes in a
journal and read from it to others.

Final Thoughts
Supplementing classroom reading
with access to smartphones can
acknowledge and build on students
out-of-school literacies as they become
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proficient with in-school literacy

goals. As well as meeting and
exceeding CCSS standards,

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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Ibelieve this kind of technology

can provide motivationandscaffold
comprehensionso that students can
read harder texts. Reading more
complex texts closely, independently,
and proficiently may require students
to have new ways to engage with
authors, illustrators, and each other.
Smartphones are a way to do this
and supplement classroom reading
as weinspire investigations, fuel
curiosity,and invite deep and
thoughtful reading.

Gill, S. (2010). What teachers need to know

about the new non-fiction. The Reading
Teacher, 63(40), 260269.
Rice, D. (2002). Using trade books in teaching
elementary science: Facts and fallacies. The
Reading Teacher, 55(6), 552564.
Shanahan, T., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2012). The
challenge of challenging text. Educational
Leadership, 69(6), 5863.
Youngs, S., & Serafini, F. (2011). Comprehension
strategies for reading historical fiction
picture books. The Reading Teacher, 65(2),
115124. doi:10.1002/TRTR.01014

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.

Additional supporting information may

be found in the online version of this
article:
Online Supplement: Visiting New
Zealand.

Dec 2012 / Jan 2013

11/22/2012 3:22:39 PM

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