August 23, 2007 Content Literacy Strategies Anticipation Guide Attribute Web Cloze Attention to Context Clues Concentric Circles Dialectical Journal Frayer Model Get the Gist Get the Picture Graphic or Visual Texts Inquiry Charts It Says, I Say Plot Diagram Plot Relationship Problem-Solution QAR Quick Write Reader Response Journals Reading Between the Lines Recognizing Text Structure Retell; Retell and Elaborate Stop and Jot Summing It Up T-Chart Tea Party Text Reformulation Think, Pair, Share Venn Diagram Word Walls
Transcript
August 23, 2007
Content Literacy Strategies Anticipation Guide Attribute Web Cloze Attention to Context Clues Concentric Circles Dialectical Journal Frayer Model Get the Gist Get the Picture Graphic or Visual Texts Inquiry Charts It Says, I Say Plot Diagram Plot Relationship Problem-Solution QAR Quick Write Reader Response Journals Reading Between the Lines Recognizing Text Structure Retell; Retell and Elaborate Stop and Jot Summing It Up T-Chart Tea Party Text Reformulation Think, Pair, Share Venn Diagram Word Walls
Strategy Outline: Tea Party
This strategy developed by a classroom teacher, Sue Perona of South Coast Writing Project, offers students a chance to carefully read and consider parts of the text before reading.
Why: Struggling readers can get overwhelmed very easily when confronting a new work. This allows them to be introduced to a text by reading small sections and work with other readers to clarify meaning. They can learn how good readers pull ideas from the text to build comprehension.
How:
1. Select phrases, sentences, or single words that give insight into the setting, characters, and conflicts.
2. Write these selections on index cards or sentence strips so that each student has a different one. (You may double up if you have a large group.)
3. Tell students to circulate in the room and read their section to others. As they read to each other they should discuss what they think it means and what they are learning about the story.
4. Next, have students form groups of four or five according to the element of literature their passage represents: Setting, Characters, Plot, and Conflict.
5. Probe students to support their inferences. 6. Then, read the selection. 7. After reading the selection, have student change, clarify, or elaborate on their initial
interpretations based on new evidence.
Sample from Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice
“just remember that all the people in the world haven’t had the advantages that you had”
I’m inclined to reserve all judgments
So it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician
I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men.
Most of the confidences were unsought
Setting Characters Plot Conflict
Strategy Outline: Text Reformulation Texts reformulation simply means changing the form of the text, such as creating a poem out of a narrative, picture book out of novel, or expository texts into narratives. Text reformulation activities help students develop interpretations of their reading and see how others interpret text. Why: When students are asked to reformulate the text, they must analyze and evaluate information and see how form influences the message. How: This procedure outlines a couple of reformulations. Creating a Found Poem 1. After reading, have each student or group of students select three sentences from the text.
They may choose any three that they believe are powerful communicators. 2. Tell student that they to create a poem using only the words in the sentences. 3. They may delete or repeat words or phrases but may not add new words. Encourage students
to consider line breaks for meaning. 4. After poems have been developed, allow them to read their poems aloud. Creating a Newspaper Article 1. After reading any text, students could take on the role of a news reporter and develop answers
to questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. 2. Then the student or group will write up the learning in a news story to be read or delivered as a
news report, 3. Encourage students to develop a lead that will capture the attention of their audience and
present the most important details only. 4. You may want to limit the number of words students use in order to promote more concise
writing. Creating a Graphic 1. Take a paragraph that contains information that could be represented pictorially or graphically.
2. Review several options students could use such as a political cartoon in place of a persuasive essay, a diagram in place of a process, etc.
3. Have the students share their reformulations in small groups or add them to a research paper/project.
Strategies for Reading to Learn
Think, Pair, Share Description Think, pair, share is a simple technique with great benefits. Using the procedure, students learn from one another and get to try out their ideas in a non-threatening context before venturing to make their ideas more public. Learner confidence improves and all students are given a way to participate in class, rather than the few who usually volunteer. Students and teachers alike gain much clearer understandings of the expectation for attention and participation in classroom discussions. The model was first proposed by Frank Lyman of the University of Maryland. There are four steps to Think, Pair, Share. Procedure
Step One – Teacher poses a question The process of Think Pair, Share begins when the teacher poses a thought-provoking question for the entire class. This may be a straightforward question or a problem the teacher wants to pose to the class for solution. For example, “What would have been the likely outcome if the United States had maintained its isolationist position and not entered the European theater of World War II?” or “What is symbolized by the rose in the story of Snow White?” Low level, single right answer questions are to be avoided in this model. Questions must pose problems or dilemmas that students will be willing and able to think about.
Step Two – Students think individually At a signal from the teacher, students are given a limited amount of time to think of their own answer to the problematic question. The time should be decided by the teacher on the basis of knowledge of the students, the nature of the question, and the demands of the schedule. It may be helpful to have students write out their individual responses. Students should understand that while there may be no one right answer, it is important that everyone come up with some reasonable answer to the question. This step of the procedure automatically builds a “wait time” into the classroom conversation.
Step Three – Each student discusses his or her answer with a fellow student. The end of the think step signals to the students the time to begin working with one other student to reach consensus on an answer to the question. Each student now has a chance to try out possibilities. Together, each pair of students can reformulate a common answer based on their collective insights to possible solutions to the problem. *
Step Four - Students share their answers with the whole class
In this final step, individuals can present solutions individually or cooperatively to the class as a whole group. Where pairs of students have constructed displays of their answers, as in a chart or diagram, each member of the pair can take credit for the product of their thinking. The final step of Think, Pair, Share has several benefits to all students. They see the same concepts expressed in several different ways as different individuals find unique expressions for answers to the question. Moreover, the concepts embedded in the answers are in the language of the learners rather than the language of textbook or teacher. And where students can draw or otherwise picture their thoughts, different learning modalities and preferences can come into play in the attempt to understand the ideas behind the answers. It may be worth repeating one caveat in closing: The success and quality of the think, pair, share activity will depend on the quality of the question posed in step one. If the question promotes genuine thought for students, genuine insights are sure to emerge in successive steps. * (Step Three) At times, the process can go one step farther by asking pairs of students to regroup into foursomes to further refine their thoughts before sharing with the group at large. These small group settings are less threatening to individual students than venturing forward before the whole group with an untried answer. The pair step in the model also promotes much more conversation among students about the issues entailed by the question. Reference: The above description was adapted from the description in:
Gunter, M.A., Estes, T.H. & Schwab, J.H. (1999). Instruction: A models approach, 3rd edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, pp. 279-280
ACTIVITIES FOR WORD WALLS “BE A MIND READER” – Opening activity (2-3 minutes) One way for teachers to open the class and draw students back to the words on the word wall is to play “Be a mind reader.” In this game, teachers would give students clues to a word on the word wall that would have to do with meaning, part of speech, structure or use. For instance: “I am looking for a noun. This noun expresses a process. This process helps to produce something. I would use this word in relation to plants. What is my word?” The word on the word wall might be “photosynthesis.” After each clue, the teacher could take guesses and reward the students with participation or extra credit points. The teacher could repeat this activity with several words as a warm up. “WORD SORTS” – Opening activity (5-10 minutes) Teachers would direct students to take out their word wall or concept cards (or look at the word wall) and ask them to “sort” the cards. There are a few different types of sorts that a teacher could request:
1. Closed sort- The teacher supplies the categories and selects key words to head each category. The students are asked to sort the word wall words into these categories. This helps to draw out implicit connections between words for students that might not see them.
2. Open sort – A more advanced sort is where the students would choose the categories for sorting and organize the cards or words (if writing them on paper) into columns based upon those categories. Then they can have other groups look at their sort and hypothesize as to how the words were categorized. The latter part of this activity often pushes students to find implicit or not easily seen connections between words in an attempt to stump their classmates. The benefit is that students become intimately aware of the meaning and use of the word wall words.
In either of these sorting activities, it could be made into a “speed sort” where the fastest team or student would be rewarded. Ideas of categories could be a content-related topic, a part of speech, meaningful prefixes/suffixes, uses, etc. Remember, if students do not have their own set of word wall cards, they can:
1. write the words in categories on a piece of paper 2. use a set of transparency words (teacher would write word wall words on a sheet of
transparency paper and then cut it into individual words) and sort the words on an overhead (this could be done by a different team each day or a couple of teams each day with time recorded and the fastest correct team rewarded).
“LINEAR CHART” – Opening activity (5 minutes) When the word wall is filled with words, a linear chart activity helps students to begin to see the relationships among the words. The students are asked to arrange the word wall words to show these relationships. This arrangement can be on their desk (with word bank or concept cards) or written on a piece of paper. One example of this might be: Boringdullunexcitingacceptableinterestingpleasingfascinatingcompelling These might also be concept-related, but in any case, students will look for a linear progression of ideas within the words from the word wall. “CLOZE ACTIVITY” – Opening activity (5 minutes) In order to further contextualize the word wall words, presenting students with a cloze passage (with words missing) that can be completed with words from the word wall helps the students to put the words into context. Since this is a strategy students should be familiar with, this activity would connect the strategy with the word wall. This would encourage students to begin looking at the word wall words when they are considering word guesses during any cloze activity. MODIFYING THE WORD WALL Remember, the word wall should be constantly changing. It is a tool for learning and assimilating new words into reading, speaking, and writing vocabulary. Therefore, once you notice that students are using words on the word wall in the correct context, it is time to take that word down and make room for new words. Word walls are one of the most effective vocabulary building strategies if they are not just put up and left stagnant.
If you don’t use the word wall, the students won’t either.
Strategy Outline: Word Walls
This strategy is designed to continually expose students to vocabulary that has been taught or studied in an effort to make them more comfortable with using the vocabulary in speaking, reading, and writing. Why: While students have a need to continually expand their vocabularies in order to read higher-level texts, many times teachers do not do a thorough job of teaching students new vocabulary and providing opportunities to use the new words. With a word wall, these words, after being introduced, are posted in order for students to have a quick reference when speaking, reading, or writing. With prolonged exposure to the words, students remember more, integrate more words into their speaking and writing, and are able to get through higher-level texts with less difficulty. For ESL students, this is particularly important for vocabulary development. According to the district ESL specialists, if all the classrooms in the district used the following word wall strategies, the progress for the ESL students in the regular classroom would be amazing. How: Use this strategy when students’ vocabularies are in need of growth or when they exhibit difficulty getting through texts because of a lack of word knowledge.
1. After pre-teaching a vocabulary word or encountering a word in a text, the teacher should have students brainstorm possible synonyms for the word.
2. Using classroom resources, the students should identify the correct meaning of the word and record it on a card or piece of paper of similar size to be posted on the word wall.
3. When posting the words on the word wall, teachers should decide the most efficient and logical way to post the words. For instance, in a geometry class, words might be displayed by the category to which they are related. For instance:
GRAPHS LINES TRIANGLES PROOFS
*Each of the word cards would have a synonym (commonly known word or term/phrase) listed on the front of them as well under the new word or concept.
garrulous/ talkative or rambling
axis*
parabola
segment isosceles
hypotenuse
converse
theorem
The way in which the words are displayed on the word wall will have a direct impact on how students remember and use the words. Simply putting the words in groups by date they were introduced or in alphabetical order will not be as effective as helping students to see the relationship between the words. Another way to organize might be through a word wall web. For instance in a 7th grade social studies class we might find:
*Each of the word cards would have a synonym (commonly known word or term/phrase) listed on the front of them as well under the new word or concept.
In an English class, a more effective way to group words might be by part of speech so that students are able to use the new words in their writing in place of overused words (which might be listed under the words on the word wall cards).
NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADVERB
The Frontier
change conflict
transportation
urban/rural
city
agriculture
advance*
campaign
massacre
cattle drive
railroad
locomotive
hypothesis/ a guess
determination/ decision
indictate/ tell
pleasant/ good
veritably/ very
saunter/ Walk slowly
4. Another way of displaying the word wall words is what Brozo and Simpson (in Readers, Teachers, Learners: Expanding Literacy Across the Content Areas) call photographed vocabulary. This is where students would be asked to “act out” the words on the wall and they would be photographed (digital cameras work well for this). The picture is then displayed beside the word wall card. This gives visual students yet another way to remember the meaning and use of the word. (If a camera is not available, an illustration would work). In this case, I might have:
5. A further step is to have students develop their own “word bank” of word wall words called concept cards. Students would record the new words on a 3x5 card or similar size sheet of paper that can be moved and manipulated. On these cards, students would then record additional information about the word. On the front, the student would record exactly what is on the word wall. On the back, students want to record 4 pieces of additional information: 1. definition, 2. characteristics; features, 3. examples (from text of personal experience), 4. personal sentence (to put in context). For example in a science class, a concept card might look like the following:
conifer/
type of tree
1. Any of various mostly needle-leaved or scale-leaved, chiefly evergreen, cone-bearing gymnospermous trees or shrubs such as pines, spruces, and firs.
2. cone-bearing, always green, needles instead of leaves
3. Christmas tree, Pine tree in front yard, Douglas fir, evergreens
4. When my father and I went to get our Christmas tree, we looked for the grandest conifer we could find.
garrulous/ talkative or rambling
Strategy Outline: Anticipation Guides An Anticipation Guide is a set of generalizations related to the topic of a selection. This guide activates students’ prior knowledge, encourages them to make a personal connection, and gives students a chance to become interested in the lesson before they begin.
Why: Research indicates that students’ existing prior knowledge and biases will be superimposed on text information when the two are at odds. So if ideas and beliefs about a topic are not confronted before reading, they may remain unchanged after reading
How: Select a nonfiction text about a topic familiar to students.
1. The teacher prepares a list of statements of important information related to the topic of study. These statements may
Appear correct to students but are incompatible with the information they will encounter
Provoke controversy and challenge students’ beliefs about a topic. Relate to relevant prior knowledge or common misconceptions about a topic. Be a commonly held generalizations or beliefs
2. Give students a list of statements about the topic and ask them to mark whether they agree or disagree with the statement.
Oxygen in the Environment
Before Reading Statements about the topic After Reading
Agree Disagree Agree Disagree
1. Oxygen is a gas.
2. Oxygen is found in the atmosphere.
3. There are many different sources of oxygen.
4. There is oxygen on the moon.
3. After marking each statement, lead a discussion of the statements. Then direct students to read the selection to find supporting evidence to verify or refute each statement.
4. After reading, have students return to their responses to see if they feel the same way or if they have changed their thinking. Encourage students to cite textual evidence to support their thinking.
Tips for Developing an Anticipation Guide
1. Identify major concepts in the reading selection or unit of study.
2. Consider your students’ prior knowledge and possible misconceptions.
3. Write five to ten statements pertaining to the reading. These statements should be open-ended and not all factual. Make sure you are creating statements that relate to larger concepts rather than isolated facts.
Anticipation Guide Form
Topic
Before Reading Statements about the topic After Reading
Agree Disagree Agree Disagree
Attribute Web An Attribute Web is designed to help the student gather clues the author provides about what a character is like. Students are to fill in the blanks with words and phrases that tell how the character acts, feels, and looks, as well as where the character lives and how others feel about him or her. For additional samples of Attribute Webs: http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Tools/character%20study.pdf
Strategy Outline: Cloze Attention to Context Clues This strategy helps students practice using context clues to understand new words they encounter while reading.
Why: Students are frequently so distracted by an unfamiliar word that they fail to use the context to understand the word and comprehension begins to break down. Helping students to supply a word of their own to make sense of the text permits them to build strategies for using context clues.
How: Select a text with enough information and context to enable students to infer word meaning from the text alone. Place a transparency on an overhead projector so that you can model for students as you direct them.
1. From the passage, select about five words that are important for your students to know.
2. Cover each word with a small strip cut from adhesive notes and number the resulting spaces.
3. Have students fold a piece of notebook paper into thirds and label each third as shown below:
Word Prediction Clues New Word
4. Conduct a shared reading of the text. As students encounter each space, direct them to write a word that makes sense in that space. If a student cannot think of a word, have him or her draw a blank on the paper.
5. Finish reading the selection, reflect, and summarize.
6. Return to the passage and have students reread and try again. They bring a better understanding of the context to the second reading.
7. Students should discuss and note the clues they used to make their predictions. Use questioning to help them uncover and articulate the strategies they used:
Did you read ahead?
Did you sound out or study the word?
Did you picture what was happening?
8. Give students the list of words (in a different order than they appear in the actual text) that were covered.
9. Have students match those words with their predictions. If they cannot do so, have them look up those words in the dictionary. Students should define new words and then write them in the appropriate cloze space.
10. Reveal the original text with the author’s wording and encourage students to compare it to their own.
Concentric Circles
This activity helps readers to monitor their level of understanding and get the deeper meaning. It is an instructional aid which helps students to move from the personal response to the applied level of reading within one activity.
Why: The circles help students to separate information gained during the various reads. Students will start out with surface details from the selection and proceed to finding the deeper layers of meaning.
Procedure for Concentric Circles
1. Have the students draw a large circle and then a second circle within it. Next, draw a circle inside the inner circle.
2. Inside the inner-most circle, the student should choose a word that seems pivotal to the story/article and write it with its definition.
3. Inside the second inner-most circle, students would want to answer the questions “Who?” “What?” “When?” and “Where?” in relation to the word selected. In addition, students should offer a “Why?” and “How?” along with these answers.
4. Inside the outer-most circle, students should answer the questions about that word that goes beyond the text such as “What does this mean to life for all human beings?” “How does this connect with my life?” “How does this agree with my morals or values?” “What is the author communicating to me about life?”
Human beings need to understand their place in nature. Once they do this, they will be able to not only get along better with the creatures of the earth, but also with each other.
Extension: The concentric circles can be used with both narrative and expository texts.
Sample from
To Kill a Mockingbird
By Harper Lee
Concentric Circles
Dialectical Journal
The dialectical journal is a type of double-entry note-taking which students use while reading literature. In the two columns students write notes that dialogue with one another, thereby developing critical reading and reflective questioning. In the left column, students record exact text from what they are reading; the right column they respond to the text.
Dialectical Journal
Quotation
Page
Why do I find this quotation interesting or important?
Frayer Model
Definition Characteristics
Examples Non-examples
Frayer Model
Purpose: To promote vocabulary development and student thinking.
Description: Using the Frayer Model, students will activate their prior knowledge of a topic, organize knowledge into categories, and apply their new knowledge to the compartmentalized structure.
This four-square model prompts students to think about and describe the meaning of a word or concept by . . .
Defining the term, Describing its essential characteristics, Providing examples of the idea, and Offering non-examples of the idea.
This strategy stresses understanding words within the larger context of a reading selection by requiring students, first, to analyze the items (definition and characteristics) and, second, to synthesize/apply this information by thinking of examples and non-examples.
Steps to the Frayer Model:
1. Explain the Frayer model graphical organizer to the class. Use a common word to demonstrate the various components of the form. Model the type and quality of desired answers when giving this example.
2. Select a list of key concepts from a reading selection. Write this list on the chalkboard and review it with the class before students read the selection.
3. Divide the class into student pairs. Assign each pair one of the key concepts and have them read the selection carefully to define this concept. Have these groups complete the four-square organizer for this concept.
4. Ask the student pairs to share their conclusions with the entire class. Use these presentations to review the entire list of key concepts.
Strategy Outline: Get the Gist Another good way to help students zero in on the main ideas is to limit the number of words they use to write the summary. (12 to 15 words should be enough for most passages.) Model this on an over head transparency. __________ ___________ ___________ ___________ __________ ___________ ___________ ___________ __________ ___________ ___________ ___________ Write the “gist” of the passage. Help students with transition words so that they can connect the main ideas of the text. The Gist is: _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________
Strategy Outline: Get the Picture Students process a narrative by stopping during their reading to visualize what is happening in the text.
Why: Because most students spend so much time watching television, they often have trouble forming pictures in their minds while reading. As a result, they have trouble getting involved in the context of the story. This strategy helps readers enter the world of the narrative by forming images from words printed on a page so that they can begin to follow the story line, create their own questions, and monitor their own comprehension.
How: Select a novel or story for this session. Make sure students have copies. Place a transparency on an overhead projector so that you can model for students as you direct them.
1. Tell students you want them to read along with you, and that you will stop and ask them to picture what is going on. Ask students to draw a square (about 3x3) in their journals.
2. Read the first paragraph or page of the novel or story.
3. Have students create pictures within their squares of what is happening in the text. Use prompts to help them focus on textual evidence, for example:
Caption:
4. Have students write brief captions for their pictures.
5. Students continue reading and stopping at regular intervals, repeating the process.
6. Allow students to share their responses.
Strategy in Action-Get the Picture
Instructional Focus: Following the Plot of the Story
Before Reading
Say: We have been practicing revealing our thinking as we read. When you read a story just like when you watch a movie, you need to follow what is happening. But in a book, the reader has to form pictures to follow the action of the story.
Reveal the title and read it to the students. Jot notes with connections you are making or image you are forming.
Then say: When I begin reading I realize that some words name things so that it is easy to picture them like monster make me think of a big scary creature. But I know that say I read a story it’s important for me to picture what is going on in the story, not just my memories.
Say: Sometimes though I have trouble really figuring out what is going on and the pictures don’t just pop into my head. When this happens I have found that if I ask myself some questions I can get a good idea of what is happening.
Tell students you want them to read along with you, and that you will stop and ask them to picture what is going on. Explain that you will show them how to “get the picture.”
What’s the setting?
Who is there?
What’s happening?
What’s the mood or feeling?
Strategy Outline: Reading Graphic or Visual Texts
Texts often provide additional information through pictures, charts, diagrams, maps. Students often need to be taught how to “read” these texts. Why: Graphics in text have both visuals and words and are provided to highlight, extend, explain, and/or summarize information. The words and pictures work together to communicate an idea. However research studies indicate that students rarely use these graphic aids in their reading. How:
1. The reading process works with graphics just as it does with text. Select a graphic text. (It is important to explicitly guide readers through the reading of different types of graphic texts.) Identify the type of text so that students can understand the critical components of that type of graphic and its general purpose.
2. Begin by reading titles, captions, legends, and pictures and answer the question, “What is it about?”
3. Next read the text by reading words (titles, subtitles, labels, captions, keys or legends, source,) and carefully examining the pictures or graphic details such as color, bolded words, font size, and space.
4. Jot down information gained from the graphic. Be sure to link the words and pictures or graphic details.
5. Write a reaction and reflection just as you would after reading.
6. Develop a summary of what you learned from the graphic (or add important information you learned to a summary of the entire passage).
7. Debrief the graphic text with reminders about how to read it. You may want to construct a table like the one attached or post the table so students can refer to it when reading.
Guided Reading of a Graphic
Explain the graphic.
Name the type and explain what this type of graphic helps you understand.
APK 1. Read titles to learn what topic is being covered. Underline the title and label it title. If it doesn’t have a title, give it one. Discuss connections to text being read or topic you are studying.
Set Purpose 2. Conduct a preview of the graphic calling attention to critical features. Note features that should be given special attention.
3. Generate questions to set purpose for further study of this graphic. Write questions on the side.
Read 4. Read the graphic. Indicate a starting point with a number.
5. Stop and jot to retell what was read. Label your notes.
6. Read “between the lines” to make connections, inferences, predictions, and/or draw conclusions.
7. Complete your reading of the graphic and jotting again what the graphic said either directly or indirectly.
Reactions/ Reflections
8. Write a short reaction and reflection to something triggered in the graphic. Highlight, circle, or connect the triggering information.
I was surprised…
I didn’t realize…
I think it’s important to remember…
I wonder…
I predict…
Summary 9. Sum up your learning including:
type of graphic + topic + 3 key details + and big picture (what does it help you understand).
Check Understanding
Ask questions to check understanding at the literal level and at the inferential level.
Guided Reading of a Time Line
Explain the graphic.
A time line lists events in the order in which they occur. It can be drawn vertically or horizontally. Time lines are used to list events in a sequence. By reading a time line a reader may infer cause and effect relationships.
APK 1. Read the title to learn what topic is being covered. Discuss what you already know about the topic or connections that come to mind.
Set Purpose 2. Direct students’ attention to the beginning date and the ending date to see the time period covered.
3. Generate questions to be answered.
Read 4. Read the events in the order in which they occurred.
5. Stop and jot what you are learning about the time period.
6. Read between the lines and jot changes that you notice, such as the time span between events, changes in leadership, changes in places, kinds of events listed, and links of later events to prior events.
7. Complete your reading of time line.
Reactions/ Reflections
8. Write a short reaction /reflection to something triggered in the time line. Highlight, circle, or connect the triggering information.
I was surprised…
I didn’t realize…
I think it’s important to remember…
I wonder…
I predict…
Summary 9. Sum up your learning including:
the graphic + topic + the time span + key events + and big picture.
This timeline of _______ covers the years of ____ to ___. The events of _____ and ____ are key to understanding _____________.
Check Understanding
Ask questions to check understanding.
Visuals and Graphic Aids
Type They show They can help you understand Pay close attention
Maps information about places such as location, distances and physical features.
routes, climates, boundaries, natural resources, distances, and political changes
titles
key or legend
scale
place names
font or print differences
Photographs
Drawings
Art work
images or impressions of people, places, or things
the details related to a topic or the mood of an event
colors
background/angle
subject
photographer/ artist
date
Diagrams drawings that show how things are constructed or explain processes
how something works, how parts are related to a whole, or to understand a process
titles
labels
arrows and lines
captions
more explanations in the text
Political
Cartoons
drawings that use humor, satire to express an idea
the author’s point of view or message look at expressions drawn on faces
speaking or thought bubbles
background information
exaggerations
symbols
Tables list of information arranged in columns and rows
similarities, differences and patterns category headings
legends or keys
abbreviations
how information is arranged
Graphs use vertical and horizontal bars, lines, circles to show quantities, amounts, and comparisons
relationships, trends, growth rates, increases, decreases, and parts of a whole
Titles/ labels
vertical and horizontal axis
units of measure
numbers
shading/ keys
Strategy Outline: Inquiry Charts
Inquiry Charts help students generate ideas, formulate questions, and organize information from multiple sources in order to synthesize what has been learned and draw conclusions. This is a great strategy to use for teaching students to research. Why: Many students have trouble synthesizing information as they read so their knowledge of the subject remains static. The chart guides their questioning and organizes their answers in a way that makes it easy to draw logical conclusions based on textual evidence. How:
1. Choose a general topic or thesis for study.
2. Have students generate at least three questions to guide their study. Place the questions on an inquiry chart.
3. Gather several different sources of information about the topic.
4. Form students into groups and give them (or have them to locate) sources of information to read. Teach students to cite their sources and then read with a purpose. You may want to leave a couple of columns open for students to add questions and answers as they research.
5. Have students report out information to complete the chart.
6. After all the information has been presented help students draw the information together to state their conclusions.
Instead of using different sources to answer questions, students could answer questions about a novel from the point of view of different characters.
Are tobacco companies to blame for the increase in smoking among teens? What are they
doing to attract smokers?
What are they doing to prevent smoking?
Why do teenagers smoke?
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Conclusions
TOPIC: Questions:
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Conclusions
Strategy Outline: It Says, I Say This strategy developed by Kylene Beers (2003) helps students construct responses to questions that require them to make inferences. Why: When required to answer inference level questions students often make two types of errors: they simply copy information and fail to connect it to the question asked or they answer the question in a vague way without textual support. How: Display the table below.
Question It Says I Say And So
1. Read the question
2. Find information in the text that will help you answer the question
3. Think about what you know about that information
4. Combine what the text says to what you know to come up with an answer.
1. Pose an inferential question to the students. Explain that in order to answer such a question you must use what it says in the passage along with what you know about that information.
2. Demonstrate how to answer at least one question. 3. Assign questions to groups and have them work together to complete the
chart.
Extension: This same process can be used to answer multiple choice questions because students must always be prepared to defend their answer choices.
It Says, I Say
Question It Says I Say And So 1. Read the question
2. Find information in the text that will help you answer the question
3. Think about what you know about that information
4. Combine what the text says to what you know to come up with an answer.
Question It Says I Say And So
Plot Diagram
Plot Diagram Plot – The organized pattern or sequence of events that make up a story. Every plot is made up of a series of incidents that are related to one another. Exposition – this usually occurs at the beginning of a short story.
Readers learn about the characters, setting and main conflict (problem).
Rising Action – This part of the story begins to develop the
conflict(s). Climax – Turning point of the story.
Falling Action – Loose ends of the plot are tied up. The conflict(s)
and climax are taken care of. Resolution – The story comes to a reasonable ending.
Beginning of Story Middle of Story End of Story Exposition Climax Falling Action Rising Action Resolution
Strategy Outline: Plot Relationship Chart Why: Students often have difficulty moving beyond the retelling of a story. This strategy aids in summarizing narratives and thus improves comprehension. It helps readers focus on the problem-solution elements of the story; to develop a sense of story; and to develop connections across texts.
How: Choose a narrative to read (fiction or history). Place a transparency with the chart on an overhead projector so that you can model for students as you direct them.
1. Have students create charts with headings like the one below. After reading the text, ask, "WHO was the somebody in the story?" Write one student's response in the first space on the chart. Plot relationship charts can be constructed with only one main character or several characters. Start with one character.
2. Next ask, "What did the character want?" Write the response in WANTED space.
3. Ask "But what happened?" Write the response in BUT space.
4. Ask "So...?” Write the response in SO space.
5. An additional space can be added, titled THEN. This is necessary for some stories.
6. Ask students to create a single sentence from the plot relationships chart to summarize the story. They may put responses together to create a complete sentence or revise the responses to create a single sentence.
Extension:
When using a plot relationship chart with a chapter book or longer narrative, add a PREDICTION space. This encourages students to use the story events to make predictions.
This can become a learning center or review activity, by writing the responses on sentence strips. Write student responses in a different color for each part and then cut it apart. Put the parts of the stories in an envelope and label. Students can then work in small groups to put the elements together for each story read.
WHO WANTED BUT SO (THEN)
Strategy in Action-Plot Relationship Chart-Predictions
Instructional Focus: Summarize a Story
After Reading
Say: To recap our reading, I want us to summarize the story so far. To do this we can think about the events in the plot and how they are related.
Draw a plot relationship chart and prompt students fill it in such as Who: is the main character/ Wanted: what did the character want (take several answers)/ But: what is getting in the way of getting what the character wants So: .What happens as a result?
Say: Then: Based on what has happened so far what do you think she will do next.
Plot Relationship Chart
WHO (Somebody)
WANTED BUT SO (THEN)
Summary:
Problem – Solution
QUESTIONS ANSWERS What is the problem?
What are the effects?
What are the causes?
What are the solutions?
Strategy: Problem-Solution The Problem—Solution chart is a variation of column notes. It helps students focus on the four areas critical to problem-solving:
identifying the problem, listing the consequences or results of that problem, isolating the causes, and proposing solutions.
How it works: A Problem-Solution chart offers a way to visually organize the distinct components of problems toward educative ends. Because it uses a format based on column notes, students can readily understand its layout and function. Students (or the teacher) will first identify a problem; the effects or consequences of that problem and also come up with solutions to the problem.
QAR Question Guide
Question Answer Right There
Think and
Search
Author and You
On Your own
1. Which continent is most likely to have a problem with over population?
2. What is the population density of each continent?
3. How many people are there in Europe?
4. Which continent has the least number of people?
Strategy Outline: QAR
This strategy developed by Taffy Rafael helps students to become aware of sources of information as they respond to questions. Readers draw on two basic sources of information to answer questions: the text they are reading and then own experiences. Rafael categorized questions in four categories to help students understand how these two sources may or may not be combined to develop accurate and logical responses to questions. Why: Teaching students to understand the different types of questions and answering the different types of questions can have a great impact on students’ success as readers. Right There: These questions are textually explicit, usually using actual
words from the text in the question. Think and Search: The answer is in the text, but the words used for the
answers are not in one place. The reader will need to draw information together before the question can be answered.
Author and You: The answer is not directly in the text. The reader needs to think about what the author says and use that along with prior knowledge and experience to answer the question.
On Your Own: The reader uses ideas triggered from reading to answer questions. These questions can lead students to creative responses or independent study.
How: This strategy should be taught over at least a four day period.
1. Introduce the concept of QARs. Show the students a chart or an overhead description of the four basic question types. It is recommended that this chart is posted in the room so that students can refer to it regularly.
2. Begin by assigning students several short passages. Follow each passage with four questions from each of the categories. Help the students answer the questions and then discuss the information used to develop answers.
3. Continue practicing on the second day, again having students read short passages and answering different types of questions. Each day the passage should be longer and students may work in groups. Reinforce the categorization of the questions each day.
4. Apply the QAR on an actual reading assignment.
Quick Write Use a quick write to activate background knowledge, clarify issues, facilitate making connections, and allow for reflection. Students write for a short, specific amount of time, 3-5 minutes, about a designated topic related to... Quick Write activities give students an opportunity to record their ideas immediately in writing without concerns about spelling or punctuation. This technique encourages students to take more risks in the writing process.
Strategy Outline: Reader Response Journal A reader response journal serves as a reader’s record of thinking about a reading selection. This record can be used by the reader to note questions, information, insights, and criticisms. The journal serves as an excellent springboard for discussion, teaching points, and critical analysis.
When you first begin teaching the assigned text, get students actively engaged in the reading process by having them keep a Reader Response Journal. The goal in this phase of instruction is to have students make connections to the texts and develop a record of their reading.
Why: The journal’s most important function is that it helps make overt those thoughts and feelings usually hidden in the act of reading. Furthermore, it can help a reader connect prior knowledge to ideas and information in the text and promote better understanding of the content.
How: Tell students that you want them to keep a daily record of their reading in this notebook. Place a transparency on an overhead projector so that you can show students how to proceed as you direct them to write.
1. Have students write the title of the selection and the date on the top line.
2. Refer to the Reading Comprehension Process so that students can begin to learn and internalize the steps in the process.
3. Guide students in the reading process to activate prior knowledge and set purpose. Make notes on the transparency and invite students to write as you write and allow them to share what they have written.
4. Tell students that you are going to read the text together and stop at regular intervals to records thoughts. Tell students that they should write for about 1 minute when they stop during reading.
Remind them that you do not want them to summarize or retell the story. To help them do this post sentence starters, such as:
I think…
I wish…
I wonder…
5. At the end of the selection, students should write for about 3 minutes. If a student runs out of ideas, he or she should pick another starter and see where that takes them. Students should be encouraged to write freely and not think about answering a particular question.
6. Invite students to share reactions and reflections.
7. The following questions can further prompt students respond to informational texts.
What aspect of the text interested you most?
What are your feelings and attitudes about this aspect of the text?
What experiences have you had that help others understand why you feel the way you do?
Reader Response Prompts for Reacting and Reflecting
When you stop during or after reading, take a few minutes to write your ideas as they relate to what you have just read. The following prompts may help you get started.
Choose one:
I was surprised…
I think…
I hope…
I wonder…
I would…
I didn’t realize…
This reminds me of…
I think it is important to remember…
I can see…
I’m not sure about…
In the next part, I predict…
Remember: If you run out of ideas before you run out of time, pick another sentence starter and see where that takes you.
Reader Response Sample Page
Title: Date:
APK: activate prior knowledge
Set Purpose:
Assignment: Stop and Jot
Reactions/Reflections:
Summary:
Encourage Active Reading Get students actively engaged in the reading process by having them keep a Reader Response Journal as you read aloud and conduct shared readings following the B-D-A structure. Students will learn to articulate their thinking before, during, and after reading. The goal in this phase of instruction is to motivate students to read, help students become aware of their thinking, and establish a personal reading process.
1. Begin by selecting texts that are interesting, accessible (most of your students should be able to read most of the words), and important (in relation grade level content or student’s lives).
2. Have students prepare to keep a record of this reading experience in their Reader Response Journal. Students need to write the title and date the entry.
3. Write Reader-Response Prompts on a transparency so students may refer to them at stopping points. Use these teaching prompts to help students become more actively engaged.
4. Post process guidelines so that students can follow them.
Strategy Outline: Reading Between the Lines This strategy is designed to help students draw out inferences as they read.
Why: Many students don’t understand that reading requires activity on their part. This may, at least in part, be exacerbated by the traditional assignments that allow students to skim the surface of the text to collect information to deliver to the teacher. Rosenblatt (1978) explains that reading is interaction in which meaning is created by the reader’s engagement with the text. True reading comprehension can only be achieved by the reader constructing meaning from the information the author provides and the experiences and information he/she brings to the text.
How: Use this strategy when students’ reader response journals reveal little more than a literal monitoring of story events.
1. Read a simple text of two or three lines in which an event is being described.
2. Turn the journal page sideways (landscape and draw a line across the page intersecting the lines. Then begin to retell the events of the story plotting each event with a point and a brief account. (All of this is written above the line.)
3. Now read the passage again and ask students to listen for what was going on below the surface. Probe students with questions such as
What is going on?
What caused this to happen?
What do you know that the character doesn’t know?
How is the character feeling?
What are the character’s motives?
What does this mean?
4. Write the responses below the line.
5. If a story has two different plot lines students may draw two parallel lines and then use arrow writing their inferences below one plot line and above the other. This will help students follow the plots until they intertwine.
Strategy Outline: Recognizing Text Structures Graphic organizers are structural frameworks students can use to organize information in a way that helps them discover the relationship of ideas. Why: When reading, students can easily get lost in the details especially if there is lots of new information. Teaching students to recognize common text structures and to use those structures to note and organize information, will increase the likelihood that they will remember what the read and learn more from reading. How: Choose a short passage of text that contains information students need to know and remember and is specifically written for one particular purpose. (Writer’s rarely use only one organizational structure so you may want to begin with only one part of the text. Look for signal words that indicate a specific text structure such as cause/effect, chronological order, spatial order, compare/contrast or description.) 1. Tell students that part of reading comprehension is being able to determine how the author has organized and presented information to make a point. 2. Give students a copy of the text and make a transparency of the text is possible.
3. Direct students to read the title, subtitles and scan the text. Tell them to identify the topic and what aspect of the topic the text will probably cover. For example the topic might be about the teenage smoking habits in the past twenty years.
4. Ask students to think about what they already know about this. Record ideas or have students write ideas in their journals.
5. Based on their preview of the text, ask students what they think the author’s purpose for writing this is. Students might respond that this text was written to alert readers to a problem. Ask them to then make predictions about what they would expect to learn.
6. Tell them that there are some common text structures that writers often use and some graphic organizers that can be used to collect information as they read and learn.
7. Have students select a graphic organizer that fits that purpose. (See attached examples.) Keep in mind that more than one may work or a combination of different graphics may be used. For example, the Problem and Solution or Cause and Effect organizers could be appropriate and that the there is not always a one to one ratio for cause and effect or problem and solution.
8. Have students draw the graphic in their journals and tell them that they can use it as a note-taking guide. Conduct a shared reading demonstrating how you stop and jot your thinking on the using a graphic organizer. (It’s very important that students see that they are not simply filling in a worksheet but using the graphic to retell what they are learning. Also explain that the information will not all necessarily fit into the graphic they selected. Information that does not fit should not be discarded.
9. After modeling, pair students and ask them to continue reading until a designated point or time. One student should read aloud and the other should listen. When the reader stops, the student who has listened retells what he/she remembers. Encourage them to retell from memory first. Then the pair should decide what they need to note in relation to their purpose for reading.
10. Direct students to continue to read and stop when they have something to note. For example, if the first section identifies the problem, students note details related to problem. Encourage students to think about the information as they continue reading and decide if it is a continuation of the category they identified or if it is a different type of information. Is a new problem being identified, or is a solution presented?
11. After they have finished reading, students choose a reflection or reaction prompt and write for at least three minutes. All students should write.
12. Direct students back to their notes and have them label the categories for the type of information.
13. Demonstrate how to use a graphic organizer to write a summary. Remember that a graphic organizer uses lines and arrows to connect ideas, but you will need to attach words to those connections. Refer to the Cue Words to help you.
14. Check understanding with questions related to the relationship of information. Use questions like these to help students apply their learning:
How did the ______________ affect _________________?
Identify a solution to the stated problem and offer another.
Review the sequence of events that lead to a particular outcome.
*Students should be guided through this process using a variety of texts as new text structures are introduced. It is easier for students to understand the different text structures if you continue with the same topic for a few days.
After each text structure has been introduced it should be posted so that students can use them to guide their reading and note-taking throughout the year.
1
Five Common Expository Text Structures Pattern Description Cue Words Graphic Organizer
Description
The author describes a topic by listing characteristics,
features, and examples.
for example such as for instance namely to illustrate
Sequence
The author lists items or events in sequence or
steps in a process.
first in addition second, third, next, then, finally
different, than neither…nor similarly in contrast, alike, same as, on the other hand either… or
Cause and Effect
The author lists one or more causes and the
resulting effect or effects or an effect and
several causes
reasons why, since if…then, although as a result thus therefore so because due to consequently
Problem and Solution
The author states a problem and lists one or more solutions for the problem or poses a question and then
answers it.
problem is, dilemma is, puzzle is, solved, question, answer
2
Variations on the Structures
Problems Solution
Compare/ Contrast
Cycle
Pyramid
topic topic
Similarities
Strategy Outline: Retell and Elaborate This strategy lesson is designed to show students how to stop while reading to identify and clarify important information.
Why: By having students read and retell, we can help them become more accountable for learning as they read. Through the process of retelling, students internalize the concepts, structures, and conventions encountered in texts. First vocalization helps some learners absorb new information. Secondly, students develop listening skills. And by retelling students may better remember information learned.
How: Place a transparency an overhead projector so that you can capture student responses and model for students as you direct them.
1. Select and distribute a passage of text from a content book or continuing piece of literature.
2. Begin brainstorming with students and listing what they already know about a topic. With students’ input, record ideas as statements that students made about the topic.
3. Tell students that the goal of today’s lesson is to learn more about the topic.
4. Read a section of the text. Students close their books, keeping their place with a bookmark, and listen to what is being read.
5. Stop reading aloud at the end of the first paragraph and direct students back to the list they developed before reading. Students briefly retell what they remember by elaborating on an idea they had before reading, by correcting information, or by adding new information to the list.
6. Students may also ask questions about information they want clarified or something else they want to know about the topic. Record those questions so they can be referred to later.
7. Continue reading or call on a student to read. Extend the amount of text read before stopping for a second time. Do not stop after each paragraph. Students who are not reading should just listen.
8. Repeat reading and retelling until finished with the passage, each time extending the amount of text read.
9. The teacher or students may keep a script of the retellings so that the details can be clarified later in the lesson when students go back into their texts.
Elaborate: Students should be presented with their retellings and directed to return to the text to correct or elaborate each of the statements.
Retelling Lesson Procedure
Immersion: Prior to the first retelling immerse students in the topic by activating prior knowledge or conducting read alouds or shared readings about the topic.
Part 1: Predicting
Predicting Plot or Content: (2-3 minutes) On the basis of the title which is the only part of the text that is visible, ask students to write a one or two sentence prediction on what the passage might be about. Students should work quickly.
Predict Some Words: (2 minutes) List some words or phrases you expect to encounter.
Share and Compare: (1 minute) Students either report out or share with a small group what they’ve written.
Make a Comment: (3 minutes) Each person is to make one comment (orally) on the written predictions of the other members of his or her group.
Part 2: Read
Before reading, explain the specific purpose for the retelling, such as explain to someone who doesn’t really understand.
Teacher reads aloud as students listen and/or follow along. Students then reread the text silently (as many times as needed. Students should be encouraged to read to understand not to
memorize.
Part 3: Retell
Turn over the text, and write everything you remember about what you have read.
Do not look back at the text. Don’t worry about spelling or neatness, but make sure that it is
readable. Work as quickly as you can.
Part 4-Share and Compare
Pair students and have them compare retellings by looking for details that the included or omitted that were different from their partners.
Ask students to find areas where one of them may have written the wrong information.
Ask students to find words or phrases that they used that were different from the words in the text but had the same meaning.
Ask students to select something from each others retellings to add to theirs to make it complete.
Strategy Outline: Stop and Jot A Reader Response Journal serves as a reader’s record of thinking about a reading selection. This record can be used by the reader to note questions, information, insights, and criticisms. The journal serves as an excellent springboard for discussion, teaching points, and critical analysis. When you first begin teaching the assigned text, get students actively engaged in the reading process by having them keep a Reader Response Journal. The goal in this phase of instruction is to have students make connections to the texts and develop a record of their reading. Why: The Stop and Jot strategy helps make overt those thoughts and feelings usually hidden in the act of rending. Furthermore, it can help a reader connect prior knowledge to information in the text and promote better understanding of the content. How: Tell students that you want them to keep a daily record of their reading in this notebook. Place a transparency on an overhead projector so that you can show students how to proceed as you direct them to write.
1. Have students write the title of the selection and the date on the top line. 2. Refer to the Rending Comprehension Process so that students can begin to learn
and internalize the steps in the process. 3. Guide students in the reading process to activate prior knowledge and set purpose.
Make notes on the transparency and invite students to write as you write and allow them to share what they have written.
4. Tell students that you are going to read the text together and stop at regular
intervals to record thoughts. Tell students that they should write for about I minute when they stop during reading.
Remind them that you do not want them to summarize or retell the story. To help them do this, post sentence starters, such as: I think... I wish… I wonder… 5. At the end of the selection, students should write for about 3 minutes. If a student
runs out of ideas, he or she should pick another starter and see where that takes them. Students should be encouraged to write freely and not think about answering a particular question.
6. Invite students to share reactions and reflections. 7. The following questions can further prompt students’ response to informational texts. What aspect of the text interested you most? What are your feelings and attitudes about this aspect of the text? What experiences have you had that help others understand why you feel the
way you do?
Topic:
Detail Detail Detail
Summary:
Strategy Outline: Summing It Up This strategy helps students summarize informative text.
Why: When reading informative texts, some students become so caught up in the processing of information that they lose sight of the big picture and try to remember too many details. By providing a framework for summarizing, we can help students capture and remember what they have learned.
How: Choose an interesting selection from a magazine or trade book that relates to the topic of study.
1. Have students focus on the title of an expository text. Activate prior knowledge. Scan the text layout and read the first paragraph or first few sentences, examine the illustrations, and read subheadings.
2. Guide students as they select a purpose for reading by asking what “big questions” will be answered in the text. “Big questions” should focus on what the reader is expected to learn about the topic. Tell students to write their question(s). If the title is a question, have students paraphrase the question in order to check for understanding.
3. As students begin to read, remind them to keep their question in mind.
4. After reading, guide students as they fill in the chart.
Topic:
Detail Detail Detail
Summary:
T-CHART
Topic/Question Topic/Response
T-Chart T-Charts allow readers to:
Make predictions (left side) and outcome (right side). Questions (teacher or student generated) on left side, responses on right
side. Compare and contrast (books, characters, past and present, etc.). Note making tool when, for example watching a video that is connected to
a book readers are studying. Use as dialectic journal – list quote from text on left side, response on
right. Cause and effect. If used for cause/effect add a third column to include
consequences or implications.
B/D/A Lesson
This approach is offered as a way to teach students how to work with the text before, during, and after reading.
Before Reading
Teachers help students activate prior knowledge and establish purposes for reading
Activate Prior Knowledge: Use strategies to help students
become motivated to read draw up and connect background knowledge before reading find a focus for their reading make predictions about the text
Set Purpose: Use strategies to help students
generate questions determine what’s important make predictions find appropriate organizational strategies
During Reading
Teachers show students how to read the text accurately, set an appropriate pace, and pay attention to what they are reading.
Guide Readers: Use strategies to help students
monitor their comprehension determine what’s important draw inferences from the text use fix-up strategies when meaning breaks down define words in context
After Reading
Teachers help students reflect on learning, summarize, and apply information
React/Reflect: Use strategies to help students
make observations clarify thinking test their suppositions
Summarize: Use strategies to help students
synthesize ideas recap main points
Selecting Strategies Reading strategies should be selected based on the needs of the readers and the demands of the text. In this session a few new strategies will be taught and practiced.
If students have trouble… Try understanding generalizations, confronting misconceptions and preconceived notions Anticipation Guides
pulling out essential information from texts Graphic Organizers gaining meaning from graphic or visual texts Reading Graphic Texts seeking critical information Tea Party predicting before reading and remembering what they read Retelling confusing reading for meaning with word calling and not concentrating on the meaning of the text Stop and Jot- Reactions and Reflections
visualizing as they read a novel or story Get the Picture getting accurate information out of a text Retell and Elaborate moving past difficult words or over relying on decoding when encountering a new word Cloze Attention to Context Clues
drawing inferences based on textual evidence Reading Between the Lines determining how to answer questions being posed in relation to reading
QAR
noticing patterns or understanding the point of a story, either fiction or nonfiction
Plot Relationship Chart
pulling together key ideas from a passage Summing It Up understanding the relationships of ideas Graphic Organizers determining the meaning of new vocabulary to enable them to read grade level material fluently
Word Walls
synthesizing information across texts Inquiry Charts understanding themes Text Reformulations
Strategies within the Reading Process
Before Reading
Ways to Activate/ Build Prior Knowledge
Ask students to list, brainstorm, or write what they already know about the topic.
Identify a problem or situation that requires solving.
Respond to an Anticipation Guide.
Ways to help students read more purposely
Identify basic text structures
A story-to find out what happens
Information-to learn something
Functional- to do something
Have students develop questions they want answered.
During Reading
Ways to guide students toward better reading.
Stop and Jot notes at intervals throughout reading. They may do one of the following
React and Reflect Get the Picture Make a Prediction
After Reading
To help students internalize learning
Have students
Write a Reaction or Reflection. Complete an Anticipation Guide
To help students become more accountable for learning.
Develop a Summary Complete a Plot Relationship Chart
The Reading Process
Before Reading
Activate Prior Knowledge: Read the title. Look at pictures. Jot ideas that come to
your mind.
Preview by skimming for key words and/ or reading the first paragraph.
Predict what the passage will read about.
Plan: Look over the passage and mark places where you will stop during reading.
Set Purpose: Think about what you will learn or find out as you read.
Write a question you hope will be answered. Or
Write: I am reading this to find out…
During Reading
Read silently.
Stop and Jot: Take about 1 minute to do one of the following
Write a reaction or reflection or Write what about what’s going on.
Get the Picture
Retell or Elaborate
Define new words you learned.
Before you continue reading.
Make a prediction or refocus with:
I predict…
I think…
If you don’t understand what’s going on you should.
Reread the section until you can make a prediction.
After Reading
React and Reflect: Think about what surprised you, confused you, bothered you, or interests you. Take about 3 minutes to write about any of these things.
Retell / Summarize:
Write important facts or details to remember using new words learned.
What do we need to teach? We need to teach all students what it means to be a good reader. Researchers have found significant differences in the ways good and poor readers approach texts.
Good Readers Poor Readers
Before Reading
set goals for their reading
note the structure or organization of text
create a mental overview or outline the text to see if its relevant to their goals
rarely prepare before reading
begin reading without setting goals
seldom consider how best to read a particular type of text
During Reading
read words accurately and quickly, and simultaneously deal with meaning of those words
may use background knowledge to try to clarify meaning
may interact with the text by asking question about its content or reflecting on its ideas
may make predictions about what might happen next and to understand ideas they encounter
may be selective as they read, focusing more on parts of text that are most closely tied to their reading goals
connect the meaning of one sentence to the meaning of another
may summarize content of the passage as they read it
make inferences, drawing on background knowledge or look for clues in text not directly stated
create mental images or visualize as setting, event or character to help them understand
may rephrase a text in an attempt to repair their lack of understanding
may be unable to activate background knowledge to help them understand they text they read
may have difficulty decoding and so have difficulty reading text accurately
attention may be consumed with figuring out words rather than understanding the text’s message
may read too slowly resulting in loss of comprehension
may lack fluency resulting in loss of comprehension
may lack sufficient background knowledge about the text
have trouble determining word meanings of new vocabulary they encounter
unaware of text organizational structures that could help them follow the text
After Reading
think about or reflect on what they read
summarize major points or events
may go to other sources to find additional information
do not think about or reflect upon what they read
almost never seek out additional information about a topic
