Increasing Reading Confidence:Deciphering a Text for Literal and Implied Ideas

Facilitator: ShaVon C. Myles

Objective(s):

To share practical reading strategies and learning principles.

To distinguish the strategic reader from the dependent/reluctant reader.

REFLECTConsider the following questions:

What are common reactions from students when prompted to read a text?

Can most students distinguish literal and implied ideas in a text?

If a student had the opportunity to select a book to read what would be its content and features?

Distinguishing Types of Readers

Strategic Reader uses context clues reads actively pauses and reflects questions the

text/author uses prior knowledge makes inferences predicts possesses confidence

Dependent/Reluctant Readers

sees unfamiliar words as a barriers

speed reads is disengaged is hesitant to read

and discuss literature

constantly rereads seeks the obvious

Teacher’s Role - Tip 1 For students’ success in reading,

teachers should: increase students’ awareness of basic

literary terms associated with analyzing a text:

inference, predict, implied, clarify,evaluate, connect, literal, visualize

Accountable Talk (Principles of Learning) – promotes connectivity and confidence in students

Teacher’s Role - Tip 2

For students’ success in reading, teachers should:

have high expectations for students know and respond to students’ needs model reading strategies encourage students to use reading

strategies independently

Reading Strategy 1: The Chunking Process Materials:

Copy a page of a text or use adhesive post-it strips.

pen/pencil

Purpose: To stress the importance of pausing and reflecting on a text during reading.

Results: Encourages student response to literature and elicits interest in a text.

Steps ofThe Chunking Process

**First, understand that a “chunk” of text is a clearly defined paragraph or 5-6 lines of text.

Step 1: Survey a page of text to determine pause points (chunks). If possible, make a mark beside each chunk. (Focus on one page at a time.)

Steps ofThe Chunking Process

Step 2: Begin to read. Briefly pause at the end of each identified chunk to analyze what was just read.

During each pause, the reader engages in at least one of the following processes: questioning, clarifying, predicting, evaluating, connecting, or visualizing.

Steps ofThe Chunking Process

Step 3: Jot down ideas and questions that arise during the pause in reading in the margin on the copy of the reading selection or on the post-it strip. Place the annotated post-it strip near the respective chunk in the textbook.

Excerpt to ModelThe Chunking Process

Excerpt from “Accident” by Dave Eggers

“You exchange insurance information, and you find yourself, minute by minute, ever more thankful that none of these teenagers has punched you, or even made a remark about your being drunk, which you are not, or being stupid, which you are, often. You become more friendly with all of them, and you realize that you are much more connected to them, particularly to the driver, than possible in perhaps any other way.”

Dissecting a Text for Literaland Implied Ideas

Less strategic readers often seek out only literal ideas in a text.

Students should know that: Literal = What you see is what you get. Implied = Find what else in our world

can connect to the statements (The reader must make inferences to identify implied ideas.)

Teaching Students how to Make Inferences

look for pronouns to make connections think about the setting to see what details

the reader could add use prior knowledge try to explain the characters’ behavior recognize connotations of words chart sample literal and implied ideas

from students

Identifying Literal and Implied Ideas

Read the following brief excerpt. Identify literal ideas. Identify implied ideas.

“He put down $10.00 at the window. The woman behind the window gave $4.00. The person next to him gave him $3.00, but he gave it back to her. So, when they went inside, she bought him a large popcorn.”

What were some Literal and Implied Ideas in the Excerpt?

Literal Ideas A person is next

to another person A woman is behind a window

and handling money

Popcorn is bought Money is

exchanged

Implied Ideas Date (person next to him) Cashier (woman behind

the window with money) Movies (popcorn) Nice guy (returns

money) Thoughtful girl (buys

popcorn) Paying for something

($10.00 given and received $4.00)

Closure

Collectively, teachers and students must work toward developing strategic readers.

Resources

Institute for Learning http://ifl.lrdc.pitt.edu

When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers

College Knowledge by David T. Conley