Reading Comprehension, Week 8 Scientific Exposition

Overview This week’s lesson focuses on reading and gathering information from multiple expository texts on the same topic. The three texts to be read all report on the finding of Spinosaurus, the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever found and one of the few truly amphibious dinosaurs, in the Kem Kem fossil bed near Erfoud. Students will be placed in groups of five and use a strategy called Reciprocal Teaching to read, discuss, and record information about the three articles. The teacher will model the reading and Reciprocal Teaching process for the first article, closely supervise the reading of the second article, and allow students to read the third article mostly on their own using the RT strategy. Each group will record essential information, including vocabulary and in summary produce a graphic representation (an outline or semantic web) that synthesizes information from each of the three articles.

Reciprocal Teaching Reciprocal Teaching is an approach to developing reading comprehension skills in readers through a four-step process: Questioning Clarifying Summarizing Predicting It is a complicated approach that must be taught to students and practiced to be successful.

In its beginning stages, the teacher models the process for students 1.The teacher plays the role of QUESTIONNER by wondering aloud about what has just been read (typically a paragraph or two) and drawing students into discussion of the major issues 2.The teacher asks questions about vocabulary or ambiguous parts of the text to CLARIFY meaning 3.The teacher SUMMARIZES this discussion and the meaning of the text 4.The teacher makes PREDICTIONS about what will be read next and draws students into this discussion Each of these four steps can incorporate many sub-strategies (to be researched)

In the next stage, the teacher assigns each reader in the group a role to play 1.The QUESTIONNER raises questions about what was read and encourages peers to try to work toward answers for these questions 2.The CLARIFIER raises issues about ambiguities and vocabulary in the text 3.The SUMMARIZER provides a one or two-sentence summation of what was read and discussed 4.The PREDICTOR suggests what may be read next and invites peers to agree, disagree, or suggest different predictions At this stage, it is very useful to provide worksheets for students to use to record their questions, clarifications, summaries, and predictions

RT is a Powerful, Proven Tool for Teaching Students to Read Academically It has a powerful research base showing its success in classes with both struggling and normally successful readers HOWEVER, it MUST be done as described; and It can be CHALLENGING to use because it requires that it be taught and practiced to be effective. It takes TIME and PATIENCE to be successful

First Hour Organize students into groups of 8 (or 4 if the class is small). Explain that they will read three articles today about Spinosaurus and take notes on them. In each group, there are four different jobs held by two students each: the Questioner, the Clarifier, the Summarizer, and the Predictor. For the first article, the teacher will read aloud (use Shared Reading) and model each of the four jobs. Read the first section of the article, “Spinosaurus fossil: Giant swimming dinosaur unearthed. At the end of the first section, model the Questionner’s role by asking questions about what was just read; model the Clarifier’s role by extending or explaining ideas that were unclear; model the Summarizer’s role by summarizing what was read; and model the Predictor’s role by discussing what isn’t known yet but might be read about.

First Hour, Cont. Read through the second section of the article, following the same modeling practice: Question, Clarify, Summarize, Predict. Repeat for the third section and so on until completed. Have each group take out a sheet of paper. In whole class discussion, ask what facts have been learned about Spinosaurus; record these on the board and have students record them. Include any new vocabulary. Now ask, “What don’t we know about Spinosaurus yet? What are you curious about?” Record these questions on the board.

Second Hour Introduce the second article, “Spinosaurus: The Largest Carnivorous Dinosaur.” Make sure that each group has divided themselves into four jobs: Questioner, Clarifier, Summarizer, and Predictor. Have the students read the article themselves, silently or as a group, and follow the same procedure as you did, stopping after each section to question, clarify, summarize, and predict. When finished, students should add to their group notes about what they’ve learned that is new, including vocabulary. Have students begin the third article, “The Kem Kem Beds: A Paradise for Predators,” about 40 minutes into the second hour.

Third Hour Carry over from second hour about 20 minutes into the third hour. Students should have taken notes and followed the RT procedure for the third article as well. Have a whole class discussion. What are the most interesting things you learned? What new vocabulary have you learned? Was the RT process a good experience for your group? Distribute large sheets of paper and markers (or simply have students take out a new sheet of paper). Ask the students to graphically organize the information they have learned from the three articles into one clear diagram (can be an outline or a semantic web). Collect these papers for evaluation or have students write a short summary paragraph about what they learned; make sure every student’s name in the group is one them.