Reading Comprehension…

Teaching Reading Strategies How do I get my students to READ, comprehend, and attend before, during and after instruction?

Preload Information Introduce vocabulary – Build background – Present vocabulary lists Provide definitions Participate in group activities Create vocabulary illustrations Build background – PowerPoint's Web Quests Internet Sites

Preload Information Activate prior knowledge – Whole group, pair and share, small group activities Explore Web Quests, Internet Sites, Graphic Organizers KWL charts – Create Presentations Set purpose for reading – Reading Reports – non-fiction/fiction

Good Reader Habits Discuss good reading traits Use “What Good Readers Do” handout Model techniques for students Have students practice techniques Tell students what is expected of them Have guided reading activities – read alouds Hold literature circle discussions – “fishbowl” Draw chairs into circle Student lead discussions – quotations, summarizations, connections, etc.

Encourage Reading Throughout Course Model reading and reading strategies in class Make your reading an integral part of the learning that compliments what you are doing in class Provide meaningful reading assignments that present information to be employed in class Hold students accountable for the reading assignment Provide graphic organizers for recording information learned

What Good Readers Do Questions to Ask Before Reading Make connections – Good readers look to relate what they are reading to their real life experiences and make connections to prior knowledge. Good readers look for similarities and differences between what they are reading and their own life. Ask questions – to clarify meaning and make sure that they are understanding what they are reading. They may ask questions such as : Why is this happening? What does this mean? Why would the character make that decision? Visualize – Good readers create pictures in their mind as they are reading – of characters, setting, objects, etc… Draw inferences and make predictions- Good readers take what they already know, gather clues from text, make a judgment, and predict what will happen next. Determine important ideas- Good readers focus on essential ideas and important information or key ideas. Synthesize information - Good readers combine new information with existing knowledge to form an original idea of text gaining new insights. Monitor comprehension and clarify - Good readers know when they understand what they read and when they do not, trying to correct the misunderstandings as they arise. Ask Questions – Good readers ask questions before, during and after they read (See chart for examples). Questions to Ask Before Reading What do I need to know before I read? What do I already know about this topic? How is the text organization going to help me? What is the reason I am reading this text? What is the author’s purpose? Am I reading for my own pleasure? Am I reading for school? Does the title tell me what I am going to read about? Are there pictures, graphs, maps, titles, or headings that can help me? Can I create a graphic organizer that will help me organize the text? Questions to Ask While Reading How does this connect to what I know? How does what I am reading compare to what I thought I knew? Does what I am reading make sense? Do I need to code the text and note what is important, what I don’t understand, and what I need to reread? Do I need to mark important words with highlight or sticky notes? Do I need to go back and reread any part of the text? Do the pictures, charts, graphs or visuals help me understand what I am reading? Do I agree with the way the problem was solved? Am I surprised about the information? Are there clues to help me make predictions? What is the plot or theme? What mental pictures do I see? What connection can I make? What or who is this story about? When and where does the story take place? How and why do the events happen? Is there a specific problem that is solved? Do I see words I don’t understand? Questions to Ask After Reading Did I find answers to the questions? Did I learn what I wanted to learn? Were there other questions I found? Where there questions or problems I didn't find? What do I know now that I did not know before? What is the most surprising or interesting think I read? What new vocabulary did I learn? What do I remember? How do I feel about what I’ve read? Does my graphic organizer make sense? Can I restate the main points in my own words? How can I apply what I read to my schoolwork and life? Is there a lesson in the story?

Ancillary Materials

To Present/Reinforce/Practice Information/Skills/Vocabulary Quizlet.com Log onto site and sign up for a free account From Menu Bar Your sets – archives your sets Create – to make new sets Browse – to search already made sets via topics, key words, names Select Create Name set Complete description Select languages Enter information to be learned Select create list Email list to students In email Click link to set Viewing options Select terms first – allows student to view terms only Both sides – click on and off On lets students see term and definition/answer together Off lets students see term and click to flip card for answer Students can practice terms by a variety of techniques Study Practice spelling Learn information Test – online quiz Games Scatter – matching practice Space race – provide correct answer repeatedly against clock

Reading Report Sample

Additional Ideas What you bring to the printed page will affect how you understand what you read, and may be what is most important in understanding what you read.   Strategies to activate your prior knowledge:  Brainstorming:  Examine the title of the selection you are about to read List all the information that comes to mind about this title Use these pieces of information to recall and understand the material Use this knowledge to reframe or reorder what you know, or to note what you disagree with, for further research Group discussions:  Group discussions in and out of class will help you to discover what you bring to your reading, what your fellow students bring, as well as shared experiences If you find they have new background information, ask for more information from them Concept or mind mapping:  This is a type of brainstorming where you place the title/subject as the main idea, then develop a "mind map" around it. It can be effective either in a group or by yourself Pre-questions: Often chapters in texts provide organizing questions.  You can also write out a series of questions you expect to be answered when reading: Examples: Definition: What is....? Where does ... fit? What group does ... belong to? Characteristics: How would I describe...? What does ... look like? What are its parts? Examples: What is a good example of ...?  What are similar examples that share attributes but differ in some way? Experience: What experience have I had with ....? What can I imagine about ...? Visual Aids: Pictures and other visual material can activate your prior knowledge. Use the Internet to search for pictures related to your title/topic to give you visual images of what you are about to read. Advance Organizers:  Relate new reading material to something you already know, to your background or experiences.

Additional Pre-reading Strategies: Overviews: Discussing information about the selection or assignment prior to reading must take place. This may take the form of class discussions, printed previews, photographs, outlines, or films. Spend enough time before the students begin the assignment to ensure understanding of it. Vocabulary Previews:  Unfamiliar key words need to be taught to students before reading so that new words, background information, and comprehension can improve together. List all words in the assignment that may be important for students to understand. Arrange words to show the relationships to the learning task. Add words students probably already understand to connect relationships between what is known and the unknown. Share information with students. Verbally quiz them on the information before assigned reading begins. Structural Organizers:  Before reading an assignment, basic frameworks which are included in the text should be pointed out such as cause-effect or problem-solution. It can be beneficial to call attention to specific plans of paragraph or text organization such as signal words, main idea sentences, highlighted phrases, headings and subtitles. A review of skimming techniques might also be appropriate as these various areas are covered.   A Purpose for Reading:  When students have a purpose for reading a selection, they find that purpose not only directs their reading towards a goal, but helps to focus their attention. Purposes may come from teacher directed questions, questions from class discussions or brainstorming, or from the individual student. Along with the question, it is a good idea to pose predictions of the outcome and problems which need to be solved. These may be generated by the student or the teacher, but the teacher should use these to guide students in the needed direction for the assigned selection. Author Consideration:  Depending upon the content area, a discussion of the author of the particular work can be helpful to the understanding of it. What is the author trying to say? What is his point of view and his reason for writing the particular work? KWL:  This strategy consists of three steps for students to use with expository text: What do I Know? What do I Want to learn? What did I Learn? A good strategy for group discussions.  Develop a three column poster with each question in a column and list out responses. Taken from: http://www.studygs.net/preread.htm