Comprehension: Before Reading Strategies

Learning Objective Teachers will understand and be able to use strategies for previewing the text before reading. Teachers will be able to use strategies for students to generate different kinds of questions before and during reading. (1 minute) Briefly explain what the objectives for the session are for the teachers.

Essential Concepts Before reading, Effective Readers: establish purpose for reading activate background knowledge make predictions generate questions about the text and evaluate text structure These are the “before reading” characteristics of effective readers. Ask teachers to reflect quietly to themselves (no more than 1 or 2 minutes) on how often they provide their students with strategies to help them build these skills during class.

Previewing Planning Form (1 minute) Ask teachers to take this form out of the packet that they received at the beginning of the meeting OR Hand this out to teachers now. Then… Discuss very briefly how the form is structured and inform them that it is to be used for planning instruction using the text(s) required by the curriculum plans.

Previewing Planning Form Complete the “Previewing Planning Form” using the lesson materials for your class. In your small groups, discuss how this planning sheet can help you develop activities that enable the students to: establish purpose for reading activate background knowledge make predictions generate questions about the text and evaluate text structure Step 1: (4 minutes) Teachers work independently to complete the “Previewing Planning Form” (see resources folder) using the lesson plans/curriculum documents that they have brought to the meeting/training session. Step 2: (4 minutes) In small groups, teachers discuss how the planning sheet can help them develop classroom activities that enable the students to: -- establish purpose for reading -- activate background knowledge -- make predictions -- generate questions about the text -- and evaluate text structure.

Levels of Questions Marzano & Bloom Level 1 – Right There Level 2 – Putting It Together Level 3 – Making Connections  Remind teachers of previous training/meetings/discussions that focused on levels of questions from Marzano or Bloom’s Taxonomy. Inform teachers that these 3 levels of questions are another way for looking at/developing levels of questions in the classroom. Students should be taught to generate their own questions at each of the three levels before, during, and after reading a text.

Level 1 – Right There Questions can be answered in one word or one sentence Answers can be found word-for-word in the text  Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Give examples:

Level 2 – Putting it Together Questions can be answered by looking in the text Answers require one or more sentences To answer the questions, you have to look in more than one place and put information together Give examples: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Level 3 – Making Connections Questions cannot be answered by using the text alone Answers require you to think about what you just read, what you already know, and how it fits together  Give examples: How is ____ like (similar to) ____? How is ____ different from ____? How is ____ related to ____?

Previewing & Questions Learning Log (1 minute) Ask teachers to take this form out of the packet that they received at the beginning of the meeting OR Hand this out to teachers now. Then… Discuss very briefly how the form is structured and inform them that it is to be used by students before and during reading to help develop better comprehension of the text.

Previewing & Questions Learning Log Pair/Share to generate specific activities such as semantic mapping, KWL, and others that help students to answer questions on Previewing & Questions Learning Log.  (8 minutes) Ask teachers to pair up with a neighbor and to review the Previewing & Questions Learning Log handout. Ask them to discuss with their neighbor what specific strategies they could use in the classroom to help students complete the Previewing & Questions Learning Log. (2 minutes) Ask teachers to share out one or two strategies that they came up with during their Pair/Share activity. Chart their responses Inform teachers that they should add these strategies to their “Teacher’s Toolkit.”

Making Connections What activities listed in our HPAGs are similar to those mentioned in this module? Social Studies: APPARTS ≈ Previewing & Questions Learning Log ELA: K-W-L, Accessing Prior Knowledge, Skimming and Scanning Math: Terminology Transition game, Review of academic & content-specific language, Frayer Model, Cues, Questioning, & Advanced Graphic Organizers  Science: summarizing & note taking-cooperative learning Cues, questions & advanced organizers How do the activities in this module relate to the Literacy Commitments? Prior knowledge and making connections Purpose for reading (Literacy Coach can edit this slide for each academic department to eliminate text related to other departments if necessary.) Inform teachers that both of these questions are examples of level three questions that were just discussed in the previous slide. Share with them the connections listed on this slide.

Teacher Toolkit Previewing Planning form Level 1, 2, 3 Questions -- Marzano (and Bloom's Taxonomy) Previewing & Questioning Learning Log These are three tools/topics discussed in this session that should be added to the Teacher’s Toolkit. Remind or inform teachers where they can find reporducible or electronic copies of the forms listed on this slide.

Reflection & Debrief How might you use the activities that we did today in your classroom with your students? How can these activities help your students develop comprehension before reading a text? Ask teachers to reflect on these questions and to write their responses in their journals.