Driving for Understanding Monitoring for Meaning

“When I get stuck, I quit reading.” Luke, grade 9

How Do I Know I’m Stuck?

Six Signals for Alerting Readers When They Are Stuck The voice in my head changes. The camera inside my head shuts off. My mind starts to wander. I can’t remember what I just read. I’m not asking or answering questions as I go. I encounter characters and have no memory of when they were introduced.

Read ”A Mardsan Giberter for Farfie Read ”A Mardsan Giberter for Farfie.” Think about the fix-up strategies you apply to fully construct meaning from the text. Use the box in the top corner to help you code your thinking.

Now That I Know I’m Stuck, What Do I Do?

“It really isn’t hard to avoid reading—you just ask someone what it means, or wait for the teacher to explain it.” Lisa, high school senior

“Fix-up” Strategies Stop and think about what you have already read. Make a prediction. Ask yourself a question and try to answer it. Retell what you’ve read. Adjust your reading rate: slow down or speed up.

More “Fix-Up” Strategies Visualize. Use print conventions. Notice patterns in text structure. Reread. Reflect in writing on what you have read. Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Cris Tovani

How Do Teachers Remove the Roadblocks to Understanding?

1. Identify what students are struggling with. Rereading text for a second time Reading difficult or uninteresting text Starting a book Making sense of graphs, charts, or maps Understanding how to read a word problem Making sense of poetry and informational texts

3. Share how you overcame the struggle. 2. Select an unfamiliar and challenging piece of text to model reading. 3. Share how you overcame the struggle.

“My inner voice talks to me when I need help “My inner voice talks to me when I need help. It guides me, telling me when I am confused. It forces me to ask questions about the book and my life. It helps me understand what I am reading.” T.J., grade 12

Driving Forces for Comprehension    Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003.  Harvey, Stephanie and Anne Goudvis. Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. York, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2000.  Keene, Ellin and Susan Zimmerman. Mosiac of Thought: Teaching Comprehension in a Reader’s Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1997.  Miller, Debbie. Reading with Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2002.

Robb, Laura. Teaching Reading in Middle School: A Strategic Approach to Teaching Reading That Improves Comprehension and Thinking. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 2000. Tovani, Cris. Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2004.  Tovani, Cris. I Read It, But I Don’t Get It: Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2000.  Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. Improving Comprehension With Think-Aloud Strategies. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 2001.  Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. Strategic Reading: Guiding Students to Lifelong Literacy 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2001.  Zimmermann, Susan and Chryse Hutchins. 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It! New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, 2003.