West Middle Author and Me Questions/Think Aloud

In My Head 2 Strategies for the Author and Me Reread Make inferences Think about what the author’s style Skim Make predictions

Author and Me Questions Prior Knowledge and information found in the text must be connected to determine the answer. “Story Clues” + “What I already know” = INFERENCE. In My Head 3

Signal Words for Author and Me Questions 4 The author implies… The passage suggests…. The speaker’s attitude.. Based on the information what would you predict… What conclusion can you draw… In your own words explain what the author meant…. Using the graph explain…. How would you explain the boy’s action… Summarize the point of view of the author..

Moves of a Think Aloud 5 1. Explain what comprehension strategies you will model and how they help you to understand the material you are reading 2.Read the passage that you will use to show how you are using the comprehension strategies to understand the material

Moves of a Think Aloud 6 3. Describe again the comprehension strategies you will model 4. Model the comprehension strategies by slowing down your thinking and sharing what you are doing to understand what you read 5.Review why these strategies helped you to comprehend the material you read

7 The “glades” are home for many wading birds, as well as turtles and alligators. During the summer’s rainy season, saw grass fires often start because of lightning. The fires burn the parts of the plant above the water and the ashes provide minerals for new growth. Without periodic fires, the saw grass would age, die, and decay, filling up the swamps.

Author and Me Questions 8 Using information from the passage, explain in your own words, how saw grass is dependent on fire for its survival. Based on the article, what would you predict would happen to the Everglades if all fires were prevented?

9 The “glades” are home for many wading birds, as well as turtles and alligators. During the summer’s rainy season, saw grass fires often start because of lightning. The fires burn the parts of the plant above the water and the ashes provide minerals for new growth. Without periodic fires, the saw grass would age, die, and decay, filling up the swamps.

14 Life cycles in the natural world are dependent on occurrences in nature for their renewal The “glades” are home for many wading birds, as well as turtles and alligators. During the summer’s rainy season, saw grass fires often start because of lightning. The fires burn the parts of the plant above the water and the ashes provide minerals for new growth. Without periodic fires, the saw grass would age, die, and decay, filling up the swamps.

14a The “glades” are home for many wading birds, as well as turtles and alligators. During the summer’s rainy season, saw grass fires often start because of lightning. The fires burn the parts of the plant above the water and the ashes provide minerals for new growth. Without periodic fires, the saw grass would age, die, and decay, filling up the swamps.

15 The “glades” are home for many wading birds, as well as turtles and alligators. During the summer’s rainy season, saw grass fires often start because of lightning. The fires burn the parts of the plant above the water and the ashes provide minerals for new growth. Without periodic fires, the saw grass would age, die, and decay, filling up the swamps.

16 Based on what the author told me about how fires help the swamp grass to grow and how it burns the dead saw grass and remembering what happened to the swamp that was near my home, I predict that without fire, the Everglades would fill in and no longer be a swampy area and the wading birds, turtles, and alligators would lose their home. The saw grass would not have the minerals needed to grow so in time there would be no saw grass. The “Glades” would be just like the swampy area that was near my home and is now grassland.

17 Use the pronoun I because you are sharing what you do to understand the text Don’t just tell students what you did; show them what it looks like when you are thinking as you find the answer in the text Use the correct language for the kind of question Continue to model for your students until they are successful in finding answers using the comprehension strategies.

Your Turn 18 Develop lessons using the four kinds of questions Model for your students a Think Aloud that shows how you find the answers to Author and Me Questions. Continue to model for students Think Alouds showing how to find answers to Author and Me Questions until students are ready to work with a partner and do their own Think Alouds for Author and Me Questions.