Cortney Steffens 2009

Proficient Readers Make connections between prior knowledge and the text. Text-to-self connections Text-to-text connections Text-to-world connections Ask questions Visualize Infer Determine important ideas Synthesize Use “fix-up” strategies Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work. York, Main: Stenhouse.

How do you teach strategies? The Gradual release of responsibility approach 1. The teacher models the strategy by explaining and demonstrating it using a think aloud approach. 2. Guided practice – the teacher and student practice it together. The teacher provides support as the student attempts the strategy. 3. Independent practice- the student tries it on their own. 4. Application to real reading situations- the student applies the strategy when reading. Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work. York, Main: Stenhouse.

The Goal We want our students be monitoring their comprehension. This means they: Are aware of their thinking while reading Are aware when they are confused Know what strategies to use to support meaning. This requires developing our student’s metacognition ! (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000)

Monitoring and Repairing Understanding In order to develop metacognition we need to teach them to: Track their thinking through coding, writing, or discussion. Notice when they lose focus. Stop and go back to clarify thinking Reread to enhance understanding Read ahead to clarify meaning Identify and articulate what’s confusing or puzzling (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000)

Continued… Recognize that all questions have value Develop the disposition to question the text or author. Think critically about the text and be willing to disagree with its information or logic Match the problem with the strategy that will best solve it. (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000)

Making Connections Text-to-self connections- the reader connects the text to something to his/her experiences or schema Text-to-text connections- the reader connects two or more texts Text-to-world connections- the reader makes connections between the text and bigger issues, events and concerns of society (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000)

Questioning Proficient readers ask questions before, during, and after reading Questions we develop can be categorized as T= In the text BK= Background knowledge I= Answers can be inferred D= Answered by further investigation RS= Requires further research Huh?= Questions that signal confusion (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000)

Questioning Web Why did grandma not know how to read?

Visualizing When we visualize we make movies or pictures in our minds (mental images). These pictures are affected by our schema. We use all our senses at times to visualize the text. A reader can say: I see … I smell … I taste … I can feel … I can hear … (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000)

Visualizing (mental images) The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight-hers and the one by the empty chair opposite. On the sideboard behind her, two tall glasses, soda water, whiskey. Fresh ice cubes in the Thermos bucket. (excerpt of Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl)

Inferring The reader must take what is known (taking clues from the text), think ahead (prediction) to make a judgement or discern a theme (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000)

Why were his parents not laughing?

Riddles I live in a bowl. I can swim. I have a tail. I also have fins and big eyes. I am a...

Determine Important Ideas Overviewing Activating prior knowledge Noting text length and structure Noting important headings and subheadings Determining what to read and in what order Determining what to pay careful attention to Determining what to ignore Deciding to quit because the text contains no relevant information Deciding if the text is worth careful reading or just skimming (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000, p. 119)

Determine Important Ideas Highlighting Look carefully at the first and last line of each paragraph. Important information is often contained there Highlight only necessary words and phrases Don’t get thrown by interesting details Make notes in the margins to emphasize pertinent highlighted words or phrases Use nonfiction features that signal importance (Fonts and effects, cue words and phrases, photographs, text organizers, text structures, etc) Pay attention to text cues that signal important information (since, this led to, consequently, similarly, however, before, next, then, one reason, etc.) Harvey & Goudvis, 2000, p.p )

Synthesizing Information We take individual pieces of information and combine them with our prior knowledge and begin to see a pattern emerge. Like a jigsaw puzzle our thinking evolves as more pieces come together and we have a new perspective (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000). Or think of a water ripple

Two Column Notes What the text is aboutWhat it makes me think about Direct quotePersonal response Opinion before readingNew ideas Quote or picture from textNew idea Information from the textNew insight ContentProcess What’s InterestingWhat’s important

Three Column Note Forms ContentProcessCraft FactsQuestionsResponse TopicDetailsResponse ThinkingNew InformationNew Thinking ConceptSimilaritiesConcept