Reading + Graphic Organizers  Comprehension Rachel Zegas January 17, 2011

High School and Reading Problem 1: Being in high school does not mean one can read –Reading does not just mean sounding out words! Problem 2: High school teachers are trained in content specific knowledge and not reading –This is compounded by intense curricular demands

Traditional Reading Strategies Outline Highlight

Outlines vs. GOs Outlines –“…have linear format that discourages learning relationships among concepts.” GOs –“…use a spatial format to convey concept relations.” (Robinson and Kiewra 1995)

Highlighting vs. GOs Highlighting –“…when students do not actively think about what they are reading and they highlight material that is unimportant, little comprehension of the material occurs.” GOs –“…enable students to organize data into segments or chunks that they can comprehend and manage.” (Montoya and Kreiner 2010) (Gregory and Parry 2006) This does not mean never highlight, but do it correctly.

Why Do GOs Work? Both the right and left hemispheres of the brain are active

Why Do GOs Work? Try to memorize the string of numbers below - you will have 5 seconds What was the number? Was this easier? Man is a chunker!

Categories of GOs Sequence Problem/Solution Compare/Contrast Description Cause/Effect There are countless types of GOs and numerous ways to categorize them. You need to decide what works best for each assignment. Please see “Graphically Organized Reading Notes” and Tradepost for samples.

Sequence DateEvent 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue!

Description Main Idea Who What Where When Why How

Cause/Effect Cause Effect/Cause Effect

Problem/Solution Problem Steps Being Taken Desired Solution Problem Solution What Why Attempted Solution Results End Result

Compare/Contrast ApplesOranges Warm-Blooded Animals Cold-Blooded Animals Differences Similarities Differences

Picking the Right GO Step 1: Read the text Step 2: Reread, note what you want students to recognize Step 3: Compare notes to GOs and select the best fit Step 4: Structure the GO to be specific to your text Step 5: Review GO with students

The Best Fit Biography - Time Line Vocabulary - Word Map/Web Maps - Main Ideas/Details (Quad) Graphs - Venn Diagram, Y Chart Historical Ref - Case and Effect Fiction - Fishbone, Story Map Newspaper Article - 5Ws Pyramid

Sample “‘I Hate School’ Extreme Edition” (The Wall Street Journal)

Sum It Up “Graphic organizers are effective tools for supporting thinking and learning in four major ways: (1) abstract information is represented in a concrete format, (2) relationships between facts and concepts are depicted, (3) new information is connected to previous knowledge, and (4) thoughts are organized for writing and for problem solving.” (Ronis 2006)

Your Task You are going to select a reading that a GO will enhance Create a GO for the reading based on the information you want your students to learn At the end of the session everyone will come back and share what they have created