Melissa Horn Katie Laver Jody Shaughnessy

Proficient readers use a number of different cognitive strategies in the process of interacting with texts and constructing meaning. (Harvey and Goudvis, 2000) Constructing meaning refers to building knowledge and promoting understanding. (Harvey and Goudvis, 2000)

Engaged reading involves a complex set of cognitive, emotional, and visual processes that expert readers enact automatically. (Wilhelm, 2001) The goal of reading research has been to recognize these processes so that these tools can be taught to students to help them improve their reading. (Voyager U, 2006)

Questions Think-Aloud Uses Prior Knowledge Infers Visualizes Determines What’s Important Synthesizes

Explicit reading instruction means that we show students HOW we think when we read. 1. Teacher Modeling ( I do, you watch) 2. Guided Practice (I do, you help) 3. Independent Practice (you do, I help) 4. Application of a Strategy (in real reading situations ) ( you do, I watch )

What is it? Strong readers ask questions before, during, and after reading. Why is it important? The questions clarify our understanding and focus our reading. They also help us to move forward and dig deeper into the text.

At the modeling level: Think- aloud Teachers can model w/ a book that they are reading Scaffolding: Read Aloud/Pause/ Write (Read aloud a text and pause at certain points to jot down questions) Listing and Categorizing questions

As students move toward independence: “Thick and Thin questions” (great for use in the content areas with nonfiction) Wonderbooks Encouraging Inferential Thinking- use of questioning with poetry\ Coding/Flagging the text- to help students monitor understanding

What is it? Effective way to open a window into students’ reading processes. Different types: Oral Think- Aloud- student reads or listens to you read a text. Written Think-Aloud Why is it important? Helps determine what students do and don’t do as they read. Reveals what strategies they use while reading and ways to improve.

Say Something Ask the Author Hand Gestures (DVD)

What is it? Helping students recall information from their own experiences to make connections to texts. Why is it important? Making connections from the text to prior knowledge helps integrate new information with what is already known.

“I Can Tell Because…” Beginning to Make Connections: It Reminds Me of… KWL Plus Extended Reaction Guide

What is it? Inferencing is combining schema and background knowledge with clues provided in the text to form a new idea Why is it important? Inferential comprehension includes a number of skills under one umbrella: Prediction Drawing conclusions Prior knowledge Context clues Figurative language sson%20plan-grade%203%20from%20Elouise.pdf sson%20plan-grade%203%20from%20Elouise.pdf

Possible Sentences Exchange Compare Writing Probable Passages Story Impressions

Why do you think that happened? I wonder… What is really going on? What evidence does the author provide to support_____? What clues did the author give that led to your conclusion? How do you know that? How do you think the character feels? How do you combine the clues in the paragraph with what you already know to draw a conclusion?

What is it? Taking the words of the texts and mixing them with the readers preconceived ideas to create pictures in the mind Why is it important? Combining the author’s words with our background knowledge allows students to create mental images that enhance our understanding of the text and bring life to reading. When we visualize, we are inferring, but with mental images rather than words and thoughts; like creating a movie in our mind.

Talking Drawings IEPC: Imagine, Elaborate, Predict, Confirm

What is it? Determining the important events, themes, key ideas as we read Why is it important? Students need to see the “big picture” and not get bogged down with small details. They need support in sifting through details and deciding what is important to remember and what is not

Modeling and Scaffolding: Teaching students the features of Nonfiction text to help them pick up on cues for what is important Reading for Answers to a Specific Question (nonfiction) Think –aloud for fiction Think-Alongs Topic vs. Detail (nonfiction, notetaking)

As students move toward independence: Coding/ Flagging Reading Opposing Perspectives (Nonfiction) Open Mind Strategy- students with partners and teacher observes

What is it? Readers create original insights, perspectives, and understandings by reflecting on texts and merging elements from text and existing schema. Put the pieces together to see them in a new way. Synthesizing can be compared to a journey. The student begins with prior knowledge of the topic, gains new knowledge about that topic from a variety of sources, combines and analyzes this information, and as a final destination makes an evaluation and forms an opinion.

Why it’s important? Enhances understanding and better constructs meaning. What students say: “When I synthesize my mind is changing, my ideas are changing, my thinking is changing.” “When you synthesize you say in your head, I used to think this but now I’m thinking this.”

nplans.html nplans.html Creating a play Three Little Pigs Miss Pingels Synthesizing Activity GIST Double Journal Entries Writing from a different person’s perspective

Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement. Beers, K When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do. A Guide for Teachers Wood, K Literacy Strategies Across the Subject Areas. Oczkus, Lori, Interactive Think Aloud Questions. Laverk.wikispaces.com login: laverk password: SBBulldogs