1. The Keys for Increasing Reading Comprehension

2. What Good Readers Do Question the text, then search for answers
Clarify unknown words or concepts,
Summarize chunks of text while reading
Make Predictions, then confirm or change predictions
Make inferences
Use context cues, text aids, graphics
Re-read unclear passages
Visualize what they are reading
Connect text to prior knowledge and previously read sections
Understand purpose of text

3. Norms for Reciprocal Reading Groups
Everybody helps
Give reasons for your suggestions
No one is finished until everyone is finished
You have the right to ask for help
You have the duty to offer help
You have the duty to play your role

4. Whole-Class Practice
Teacher leads the whole class in silently reading together a segment of text
Students then question the teacher about the content
After a subsequent segment of text is read, the teacher questions the students
As the questioning process continues, students learn to imitate the teacher's questioning behavior.

5. Cooperative Reading Groups
Students will be separated into groups by the teacher.
Each student will be assigned a role to fulfill to increase each member’s understanding of the significance of the reading.

6. Questioning Role:
Identify the kind of information that is significant enough to provide the substance for questions and then pose 4-5 such questions. Begin asking questions as soon as the Summarizer posts a summary.
 How to ask good questions:
Use the 5 Ws + H questions
Use higher order questions:
Why is _______ significant?
Why does _______ happen?
How do _______ and _______ compare? Contrast?
What is most important?

7. Types of Questioning
On-the-Surface Questions: (Who…What…Where….When….)
Involve summarizing, paraphrasing, literal retelling
Inquire about what happens and what the text says
One right answer found in the text, (more or less)
(Some of these questions may begin with Why, How, Should, Could, Would.)

8. Types of Questioning con’t
Under-the-Surface Questions:
(Why….How….Should….Could….Would…)
Generally have more than one right answer; not “point-able” in text; not explicit
Usually require one or more of the following:
Further research
Filling in gaps, making inferences, “reading between the lines”
Predicting, speculating, asking what the text means
Asking about author’s purpose, message, moral,
Hypothesizing, evaluating,
Challenging the text, stating opinions
Connecting the text to self or knowledge of the world, extending beyond the text into reader’s own experience

9. Who?
Where?
What?
When?
1. Fill in information from the reading to answer the questions on each branch.
2. Formulate other questions from these and other info in the reading.
3. Form several under-the-surface questions.

10. Questioning Chart
Text Summaries
Questions answered in Text

11. Summarizing Role
Assume the role of summarizer and tell the group the important ideas and the supporting details from the section read. As summarizer, you are allowed look-backs initially but must eventually develop the skill of summarizing without reference to the text.
How to do a summary:
look for topic sentences
look for who, what, when, where, why, and how
omit unnecessary information

12. Summarizing con’t Summary-type statements:
this story/paragraph is mostly about
It includes information about
The topic of this paragraph is
The author is trying to tell us that
This story/passage about _______ begins with _______, discusses (or develops) the idea that ______, and ends with_____.

13. Summarizing Practice Chart
Generate master list of lines from class recounting events of text. Write down everything that they think is important. Assign letters or numbers. Ask students to cut them down in half.
Leave-in
Leave-out
use criteria of: Importance to Plot, Character, Cause and Effect, Truth or Fact
determine that the information is: irrelevant, dead-end, opinion, or a repeat.

14. Key-Lines
Choose the most important sentence in a portion of the text, or each paragraph, and
give or write evidence for why they chose those lines

15. Clarifying Role:
Your job is to help clarify any information from the text, the summary and the questions that your group may not understand. Lack of understanding may result from lack of clarity in the text, summaries and/or questions, unknown words or phrases, insufficient background knowledge, as well as lack of connections among ideas in both the text and the summaries. Ask your clarifying questions and suggest helpful strategies as soon as the Questioner finishes asking questions and the members have finished answering them (about 15 minutes into the round).

16. Clarifying con’t How to help clarify:
identify areas where understanding is still weak
propose strategies to address lack of understanding
model strategic thinking for the group
Clarifying statements:
I don't really understand
A question I have is _______
One word or phrase I don't understand is
We can reread this section
Let's see if we can find a context clue

17. Vocab-U-Share
Term
“My Definition”
Actual Definition

18. Predicting Role
You will predict, based on what has already been read, what information will be covered in the upcoming section of text as well as how the ideas may connect with what has already been read. As predictor, preview upcoming text, determine important ideas and their relationships among one another, and then offer a prediction to the team (5 minutes maximum).
How to predict:
look at titles and subtitles
read the first sentence or two of the upcoming section
resummarize main points before going on

19. Predicting con’t Predicting statements:
Based on the title/subtitle, I predict this is going to be about
I already know these things about the story/topic
Based on (a clue), I predict _______
Based on what _______, said/did, I predict _________

20. Prediction Practice
Prediction/Hypothesis
Textual Evidence

21. Picture Uncover Gradually uncover a picture on the overhead
Have students make predictions, based on evidence, what it’s about
Confirm or change predictions as more pieces are uncovered