SSILTT 2012 Comprehension: During and

After Reading

Word Sort

During Reading/Reading Comprehension

• Teaching activities to focus on comprehension

• Concrete activities to ensure they READ and comprehend what they read

• Some resources from the CCSSO Adolescent Literacy Toolkit

Adolescent toolkit:

http://programs.ccsso.org/projects/adolescent_literacy_t

oolkit/resources_for_teachers/10620.php

Sticky Notes•Self-monitoring strategies or fix-up strategies for students to do themselves (ex. During test!)•Exactly the same as college students actively reading in their textbooks!•Uses sticky notes to tab specific points of interest or points of strategy application in a text during reading. It helps readers engage with text and focus on specific aspects of the reading process. It requires them to consciously apply reading strategies – and to think metacognitively about these strategies, in other words, to think about and articulate their thinking. And most importantly, it builds readers who are active participants, not passive recipients, of the reading process.

Sticky Note Uses(teach and model each use for a

sufficient period of time)

•Making Connections:Comprehension is a transaction between the reader and the text (Louise Rosenblatt, 1978). Uses schema/background knowledgeAdrienne Greer suggests that students “BIBB – Bring It Back to the Book.Effective Prompt (lower grades): When I read __________, I made a connection to ________ because __________.

Sticky Note Uses

•Visualizations:Mental Images, Mind MoviesStudents purposefully construct visual – or other sensory – images to support comprehensionStudents could do a quick sketch on their post-it note of the image that comes to their mind.

Sticky Note Uses

•Predicting:Not just random guessesGood readers use clues in the text to anticipate future events!Most important part of predicting: Using the clues in the text to come up with a reasonable and credible thought.Students can track their own thinking as they confirm or correct their predictions. (I think it it….Now I think it is…..)

Sticky Note Uses

•Drawing Inferences:Good readers infer all the time they just don’t know it!Part of the challenge is teaching students to recognize an inference and understand both the textual clues and the background knowledge they needed to draw on in order to make the inference.I think….., Now I think…., My thinking changed because…..

What I read What I know What I infer

Sticky Note Uses

•Vocabulary:

Highlighted Word

What I think/know it means

How I might remember it

Highlighted Word

What I think/know it means

How I might remember it

Highlighted Word

What I think/know it means

How I might remember it

Highlighted Word

What I think/know it means

How I might remember it

Sticky Notes

Students think as they read by making notes on sticky notes all through the text, then discuss or write about their sticky notes after reading.• *************Questions*************• Examples of (kinds of cells, equations,

migration, charitable acts, etc.)• Steps in a process• Things you want to discuss• Things you disagree with• Get fancy with different colors to color-

code

Sticky Notes

•After:Make sure you model each strategy until students are capable of completing it on their own.Can share with a partner or small groupMake sure students don’t do a lot of writing – this takes away from important reading timeMight want to set parameters on # of sticky notes allowed.

• Think of 3 different ways students could use sticky notes to mark-up informational text as they read. – Where should they put them and what

should they write on them?

• Share• Or, mark with codes as read, see

handout

Try it with a magazine independently then share as a

small group.

Pick the one most interesting post-it to share with the whole group!

Partner Reading

Partner reading is one of the most efficient ways of increasing time spent reading.

• Gives you a purpose to read • Gives you support when you encounter

problems• Results in far greater time spent reading

than whole-class turn taking• See handout

Partner ReadingResearch-based fluency strategy used with readers who lack fluency.Purpose: supporting each other through the oral reading of connected textSupports and enforces student modeling and reinforcement of quality reading behaviorImproves fluency, reading rate, word attack skillsEar to ear, knee to knee

Partner ReadingFishbowl first time…maybe with a neighbor teacher, administrator, or someone wandering around outside your classroom!Hold students accountableBe purposeful about pairing (high/low, high/high, problem pairs, special needs {learning, emotional})Encourage pairs to ask questions as they read (“what was your page about?”, “What was your favorite part?”)A

NO ROUND ROBIN!!!! (why?)

Partner Reading

•More to evoke ideas:Summarize the section readAsk a question to clarify meaning of a word or ideaIdentify an important question that is answered by the passageRelate the content to a personal situation or real-life exampleShare a reading skill that was useful during reading

Partner Reading

React to the ideas in some way that reflects analysis or evaluation of the reading:

• Agree or disagree with the content or the author’s point of view

• Discuss the style or logical development of the writer

• Draw inferences from the reading• Compare or contrast this passage with the other

readings or ideas.• Identify effective use of a writing skill.

Initially teachers may slect the passage, have students read it quietly, write if finished early, all pair, pairs share, then all read the next assigned section.

Try it!

•Use a text on your table•Partner with the person sitting next to you•You read a paragraph/page (if short) and have partner “say something”•Then switch•Complete “say something” a couple of times each

Say Something

Forces students to think, summarize, or respond as they are reading.

1. Students read together in pairs or small groups (silently, usually)

2. Students stop briefly every 3-4 paragraphs or at the end of every page to “say something.”

Rules for Say Something1. Decide who will say something first.2. When you say something, do one of

these:• make a prediction• ask a question• clarify something you misunderstood • make a comment• make a connection

3. If you can’t do one of these five things, then you need to re-read.

Simpler Version of Say Something

• When partner reading:– Read a page– Stop to summarize– Partner “approves” your summary, if not you reread– Switch

• Either way: teach the listening partner NOT to interrupt or correct if the reader stumbles or pauses. Let them self correct unless they ask for help

• Teach with a fishbowl

Try it!

• Read with a partner.

• Stop every page or 3rd paragraph to “say something”

• Discuss

Say Something on Paper

• With a sticky note or right on the text, say something at the end of each page

During Reading: Bookmarks

Encourage students to notice and keep track of words, ideas, etc. as they read.

1. Teacher models first

2. Fill out bookmarks during reading

3. Share/discuss/write about bookmarks after reading.

Comprehension StrategiesUSE ACROSS CONTENT AREAS!!!!Conscious plans – set of steps that good readers use to make sense of text. Comprehension strategy instruction helps students become purposeful, active readers who are in control of their own reading comprehension.Metacognition: Good readers use metacognitive strategies to think about and have control over their reading.Requires active engagement

Comprehension Monitoring StrategiesBefore Reading: they might clarify their purpose for reading, make predictions, preview the text (picture walk)During Reading: students might monitor their understanding, adjust their reading speed to fit the difficulty of the text and “fix” any comprehension problems they haveAfter Reading: students check their understanding of what they read

Comprehension

• Discuss teaching comprehension-discuss what’s difficult?

• Think of a text you had students read last spring. What were some discussion questions you asked or questions you had them write? (save for later)

Teaching Reading Strategies

• Teaching the invisible process that go on inside a reader’s head to construct meaning– Monitor and fix up– Making connections– Asking questions– Making inferences– Using text features– Using text structures– Graphic organizers and text structures

Comprehension Strategy Instruction

• Active, independent readers do things with their minds to comprehend the text.

• Dependent readers hope the text will magically make sense.

• Comprehension can be taught. • Getting you to comprehend is not the

same as teaching you to comprehend.

“Guided release of responsibility” to teach strategies

1. Teacher modeling– Explicit explanation of what, why, how– Think-aloud to demonstrate the strategy– Model with multiple texts, genres, etc.

2. Guided practice-teacher and student together

3. Independent practice-student alone with feedback

4. Application-no coaching, feedback, or support

During Reading:Making Connections

To schema– Text-to-self – Text-to-text– Text-to-world

– ACTIVELY READ Miller’s think-aloud (pgs 14-18 in handout)

– discuss what we see there based on the GRR steps

During Reading: More on Connections

• Ignoring distracting connections

• Marking connections with sticky notes so you can talk about them later

During Reading Strategies• Monitoring--does this make sense?• Fix-up strategies

– Re-read*******– Slow down– Keep reading but pay attention– Ask yourself questions till you figure it out– Use the illustrations or graphics– Stop and think– Summarize what you’ve read so far

• Prepare a think-aloud where you model one of these strategies

Comprehension StrategiesACTIVELY READ pages 14-16 in Handout

During Reading: Making Inferences

• Combine what is on the page with what is in your head– drawing conclusions, filling in missing details, figuring out

what’s going on, predicting, etc.– Discuss ads that require inferences

He put down $10.00 at the window. The woman behind the window gave $4.00. The person next to him gave him $3.00, but he gave it back to her. So, when they went inside, she bought him a large bag of popcorn.

Teaching Inferencing: Syntax Surgery

• Discuss the two different scripts from Beers

• Syntax Surgery – Examine the two examples– Do the same with Sunderland/Teen Sailor– What inferences did you make? – How did you figure out what the pronouns

were referring to?– How did you figure out what was going on?

Teach Making Inferences: Two Column Chart

• See Miller example

• Discuss how you’d do it

Making Inferences: It Says-I Say-But So

• Using poems, modeling making inferences using

It says-I say-And So . . . .

It Says (the text says)

I say (what I know)

And so . . . (inference)

Using Text Features

• Make a list of text features good readers know how to use, compare to framework

• Discuss scavenger hunt, make chart

Feature Where found?

How used?/ Why in books?

Teaching Text Features

• Look at the examples of think-alouds in the think-aloud handout (in the vocab packet)

• Prepare a think-aloud where you model how/when/why to use one of the text features on your list

Using Text Structures

• Recognizing text structures

• An architecture for organizing the information as you read

• See handout for more

• Creates “slots” in your mind

Examples of Text Structures

• Text structures - sequential order, description, simple cause and effect, procedure, compare/contrast, order of importance, problem/solution, etc. (look in your framework)

• Find them in the texts around you• Prepare a think-aloud with one, how does

recognizing the structure help you build comprehension

Graphic Organizers and Text Structures

Select the right graphic organizer (from handout) to use with particular texts, discuss

• sequential order • Description• simple cause and effect• Procedure• compare/contrast• order of importance• problem/solution

Teaching Comprehension Strategies, Summary

• Analyze example of Kate’s think-aloud

• Good?

• Could be better?

Teaching Students to Take Notes

• Model, model, model

• How DO you decide what’s important

• Important vs. interesting

• Two-column note taking (handout)

• Other ideas?

After Reading

• Show you’ve really read--accountability

• Dig deeper for understanding and critical thinking

• Apply learning

AFTER reading: Accountability

• Prove you’ve read and understood the text

• Every time

• Not a quiz, worksheet, fill-in-the-blank or outline

• Avoid lecturing/explaining (disincentive to read)

After Reading: Accountability

• Discuss with a neighbor• Write a summary or a response (and

share with the teacher or a neighbor)• Write a question you have about the

text or three things you remember• Teacher randomly chooses 5 readers to

tell the whole class what they’ve read

Save the Last Word for Me• Each in a group of 3 has 3 index cards• As read, write quote on one side, why on back• In groups, person reads quote, rest of group

discusses the quote, then the first person/reader explains her thoughts

• Rotate around• Try it• Extend: write about/whole class discuss which

one was most important, etc.• Nonfiction?

Summarizing

• Somebody-Wanted-But-So (narrative texts)– Multiple points of view– More than one for longer stories-SWBS, then

SWBS, then . . . .

• Determining importance (informational texts)• Read a passage. How did you figure out what was most

important?

• 5 Ws

Teach Rules for Summarizing

• Delete irrelevant information• Delete redundant information• Use a general idea (category) to describe a

list of ideas• Look for a topic sentence to borrow for the

summary• Put it in your own words or create your own

topic sentence if not provided• (Cranes example)

Practice Summarizing and Give Feedback

• Read

• Write summaries

• Share and vote, which is best

• Discuss/justify

• 15-7-3-1 with Noah Webster passage

After Reading: Questions That

Require Synthesis and Inferences • Analyze the questions you wrote at the

beginning of the workshop– Do they require synthesis: information from more

than one place in the text? – Do they require students to make inferences: to

blend what’s on the page with whats in their minds?– Is there more than one right answer? Should there

be?– Could students answer without even reading the

text? (text dependent vs. independent questions)– Where fall on Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Question It says I say And so

Why did GL break Baby Bear’s chair?

Why did GL run away when she woke up?

Use It Says to Answer Questions that Require Inference

•Practice/see example in handout•Try with sample MCT 2 questions

QAR

Another test taking strategy. The answer is:

In the text:Right thereThink and Search

In my headAuthor and YouOn your own

Silent Discussion

• Put provocative questions or statements on at the top of a blank page, one question/statement per group member

• Students in groups read the question/statement, respond/ask a follow up question

• After a set amount of time, they pass to the left, and the next person responds

• Continue till all have read and responded at least once

• Try it!

After Reading: Most Important Word

Engages students in high DOK reflection.

1. Students pick most important word, and write a few reasons why it’s so important

2. Discuss as small groups or large class, then write to justify why it’s the most important word

3. Could do most important sentence, paragraph, or passage

After Reading: Word Sort

• Pick key words from the text related to major concepts and ideas (or use the words you sorted as a pre-reading activity).

• Ask students to work in groups to sort those words into categories (either open sort or you provide categories).

• Students write (or talk) to justify and explain their sorting.

• Try it!• Discuss ways to use before, during, and after

instruction

Wrap-Up 1

• Read and discuss model think alouds in handout

Wrap Up 2

• Make a list of all comprehension stuff we’ve done

• Write on your framework which teaching strategy could help you teach each competency in comprehension