Student Centered Comprehension Routines

Barb De GraafNovember 2012

Targets• Review four reading comprehension strategies:

predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing.

• Incorporate the four comprehension strategies into the Reciprocal Teaching routine.

• Using the Questioning the Author strategy to deepen understanding of text.

McRae and Guthrie(2009) identified 5 teaching practices that foster motivation and 5 that destroy it:

Positive Impact

1. Relevance2. Choice3. Success4. Collaboration5. Thematic units

Negative Effect

1. Non-relevance2. Excessive control3. Difficult lessons4. Frequent individual work5. Disconnected unitshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8QWLrI-G78

“The person who does the talking does the learning.”

Practice by Doing

Teach Others

Demonstrations

Audio Visual

Reading

Lecture

Average Retention Percent after 24

hours

Learning Pyramid– How the Brain Learns.

5%

10%

20%

30%

50%

75%

90%

Taken from How the Brain Learns, Dr. David A. Sousa.Copyright 2004, The Bob Pike Group. All rights reserved

Discussion

Audio VisualDemonstrationsDiscussionLecturePractice by DoingReadingTeach Others

• Bonwell and Eison define active learning as "instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.“

•McLaughlin and Allen refer to the comprehension routines as “procedures that foster habits of thinking that promote comprehension of text.”

Seven Reading Strategies for Highly Effective Thinkers and Readers

1. Connect to Prior Knowledge and Develop Schema

2. Infer and Predict3. Questioning4. Determine Importance and Summarize 5. Visualize/ Create Sensory Images6. Synthesize and Retell7. Monitor/Clarify Understanding

8

What is the Goal of Reciprocal Teaching?

Students will practice the big four reading strategies of predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing until these strategies become “habits of thinking.”

What is Reciprocal Teaching?• Reciprocal Teaching involves a role reversal:

Students “become” teachers of reading strategies.• Four reading strategies are taught, modeled, and

practiced in large and small groups.• Students then take turns teaching and modeling the

reading strategies in their small group.• Students think about their own thought processes

and support each other to make meaning.

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Focus Lesson

Guided Instruction

“I do it” (10%)

“We do it” (10%)

“You do it

together”

(50%)

Collaborative

Independent “You do it alone” (25%)

A Structure for Instruction that Works

Reflection – whole group (5%)

As teacher conferences with students during group work, s/he may need to “catch” students for 5-10 minutes of instruction and then “release” them to continue group work.

What are the Steps in the Reciprocal Teaching Activity?

1. Students meet in groups of four.2. Each student is assigned a role and given text to

read.3. Students read a chunk of text and take notes on a

note-taking sheet.4. The group members carry out their roles and

discuss the text.

MODEL RT

13

Predict

14

Two core sources of information:

In the Book(or video, photo, text…)The answer is there.

In My HeadBackground knowledge comes into play.

Language of Prediction• I think…because…• I’ll bet…because…• I wonder if…because…• I imagine…because…• I suppose…because…• I predict…because…

Role of the Predictor1. Ask your group to look at the cover, next heading,

or next illustration and to discuss what they see.2. Ask all group members to write their predictions on

their note-taking sheet.3. Share your predictions first. Then, encourage all

group members to share their predictions with reasons for them.

4. After reading, confirm or reject your prediction.

MODEL RT

17

Predict Question

On-the-Surface____Under-the-Surface

Questioning – It’s All About Shovels, Umbrellas, and Bridges

Questions that help you dig in.Questions that cover big ideas.

Questions that connect ideas.Burkins & Yaris, 2013

Language of QuestionerKnowledgeWhat is…?Why did…?Who was…?Which one…?Can you select…?When did ___ happen?

ComprehensionHow would you classify…?How would you compare?What facts show…?How would you summarize?What is the main idea of…?

ApplicationHow would you use…?What examples can you find to …?How would you show your understanding of…?What would result if…?What question would you ask in an interview with…?

AnalysisHow is ___related to ___?Why do you think…?What is the theme…?What inference can you make?How would you classify…?

SynthesisWhat facts can you compile?How could you improve…?What would happen if…?How could you change (modify) the plot (plan)…?

EvaluationWhat is your opinion of…?Would it be better if…?What choice would you have made…?Why was it better that…?How would you prioritize?

Role of the Questioner1. Ask your group members to write one or

two questions that could be answered by reading this text on their note-taking sheet.

2. Ask your questions first. Call on a volunteer to answer your question.

3. Ask for other volunteers to ask their questions. No yes or no questions!

MODEL RT

21

Predict Question

On-the-Surface____Under-the-SurfaceClarify

Language of Clarifying• I didn’t understand the part about …• This doesn’t make sense…• I can’t figure out…• What does this word mean?

Role of the Clarifier1. Ask the group to look for confusing ideas or words. (What if

you had to explain the book to a kindergartner?)2. Ask the group to write one confusing or difficult word or idea

on the note-taking sheet.3. Share your word or idea first. Tell how you figured it out,

Using the Clarifying Bookmarks.4. Ask for volunteers to give their words and ideas. Ask how

they figured them out. If someone has a difficult word or idea that he or she didn’t figure out, ask group members for ways to clarify the unclear word or idea.

MODEL RT

25

Predict

Question

On-the-Surface____Under-the-Surface

Clarify

Summarize

Language of Summarizer• First,…• Next,…• Then,…• Finally,…• The most important ideas in this text are…• This part is about…• This book is about…

Role of the Summarizer

1. Ask the group to summarize this part of the text in writing on the note-taking sheet.

2. Share your summary first.3. Ask if anyone would like to add to your

summary or give his or her own.

Video – Reciprocal Teaching Process

Reciprocal Reading Tools

• Note taking Sheet• Be the Teacher Bookmark• Role Cards• Selected Text

Reciprocal GroupsPractice Using Text

Purpose for Reading: Read as if you were an archaeologist.

What is the goal of Question the Author?

• The routine was originally developed by Beck, McKeown, Hamilton, and Kucan(1997) as a text-based instructional routine.

• Help students build a deeper understanding of texts by learning to query the author and determining what the author is trying to convey in a text.

Question the AuthorBeck (1997) identified steps to follow during a question

the author lesson:1. Select an interesting passage.2. Decide stopping points where students need to obtain a

greater understanding.3. Create questions for each stopping point.4. Students read in their small group and take notes on each

question.5. In their small group, students discuss their answers and

support their answers with evidence from the text.

Question the Author• Read closely to support answers to these

questions:1. What is the author trying to tell you?2. Why is the author telling you that?3. Does the author say it clearly?4. How could the author have said things more

clearly?5. What would you say instead?

Question the Author

Each employee must wash his hands thoroughly with warm water and soap after each trip to the toilet and

before beginning work.

Question the AuthorPractice Using Text

Purpose for Reading: Read as if you were a Travel Agent.

“ Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

Benjamin Franklin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8QWLrI-G78