Writing, Reading, and the

Comprehension of

Content Area Text

Mark Weakland

Advance Organizer Brief overview of reading

How do you teach content comprehension?Strategies: Activate and use prior knowledgeStrategy w/writing: SummarizeStrategies w/writing: Ask & answer questionsBreakStrategy assessment (w/writing)Vocabulary if time

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3www.MarkWeaklandLiteracy.com

Please think and write

What are the fundamental components of reading?

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Phonemic Awareness

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Phonemic Awareness

The sounds of languageThat spoken words consist of individual sounds

or phonemes

Words can be segmented (pulled apart) into

sounds

Sounds can be blended (put back together) and

manipulated (added, deleted, and substituted)

Alphabetic Principle

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Alphabetic principle

An understanding that the sequence of sounds or phonemes in a spoken word are represented by letters in a written word

Phonics elements (e.g., letter-sound correspondences, spelling patterns, syllables, etc)

Decoding / Encoding

Fluency

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Fluency

Rate

Accuracy

Prosody

Vocabulary

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Vocabulary

The meanings for most of the words in

a text so they can understand what they

read

Comprehension

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Comprehension

The ultimate goal of reading!

Understanding both fiction and non-fiction texts

Understand and remember what you read

Relate your own knowledge and experiences to

the text

Communicate with others about what they read

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Anchor Standard 1: …make logical inferences…

Anchor Standard 2: …determine central ideas or themes…

Anchor Standard 3: …analyze how and why…

Anchor Standard 6: …assess the point of view…

Anchor Standard 7: …delineate and evaluate the argument and claims…

Anchor Standard 10: Read and comprehend complex … texts…

Standards

Active Reading

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Important point

Good readers use strategies to gain a deeper understanding of text.

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Comprehension Strategies

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Good readers use strategies to

comprehend

Effective strategies are supported by,

enhanced through, and assessed with

writing.

Yearlong focus on 5-6 strategies

Model, model, model

Guided practice

During shared and guided reading

Across grade levels and content areas

Formative assessment

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Metacognition• Thinking about your thinking!

– I know something about …

– Why would he do that?

– That character reminds me of my sister.

– In a nutshell, he’s afraid of the unknown.

– In my mind I can see then animals in the barn

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Close Reading (is the new metacognition)Text Dependent (is the new QAR)

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Metacognitive strategies22

Today’s Focus23

• Activate and use prior knowledge (and build it if you don’t have it)

• Summarize

• Ask and answer questions

Build it if it doesn’t exist!

Slide shows

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Build it if it doesn’t exist: anticipation guides

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Summarize26

SummarizeSomebody-Wanted-But-So-Then (SWBST)

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Section Explanation Summary

Somebody

Wanted

But

So

Then

SummarizeSomebody-Wanted-But-So-Then (SWBST)

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Section Explanation Summary

Somebody Willy Wonka Willy Wonka wanted to pass his factory on but he didn’t have an heir. So he held a contest and invited five lucky winners to his factory. The kids and parents got into predicaments and Charlie was the only one who didn’t have to leave. In the end, Mr. Wonka gavethe factory…

Wanted To pass his factory on

But He didn’t have an heir

So He held a contest and invited 5 lucky winners to the factory

Then Mayhem ensues, Charlie is the last one standing, and Mr. Wonka gave the factory to Charlie

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Think and write

Summarize the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer using the SWBST chart.

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Ask and Answer Questions32

See, Think, Wonder

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In your handout

I Notice / I Wonder math article

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Thick and Thin Questions35

Thick and Thin Questions36

THIN / closed THICK / open

What is 6-4 Tell me two numbers with a difference of two

What is 1/5 plus 4/5

Write six different ways of adding two numbers to get the sum of 1

Your turn37

THIN / closed THICK / open

What is this shape

What is 2+6-3

In your handout

Thin and thick (closed and open) math sheet

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Question-Answer Relationship39

In your handout

QAR explanationDavid passageSenator passageI Break Stuff study guideKoala reading

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Model the cognitive process

•Stop and Talk

•Two Squares

•Thinking Cap

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Model the cognitive process

•Talking to the Text

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Vocabulary

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CCR Anchor Standard 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used

in a textto determine technical meaningTo determine connotative meaningand to determine figurative meaning;

And analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone

Standards

Vocabulary

How do you decide which words to teach?

How do you teach it?

Is the process cumulative? Are words taught to mastery?

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Vocabulary

Word selection is critical

Beck and McKeown’s Three Tiers

Other ways of selecting words are possible (SWIT)

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Three tiers

Tier I baby, clock, happy

Tier II coincidence, absurd, reality

Tier III isotope, lathe, peninsula

Adapted from Choosing Words to Teach by Beck, McKeown, Kucanhttp://www.readingrockets.org/article/40304

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Tier Two WordsJohnny Harrington was a kind master who

treated his servants fairly. He was also a successful wool merchant, and his business required that he travel often. In his absence, his servants would tend to the fields and cattle and maintain the upkeep of his mansion. They performed their duties happily, for they felt fortunate to have such a benevolent and trusting master.

Adapted from Choosing Words to Teach by Beck, McKeown, Kucanhttp://www.readingrockets.org/article/40304

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Tier Two Words?The servants would never comment on this

strange occurrence [finding the kitchen clean even though none of them were seen doing the cleaning], each servant hoping the other had tended to the chores. Never would they mention the loud noises they'd hear emerging from the kitchen in the in middle of the night. Nor would they admit to pulling the covers under their chins as they listened to the sound of haunting laughter…

Adapted from Choosing Words to Teach by Beck, McKeown, Kucanhttp://www.readingrockets.org/article/40304

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Tier Two WordsThe servants would never comment on this

strange occurrence [finding the kitchen clean even though none of them were seen doing the cleaning], each servant hoping the other had tended to the chores. Never would they mention the loud noises they'd hear emerging from the kitchen in the in middle of the night. Nor would they admit to pulling the covers under their chins as they listened to the sound of haunting laughter…

Adapted from Choosing Words to Teach by Beck, McKeown, Kucanhttp://www.readingrockets.org/article/40304

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Base words

Tend, not tended

Tending, intend, superintendent

Emerge, not emerging

Emerging, emergence,

emergency

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Introduce words with direct instruction routine

Don’t play the guessing game

Tell students what the word means

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EmergeT- “Who knows what emerge means?”

S- “When you get on the highway!”

T- “Get on the highway? Oh, that’s merge!”

T- “The word is emerge. What does that mean?”

S- “Is it like an e-book?”

S- “E- or!”

T- “No, that’s the donkey. OK. Listen, I’ll use it in a sentence. See if you can figure out what …”

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Emerge• Emerge means come out of or appear.

• What does emerge mean, everyone?

• Can a chick emerge from an egg, everyone?

• What does the chick do if it emerges?

• Can the sun emerge from the clouds, everyone?

• What else can emerge? And what does it emerge from? (TPS)

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Vocabulary card method

• Cumulative

• Mastery learning

• Direct instruction

• Model and practice

• Based on body of research

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torpedo

intelligent

mammal

cartilage

carnivore

predator

fluke

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vapor

crystal

condensation

evaporation

pressure

transparent

structure

Mark Weakland Literacy

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www.markweaklandliteracy.com

EMAIL is best!

mark@markweaklandliteracy.com