Strategy 1: Students Generate, answer, and ask questions
Usually teachers ask the questions, but we need to have students ask the questions (we need to teach students how to generate questions and know what to ask).
1. Read aloud passages from subject-matter text
2. As you read, stop now and then to model the kinds of questions successful readers ask themselves as they read. For example, "Why does the author tell me this?" "Did I understand this correctly?" "What seems to be the most important point or idea?"
3. Repeat this modeling several times with different texts
4. Guide students in generating their own questions with content-area texts
1. Read aloud passages from subject-matter text
2. As you read, stop now and then to model the kinds of questions successful readers ask themselves as they read. For example, "Why does the author tell me this?" "Did I understand this correctly?" "What seems to be the most important point or idea?"
3. Repeat this modeling several times with different texts
4. Guide students in generating their own questions with content-area texts
Strategy 2: Think alouds
Directions for Teacher:
1. Read aloud selected text passages
2. Stop at various points to "think aloud"about what may or may not be understood. Model questioning, prediction, and summarizing as monitoring strategies as you read.
3. Provide examples of other problem-solving strategies and how they are used in response to comprehension difficulties. Examples of problem-solving strategies include re-reading the text, asking oneself questions about the text, and reading before and after the portion of text where comprehension difficulties occurred.
(*Note: When using "think alouds,"display the text on projector.)
1. Read aloud selected text passages
2. Stop at various points to "think aloud"about what may or may not be understood. Model questioning, prediction, and summarizing as monitoring strategies as you read.
3. Provide examples of other problem-solving strategies and how they are used in response to comprehension difficulties. Examples of problem-solving strategies include re-reading the text, asking oneself questions about the text, and reading before and after the portion of text where comprehension difficulties occurred.
(*Note: When using "think alouds,"display the text on projector.)
Strategy 3: Text structure
- Teach students to use graphic organizers that differ based on the category of expository text the organizer represents (thinking maps)
- Students use the various organizers to record and organize important information and concepts from the texts they are reading
Strategy 4: Develop critical analysis
Use "Inquiry"or "I" charts to help students critically analyze the information they obtain from texts.
1. Plan a topic and set of questions that can be answered in multiple texts.
2. Identify several resources that address this issue from different perspectives.
3. Construct a chart or graphic organizer that has one column for each question, a row for students' prior knowledge relevant to the questions, additional rows equal to the number of sources used, and a final row for pulling together key ideas from prior knowledge and the various sources (see example below)
4. Probe students to use their prior knowledge to answer questions before reading the various text sources. Summaries of students' responses based on their prior knowledge are recorded in the first row.
5. Help students during reading to attend to the sections of each text that respond to the questions, to summarize this information, and to record it in the chart.
6. Help students to examine the summaries of each text across various rows to determine similarities and differences in how the texts address each of the central questions.
7. Help students pull together the ideas from the different sources and resolve competing ideas from separate sources.
1. Plan a topic and set of questions that can be answered in multiple texts.
2. Identify several resources that address this issue from different perspectives.
3. Construct a chart or graphic organizer that has one column for each question, a row for students' prior knowledge relevant to the questions, additional rows equal to the number of sources used, and a final row for pulling together key ideas from prior knowledge and the various sources (see example below)
4. Probe students to use their prior knowledge to answer questions before reading the various text sources. Summaries of students' responses based on their prior knowledge are recorded in the first row.
5. Help students during reading to attend to the sections of each text that respond to the questions, to summarize this information, and to record it in the chart.
6. Help students to examine the summaries of each text across various rows to determine similarities and differences in how the texts address each of the central questions.
7. Help students pull together the ideas from the different sources and resolve competing ideas from separate sources.
Strategy 5: Previewing
Students complete prior to reading the text:
Brainstorming
What I already know about the topic:
Making Predictions
By reading and looking at:
I predict that the reading will be about:
Brainstorming
What I already know about the topic:
Making Predictions
By reading and looking at:
- title
- headings
- images
- key words
- charts, graphs
- other text features
I predict that the reading will be about:
Strategy 6: Vocabulary Strategies
Marzano's 6-step method to teaching vocabulary to students:
- The teacher will give a description, explanation, or example of the new term.
- The teacher will ask the learner to give a description, explanation, or example of the new term in his/her own words.
- The teacher will ask the learner to draw a picture, symbol, or locate a graphic to represent the new term.
- The learner will participate in activities that provide more knowledge of their words in vocabulary notebooks.
- The learner will discuss the term with other learners.
- The learner will participate in games that provide more reinforcement of the new term.
Strategy 7: WIN
Students complete after reading the text:
Paragraph or Section 1:
W-Who or What is the paragraph or section mostly about?
I-What is the most important information about who or what?
N-Write the main idea in a small number of words.
Paragraph or Section 1:
W-Who or What is the paragraph or section mostly about?
I-What is the most important information about who or what?
N-Write the main idea in a small number of words.
Strategy 8: Summary
Students complete before, during, and after reading the text:
Previewing
What I know about the topic:
I predict the article will be about:
Vocabulary Words
C Context
P Parts of a word
R Resources:
Main Idea
W-Who or What is the paragraph or section mostly about?
I-What is the most important information about who or what?
N-Write the main idea in a small number of words.
Summarizing
Summary
Previewing
What I know about the topic:
I predict the article will be about:
Vocabulary Words
C Context
P Parts of a word
R Resources:
Main Idea
W-Who or What is the paragraph or section mostly about?
I-What is the most important information about who or what?
N-Write the main idea in a small number of words.
Summarizing
Summary
Strategy 9: Students generate, answer, and ask questions
BEFORE
1. Before students read the text, the teacher selects vocabulary words that pertain to the text to have students write a prediction paragraph about the text.
DURING
2. As students read the text, they generate questions on sticky notes about the text and stick them on the text.
AFTER
3. After they read the text, have students revisit their predictions-they confirm or reject their prediction (or parts of their prediction) and write a new paragraph about the text accurately using the vocabulary words.
1. Before students read the text, the teacher selects vocabulary words that pertain to the text to have students write a prediction paragraph about the text.
DURING
2. As students read the text, they generate questions on sticky notes about the text and stick them on the text.
AFTER
3. After they read the text, have students revisit their predictions-they confirm or reject their prediction (or parts of their prediction) and write a new paragraph about the text accurately using the vocabulary words.
Strategy 10: 3-2-1
Students complete as they read the text:
3 3 things that were knew to you
2 2 things that you know but thought "I need to share!"
1 1 question you still have
3 3 things that were knew to you
2 2 things that you know but thought "I need to share!"
1 1 question you still have
Strategy 11: Snowball
Students complete during and after reading the text:
**Source-Cambium Learning Group-Voyager workshop
- Each student creates 2 questions (1 implicit and 1 explicit) about the text
- Students record the question (1 question per small piece of paper)
- Students share out their question with their small group
- Students wad their paper into a "snowball"
- Students throw snowballs into the center of the room
- When all snowballs have landed, each student picks up a snowball and finds another person (who was not in their original group) and shares the question they picked up and they work together to answer each other's questions
**Source-Cambium Learning Group-Voyager workshop