Strategies for Reading in the Content Areas by Sue Z. Beers [email protected]

Strategies for Reading in the Content Areas

by

Sue Z. Beers

[email protected]

What is Literacy?

Reading Writing Speaking Listening Viewing Nonverbal Communication

All have the same purpose: COMMUNICATE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING.

A Marsden Giberter

Glis was very fraper. She had dernarpen Farfle’s marsden. She did not talp a giberter for him. So, she conlanted to plimp a marsden binky for him. She had just sparved the binky when he jibbed in the gorger.

“Clorsty marsden!” she boffed.

“That ‘s a crouistish marsden binky,” boffed Farfle, “but my marsden is on Stansan. Agsan is Kelsan.”

“In that ruspen,” boffed Glis, “I won’t wank you your giberter until Stansan.”

1) Why was Glis fraper?

2) What did Glis plimp?

3) Who jibbed the gorger when Glis sparved the blinky?

4) Why didn’t Glis wank Farfle his giberter?

Reading is the key to success in all content

areas.

READING

Reading is used to gather ideas…

Learning happens when the new information is connected to the learner’s own experience and background.

Components of the Reading Process

The Learner:

Attitudes, Ability and

Perceptions

Classroom Environment:

Comfort, Order, Safety

Research-Based Classroom Instruction

Reading Task:

•Clarity

•Purpose

•Background Knowledge

Text Features:

•Text Cues

•Organizational Patterns

•Text Selection

Processing Strategies:

•Pre-reading

•During-reading

•Post-Reading

What about kids who can’t read?

• Students who struggle with reading KNOW they struggle with reading; they know they lack the single most important tool for success in school… and they know that not having that skill opens them to ridicule from peers and from teachers.

•They do anything they can to distance themselves from the place and the people who will remind them that they can’t read.

Kids who can’t read…• Non-readers would prefer to get into trouble for not doing their work rather than be embarrassed in front of their peers for doing it wrong.

• They KNOW they can’t read; they’ve known it for years.

• Not all struggling readers sit at the back of the room, head down, bored look…give the gifted student the right text and s/he can stumble over ideas, worry over words, get lost, and be confused about meaning.

ANYONE can struggle given the right text.

The struggle isn’t the issue; the issue is what the reader does when the text gets tough.

HUH????

The amount of distributions from net investment income and net realized capital gains are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles. These “book/tax” differences are either considered temporary or permanent in nature. Key differences are the treatment of short-term capital gains, foreign currency transactions, organization costs and other temporary differences. To the extent that these differences are permanent in nature, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax-basis treatment; temporary differences do not require reclassifications. To the extent distributions exceed net investment income and/or net realized capital gains for tax purposes, they are reported as distributions of paid-in capital.

-Semi-Annual Report for ING Mutual Funds

“Aliterate”

Those who CAN read, but who choose not to

read.

“We need to discover how a student’s unique brain is wired for reading and writing and then use a range of approaches that matches his or her “literacy style.”

- Thomas Armstrong

Taste

Touch

Sight

Sound

Smell

Sensory

InputPay

Attention

FORGOTTEN

Short

Term

Memory

Rehearsal

Elaboration Organization Long

TermMemory

Retrieval

Working Memory

Ability Ability

READINGTASK

READINGTASK

Factors Affecting Student Performance on the Reading Task

The Ability FactorD

iffic

ulty

of

Tex

t

Student Ability

“Groan Zone”

“Drone Zone”

“Flow Zone”

1050

1000

900

+ 50

-100

75% Comp

90% Comp

Instructional Reading Level

Typical Reader and Text Measures by Grade

GRADE Reader Measures Text Measures

1 Up to 300L 200L-400L

2 140L-500L 300L-500L

3 330L-700L 500L-700L

4 445L-810L 650L-850L

5 565L-910L 750L-950L

6 665L-1000L 850L-1050L

7 735L-1065L 950L-1075L

8 805L-1100L 1000L-1100L

9 855L-1165L 1050L-1150L

10 905L-1195L 1100L-1200L

11-12 940L-1210L 1100L-1300L

Ability Ability

Interest Interest

PriorKnowledge

PriorKnowledge

LearningStyle

LearningStyle

Environment Environment

CultureGender

SES

CultureGender

SESREADING

TASK

READINGTASK

Factors Affecting Student Performance on the Reading Task

Students often know how to read, they just don’t use (or know how to use) effective strategies to get the full meaning from the text they read.

3 Main Barriers to Content Area Reading

1) Content-specific vocabulary.

2) Prior knowledge about the content area subject.

3) Understanding of text features and organization of the text.

Independent Strategic Readers

Know how to make text make sense Have strategies to use Know how to struggle with text Develop the patience and stamina to stick

with a text Know what is separating them from

success with the text Know what they should do to fix the

problem

READING NEXT: 15 Elements of Effective Adolescent Literacy Programs

Instructional Infrastructure

1. Direct, explicit comprehension instruction

2. Embedded in content3. Motivation and self-

directed learning4. Text-based collaborative

learning5. Strategic tutoring6. Diverse texts7. Intensive writing8. Technology component

10. Extended time for literacy13. Teacher Teams14. Leadership15. Comprehensive and

coordinated literacy program

9. Ongoing formative assessment of students11. Professional development12. Ongoing summative assessment

1) Direct, Explicit Comprehension Instruction

Explicit strategies presented New tools / strategies modeled Many independent practices of tools

and strategies Students use tools and strategies

independently Multiple contexts for apply tools and

strategies

1) Direct, Explicit Comprehension Instruction (continued)

Student discussions about what is read

Asking students to explain their thinking

Wide variety of text available Teachers model their own thinking

Let’s look at how this might look in the classroom…

Categories of Instructional Strategies That Affect Student Achievement

Category Effect Size %ile Gain # Studies

Identifying similarities and differences 1.61 45 31

Summarizing and Note Taking 1.00 34 179

Reinforcing effort and providing recognition

.80 29 21

Homework and practice .77 28 134

Nonlinguistic representations .75 27 246

Cooperative learning .73 27 122

Setting objectives and providing feedback

.61 23 408

Generating and testing hypotheses .61 23 63

Questions, cues and advance organizers .59 22 1251

INDEPENDENT STRATEGIC READERS:

1. Know how to approach new words and increase vocabulary.

2. Connect new knowledge to make personal meaning.

3. Think ahead to what might be coming in the reading.

4. Continually evaluate one’s own understanding of what is read.

5. Create images of what is read.6. Periodically summarize what is read.7. Use text features, cues and organizational

patterns.8. Have a plan for how to approach the reading

task.

The Importance of Vocabulary Skills

Vocabulary knowledge affects comprehension.

* Methods that encourage students to actively construct meanings help students learn and retain word meanings longer.

* The less cognitive energy students must spend figuring out the words on the page, the more energy they can spend figuring out what the text means.

Vocabulary Research

Effective vocabulary instruction requires active and positive student participation. (Carr & Wixson, 1986)

Personal engagement with a new word can lead to deep processing of meaning. (Dole, Sloan & Trathen, 1995)

Researchers have named vocabulary knowledge as the most important factor in reading comprehension. (White, Sowell & Yanagihara, 1989)

Develop a Vision of Vocabulary Instruction

1. Engage students in wide reading about your subject matter content and content of their choice.

2. Provide direct instruction in terms that are critical to their understanding of your content.

3. Assure both a verbal and nonlinguistic representation in learning the vocabulary terms

4. Encourage elaboration and refinement of understanding the terms.

A Few Comments on Vocabulary…

Teach your content-specific vocabulary Effect Size = .97 Translates to 33 percentile points higher

in comprehension when vocabulary instruction focuses on specific words important to the content they are reading

Improves students’ background knowledge and comprehension of academic content

Fill in the Blanks…

The questions that p________ face as they raise ch_______ from in________ to adult life are not easy to an________. Both fa________ and m_________ can become concerned when health problems such as co_________ arise any time after the e_______ stage to later life. Experts recommend that young ch________ should have plenty of s_________ and nutritious feed for healthy growth. B________ and g________ should not share the same b________ or even sleep in the same r________. They may be afraid of the d_______. - from the work of Rachel

Billmeyer

The Relationship Among Time Spent Reading, Reading Achievement, and Vocabulary Acquisition of Fifth Graders

Percentile Rank on Standardized Test

Minutes of Indepen-dent Reading Outside

of School Per Day

Estimated Exposure to the

Number of Words Per Year

98 90.7 4,733,000

90 40.4 2,357,000

70 21.7 1,168,000

50 12.9 601,000

20 3.1 134,000

10 1.6 51,000

Anderson, R., Wilson, P. and Fielding, L (1988) Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their Time Outside of School.” Reading Research Quarterly, Vol. 23: pp. 285-303.

Indirect vs. Direct Instruction of Vocabulary Words

7-14 meaningful exposures to a word before it become part of your working vocabulary

Best to explicitly teach the key vocabulary of the content area

Intensive Instruction – Which Words?

For words that are conceptually difficult

For words that relate to a single topic

For words that are important Important to understanding the

assigned readingImportant to general utility in

the language

Word Play – The Research to Support It

Word play is motivating and an important component of the word-rich classroom.

Word play calls on students to reflect metacognitively on words, word parts, and context.

Word play requires students to be active learners and capitalizes on possibilities for the social construction of meaning.

Word play develops domains of word meaning relatedness as it engages students in practice and rehearsal of words.

Game: Categories

A R M I E S

Specific Confederacy Words

Rebel

Specific Union Words

Sherman

Military Words Rifle Infantry Sniper

Battle and Places

Atlanta

Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots

Each curricular area should address their own “roots” so kids can make connections with them. Each area should also teach the specific prefixes and suffixes that are critical to the language of the content area.

The Twenty Most Frequent Prefixes

Prefix Words with the Prefix un- 782 re- 401 in-, im-, ir-, il- (not) 313 dis- 216 en-, em- 132 non- 126 in-, im- (in or into) 105 over- (too much) 98 mis- 83 The above nine prefixes are used in 76% of prefixed words in the Word Frequency Book (Carroll et al., 1971). Need to systematically teach these nine, beginning in the 4th grade.

sub- 80 pre- 79 inter- 77 fore- 76 de- 71 trans- 47 super- 43 semi- 39 anti- 33 mid- 33 under- 25

Total 2,959 Modified from White, Sowell and Yanagihara (1989). From “Vocabulary: Instruction to Practice,” edited by James F. Baumann and Edward J. Kame’enui, 2004.

Word Recognition Chart

commission

rendezvous

secede

diplomacy

strategy

tactic

corps

regiment

Confederate

Vocabulary “Cheat Sheet”• TYPE words in ALPHABETICAL order on

one half of page (folded vertically)• Write a quick description of the word in as

few a words as possible (one line only)• Use word recognition chart to “front-load”

the words prior to students reading the assignment

Reflecting on Vocabulary Opportunities

What activities do I ask students to do to learn the vocabulary terms?

Generate own explanations/descriptions Create nonlinguistic/visual representations Ask questions to help generate information Other

What opportunities to I provide to ensure periodic review?

How do I monitor how well they know the terms?

How do I help those struggling with terms/phrases?

1) Have strategies to use when encountering new words.

What READERS can do:

• Use clues to help define the word

• Try to connect the unknown word to words/ideas/concepts they know

• Use available resources (e.g. glossary, thesaurus, dictionary)

• Know they must use the new word about 7 times in the next few days

• Create a definition in their own words

• Create a mental or visual image of the word

• Identify key characteristics of the word

• Identify examples and non-examples

• Periodically review their understanding of the word

1) Have strategies to use when encountering new words.

What TEACHERS can do:

• Provide a consistent structure for attacking the new word.

• Make connections with students’ prior knowledge by telling stories or creating descriptions that explain the definition.

• Identify key characteristics of the word.

• “Front load” the vocabulary by sharing the words at the beginning of the new unit.

• Insist that students learn the meanings of prefixes, suffixes, and roots that are used often in their content area.

• Talk about how this strategy can help the students become independent strategic readers.

What I t I s . . . And What I t’s Not

Definition

Characteristics

What I t I s . . .

And What I t’s Not

Word

Free Wheelin’

On each of the wheels, enter vocabulary words, parts or components of the subject of the reading, or important places or people from the reading. Randomly select a “spoke” from each wheel and combine the ideas or words together to form a new idea or strengthen your understanding of the two words or ideas. Wheel 1 Choice: Wheel 2 Choice: How are the two choices connected Wheel 1 Choice: Wheel 2 Choice: How are the two choices connected?

Wheel 1

Wheel 2

The Five-Step Process

Using this five-step process will help you learn new words and phrases. The first two steps will be provided by your teacher. Make notes about what your teacher presents in the first two boxes. Add your own definition or explanation of the word or phrase in the fifth box and create another picture that helps you remember the word’s meaning in the fourth box. The fifth box is used for additional examples or information that will help you expand your understanding of the word.

WORD OR PHRASE: ____________________________________

Teacher’s Explanation:

Teacher’s Picture:

My Own Explanation: My Own Picture:

Additional examples or information that increases my understanding:

My Personal Vocabulary List

Scan the reading assignment, looking for words that are unfamiliar to you. List those words in the left-hand column. Make a guess about what you think the word means in the middle column. As you read the text, use clues from the reading (or from the glossary) to explain what the word means.

Unfamiliar Word My Guess about Its Meaning What It Really Means

INDEPENDENT STRATEGIC READERS: 1. Know how to approach new words and

increase vocabulary.2. Connect new knowledge to make personal

meaning.3. Think ahead to what might be coming in

the reading.4. Continually evaluate one’s own

understanding of what is read.5. Create images of what is read.6. Periodically summarize what is read.7. Use text features, cues and organizational

patterns.

8. Have a plan for how to approach the reading task.

The Reading Assignment:

• Do students know WHAT to read?

• Do students know WHY they’re reading (purpose)?

• Are students prepared? WHAT do they BRING TO the reading?

READING ASSIGNMENT PLANNING Reading Assignment: _______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Purpose / Expected Results: __________________________________________________ Type of Text: _____ Narrative _____ Informational Organizational Pattern: _____ Chronological Sequence _____Comparison / Contrast (Informational text only) _____ Concept / Definition _____ Description _____ Episode _____ Generalization / _____ Process / Cause-Effect Principle Vocabulary: __________________ ___________________ __________________ __________________ ___________________ __________________ __________________ ___________________ __________________ __________________ ___________________ __________________ Text Features _____ Italicized words _____ Bold-faced words To Watch: _____ Headings / sub-headings _____ Footnotes _____ _____ Suggested Reader _____ Scan _____ Summarize Strategies to Use: _____ Make predictions _____ Analyze perspective _____ Make inferences _____ Organize details _____ Graphic organizer _____ Take notes

READING ASSIGNMENT PLANNING

Reading Assignment: ____________________________________________ _ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Purpose / Expected Results: _________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Vocabulary: __________________ ___________________ __________________ __________________ ___________________ __________________ __________________ ___________________ __________________ __________________ ___________________ __________________ Text Features _____ Italicized words _____ Bold-faced words To Watch: _____ Headings / sub-headings _____ Footnotes _____ Pictures / Graphs _____ Suggested Reading _____ Scan _____ Summarize Tips: _____ Make predictions _____ Analyze perspective _____ Make inferences _____ Organize details _____ Use a graphic organizer _____ Take notes Pay Special Attention to: ______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

8 Reading Strategies for Improved Comprehension

1. Have strategies to use when encountering new words.

2. Connect new knowledge to make personal meaning.

3. Think ahead to what might be coming in the reading.4. Continually evaluate own understanding of what is read.5. Create images of what is read.6. Periodically summarize what is read.7. Use text cues and features and text organization to aid

understanding.


Categories of Instructional Strategies That Affect Student Achievement

Category Effect Size %ile Gain # Studies

Identifying similarities and differences 1.61 45 31

Summarizing and Note Taking 1.00 34 179

Reinforcing effort and providing recognition

.80 29 21

Homework and practice .77 28 134

Nonlinguistic representations .75 27 246

Cooperative learning .73 27 122

Setting objectives and providing feedback

.61 23 408

Generating and testing hypotheses .61 23 63

Questions, cues and advance organizers .59 22 1251

Readers construct meaning from the information the author provides in the text and the information they bring to the text.

Text

Meaning

“External

Text”

(Author)

“Internal

Text”

(Reader)

Prior Knowledge and Schemata

In the early 1860’s, A____________ issued the Emancipation _________. This order freed millions of s_______. The C_________ had the authority to enforce this order. Emancipation alone did not give the former s_________ a new life. Decades of economic hardship and unequal rights continued. A____________ plan was supported by many R_____________.

The brain searches for familiar patterns in new information.

The brain only pays attention to meaningless information for a short time; if it cannot make sense out of it, it will not process the information further.

ATTENTION!!!Anything that captures students’ attention and gets their minds engaged, has the potential to produce learning.

No attention / engagement = NO LEARNING.

To what do your students pay attention?

How do we help students connect…

Pre-Reading: What do I already know or think I know about the topic?

During Reading: How does what I am learning make sense with what I already know?

After Reading: What new learning did I gain from the text? What did I read about that I didn’t know before?

2) Connect new knowledge to existing knowledge to make personal meaning.


• Be aware that their prior knowledge is important to understanding the text

• Seek new ways to connect new knowledge to what they already know

• Read widely from multiple sources

• Constantly increase background knowledge experiences

• Take a few seconds before reading to review what is already known

• Demonstrate interest in multiple topics

• Read and discuss often to deepen their understanding

• Share ideas with another person about what is known about the topic prior to reading

2) Connect new knowledge to existing knowledge to make personal meaning.


• Provide multiple opportunities for students to read

• Encourage students to share their experiences

• Use graphic organizers to help students make connections

• Use brainstorming to identify prior knowledge and interests or experiences

• “Plant seeds” in early units to create prior knowledge

• Share content-specific vocabulary at the beginning of the unit

• Give opportunities for students to see how things are alike and different

• Encourage students to re-read when they don’t understand, stopping to think about how the reading relates to their own life and experience

• Provide reflective journals with prompts or questions to help student connect their learning with their prior knowledge

How Sure Are You?

Pencil Facts… “I’m not too sure about this…”

Ink Facts… “I’m pretty certain these are true…”

In Stone Facts… “I know for sure that these are true…”

Connections, Points and Questions

!!!!!!!!!!! Connections

This matches something I already knew!

********* Most Important Points This seems to be the main ideas of

the reading.

????????? Questions I Have

I’m not sure I still understand what this means.

Ready-Set-Go-Whoa! Learning

Ready Set Go WhoaWhat do I already know

about this topic?What do I think I will

learn?What new information did

I learn?What questions do I still

have about this topic?

Common Ground

Similarities Differences Differences

Comparison Matrix Chart

Characteristics Items to Compare Type of Government Gross Domestic

Product Population Population Growth

Rate

United States

Federal Republic

9,255 Trillion

248,058,881

.9%

Canada

Federation of 10 Provinces and 3

Territories

722.3 Billion

31,592,805

.4%

India

Federal Republic

1,805 Trillion

1,029,991,145

1.55%

Cuba

Communist State

18.6 Billion

11,184,023

.5%

Japan

Constitutional Monarchy

2.95 Trillion

126,771,662

.17%

CONCLUSIONS

Both U.S. and India are Federal Republics.

The per capita dollars would be much higher in the United States than in the

other countries.

Japan’s birthrate is significantly lower.

INDEPENDENT STRATEGIC READERS:

1. Have strategies to use when encountering new words.

2. Connect new knowledge to make meaning.

3. Think ahead to what might be coming in the text.

4. Continually evaluate my own understanding.

5. Create images of what is read.

6. Periodically summarize what is read.

7. Use text cues, features and organization.


Why do we want students to “think ahead to what might be coming?”

Review facts Motivation / “Investment” of self Higher order thinking Combine prior knowledge Make inferences Pay attention to the text Others?

3) Think ahead to what might be coming in the reading.


• Summarize often what has happened and predict what might come next.

• Use clues in the reading as well as the structure of the text to help make the predictions.

• Make use of cues like pictures, graphs, and charts to help identify “what’s next” in their reading.

• Turn subheadings into questions to predict what will be coming.

• Do a 60- to 90-second scan of the reading material before reading to determine the “big ideas” that will be included.

• Think about how their own biases and ideas might affect how they read the text.

3) Think ahead to what might be coming in the reading


• Use reading tools at the beginning of the unit to help focus new learning

• Create a purpose for their reading

• Help students create questions about the topic

• Ask questions after student read a section in order to shape their thinking for the remainder of the reading

• Help the students generate a hypothesis about the topic so they can test it as they read

• Ask students to construct support for their predictions

• Point out text features that will help students predict what they might be reading

Thinking through the Reading Assignment

Take 90 seconds to quickly scan your reading assignment. Use the headings, pictures, and other clues you get from this scan to develop some questions about the reading. Then, as you read the assignment, take notes that answer each of the questions.

General Topic:

Question: NOTES:

Question: NOTES:

Question: NOTES:

My Own Perspective

Position: ________________________________________________________

Level of Agreement BEFORE Reading: _____ Strongly Agree _____ Agree _____ Disagree _____ Strongly Disagree Thoughts BEFORE Reading: Thoughts AFTER Reading:

Level of Agreement AFTER Reading: _____ Strongly Agree _____ Agree _____ Disagree _____ Strongly Disagree

8 Strategies for Reading

1. Develop new vocabulary and figure out meanings of unknown words

2. Connect new knowledge to make personal meaning.3. Think ahead to what might be coming in the text.

4. Evaluate one’s own understanding of what is read.

5. Create images of what is read.6. Periodically summarize what has been read.7. Use text features and organizational patterns.8. Have a plan for how to approach the reading task.

Metacognition is important!

Do students know WHY they are using the tools?

“Much ado about nothing…”

Action without understanding = no learning /retention

How Did I Do When I Was Reading?

As I read . . . Often Sometimes Never

* I made predictions.

* I was able to form a picture in my head.

* I made connections.

* I knew when I was having problems.

* I did something to fix my problems

Reflection:

What inferences can you make from this passage?

He put down $10.00 at the window. The woman behind the window gave him $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.

“Even students who exhibit all the overt signs of success typically do not display an adequate understanding of the materials and concepts with which they have been working.” (Cannot use in a new or unanticipated situation). -- Howard Gardner

“Fragile Knowledge” is knowledge that students either don’t remember after the test or don’t know how to use.

To help students focus their attention on the learning:

Provide advance organizers Post outcomes or results expected Use bracketing Eliminate distractors in the room Generate previous experiences that

relate to the topic Provide students with tools for

periodically processing information / learning

4) Continually evaluate their un-derstanding of what they’ve read


• Connect what they just read to their prior knowledge

• Support their point of view as well as the points of view of others

• Find and describe errors in their own thinking as well as in the information they read

• “Stop and think” often in order to test their own understanding

• Recognize when the text does not make sense and use various strategies to increase their understanding

• Question their understanding of the material on a frequent basis

• Use tools to help them remember to reflect frequently on how well they understand the text

4) Continually evaluate their un-derstanding of what they’ve read


• Give students multiple opportunities to classify and categorize new information, justifying their reasons

• Provide opportunities for students to summarize key learnings

• Encourage students to re-read if they are having trouble understanding text

• Provide alternative note-taking, including the creation of visuals

• Question students often throughout the reading, prompting them to evaluate their own understanding and support it with details and information

• Allow students to talk and to write about their learning

• Help students develop the ability to create good questions about the information in the text

Pause and Reflect “Chunk” the assignment into four relatively equal parts. As you complete reading each part, list one main idea, one question and one connection you made to what you already knew. Read from ________ to ________: Main Point: Question: Connection:

Read from ________ to ________: Main Point: Question: Connection:



Connections, Points and Questions

NUTRITION !!!!!!!!!!!

Connections This matches something I already

knew!

********* Most Important Points This seems to be the main ideas of

the reading.

????????? Questions I Have

I’m not sure I still understand what this means.

You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day

Eat a variety of foods because every food has a specific purpose

How can I determine the amount of fat in a product?

Maintaining a healthy weight is important

There are 6 parts to the Food Pyramid: bread, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat and fats

How do vitamin tablets fit in with healthy eating habits

Eat fatty foods in small amounts

A food with nutrient density is one that is low in calories yet rich in nutrients

Which foods are the best for reducing the risk of cancer?

Vegetables and fruit contain a lot of essential vitamins

Use sugar and salt in moderation

Are some vitamins more important than others?

Whole grain bread and pastas are the best

The number of servings you should have in each food group increase toward the bottom of the food pyramid

Why is vitamin C important when you have a cold?

Bread, pasta, fruits and vegetables are low in fat

Eating the right kinds of foods in the right amounts can help prevent disease

If a food isn’t labeled (such as fresh fruit) where can I find out about its calories and nutritional content?



2. Connect new knowledge to make personal meaning.3. Think ahead to what might be coming in the text.4. Evaluate one’s own understanding of what is read.

5. Create images of what is read.

6. Periodically summarize what has been read.7. Use text features and organizational patterns.8. Have a plan for how to approach the reading task.

“Dual-Coding…”

Verbal + Nonverbal =

Creation of images when we hear words or to generate names or descriptions when we see pictures.

“hot dog”

VERBAL

• Made of ground animal parts

• Preservatives

• Something you eat

• In a bun

• Ketchup, mustard, pickle relish

NONVERBAL

• Visual picture

• Smell

• Context of where eaten

• Emotional connection (birthday party)

• Sounds of the hot dog vendor

Students who lack ability . . .

to create visual images when reading often experience comprehension difficulties.

They cannot describe the pictures in their minds as they read.

And the research says . . .

• Learners who were instructed to create mental images of events… learned two to three times as much as learners who read aloud the sentences repeatedly. (Anderson, 1971)

When taught to generate mental images as they read, [students] experience greater recall and enhanced abilities to draw inferences and make predictions.

(Gambrell, 1981; Gambrell & Bales, 1986; Pressly, 1976; Sadoski, 1983, 1985_

Students may need . . .

. . . to be prompted repeatedly to focus on their mental images or “television in the mind,” as a way to monitor comprehension.

Teachers also need to teach and model fix-up strategies for student to use.

The pictures and words must match!

When text and pictures don’t match, the illustrations can interfere with comprehension and reduce learning.

Types of Images…

Concept Web Venn Diagram Collage Cartoon Diorama Game Map Chart / Graph Mobile Poster Drawing

Tape Recording Demonstration Interview Multimedia Presentation Puppetry Role Play Skit Speech Slide Show/Power Point Video Banner Commercial

The Continent SongNorth America (hold up left hand)

Europe (point to nose)

Asia (hold up right hand)

Africa, Africa (hands around waist)

South America (point to left knee)

Australia (point to right knee)

Antarctica, Antarctica (stomp feet)

What’s the Intended Learning?

. . . Now what is the graphic organizer that would help my students get to that intended learning?

Planning Tool for Graphic Organizers

What knowledge will my students be learning?

Will I provide a graphic organizer for them or ask them to create their own?

Do I need to set aside time to teach students to use the graphic organizer?

How will I monitor my students’ creation and/or use of the graphic organizer?

What will I do to help students who are not using them effectively?

5) Create images of what is being read.

What the READER can do:

• Know that a picture is truly worth a thousand words!

• Create images in their minds or on their papers

• Create pictures to summarize their learning

• Select appropriate graphic organizers to summarize the details and information in their reading

• Use visual organizers to connect their new learning to their background knowledge

5) Create images of what is being read.


• Become familiar with various graphic organizers in order to offer the appropriate one(s) to help students achieve the intended learning

• Provide models of graphic organizer and guided practice in how to use them

• Model the use of visuals and graphic organizers

• Provide various graphic organizers that allow for choice but also assist the students in organizing the new learning

• Use models and charts in the classroom

• Use clips from videos that emphasize or demonstrate key learnings

• Share students’ work by displaying it

Note-Taking Using Both Sides of the Brain

Words and Phrases:

Visuals / Pictures:

Summary

The Five-Step Process

Using this five-step process will help you learn new words and phrases. The first two steps will be provided by your teacher. Make notes about what your teacher presents in the first two boxes. Add your own definition or explanation of the word or phrase in the fifth box and create another picture that helps you remember the word’s meaning in the fourth box. The fifth box is used for additional examples or information that will help you expand your understanding of the word.

WORD OR PHRASE: ____________________________________

Teacher’s Explanation:

Teacher’s Picture:

My Own Explanation: My Own Picture:

Additional examples or information that increases my understanding:



2. Connect new knowledge to make personal meaning.3. Think ahead to what might be coming in the text.4. Evaluate one’s own understanding of what is read.5. Create images of what is read.

6. Periodically summarize what has been read.

7. Use text features and organizational patterns.8. Have a plan for how to approach the reading task.

6) Periodically summarize what is read and learned


• Identify key issues and main ideas in the content area

• When looking at a lot of information, determine the important ideas and then summarize those ideas in their own words

• Identify most important concepts, facts, or ideas and delete those that have little or no importance or connection

• Identify or create topic sentences about their reading

• Draw conclusions and make generalizations

• Provide supporting details

• Gather new learning from clues provided by text structure

• Practice alternative styles of note-taking

6) Periodically summarize what is read and learned


• Demonstrate and discuss text structure and how it can be used to guide the intended learning

• Provide chunks of reading from which the students can delete the unimportant, identify the important, summarize the key learning, and add details for support

• Use graphic organizers that will lead students to the intended learning

• Provide prompts or questions that will help students focus on the summary of their assigned reading

• Remind students to “stop and think” often through their reading

• Provide students with alternative styles of note-taking

Reading Tools: Chain Reaction - p. 206 Alphabet Soup - 186 Comparison Matrix Chart - p. 226 Give Me a Hand - Volume 2 One Step at a Time Toss “Em in the Sack My Week of Reading in a Phrase Supporting the Main Idea Just for Chem Lab Summary Pyramid Shed Some Light on It

Chain Reaction

Events Leading to the Civil War

Mexican-American War – debate about which new territories should be free or slave (1847)

Compromise of 1850 fails Fugitive Slave Law rejected by Northerners (1850)

James Buchanan elected President; anti-slavery forces grow (1856) Dred-Scott decision –

Supreme Court. Anti- slavery groups upset; slaveholders happy. (1857)

Lincoln-Douglas Debate; L Lincoln gains votes. (1858)

John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Slave uprisings feared. (1859)

Southerners threaten to secede if Lincoln wins. (1859)

Lincoln elected President. (1860)

South seceds from the Union and establishes the Confederate States (1860)

First shots fired on Fort Sumter (1861)

The Civil War begins. (1861)

Alphabet Soup

Enter Letters Here:

Write Your Sentence Here:

Comparison Matrix Chart

Characteristics Items to Compare Type of Government Gross Domestic

Product Population Population Growth

Rate

United States

Federal Republic

9,255 Trillion

248,058,881

.9%

Canada

Federation of 10 Provinces and 3

Territories

722.3 Billion

31,592,805

.4%

India

Federal Republic

1,805 Trillion

1,029,991,145

1.55%

Cuba

Communist State

18.6 Billion

11,184,023

.5%

Japan

Constitutional Monarchy

2.95 Trillion

126,771,662

.17%

CONCLUSIONS

Both U.S. and India are Federal Republics.

The per capita dollars would be much higher in the United States than in the

other countries.

Japan’s birthrate is significantly lower.

Supporting the Main Idea

Print/Text: ______________________________________________ Pages: ____________________________

Main Idea:

Example

Example

Example

Roll the Dice

Form a group of four. As a group, determine four subtopics from the reading assignment that the group feels encompass the major learnings from the reading. Write those four subtopics in the spaces of the left-hand column. Roll the die. Whoever gets the highest number will begin. To start, the first person selects one of the four subtopics and then rolls the dice to determine the number of statements / observations he/she must make about the sub-topic chosen. Others should take notes. The next person chooses the next subtopic and so on until all four group members have had a turn. A second or third round can be conducted if time allows. GENERAL TOPIC: _________________________________________________________

Subtopics Statements / Observations

8 Reading Strategies for Improved Comprehension

1. Have strategies to use when encountering new words.2. Connect new knowledge to make personal meaning.3. Think ahead to what might be coming in the reading.4. Continually evaluate own understanding of what is read.5. Create images of what is read.

6. Periodically summarize what is read.

7. Use text cues and features and text organization to aid understanding.


Students often read vastly different kinds of texts the same way and ignore the textual cues that would help them develop a clearer understanding.

Text / Text Features:

• Reading level

• Structure / Organization of the text

• Text cues and features

Pre-Reading with Text… Read title and picture captions: What do

you think you will read about? Look for bold-faced vocabulary words:

Give your “best-guess” definition for each. Make an outline from the text using

headings and subheadings. Fill in details as you read.

List the visual aids used in the text: What new ideas or questions do you have after studying them?

Pre-Reading with Text…

Write three questions you hope / think will be answered as you read.

Make three predictions about what the text is about based on the title.

Determine the focus (purpose) for the reading.

Read the summary paragraph. Then look for supporting information as you read.

Pre-Reading with Text…

Using clues from the text, list what you already know or think you know about the topic before you start to read.

Make predictions about the new learning you will have from reading the text.

7) Use textual cues, visuals, and text organization


• Look for clues in the text to help their understanding, including headings, subheadings, bold-faced and italicized words

• Identify the organizational pattern and predict how it is tied to the intended learning

• Look for key words that predict the organizational pattern

• Recognize that pictures in the text are there to help provide clues to the reading

• Use tools (e.g. glossary, bibliography, index, etc.) in their text to increase their understanding of the reading

•Turn the heading and subheadings into questions to focus their reading

• Become familiar with the text cues provided by the author

7) Use textual cues, visuals, and text organization


• Introduce students to the text for the class by providing a “talk aloud” that introduces the structure and clues provided by text features

• Introduce activities to become familiar with the various parts of the book

• Look carefully at graphs and charts to identify key information

• Assist students in turning headings and subheadings into questions that can focus their reading

• Practice using text features, such as the glossary and index

• Use organizers at the beginning of the unit to focus students on the big picture

• Consider the use of highlighting text to indicate main ideas

Thinking about My Text

As information is shared about your text/print resources for this course,determine how the text f eature can be used to increase your understanding of thereading. The firs t one has been completed for you.

Text Feature How will I use this information?Unit T itle The unit title helps me identify the main topic I am going to be

learning about. I f I tur n it into a question, it helps me focusmy reading.

Heading(s) in Unit

Subheading(s) f orEach HeadingI talics

Bold-Face

Chart

Graph

Picture

Maps

Timeline

Table of Content

Glossary

Appendix

Index

Thinking through the Reading Assignment

Take 90 seconds to quickly scan your reading assignment. Use the headings, pictures, and other clues you get from this scan to develop some questions about the reading. Then, as you read the assignment, take notes that answer each of the questions.

General Topic:

Question: NOTES:

Question: NOTES:

Question: NOTES:

READING ASSIGNMENT PLANNING

Reading Assignment: ____________________________________________ _

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Purpose / Expected Results: _________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Vocabulary: Words I Don’t Know:__________________ ___________________ __________________

__________________ ___________________ __________________

__________________ ___________________ __________________

__________________ ___________________ __________________

Pay Special Attention to:

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Documents

Strategies for Reading in the Content Areas by Sue Z. Beers [email protected]