Thinking aloud about the NAPLAN reading test

Huonville High School20.3.2012

Presented by Pam Powell

Learning intentions• to become familiar with the thinking aloud teaching strategy• to share ways of using the NAPLAN reading tests to promote students’

comprehension

Success criteria• to feel confident at using thinking aloud as a teaching strategy• to have some ideas for preparing students for the NAPLAN reading tests

Introduction Some words from leading educators • Reading floats on a sea of talk James Britton. 1970

• Build stamina and persistence when confronted by a reading that isn’t easily consumedDouglas Fisher and Nancy Frey

Raising the bar with readingAsk students to explain their thinking by• describing the strategies they used• Identifying the exact text information they used and why it was helpful• Identifying the obstacles they experienced when answering questions• generating their own questions and explaining why they are appropriate.

Scaffold for understanding

Begin with general probes about the text before asking specific questions

• So what’s going on in this part?– What do we know now that we didn’t know before?– What’s new?– What was the author trying to get us to understand here?– What is the author’s purpose?

• Invite and support clarification of tricky parts– Does anyone want to share something that was tricky or confusing?– How about this part here…where it says…?– I got confused by…? What do you think about this part? What was the author trying to get us to think?

• Follow up general probes and invitations for clarification with specific probes – So which of these things happened first? Why is that important?– In this paragraph, they use a lot of pronouns. Let’s check out our understanding of who or what they refer to..

Modes of scaffolding for reading

Most assistance

Least assistance

Read aloud

Shared reading/Interactive read-aloud

Reciprocal teaching

Literature circles

Guided reading Independen

t reading

I DOYOU WATCH

I DOYOU HELP

YOU DOI HELP

YOU DOI WATCH

Gradual release of responsibility model

Look at picture and title What do I know about this? Does the picture help me to work out the words?

Read the text one paragraph at a timeStop to talk about tricky words or key words. What did we learn?

Read a question stem together

Talk about the inference around live in and like. The information may not be directly in the text.

Talk about the pronoun reference – earthworms/they

Discuss the trick in the answer

Talk about close reading – don’t confuse snakes with slaters

Close reading

Does this text entertain or inform?

Use this information to link to a writing activity about earthworms• Where do they live?• What do they look like?• What do they eat?• What do they do?

Where do they live?… in dark, damp soil(Use clues from the words and pictures)

What do they look like?They have shiny moist looking skin with stiff hairs on their bodies(Use clues from the words and pictures)

Develop a plan of attack to incorporate the reading strategies

• Read the title and examine the illustrations• Note the text layout• Identify the key points and summarise• Read the questions• Go back and read through the text• Interpret new words from the context in which they have been used• Understand that the texts may include names of places and people

that are unfamiliar, and to read on rather than worry about the pronunciation of these names.

At this moment how is Patrick’s mother

feeling?

Thinking through multiple choice questions

Year 5 & 7 Reading

Multiple choice questions

Distractors can represent• common misconceptions• seemingly logical alternatives• partially correct options• other plausible, but incorrect possibilities.

Sequencing questions

1

2

3

4

5

What inferences and connections

within a paragraph need to be made

here?

4

Year 5 reading

Short answer questions

What do they need to be able to do?

Year 5 Reading

Look through the booklet

• The easier texts are usually at the front.

• There are a number of different text types.

• Spend just a couple of minutes checking out which texts are easier for you to read – start with these.

• Remember that information from the pictures can be used in the questions as well as the written words.

• Think about your reading plan.

Plan for each text

1. Look at the questions briefly first.

2. If you are not a quick reader, just look at the first question.

3. You are allowed to write in the reading magazineYou are NOT allowed to write in the answer bookletIt might be helpful to underline key words as you read it for the second time.

4. Read the text through quickly. Ask yourself • what is the purpose of this text?• what type of text is it?• what is the main message of the text?

5. Read the question again.

6. Read carefully through the text to find where the answer might be found.

7. Shade the bubble that has the best answer.

8. Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 until all questions are answered for the text.

9. NOTE: The last question is always the hardest. Make a guess if you are not sure.

Thinking aloud

Look at the title

Look at the picture

clues

What type of text do I think it is?

Read quickly through the questions

Notice the key words

Begins with a

command Uses you (second

person)to connect with

the reader

Writes in the present tense even though

this takes place in the

past

To grab the

reader’s attention

To directly involve the

reader

To add a sense of

immediacy

Unpacking the questions

Famous is linked to sensation in the text

The dance was

adapted from Zorba

Their film was placed on the

internetThey haven’t been to Greece

Look for key words and ideas in the story and connect them to the questions

They weren’t famous then

Check out the most likely answers and re-read to confirm your thinking

This does not connect with the key ideas or purpose for writing

There is no mention of how good they were at basketball

Most dancers aren’t discovered on a dusty basketball court

Find the clues in the text

The only possible answer

Discard the obviously wrong answers first

They had no formal dance training

They didn’t play basketball

Is it their concerts?Is it their performances on TV and the internet?

Check back to the text

Thinking about the style of writing This is a possible answerUse a process of elimination

Why should we feel

sorry for them?

The writing doesn’t

show both sides

Not many readers

would have had similar experiences

to this

Now it’s your turn

Work with a partner.

Choose one of these texts • Bike sheds• The bundle arrives• Royal Flying Doctor Service• Through the break• Jessica’s new room.

Practise the thinking aloud strategy that you could share with your class.

Share your think aloud (time permitting) OR reflect upon your thoughts and feelings about the strategy