Transcript Effective Middle School Reading

Reading to Learn: Strategic Instruction in
the Content Areas
Dr. Beth Christian
Tennessee State University
Adapted from a Powerpoint Presentation prepared by Dr. Pamela Petty
Every teacher is a teacher
of reading.
William S. Gray
• Reading is essential in every content
subject …
“In fact, rapid progress in these subjects depends in a
large degree on the ability of pupils to read
independently and intelligently. It follows that
good teaching must provide for the
improvement and refinement of the reading,
attitudes, habits, and skills that are needed in
all school activities involving reading.”
Farstrup, A. E. & Samuels, S. J. (2002). What research has to say about reading instruction.
Newark, Delaware: IRA, p. 186.
Textbooks/Informational
Books/Expository Texts
 Text Books
 Nonfiction Genres
 Biographies
 Student must be taught strategies to navigate and comprehend content
area texts and other expository texts
 Content Area Texts are organized in ways that differ from narrative
texts…incorporating specialized vocabulary (academic language),
charts, graphics, etc…
 Teachers must consider both the reader and the structure of the text
Reading is …
 construction of meaning
from text. It is an active,
cognitive, and affective
process.
 Each reader brings
his/her own background
experiences, academic
abilities, language,
culture, attitude etc…to
the text
Background knowledge …
 And prior
knowledge are
critical to the
reading process.
Reading is Social!
 Social Interaction …
essential to
learning.
 Communities of
learners.
 Vygotsky
is
Best practices in Content Areas

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Constructivist approach
Addresses multiple intelligences
Builds on Prior Knowledge
Involves guided reading experiences
Inquiry-based
Allows for student choice
Involves authentic literature/trade books
in addition to expository texts
Content area lessons involving reading
should include:
 Pre-reading activities
 During-during reading activities
 Post-Reading Activities
 http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning
/lr2befor.htm
Effective Comprehension Routines
 Expository Text Stuctures
 Reciprocal Teaching
 Questioning the Author
 Directed Reading-Thinking Activities
 KWHL and Concept Mapping
 Using Trade Books/Literature in the Content Areas
 Problem and Inquiry-Based Learning
Figure 9--10 The Five Expository Text Structures
Gail E. Tompkins
Literacy for the 21st Century, 3e
Copyright ©2003 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Figure 9--10 continued
Gail E. Tompkins
Literacy for the 21st Century, 3e
Copyright ©2003 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
What the Research Says About
Reciprocal Teaching
adapted from Mary Haller March 20,2004

Palincsar and Brown 1986 when reciprocal teaching was used for just 15 days
students reading increases from 30- 80%.

According to a study by Palinscar and Klenk 1991, students not only improved
their comprehension skills immediately, but they also maintained improved
comprehension skills when tested a year later.

Lubliner 2001 points out that reciprocal teaching is an effective teaching
technique that can improve on the kind of reading comprehension that is
necessary not only for improved test scores but also for an information age.
QTA: Questioning the Author
 “Questioning the Author is a protocol of inquiries that students can make about
the content they are reading. This strategy is designed to encourage students to
think beyond the words on the page and to consider the author's intent for the
selection and his or her success at communicating it.”
 “The idea of "questioning" the author is a way to evaluate how well a selection
of text stands on its own, not simply an invitation to "challenge" a writer.
Students are looking at the author's intent, his craft, his clarity, his
organization...in short, if the author has done well, students can say so, and they
can identify why they say so. Likewise, if students are struggling over a selection
of text, it may be because it hasn't been written very clearly. Students can see
this, and say so, but then they are invited to improve on it.”
 http://www.readingquest.org/strat/qta.html
[McKeown, Beck, & Worthy, 1993]
The Five Reciprocal Teaching
Strategies
adapted from Mary Haller March 20,2004
Reciprocal Teaching is powerful researched based technique. It is NOT
a stand alone method
for teaching comprehension.
 Predicting
 Questioning
 Clarifying
 Summarizing
 Visualizing
 Reciprocal Teachin
Bookmarks and other
Resources
Content-Area DR-TA
Directed Reading/Thinking Activity
 Activate prior knowledge (Brainstorm)
 Predict what will be discussed in the text
 Read
 Confirm and Revise Predictions
KWL
 What you KNOW
 What you WANT to know
 How you Learned what you want to know
 What you Learned
K
W
H
L
Verbal Demonstrations
 Think-Aloud- Demonstrating thought processes
 Demonstrating Summarizing
 http://www.indiana.edu/~crls/rogerfarr/mcr/usingta/usi
ngta.html
QAR-Question Answer Response
 Students learn to locate many sources of information.
 Right There
 Think Aloud and Search
 On my own
Charting
 Students take more responsibility in their learning
 Summarize key ideas
 Visually sense the interrelationships between these ideas
DRAW Activity
 Draw (a question from a hat/box)
 Reflect/Review (in order to answer the question)
 Attend (and participate in a class discussion)
 Write (answers to questions in the form of a quiz)
Discussion Webs
 To encourage critical and elaborative thinking
 Visual/graphic representation of thinking processes
 Examining alternative points of view
 Question should be stated so that there is more than one
point of view
School Uniforms
NO
Should School Uniforms be
Mandatory in all
Sumner County Schools
Conclusion
YES
20 Strategies to support
comprehension of Non-Fiction Texts
In Tennessee
 State Curriculum Standards:
http://www.tn.gov/education/ci/english/reading.shtml
 Content Area 3081:
www.tn.gov/education/ci/english/doc/ENG_3081.pdf
Literature
 Literature across the curriculum that relate to the various
content areas
http://www.pampetty.com/adolescentlit.htm
http://www.pampetty.com/
http://www.prenhall/brozo
Fix-Up Strategies
 Techniques that active learners use when they are trying to increase their
understanding of a particular content-area concept
1. Rereading
2. Reading more slowly
3. Reading ahead
4. Looking back at previous paragraphs/headings
5. Refer to visual aids
6. Make a mental picture
7. Draw of sketch concept
8. Look for examples in the text
9. Check alternative sources