Comprehension Strategies that Work

1. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Developed and Presented by Laura Gray Summit Academy By PresenterMedia.com

2. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Expository/Informational Texts

3. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Five Components of Literacy & Vygotsky Vygotsky’s model: • Zone of Proximinal Development: a developmental area where tasks are slightly harder than what students can do by themselves. • Scaffolding: the teacher temporarily supports the learner until independence is achieved in learning/accomplishing a task (McCormick & Zutell, 2011)

4. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Why focus on expository texts? • Textbooks and content area materials are the most common type of text encountered in the high school classroom • “Informational reading does not develop automatically and deserves concerted attention by teachers” (Temple et. al, 2011) • Reading expository texts lends itself to authenticity in the classroom. • “Authenticity is the curriculum goal in which we help students acquire real-world skills and knowledge by developing their abilities to read, write, solve problems, and apply concepts in a manner that prepares them for their lives beyond school.” (Strong, Silver & Perini, 2001)

5. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Expository texts require a different skill set to comprehend: 1. Text Structure Embedded definitions, explanations of technical processes, sequences of logical argument, procedural descriptions 2. Background Information Informational text typically conveys new information; prior knowledge is assumed 3. Specialized Vocabulary Found in textbooks, but not the typical student’s working vocabulary 4. Information Retention 5. Readability Levels Texts may be written at a level higher than that of the student reading 6. Density Heavier concepts and more intense reading; abstract concepts, symbols, abbreviations (McCormick & Zutell, 2011)

6. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) ThinkingWorks

7. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Reading Guides • Writing Effective Reading Guides: • Ensure questions are of varying difficulty and address different levels of understanding (Bloom’s Taxonomy) • Include page numbers for student reference • Choose important passages to focus on • Use the reading guides interactively: if there is no small-group or whole class instruction with the reading guides, their efficacy is limited. • Make sure the guide is meaningful, not busy work!

8. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Reading Guides Advantages Disadvantages • Teachers can guide class discussion and pick out important points for note-taking • Provides a place for students to take notes • Teachers can design questions that address Background Knowledge, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Extension • Easy way to check student progress • Teacher-led activity does not help students determine important points for themselves • Students often wait for “the answer” • Students copy answers from peers • Students regard the reading guide as an end unto itself instead of a tool for understanding the text • Students may leave the deeper-thinking questions unanswered or give surface answers to those questions

9. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Background Knowledge: Anticipation Guide (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

10. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Background Knowledge: Anticipation Guide • How to use the Anticipation Guide with your students: • Prepare a few short, clear statements that will arouse student interest • Include both accurate and inaccurate statements to create discussion • Facilitate a before-reading discussion to explore students’ opinions and beliefs. Make sure to have students explain their responses • After reading, have students evaluate their previous beliefs. Allow them to change their responses or add information to use the guide for study later. • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

11. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Vocabulary: Concept of a Definition (Technical) • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

12. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Vocabulary: Concept of a Definition (Technical) • Choose a vocab word that represents an important concept • Discuss the definition with students • Help students pick out important details that help answer the three questions. • Encourage students to personalize the examples to help them remember • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

13. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension Strategy: I-Chart • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

14. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: I-Chart • After making students aware of the topic, help them develop four questions for inquiry. • Write the sources down the left side of the chart. • Adaptation: Have students record the page numbers of a single source • Students write what they already know (background knowledge) in the first row • Fill in relevant information that answers each question in the chart • In the last column, students write a summary of what they have learned. • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

15. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: I-Chart • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

16. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: About Point Note taking • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

17. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: About Point Note-taking • Using About Point: • Have students read a short section of text/paragraph • Have them explain the topic (“About”) and then what the author wants us to know about it (the “Point”) • Students write details that explain or support the author’s Point • Students finally write a summary of what they learned. • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

18. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: Cause/Effect Frame • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

19. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: Cause/Effect Frame • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

20. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: Cause/Effect Frame • 1. Explain what cause and effect means to the students • 2. Guide students through the cause/effect frame by prompting with questions such as, “Why did that happen?” “What happened because of ____________?” “What was the cause of ___?” • Have students summarize the information learned • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

21. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: Sequencing • Frames are graphic outlines that help students discover different text patterns. • Students can use them to understand, organize, and think about information in a • particular way. • A Sequence/Time Order Frame helps students sequence the events of a passage. • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

22. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Comprehension: Sequencing • After students have read a passage that presents information in a sequence, help them to complete a Sequence/Time Order Frame. Guide students through the passage or story by asking questions such as: “What happened first?” and “What happened next?” • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

23. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Application/Extension: Discussion Web • Using the Discussion Web: • Introduce the central question for discussion and show students the Discussion Web form. Encourage students to talk about the two points of view on the web and have them record support for each point of view. Once the web has been filled out, ask students to form their own conclusions. Discuss their opinions and have them write their conclusion on their web. • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

24. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Application/Extension: Discussion Web • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

25. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Application/Extension: Proposition/Support Outline After students have read and thought about a controversial topic, have them discuss how they feel about the issue. Encourage students to discuss whether they support or oppose it. They can write down reasons for and against the issue on the Proposition Support Outline. They can then use the Outline to evaluate the pro and con arguments and determine their own position. Students can then write a summary using the About Point Writing Response format. They compose a topic sentence by using the issue as the About and their stance on the issue as the Point. They create the body of the paragraph by using information in the support, the opposition, or both of the columns. They can end the summary with their conclusion about the issue. • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

26. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Application/Extension: Proposition/Support Outline • (Carr, E., Aldinger, L., & Patberg, J., 2004)

27. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Group Discussion • What has worked for you?

28. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Leadership Component • Cooperation between general and special educators • Essential for students: “Only if the [special educator] knows what the classroom teacher is doing, and vice versa, can the most appropriate instruction be provided for students.” (Bean 17) • Helpful for teachers: Whether we talk informally over email in the hallways or more formally in meetings, collaboration leads to teamwork and the sharing of information, resources and instructional strategies. Adapted from Bean (2009)

29. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Leadership Component Adapted from Bean (2009)

30. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Leadership Component • Inform others of new ideas and materials • Spread the word about effective teaching and teachers • Focus on the student • Be available • Follow through • Be flexible Adapted from Bean (2009)

31. Comprehension Strategies (That Work) Leadership Component If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams

32. References Bean, R. M. (2009). The reading specialist: leadership for the classroom, school, and community (2nd ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Bloom, H. (n.d.). Bloom's taxonomy verbs. Retrieved from http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/time_savers/bloom/ Carr, E., Aldinger, L., and Patberg, J. (2004) Teaching comprehension: a systematic and practical framework with lessons and strategies. New York, NY:Thinking Works. Strong, R.W., Silver, H.F., Perini, M.J. (2001) Teaching what matters most: standards and strategies for raising student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Temple, C., Ogle, D., Crawford, A., Freppon, P. (2011) All children read: teaching for literacy in today’s diverse classrooms (3rd ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Zutell, J. & McCormick, S. (2011) Instructing students who have literacy problems (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.