Strategies for Enhancing Expository Text for Diverse Learners

1. Strategies for Enhancing Expository Text for Diverse Learners Gerlinde Beckers, Ph.D. Earl H. Cheek Jr., Ph.D. Louisiana State University

2. Session Objective This session will: explore the characteristics and nature of expository text identify the significance of matching readers� abilities and reading materials discuss effective instructional strategies utilizing expository text and materials in the content areas

3. Reading in the Content Areas There are many factors that contribute to the difficulty of content reading. What are some factors that you think impact student learning?

5. Role of Content Area Teacher Special Role of English Teacher Comprehension and study skills, and advanced word recognition skills Specialist vs. Content Teacher Generalization of strategies across content areas Making Better use of time Content area literacy skills save time Allotted time vs. engaged time �Down time is bad time� behavior problems

6. Assessing Content Area Texts Knowing the demands made by a particular subject matter text, teachers are in a better position to help students comprehend material in that area Because texts are a key element in most content area classes and can make a significant difference in students� learning they should be carefully assessed

7. Objective Measures to Estimate Readability Syllable Formulas: Fry Readability Graph: is one of the most popular, measures sentence length and number of syllables in a word. Directions: Randomly select 3 - 100 word passages Plot average number of syllables Plot average number of sentences Flesch-Kincaid formula: found in Microsoft Word, measures sentence length and number of syllables in a word.

9. Flesch-KincaidHigher scores indicate material that is easier to read Lower numbers mark harder-to-read passages90-100 Average 5th grade60-70 8th � 9th grade0-30 College Level

10. Vocabulary

11. Selecting Words to be Taught Ask, �What do I want my students to learn?� lesson objective, benchmarks, standards, grade-level expectations Present only 7 or 8 words at one time Focus on high priority words and teach to a conceptual level Other, less important, less frequently appearing words might be taught to a definitional level.

12. Estimating Students� Vocabulary continued Stahl (1986) Describes three degrees of word knowledge Definitional knowledge means that the student can tell what a word means Contextual knowledge requires understanding the core concept the word represents and how that concept is changed in different contexts (required before comprehension is fostered) Generative knowledge �Oh! That's like ..." It's the process of constructing links between new and old knowledge, It is required before words become part of our expressive, speaking and writing vocabularies

13. Estimating Students� Vocabulary Important prerequisite for building vocabulary Dale and O�Rourke (1971) Four Stages: I never saw it before I�ve heard of it, but I don�t know what is means I recognize it in context � has something to do with I know it Knowledge Rating Scale

16. Vocabulary Strategies

17. Feature Analysis - Category Planets

18. Key Word Approach Students create images to help them associate a meaning with a new word Fold index card in half, word on outside , picture on the inside How effective is the key word approach? Jones, Levin, Levin, & Beitzel, (2000), students who used the key word approach learned almost twice as many words as those a conceptual sentence composing approach

19. What is the meaning of this word?PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS

20. Used in context Because of his proximity to Mount St. Helens, he contracted pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoco-niosis.

21. Morphemes��. Pneumono � related to the lungs Ultra � transcending; super Micro � small Scopic � related to a viewing instrument Silico � mineral, silicon Volcano � eruption in the earth from which molten rock, steam, and dust escapes Coni (konis) � dust Osis � referring to a disease condition

22. The answer is� A disease of the lungs caused by habitual inhalation of very fine silicon dust particles.

23. Morphemic Analysis Strategy A morpheme is the smallest unit of language which has an associated meaning 60-70% of words contain morphemic units or clues Two types Free morphemes can function as a word � some� or �thing� Bound morphemes are those units that occur only as attachments, prefixes, suffices, or roots �tele,� �er,� �cide�

24. Morphemic Analysis Example

25. Where can I find these prefixes, suffixes, and root words to teach? www.wordinfo.info ---click index for a list of all Greek and Latin sources

28. List-Group-Label A brainstorming technique in which students tell what they know about a topic and organize that information Steps: Write topic Student tell what the topic makes them think about List all the responses Categorize the words into groups of three or more Label the categories

29. Egypt List Nile River Papyrus Cataract Mummy Pharaoh Pyramids Hieroglyphics Rosetta Stone Group Nile River Pyramids Pharaoh Mummy Papyrus Cataract Hieroglyphics Rosetta Stone

30. Concept Map A concept map organizes information according to categories but ALSO uses words to show interrelations among concept. Steps: 1- list key terms or concepts 2- arrange concepts from most general to most specific 3- add linkage words that relationships among their concept

31. Example of a Concept Map

32. Comprehension

33. Causes of Inadequate Comprehension Key technical terms my be unknown or known but used in a unfamiliar manner Concepts are unfamiliar Figurative language is misunderstood Paragraphs organization if difficult to follow Pronouns and antecedent relationships are unclear Relationships among paragraphs and sections are not established

34. Causes of Inadequate Comprehension continued� The reader becomes lost in details, key ideas are misinterpreted The reader has inadequate prior knowledge, or a conflict exists between that knowledge and the text The reader reads the passage in rapid narrative style instead of careful, analytic fashion

35. Factors Related to Comprehension Schemata � background knowledge Sensory and Perceptual abilities Thinking abilities Word recognition strategies, and Affective aspects Attitudes Motivation Self-concepts, and interests

36. Purposes for Reading Enjoyment; To perfect oral reading performance or use a particular strategy; To update knowledge about a topic, to link new information to that already known; To obtain information for an oral or written report to confirm or reject predictions; To perform an experiment or apply information gained from the text in some other way; To learn about the structure of a text; Or to answer specific questions

37. The Role of Metacognition and Comprehension Strategies Metacognition or metacognitive awareness is being conscious of one� mental processes � literally to think about one�s thinking Effective comprehension strategies are those used in preparing, organizing, elaboration, rehearsing, and monitoring (metacognition) Affective comprehension strategies are motivation and interest and the role they play in the construction of meaning.

38. Instruction Comprehension strategy instruction should make use of the student�s own textbooks or trade books The teacher should: describe the strategy, model it. Provide teacher-guided practice with it, and provide cooperative and independent practice opportunities. About one-fifth of each period should be spent on explicit strategy instruction, with rest spent on reading, responding to, analyzing, and discussing materials

39. Comprehension Strategies

40. Interaction of Reader, Reading Situation, and Text

41. Prereading Strategies Activate prior knowledge Previews Predicting Anticipation guides Purpose questions Semantic mapping Writing before reading

42. Semantic Mapping A graphic organizer that uses lines and circles to organize information according to categories Steps 1 - Announce the topic and invite brainstorming responses 2 � Group and label responses 3 � Discuss and revise the map 4 � Use the map as a reference as they read, revising and adding as needed

44. During Reading Strategies Metacognitive strategies Does it makes since? Who or what am I reading about What is the most important thing about who or what? Guiding questions Close procedure

45. Cloze Procedure Steps: 1) instruct the learners to read and supply the words to fill in the blanks 2) have the learners write down the words they use 3) In partners, discuss the word choices they have made 4) encourage the learners to read the text again silently, using the appropriate words

46. Example

47. Innovative Cloze Task Follow these steps to make the cloze task more fun and interesting: Give each group of students a different page of the book Make into a cloze passage with space left for an illustration Assemble them to create a class-made version of the book Write the names of all the �authors� and provide other book cover information

48. Using PowerPoint Mountains affect the local climate in a region. They change the movement of air masses. Mountains also affect patterns of precipitation. The cloud shows air being forced up over a mountain. As the rising air cools, water vapor in the air condenses to form clouds.

49. Postreading Strategies Postreading strategies help students integrate new information into existing schemata and allow students to elaborate upon learning that has taken place. Questions Visual representations Retelling Application

50. Frayer Model The Frayer model is a four square graphic organizer that prompts students to analyze the concept (definition and characteristics) and synthesize/apply knowledge by thinking of example and non-examples Steps: 1 provide a definition 2 list characteristics 3 provide examples and non-examples

52. THIEVES Strategy Expository Text � Taught Explicitly T: Title H: Headings I: Introduction E: Every first and last sentence in a paragraph V: Visuals and Vocabulary E: End-of-Chapter questions S: Summary

53. Questions? Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. ~ Francis Bacon ~