Strategies for Reading in Content Areas

1. Strategies for Readingin Content Areas

2. Activating Prior Knowledge • Relate what we are reading to something we already know • Often don’t think what they already know is important • May not have any background knowledge—so teacher must build it • Use procedure before, during, & after reading • Materials to support strategy • RAN Preview Guide—Anticipation Guide • K-W-H-L Heart Strategy • Graphic organizers SQ3R • Cornell Notes Go Chart

3. Previewing & Using Text Structure • Look at title, subtitles, graphic support, margin information, embolden words to determine what information lies ahead • Look for problem and solution in science/social studies texts • Look for important details that support the questions posed by reader • Use before and during reading • Materials to support strategy • Nonfiction features activities • Problem/Solution • Chain of Events

4. Setting a Purpose Activity • Read The House and circle with your pencil whatever you think is important • Read The House again and use a green highlighter to mark places in the text a robber would find important. • Read The House again and use a blue highlighter to mark places in the text a prospective home buyer would find important • What did you notice about the 3 times you marked the text? Which time was the hardest?

5. Setting a Purpose for Reading • Set very specific purposes for reading • Begin by modeling procedure and teacher setting purpose • Move toward having students set purpose or read more than once to fulfill different purposes • Read to get information, solve a problem, perform a task • Use before and during reading • Materials to support strategy: • Graphic organizer to record purposes • Anticipation guide

6. Adjusting the Rate of Reading • Adjust rate of reading as purpose changes • Introduce this idea and model • Choose materials that are both easy and difficult to model and practice the need to vary the rate • Use before and during reading • Materials to support strategy • Watch Your Reading Speed • Café Strategy

7. Predicting Ideas and Events • Use before and during reading • Enhance by activating prior knowledge & previewing and utilizing text structure • Materials to support strategy • Strategic Strategies • Precise Predictions • Plenty of Predictions

8. Mental Imagery • Think about pictures and illustrations as you read • Use pictures to help you remember • Make connections between the visuals and the text • Make pictures in your mind • Use before, during, & after reading • Materials to support strategy • Talking Drawings • Sketching Through the Text

9. Use Cueing System Effectively • Figure out unknown words using phonics and meaning cues • Figure out and understand unknown concepts • Use during reading • Materials to support strategy • Word attack strategies & bookmarks • Fix-up Strategies

10. Employ Vocabulary Techniques • Utilize a variety of methods to unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words • Use multiple forms of context—effective vocabulary learning occurs in context • Use graphic information • Access external sources for word meaning • Use before, during & after reading • Materials to support strategy • Types of Context • Oh My Word! • Word Wrap • Inside Information • Defining Depictions • Ask a Word

11. Connect Text to Experience • Ask questions such as these: • Does this sound familiar? • What does this remind you of? • What have you already read about this? • Have you seen a video/TV show on this topic? • Relate reading to actual or vicariously acquired experiences • Before, during and after reading • Materials to support strategy • RAN Strategy • Double Entry Journal • Text to self, text, world connections

12. Monitor Comprehension • Model comprehension strategies • Monitor comprehension by stopping at intervals and asking if it makes sense • Use fix-up strategies to deal with comprehension obstacles • Materials to support strategy • Clicks & Clunks • Fix-Up Strategies to Repair Clunks • Flow Chart • Concept Maps • Jigsaw • Power Notes

13. Check for Understanding • Stop periodically and reflect on understanding • Confirm that purpose(s) for reading is being or has been met • Summarize or paraphrase important points and details • Use during and after reading • Materials to support strategy • Paraphrasing • Summarizing • VIPs

14. Teach Reading Strategies • Provide direct instruction of sufficient length and duration to provide opportunities for developing competence and automaticity • Model the skill or strategy • Provide opportunities for guided and independent practice • Provide positive feedback as students put strategies into practice • Give opportunities to use newly learned skills • Provide periodic reviews and extensions • Show how strategies can be combined, i.e., how previewing the text can help students set a purpose and select a pace for reading • Give opportunities to practice strategies with a variety of texts

15. Resources • AdLIT.org • Comprehension Toolkit, Goudvis & Harvey • Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?, Cris Tovani • I Read It But I Don’t Get It, Cris Tovani • Florida Center for Reading Research, www.fcrr.org/ • generalscience@list.nsta.org • Read,Write,Think.com • Revisit, Reflect, Retell-Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension, Linda Hoyt • Strategies That Work, Goudvis & Harvey • Subjects Matter-Every Teacher’s Guide to Content-Area Reading, Harvey Daniels & Steven Zemelman • Thinkport.org, sponsored by Maryland Public Television & Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education