Graphic Organisers

A graphic organiser is a visual display that demonstrates relationships between facts, concepts or ideas.
Graphic organisers are an excellent way to identify the strengths and weaknesses of students' reading comprehension.
Some students acquire information visually and need to make notes in organised way.
 Students on the autism spectrum and those with cognitive or comprehension issues appreciate having information presented in a visual, less text laden way.


 Here are some free downloads, that are easy to use.


https://my.hrw.com/nsmedia/intgos/html/igo.htm


http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/


https://www.teachervision.com/graphic-organizers/printable/6293.html

Think Alouds

 

Think-alouds have been described as "eavesdropping on someone's thinking." With this strategy, teachers say hwat they are thinking as they are reading.. Their reader describes the things they're doing in their mind as they read. The purpose of the think-aloud strategy is to model how skilled readers make meaning :

It is a good idea to watch think alouds, here are some good examples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi7RfnlkTL4#t=41


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iupcVlUapAU

 

 

 

(Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review) Pre - reading

Pre- reading Activity

 

Step 1 S: SURVEY

1.   Have students preview the entire selection.

2. Instruct them to think about the chapter title, introductory paragraphs, headings, and pictorial information as they survey the selection.

3.   Instruct students to ask themselves the following questions: "What do I think this selection is about?” "What information might the author be telling me?"

 

Step 2 Q: QUESTION

1.         Distribute the SQ3R chart or instruct students to draw a line down the middle of their papers.

2.         Have students translate each heading of the selection into a question. Students write the   questions in the left column.

3.         Direct students to use open-ended questions - questions that cannot be answered with  "yes" or "no".

4.         Encourage students to write questions that begin with words such as, "Who," "What,"  "Where," "Why," "How," or "List," "Name."

 

Step 3 R1: READ

1.         Have students read the information under the first heading in the selection to find the answers to their questions. Students may need to ask more questions and some of their questions may need to be revised.

2.  Have students write answers to the questions in the right column.

 

Step 4 R2: RECITE

1.         Have students cover the material they just read.

2.      Students ask themselves each question  and write down the  write  the answer.

3.  Have students reread the text to find answers for questions they could not answer.

 

Step 5 R3: REVIEW

1.  Have students review their notes. They should try to recall the main points of the selection.

2. Have students reread each main heading and think of details that were important. Remind students that more reviewing helps them to remember longer.

3.  Encourage students to review again before a test or exam.

http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/curriculum/AcademicCore/LanguageArtsandReading/SecondaryReading/BeforeReading.aspx

                                 

Directed Reading Thinking Activity

 

Why use directed reading thinking activity?

• It encourages students to be active and
  thoughtful readers.
• It activates students' prior knowledge.
• It teaches students to monitor their understanding of the text as they're reading.

How to use ?

Teachers should follow the steps below when creating a DRTA.

1. Choose the text to be used and pre-select points for students to stop at during the reading process.
2. Introduce the text and the purpose of the DRTA.
3. Use the following outline to guide them:

   D = DIRECT. Teachers direct and activate students' thinking prior to reading a passage by scanning the title, chapter headings, illustrations, and other materials. Teachers should use open-ended questions to direct students as they make predictions about the content or perspective of the text (e.g., "Given this title, what do you think the passage will be about?").
   R = READING. Students read up to the first pre-selected stopping point. The teacher then prompts the students with questions about specific information and asks them to evaluate their predictions and refine them if necessary. This process should be continued until students have read each section of the passage.
   T = THINKING. At the end of each section, students go back through the text and think about their predictions. Students should change their predictions by finding supporting evidence in the text.

   
   

   The teacher asks questions such as: 

   • What do you think about your predictions now?
   • What did you find in the text to support your predictions?
   • What did you  read in the text that made you change your predictions?

   Reading Rockets http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/drta

Possible Sentence (A pre - reading strategy)

 

Possible Sentences encourage students to draw on their background experiences and knowledge to make predictions for a text. It is a tool to help students to process key words in a text before they begin reading.

Possible Sentences:

• familiarise students with context and concepts.
• encourage prediction about the probable meaning of a text.
• make reading meaning centred
• allow students to be actively engaged in making predictions about the major ideas of a text.
• stimulate curiosity about the text.
• allow students to share what they know about information before they read with other students.
• compare their attempts with the sentences in the text thus providing a purpose for reading.

Procedure for Implementing Possible Sentences

1. Read through the text.
2. Select a list of key words (12-15) from the text, some familiar and some that may cause difficulty.
3. Display the words and discuss meanings with students. Ask students to predict meanings or ways the words will be used in the text.
4. In pairs or small groups, students compose Possible Sentences (that they feel may be in the text) using at least two of the listed words. Underline the key words.
5. The class comes back together to share their developed sentences, making comparisons and relevant comments. Ensure that all words are included in at least one sentence.
6. Post the Possible Sentences in the classroom.

During reading encourage students to watch and listen for the words to determine if their Possible Sentences were accurate. Comment on any similarities or differences in meaning or use.
It is important to address inaccurate predictions in ways that don’t belittle wrong answers and encourage future attempts. They can evaluate each Possible Sentence in terms of whether it is true (the text backs up the prediction), false (the text presents a different use of the word), or don’t know (the sentence can be neither proved or disproved based on the text).


This strategy and more like it can be found at MY READ http://www.myread.org/guide_stages.htm

Assumicide

When your assumptions lead to the potential demise of understanding, you commit assumicide!

Nothing can shut down learning faster than making faulty assumptions about student's knowledge.
Assumicide  kills understanding! It shoots it dead!

Making assumptions about students prior knowledge, their vocabulary and their ability to connect new information with what they already know – destroys comprehension.

Completing  both pre - reading strategies and during reading strategies using the super six, will destroy assumicide and improve comprehension!



 

 

Anticipation Guide (A pre - reading Strategy)

An Anticipation Guide is a strategy that is used before reading to activate students' prior knowledge and build curiosity about a new topic. Before reading a selection, students respond to several statements that challenge or support their preconceived ideas about key concepts in the text. Using this strategy stimulates students' interest in a topic and sets a purpose for reading. Anticipation guides can be revisited after reading to evaluate how well students understood the material and to correct any misconceptions.

Create the strategy

There are several ways to construct an anticipation guide for middle and high school students. Most include the following steps (Duffelmeyer, 1994):

1. Identify the major ideas presented in the reading.
2. Consider what beliefs your students are likely to have about the topic.
3. Write general statements that challenge your students' beliefs.
4. Require students to respond to the statements with either a positive or negative response.

Use the strategy

1. Have students complete the anticipation guide before reading. They may work by themselves, in pairs or small groups. Remind students that they should be prepared to discuss and debate their reactions to the statements on the anticipation guide after they have completed it.
2. After students have finished the guide, encourage a class discussion of students' reactions to the statements. Remember, you want to activate their critical thinking about the topic, so dig deeper than students' answers and get to their justifications.
3. Have students read the text with their anticipation guide responses fresh in their minds so they can react to the text as they read. Encourage students to mark or write down where the text supports their initial reaction to statements, or causes them to rethink those reactions.
4. Have a class discussion after reading. Ask students if any of them changed their position on any of the statements. Encourage students to share how they reacted to the text, given their initial responses captured in the anticipation guide. Make sure students share examples from the text where their initial responses were either supported or challenged.

Examples of Anticipation Guides:

 

References

From -  All about Adolescent Literacy http://www.adlit.org/strategies/19712/

Duffelmeyer, F. (1994). Effective Anticipation Guide statements for learning from expository prose. Journal of Reading, 37, 452-455.

McKenna, M.C. (2002). Help for struggling readers: Strategies for grades 3-8. New York: Guilford.

Simple pre reading ideas

Students come to us after Primary school where they are given constant support in their reading.
Whenever students read in the early years they are given strategies to use BEFORE, DURING and AFTER reading.
In order to help students better access the text we must make sure we never give students reading without WARMING THEM UP first.
We MUST remember that reading comprehension is tied very closely to what the reader brings to the page. What the reader knows BEFORE reading is really important in building understanding.

 

What should we do?

We must :
 
* Activate prior knowledge.
 
* Give context. (Background information, make connections with what they have experienced)
 
* Purpose - Explain to students WHY they are reading a text.
 

Pre reading strategies can include:

• Discussing new vocabulary and trying to attach it to something students already know BEFORE they start reading.

• Asking students what they know about the topic and where that information came from.

• Looking at the subtitles and asking students to consider anything they know about them.

• Examining the pictures and captions to learn more about what the text is going to say.

• Checking the graphs and maps to discover how they might add meaning to the text.

• Looking at the bold words.

• Analysing who wrote the text and the audience for whom it was originally written.

• Reading the entire first paragraph and asking students what they know about the text.

•  Reading the last paragraph and asking students what they know about the text.

• Reading the first sentence or first two lines in each paragraph and asking students what they now know about the text.

• Asking students to write a question that they anticipate will be answered in the text.

Fix Up Strategies

Strategies students can use when reading -

* Reread - It is OK to reread text you have already read. Maybe you misread a word or left out a word that helps the meaning of the text.

*Read Ahead - You might want to continue reading for a couple of sentences if you are confused. If the confusion is not cleared up after a few sentences, try a different strategy.

* Figure out the unknown words - You may use a dictionary, ask the teacher, or look at the word and see if you have seen or heard it somewhere before. Do Not Skip the word altogether.

*Make a mental image - Make a movie in your head as you read - This will help you visualize and comprehend better.

* Purpose - Think about  WHY you are reading - Is it for enjoyment? Is it to prepare for an exam? Think about the topic you have been looking at? How does it fit it?

*Ask Questions - BEFORE you read, WHILE you read and AFTER you read. This makes you more actively engaged in your reading , you will be looking for answers while you read and this will help you remember what you have you read.

*Make Predictions - BEFORE you read, WHILE you read and AFTER you read - think about what might happen next.

*Stop to think - Every so often as you read , you should think about what you have read. If you don't remember anything you have read PAUSE and SUMMARIZE IN YOUR HEAD.

*Make connections - To what you already know. As you read you should think about how the information fits in with what you know about yourself, what you've read in other texts and how what you have read fits into the real world. This will help you remember what you read.

* Text features - Recognize and use text features and text structure like Headings, Illustrations, Captions, charts etc.

Exit Slips

Why use exit slips?

• They provide teachers with an informal measure of how well students have understood a topic or lesson.
• They help students reflect on what they have learned.
• They allow students to express what or how they are thinking about new information.
• They teach students to think critically 

How to use exit slips

1. At the end of your lesson ask students to respond to a question or prompt.
   
   • Prompts that document learning:
     — Example: Write one thing you learned today.
     — Example: Discuss how today's lesson could be used in the real world.
   
   
   • Prompts that emphasize the process of learning:
     — Example: I didn't understand…
     — Example: Write one question you have about today's lesson.
   
   
   • Prompts to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction:
     — Example: Did you enjoy working in small groups today?
   
   
   • Other exit prompts include:
     — I would like to learn more about…
     — Please explain more about…
     — The thing that surprised me the most today was…
     — I wish…
2. You may state the prompt orally to your students or project it visually on an overhead or blackboard.

3. You may want to distribute 3 x 5 cards for students to write down their responses.

4. Review the exit slips to determine how you may need to alter your instruction to better meet the needs of all your students.

Super Six Reflection Bookmarks

 

 

How to do it?

Students use bookmarks to reflect on the comprehension strategies they have used to help them with their reading.
If students are reading a longer text, like a novel, they can use a bookmark every chapter or so to reflect on their class work.
The bookmarks look like this -

 

How did it go?

This was used in a focus group - who were reading a short chapter book. After each section of reading the students completed an activity and then used the bookmarks to reflect on what and how they have learned.

 

Materials:

Bookmarks (On the U drive)

Things Good Readers do