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