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

Attribute Graph (Visualizing, Making Connections, Summarising)

What is it?
Students read a fiction or non - fiction text, they reflect on which attributes and characteristics  the individuals in the text exhibit. 
This works well with non - fiction, however would also be a worthy exercise when looking at historical figures, authors or contemporary leaders or even the climax in a story.

How to do it?

Students read a text. They focus on one character or individual for each graph. They decide on ten attributes - they can be general.  For example - brave, shy, creative, friendly.

The students then shade each attribute out of ten or whatever the bar graph goes to.

When this activity is finished, the class must reflect on what score they gave each character, for each attribute and explain why.

For example - In the the graph above, if the character was CINDERELLA, students would write words along the bottom like - Kind, hard working, selfish, patient, resilient, creative and nasty.

They would then shade the column for each to show how strongly CINDERELLA displays that attribute. For example, For PATIENT a student would probably shade the column almost to the top. For NASTY a student might just shade to zero.

The discussion and reflection are what is really integral, students need to discuss WHY.

How did it go?

This has been used in a few focus groups. Students always enjoy this activity and the graph makes thinking about and reflecting on a character's attributes very easy.

Materials
Attribute graph hand out (On the U drive.)

Summarising and Inferring (Alpha Antics)

 

 

How to do it?

• Students read a text.

    •Students reflect on and write down words that show they understand what they have read.

    •For example  - While studying eagles students might decide that WINGSPAN, PROTECTED STATUS and EYESIGHT are important.

   •Use the following format to create ALPHA ANTICS:

• W is for eagle. Because they can have up to an eight foot wingspan.
• P is for eagle. Because eagles are protected  by law
• E is for eagle. Because eagles have incredible eyesight and can see much better at a distance than a human.
• M is for snowman because eventually they melt.
• A is for worm because worms eat apples
• M is for lunar because lunar means moon
• P is for fraction because fractions are made up of  parts

How did it go?

This was done with a focus group using an article about pizza toppings found around the world. The students had fun and showed a clear understanding of what they had read.
Example response:
C is for Pizza in India - because it has curry on it.
S is for pizza in Australia because it has shrimp on it.

Materials
Article to read
Alpha Antics worksheet (On U drive)

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Summarising (Box the main idea and Bullet the detail)

 

 

How to do it?

 

Box the main idea and bullet the detail can be done after a paragraph, section or page of reading. After the section of text has been read and discussed, students choose the main idea. (Usually only one or two sentences.) and write it in the box that says "Main Idea" or "Box the main idea."

Students are then to choose 1, 2, or 3 three ( however many you want)  supporting details to write in bullet points ( Dot points) in the box below, that says "Supporting ideas" or "Bullet the details". (Whatever you choose to use.)

It can look like this:

 

Or this:

 

 

 





How did it go?

This was used in a Geography class on Reading Maps. After each section we boxed the main idea and from each subheading we chose one detail to write in the box beneath.

This meant that the class , after reading each section had to explain and understand what they had read before finsing the main idea.

 

There are many ways to do this activity. It is about monitoring what we have read and summarising effectively.

 

Materials

Box the main idea handouts