strategy: point, counterpoint -...

Teaching and Learning

Strategies

That

Foster Comprehension

Compiledby

Judy Wallis

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Strategy: Point, Counterpoint

This strategy allows students to build interpretive strategies as they focus on integrating prior knowledge, teacher interpretations, information from other reading (inter-textual), and knowledge of text structure.

The strategy has three parts:

1. Initial reading and responses to the story2. Discussion of class responses and themes and interpretations3. Development of final responses

1. Students read and jot down responses that come to mind as they are reading. These can take the form of comments, questions, reflections, and confusions. Students weave their responses into a short piece of writing.

Response to Song and Dance Man

Song and Dance Man is about how a grandfather wants to take his grandchildren into the past. He lets them see him as a song and dance man when he uses all of his old equipment. I think the theme of this story is really about love. The grandfather loves his grandchildren and he loves what he did, too.

2. Students share their responses with the teacher leading the discussion and pointing out similarities and differences. The teacher should have circulated during the writing to preview the kinds of things students are noting in their writing for the purpose of initiating the discussion.

Teacher: Some of you wrote that this story was about love. Carol, didn’t you write that?

Carol: Yes, I thought it was because the grandfather loved what he did so much in the good old days that he wanted to share it with his grandchildren.

3. Students revise their initial writing based upon the discussion. They may incorporate ideas from others and the discussion.

For younger students or as a variation, the initial response could be a drawing similar to those used in Sketch-to-Stretch.

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Strategy: Text PrevieiwStory Introduction and Picture Walk

This strategy is used to build interest and motivation and capitalize on prior knowledge while providing a framework for comprehension of the text.

The strategy has two parts:

1. Preparation and construction2. Presentation

The teacher prepares the text preview by writing with longer texts and simply noting vocabulary, concepts, and ideas for shorter texts.

Text Preview: Timothy of the Cay

Can you imagine finding yourself shipwrecked on an island and then finding that you have become blind before you get used to your setting? Most of us would have a range of thoughts and feelings: fear, sense of adventure, concern for the future, uncertainty.

Phillip had all of those feelings when he was shipwrecked. In fact, The Cay is the first book Taylor wrote about the experiences of Phillip and Timothy, the man who befriended Phillip. This book is cleverly written. We meet Phillip just after he has been rescued. Since Timothy dies before Phillip’s rescue, the book takes us back in time into Timothy’s past. The book is called a prequel-Sequel—before and after.

Timothy faces some very serious adjustments after his rescue. Imagine, he has been away from family for a very long time. In fact, he has been alone on the island after Timothy’s death. How can he take up his life from where he is now? How can his parents ever understand about the man who befriended him on the island? Read to find out.

The preview provides motivation, background building, and questions to be answered in the reading. In this case, it explains an unusual kind of organization in the book: prequel-sequel. A preview is generally read because it has been carefully prepared to include all of the necessary ingredients for that particular text.

Similar to the Text Preview is the Story Introduction and Picture Walk. The teacher preselects vocabulary and concepts that may prove problematic for particular students and sets up the illustrations as scaffolds as the correct word is used in relationship to the pictures. Because picture story books provide rich interplay between text and illustrations, the teacher helps the students note important details that will appear in the text and often provides characters’ names. Difficult concepts, ideas, and the theme are usually discussed to help the readers as they read.

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Strategy: Response Heuristic

Questioning after reading is the most common way of assessing understanding and responding to texts. This strategy helps students analyze their reading in writing and form the habit of asking themselves questions as they write. The strategy should first be modeled orally; then students can respond in writing.

There are three parts of the Response Heuristic:

1. Perceptions about the text2. Reactions to the text3. Associations with the text

1. Initially students are asked to share what is important about the text. They really answer the question, “What do you see in the text?

Example:

I think Roxaboxin is about how when you work together to build something, you never forget it.

2. Once students have responded initially to the text, they tell how the story made them feel.

I can understand how people can look back on an experience and remember it. I think about things that have happened before that were really special times.

3. The final part of the Response Heuristic is making associations to personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences. These generally come from students’ own knowledge and beliefs.

One time we all worked together to build a playhouse. I still remember how proud everyone felt about that house. That must have been like the people in Roxaboxin felt, too.

Students can fold a sheet of paper into three sections and label them “Perceptions,” “Reactions,” and “Associations” or complete a teacher-prepared activity sheet (See example).

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Response Heuristic

Name Date

Book Title

1. What is important in the book?

2. How does the story make you feel?

3. What experiences have you had that the story reminds you of?

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Strategy: Sketch to Stretch

This strategy helps students interpret texts to gain insights into the theme by shifting from reading to drawing. It is based on the premise that students will have additional insights when they change mediums (sketching instead of writing).

The strategy has two parts:

1. Making the sketch2. Sharing the sketch

1. Students read a text. After reading, the teacher invites the students to create a sketch of what the story means to them. Students should be cautioned that they should not draw an illustration of the story; but rather, they should visually sketch the meaning within the story.

Examples of previous students’ sketches may help students see that the sketches convey meaning and that the focus is not on the artistic ability of the reader.

3. Once students have drawn their sketches, they gather in small groups and sit in a circle. Everyone in the group hypothesizes what the author meant by the sketch. After everyone has had a chance to say what they think, the author gets the last word and provides the interpretation.

Sketch to Stretch can be extended by having students use the sketch as prewriting.

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Strategy: PredictogramProbable Passages

This strategy is first modeled by teachers. It helps students make predictions and use critical thinking as they read. It can be used with both narrative or modified to be used with expository texts.

The strategy has four steps:

1. Preparation2. Prereading3. Reading4. Postreading

1. The teacher analyzes the text and selects words that are important. The words are written on the board, and students are asked to classify them by elements of a story in narrative text or other suitable categories in nonfiction texts.

2, Provide the students with the words and the words and the categories. Have students arrange the words. In some cases, words may fit into more than one category.

Example for Narrative Text: Dear Mr. Henshaw:

Setting

Home

Characters

Leigh BottsMom

Mr. Henshaw

Actions

questioningwriting letters

Problem

divorcetrucking

Solution

letterswriting

Ending

answerDad

Finally, ask students to write a probable passage with the words. Provide students with a passage frame.

Probable Passage

The story takes place in a house. Leigh Botts is a character in the story who writes letters. A problem occurs when Leigh writes letters and asks questions. The problem is solved when Leigh gets an answer to his letter. The story ends when Leigh gets an answer to his questions and talks to his Dad.

3. The students read the story or listen to the story to verify and check the accuracy of their predictions.

4. The students discuss changes that need to be made in their categorization and Probable Passages after reading. They reflect on the actual event in the story or information in the text. Students revise the passage to reflect the actual text.

Note: The predictogram uses just steps 1 and 2.

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ProbablePassages: Postreading Stage

Name Date

Book Title

Revised Probable Passage

The story takes place

is a character in the

story who

A problem occurs when

Then

The problem is solved when

The story ends

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Strategy: List-Group-Label

The strategy is used to help students deal with technical vocabulary and develop related concepts.

The strategy has three parts:

1. Listing2. Grouping 3. Labeling4. Extending

1. Brainstorm and list all the words you can think of that relate to .

2. Reread your list and look for groups of words that are similar or have something in common with one another.

Circle like-things on your list with a color or use a code such as * or a .

3. Label the groups. The above example might be labeled as “Things Emitted from a Volcano.” Other labels for the words generated from the stimulus word “volcano” might include “Results of Volcanic Eruption,” “Hot Volcanic Parts,” and “Famous Volcanoes.”

4. Extending: Create a web or chart.

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Strategy: GIST

GIST involves helping students improve their comprehension by providing a step-by-step approach to summarizing key ideas.

The steps for GIST involve reading several paragraphs and writing a short (20 words of less) passage summarizing the passage. The procedure continues with readers reading additional paragraphs and incorporating the new information into the existing GIST statement but still using only 20 words.

Example:

1st Attempt

Tropical forests are lot

rain near hot of

forests the and rain.

are equator get

lush that a

2ND Attempt

Tropical rainy the and

rain and many animals

forests important species that

are because of live

hot, of plants there.

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1. Look for the important information.

Summarizing Known or Learned Information

5. Put your summary together. 2. Look for repetitive information.

4. Look for a major idea. 3. Group related ideas.

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Topic or Idea

Identifying Important Information

Facts or Details Relevant

Irrelevant

TRASH

Strategy: Summarizing Narrative (SWBS)

S (somebody): List a main character in the story.

W (wanted): Tell what the character wanted (motivation).

B (but . . .): Tell how the problem got in the way.

S (so . . .): Explain how the problem was solved.

Schmidt & Buckley (Responses to Literature, 1991)

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Strategy: Inquiry Chart

The strategy (also known as the l-Chart) provides students with a systematic procedure for nurturing critical thinking as they study a topic using multiple sources. The strategy is designed to be used with expository information.

Steps include:

1. Planning2. Interacting3. Interacting and Evaluating

1. In the planning phase the student (with teacher assistance) identifies topics, formulates questions, constructs the l-Chart, and gather related materials.

2. In the interacting phase, the student explores prior knowledge and beliefs, shares interesting facts and new information, and reads and records.

3. In the final phase, the student summarizes statements for each guiding question, compares information, continues the research, and reports back to the class on the findings.

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Strategy: Say Something

Say Something allows readers to develop a functional, interactive, and constructive view of reading. As readers use Say Something, they are involved in incorporating new information, finding connections, asking questions, and making predictions—all behaviors proficient readers possess.

Say Something can be used with small groups of students, pairs of students, and during a read-aloud session.

Important aspects of Say Something include having readers become aware when confusion occurs, when they have little to say (may indicate needing to reread), and that comprehension is very similar to drafting in writing.

Writing can be substituted for saying something orally.

Group discussions can occur after partners participate in Say Something.

Saying Something . . . Silently allows readers to use the strategy as a personal monitoring strategy during independent reading.

Student cards (see next page) may be used to assist students with procedures as they are learning to monitor their reading.

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Say Something

1. Choose a partner.

2. Get a copy or copies of what you are to read.

3. Decide how you will read.

silently taking turns taking turns each having a copy

or sharing a copy

4. Locate the first place you will stop and “say something” about the text.

5. Continue to select additional places to stop.

Remember: When you stop to “say something” it must be about what you just finished reading!

Your teacher may want you to discuss the text as a large group after you finish. Creating Classrooms for Authors Harste, Short, and Burke, Heinemann, 1988

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Say Something . . . Silently

1. Preview the reading selection.

2. Locate the first place you will stop and “say (or write down) something” about the text.

Hint: If you have little or nothing to say, you might want to reread that part again.

3. After you finish, think about what you read and the most important information in the text.

adaptation by Judy Wallis

Strategy: Save the Last Word for Me

This strategy encourages readers to take an active stance during reading. Save the Last Word for Me allows readers the opportunity to construct their own interpretations and to compare them with other readers.

The strategy has six parts.

1. Reading the text2. Writing important parts3. Personal reflection4. Small group discussion5. Ordering the cards6. Reading and reacting to the cards

1. Each student reads the text individually.

2. On side 1 of an index card or slip of papers, the readers write words, phases, or sentences that stand out and the page number the quote appears on.

3. On the other side of the card or slip of papers, the students write out what they want to say about the quote.

4. Students gather in small groups to share their cards.

5. Before the group discussion, students put the cards in an order for discussion—most important to least important.

6. Students read the quotes on their cards to the group. As each student reads his/her quote, the other students respond to what was read. The student who reads the quote then has the last word about why that quote was chosen.

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Slide 1 p. 30

I watched tears fill his eyes and cleaved my hand to his until they wrenched us apart.

Slide 2

I think Say must have felt very sad watching Pink being pulled away from him.

Strategy: Question-Answer Relationships (QAR)

Question-Answer Relationships was developed to assist students’ ability to answer questions by giving them a way to systematically analyze the task of answering different questions. Students learn each of the four question-answer relationships one at a time. Each time a new QAR is learned, the previously learned QARs are incorporated.

The four Question-Answer Relationships are:

1. Right There2. Think and Search3. Author and Me4. On My Own

(A part that outlines the four types of QARs follows.)

An example of a QAR activity sheet follows. It would be used only after all four types of QARs are discussed. Students first practice labeling the QAR, then they answer the questions.

Timothy of the Cay

1. Who was Timothy?

Right There Think and Search Author and You On My Own

2. What did Phillip eat on the island?


3. Considering the text do you think Timothy handled his problem well?


4. If you only had one badge of courage to award to someone, to whom would you give it?


5. List some of the obstacles Timothy overcame during his stay on the island.


Wallis, 1996

QAR-Raphael, 1982

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Strategy: FLIP (bookmarks to remind students to plan reading)

FFriendly: Does the passage look friendly and easy for me to read?

LLanguage: Is the vocabulary in this passage difficult or easy for me?

IInterest: How interested am I in this topic?

PPast Knowledge: What do I already know that can help me as I read this passage?









Schumm & Mangrum, 1991

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Sizing Up Reading Tasks

F

L

I

P

Friendliness

Does this text look friendly and easy for me to read?

Language

Is the vocabulary in this text difficult for me?

Interest

How interested am I in reading this text?

Past Knowledge

What do I already know that I can use to help me read this text?

Schumm & Mangrum, 1991

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Strategy: Think Aloud

Think-Alouds provide readers assistance in examining and developing their reading behaviors. The strategy incorporates five aspects of a skilled reader’s thinking: making predictions, visualizing, linking with prior knowledge, monitoring and self-correction.

The strategy includes four steps:

1. Teacher modeling2. Student partnerships for practice3. Independent student practice using checklists4. Integrated use with other materials

1. Teacher Modeling

Developing hypotheses and predictions.

From the title, I think this selection is going to be about . . .

In this next part. . .

Describing the images

I can see. . .

I have a picture in my mind. . .

Sharing an analogy

This is like a time . . .

Verbalizing a confusing point

This seems confusing. . .

I am not sure how this fits. . .

Demonstrating fix-up strategies

I need to check this out… I will read on. . .

Let me rethink this. . .

Maybe I had better reread. . .

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Strategy: Think Aloud – Page 2

2. After several modeling experiences, students work with partners to try out the strategy.

3. After practicing with a partner, the students try the strategy independently using a chart.

4. Integrate the strategy in other content –area reading experiences.

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While I was reading, how did I do?

Put an X in the appropriate column.

Not very much A little bit Much of the time All of the time

Predicting

Picturing

“Like a”

Identifying Problems

Using fix-up

Strategy: Feature Analysis

The Feature Analysis strategy helps students improve vocabulary and categorization, understand the similarities and differences, and build conceptual understanding.

It is divided into six steps.

1. Select the category2. List the words in the category3. List the features4. Indicate the feature possession5. Add words or features5. Complete and explore the matrix

1. The teacher selects the category or topic2. Either the students or the teacher lists words that fit into the category.3. The teacher decides what features or traits should be explored in the category. An

example of a feature matrix appears below

Category: Jungle Animals

fur roars quick stripes eats meatLion

Tiger

Elephant

Giraffe

4. Students are guided through the matrix to decide which feature each of the words listed possess.


fur roars quick stripes eats meat

Lion + + + - +

Tiger + + + + +

Elephant - - - - + Giraffe - - + + +

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Feature Analysis – page 2

5. Students expand the matrix after initial responses. The teacher limits the expansion as responses become less appropriate or time is exhausted.

6. Students complete the matrix and explore it looking for similarities and differences.


Fur roars quick stripes eats meat eats vegetation

Lion + + + - + -

Tiger + + + + + -

Elephant - - - - + + Giraffe - - + + + +

Crocodile - - + - + -

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Strategy: Anticipation Guide

Students engage in prediction, activate prior knowledge, and access information others have if done in small groups. Statements, unlike questions, get students more actively involved in their learning (pressure to be “right” is not present). The guide helps teachers plan for learning since misinformation or lack of information is usually revealed.

Students become more motivated when teachers help to develop the natural anticipation learners have. Enhanced comprehension usually results.

With nonfiction text, statements are more concept-oriented. In fiction, they may relate to the problem, setting, or characters. In both cases, personal opinion statements are used.

The strategy has eight parts.

1. Identify major concepts or ideas.2. Determine students’ prior knowledge of these concepts or ideas.3. Create statements that focus students on helpful pre-thinking.4 Decide statement order and presentation mode. (sequence of statements, on overhead, in

small groups, etc.)5 Present guide to students with directions after having modeled.6 After students complete the guide, briefly discuss each statement.7. Have students read the text.8. Conduct a follow-up discussion.

Example for Knots on Counting Rope:

Place a “+” beside statements whith which you agree and a “-“ beside the ones with which you disagree.

I know many traditions of the Native Americans.

Grandparent relationships are important.

Kids enjoy hearing stories about when they were babies.

Indian names are sometimes different from some of my other friends’ names.

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Strategy: Retelling

Retelling allows both readers and teachers a way to naturally assess comprehension. According to Cambourne and Brown, this strategy “possesses all the characteristics of natural learning.” It is suitable for use for individuals, small groups, and large groups. This strategy is useful for instruction and assessment of comprehension.

A retelling is a complete retelling of the text—not a summary.

The strategy has seven parts:

1. Immersion in the genre2. Selecting the text3. Placing students in groups of 3-44 Predicting what the text is about5. Reading6. Retelling7. Sharing and comparing

1. Students are immersed in the genre to be retold. Genres may include all types of text—including graphics like maps and charts.

2. Once the text is selected, teacher makes multiple copies of the text with nothing but the title showing.

3. Students are placed in groups of 3-4 to work together.

4. Students predict what the text is about

5. The teacher reads aloud first to demonstrate fluent reading. Students silently read as many times as they need to read to retell.

6. Students retell without consulting the text.

2. Students compare and share their retellings and explain how the retellings are alike or different. Students look for important, omitted information, confusions, or altered meanings. They also tell what part they would “borrow” from their partners.

This strategy can be done orally for younger students.

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Strategy: Fix-Up Strategies

Fix-Up strategies are those strategies that readers use to “fix-up” meaning when comprehension doesn’t occur, when there is confusion, or a reader needs clarification.

They can take several forms: rereading, verifying the meaning of an unfamiliar word, adjusting the pace of reading, and using self-questioning to assess comprehension.

The following questions can be used.

What would make sense?

What would sound right?

What questions do I need answered?

Should I go back and reread?

Do I need to adjust my pace and slow down a bit until I understand?

Can I make a guess about what it means and then read to see if I am right?

Should I read on and then go back?

Can I ask someone to help?

Adjusting pace includes. . .

discussing how to read for different purposes: using skimming and scanning

using pacing when understanding doesn’t occur

slowing down when the material is difficult or unfamiliar

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CONFLI CT

CHARACTER’S ATTRI BUTES SETTI NG

LOOKI NG AT RELATI ONSHI PS

PERSON AGAI NST PERSON

PERSON AGAI NST SELF

PERSON AGAI NST NATURE

PERSON AGAI NST SOCI ETY

Reader’s Connections

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Character’s Name:

For writing . . . think about what your character is like. For reading . . . write some qualities your character possesses and the page numbers where you found support for those qualities.

Something your character might say to a friend . . .

Something your character might say if you met him/her . . .30

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