The Keys for Increasing Reading Comprehension

What Good Readers Do Question the text, then search for answers Clarify unknown words or concepts, Summarize chunks of text while reading Make Predictions, then confirm or change

predictions Make inferences Use context cues, text aids, graphics Re-read unclear passages Visualize what they are reading Connect text to prior knowledge and

previously read sections Understand purpose of text

Norms for Reciprocal Reading Groups Everybody helps Give reasons for your suggestions No one is finished until everyone is

finished You have the right to ask for help You have the duty to offer help You have the duty to play your role

Whole-Class Practice

Teacher leads the whole class in silently reading together a segment of text

Students then question the teacher about the content

After a subsequent segment of text is read, the teacher questions the students

As the questioning process continues, students learn to imitate the teacher's questioning behavior.

Cooperative Reading Groups

Students will be separated into groups by the teacher.

Each student will be assigned a role to fulfill to increase each member’s understanding of the significance of the reading.

Questioning Role: Identify the kind of information that is significant

enough to provide the substance for questions and then pose 4-5 such questions. Begin asking questions as soon as the Summarizer posts a summary.

 How to ask good questions: Use the 5 Ws + H questions Use higher order questions: Why is _______ significant? Why does _______ happen? How do _______ and _______ compare?

Contrast? What is most important?

Types of Questioning

On-the-Surface Questions: (Who…What…Where….When….)

Involve summarizing, paraphrasing, literal retelling

Inquire about what happens and what the text says One right answer found in the text, (more or less) (Some of these questions may begin with Why,

How, Should, Could, Would.)

Types of Questioning con’tUnder-the-Surface Questions: (Why….How….Should….Could….Would…) Generally have more than one right answer; not

“point-able” in text; not explicit Usually require one or more of the following:

– Further research– Filling in gaps, making inferences, “reading between the

lines”– Predicting, speculating, asking what the text means– Asking about author’s purpose, message, moral, – Hypothesizing, evaluating,– Challenging the text, stating opinions– Connecting the text to self or knowledge of the world,

extending beyond the text into reader’s own experience

Who?Where?

What? When?

1. Fill in information from the reading to answer the questions on each branch.

2. Formulate other questions from these and other info in the reading.

3. Form several under-the-surface questions.

Questioning ChartText Summaries Questions answered in

Text

Summarizing Role Assume the role of summarizer and tell the

group the important ideas and the supporting details from the section read. As summarizer, you are allowed look-backs initially but must eventually develop the skill of summarizing without reference to the text.

How to do a summary: look for topic sentences look for who, what, when, where, why, and

how omit unnecessary information

Summarizing con’t

Summary-type statements: this story/paragraph is mostly about It includes information about The topic of this paragraph is The author is trying to tell us that This story/passage about _______ begins

with _______, discusses (or develops) the idea that ______, and ends with_____.

Summarizing Practice Chart

Leave-in Leave-out

use criteria of: Importance to Plot, Character, Cause and Effect, Truth or Fact

determine that the information is: irrelevant, dead-end, opinion, or a repeat.

Generate master list of lines from class recounting events of text. Write down everything that they think is important. Assign letters or numbers. Ask students to cut them down in half.

Key-Lines

Choose the most important sentence in a portion of the text, or each paragraph, and

give or write evidence for why they chose those lines

Clarifying Role: Your job is to help clarify any information from

the text, the summary and the questions that your group may not understand. Lack of understanding may result from lack of clarity in the text, summaries and/or questions, unknown words or phrases, insufficient background knowledge, as well as lack of connections among ideas in both the text and the summaries. Ask your clarifying questions and suggest helpful strategies as soon as the Questioner finishes asking questions and the members have finished answering them (about 15 minutes into the round).

Clarifying con’tHow to help clarify: identify areas where understanding is still weak propose strategies to address lack of understanding model strategic thinking for the group

Clarifying statements: I don't really understand A question I have is _______ One word or phrase I don't understand is We can reread this section Let's see if we can find a context clue

Vocab-U-Share

Term “My Definition” Actual Definition

Predicting Role You will predict, based on what has already been

read, what information will be covered in the upcoming section of text as well as how the ideas may connect with what has already been read. As predictor, preview upcoming text, determine important ideas and their relationships among one another, and then offer a prediction to the team (5 minutes maximum).

How to predict: look at titles and subtitles read the first sentence or two of the upcoming

section resummarize main points before going on

Predicting con’t

Predicting statements: Based on the title/subtitle, I predict this is

going to be about I already know these things about the

story/topic Based on (a clue), I predict _______ Based on what _______, said/did, I predict

_________

Prediction Practice

Prediction/Hypothesis Textual Evidence

Picture Uncover

Gradually uncover a picture on the overhead

Have students make predictions, based on evidence, what it’s about

Confirm or change predictions as more pieces are uncovered