three sure-fire reading strategies
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Three Sure-Fire Reading Strategies. When a Text is Fairly Simple to Read. Meaning that Students have some prior knowledge The writing is straightforward Vocabulary is not overly technical Use Content DR-TA Put students in pairs with one sheet of paper - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Three Sure-Fire Reading Strategies
When a Text is Fairly Simple to ReadMeaning that Students have some prior knowledge The writing is straightforward Vocabulary is not overly technical
Use Content DR-TA Put students in pairs with one sheet of paper Ask them to jot down what comes to mind when they hear “___” (General
concept) Ask them to jot down what comes to mind when they hear “___” (More
specific topic) Have them read together and note when they read about something they
predicted and jot down new information not predicted
Why? With minimal assistance from you at the beginning, you can release
responsibility for reading to students quickly and check their comprehension at the end of reading
When a Text is More ChallengingMeaning that Students need a bit more help with “activating” prior knowledge The writing (sentences and structure) may be less familiar Vocabulary is not overly technical
Use DR-TA Read the title; ask for predictions Read the first sentence or paragraph; check predictions, make
new predictions Have students read the next page or so; check predictions as a
class, make new predictions; and so on
Why? With minimal assistance from you at the beginning, you can
release responsibility for reading to students as you continue to check their comprehension while they read
Some Unsolicited Testimony
And another one.
When Students Initially Need a Lot of Help with a Text
Meaning that Students have limited or no prior knowledge Sentences are complex and/or the style is “old fashioned”’ or just difficult Vocabulary and concepts may be unfamiliarUse Shared Reading Work with the whole class or sit with small groups You take the initial responsibility for reading, stopping to model your own
comprehension process as you read, wondering aloud, and trying to draw the students in
Ask for students’ opinions, ideas as you read through; jot down words or ideas on the blackboard as needed—Begin to do DR-TA informally
Gradually ask students to read the end of paragraphs, then whole paragraphs, and then pages, stopping to check comprehension, reading a bit, asking the students to read a bit (eventually you’re going to move to DR-TA and then Content DR-TA with the students)
Why? You can be sure that students get off on the right track with this text. You have a chance to “sell” this text to the students and give them confidence they
can read it by modeling your reading process You can assess student’s reading comprehension and make adjustments immediately