Growing Leaps and Bounds with Reading Strategies

Monitor/Clarify

Why do I Monitor/Clarify?

• To make sense of my reading

When do I Monitor/Clarify?

• When the reading no longer makes sense
• When I am stuck on a word's meaning

How do I Monitor/Clarify?

• Reread all around the word or area in question. Make substitutions, use picture clues
• Use my schema or background knowledge.
• Study the structure.
• Predict, infer, make connections, ask questions, summarize

Predict

Why do I Predict?

• Gets my mind ready to read
• Gives me a purpose to read

When do I Predict?

• Before and during reading

How do I Predict?

• Think about title, look at cover and pictures.
• Think about the text structure.
• Use what I know.
• Ask questions ~ I wonder. . ., Who is. . ., Why is. . .
• Adjust my predictions as I read.
• Predictions may or may not be proven.

Make Connections

Why do I Make Connections?

• Reading is thinking! Good readers make connections that are text to self, text to text, and text to world.
• To better predict and understand the text because of what I already know ~ how the characters feel, what may happen based on another text. . .
• T-S means more to me because it reminds me of my own life. Everyone has different schema and different experiences which can be shared to help me understand more.

When do I Make Connections?

• Before, during, and after reading
• Make connections when I'm figuring out unknown words!
• When I am reminded of a similar event
• T-S : That reminds me of . . . I remember when . . . An experience I have had like that is . . . I felt like that character when . . . If I were that character I would . . . .
• T-T examples include:

Content ~ I've read another book on this topic

Genre~ this is a "mystery" (etc.) like Cam Jansen series

Author ~ this author always. . .

Illustrator ~ I recognize these pictures by. . .

Setting ~ ___________ took place at the same location as

Characters ~ she/he reminds me of. . .

Illustrations ~ remind me of . . .

Plot ~ this story is like. . .

Structure ~ this story has a literary device (like a flashback) like. . .

Theme ~ this book had the same lesson as . . .

Language ~ the writer's language reminds me of. . .

Tone ~ this book has the same feel as. . .

• T-W on nonfiction ~ open our mental files and make connections between what we know about the world and the new information

How do I Make Connections?

• Chart connections. What connections helped to understand the story, which didn't?
• Venn diagrams
• Connect to the theme or main idea of the text
• Start with "It helps me understand . . ." (Character feelings, setting, events)
• Activate prior knowledge before, during, and after reading.
• On nonfiction (T-W) make a KWL chart. Do T-W with newspaper articles, also.
• Use a double entry journal ~ one side is for key event, idea, word, quote, or content. The other is for connections.
• Always ask, "How does this connection help me understand the text?"

Infer

Why do I Infer?

• Authors describe: characters' feelings, events, setting. . . I have to infer to understand.
• To draw conclusions, make predictions, and reflect on my reading
• To determine the meanings of unknown words

When do I Infer?

• Before, during, and after reading
• In life, I infer with my 5 senses ~ What is making that noise? What is cooking? How is that person feeling? What is this sharp object? What does a cake with candles on it mean?
• When the author doesn't answer my questions, I must infer by saying: Maybe. . ., I think. . ., It could be. . ., It's because. . ., Perhaps. . ., It means that. . ., I'm guessing. . .

How do I Infer?

• Look at the picture.
• Think about the characters' behavior.
• Ask questions as I read. Some of my questions are answered in the text, others are not and must be inferred.
• I use my prior knowledge plus the text clues to draw conclusions.

What do I Infer?

• Meaning of unfamiliar words
• Setting
• Explanation for events
• What the character is feeling
• What pronouns refer to
• Author's message
• Answers to my questions when they are not directly stated

Fun Inferring Practice! Read these sentences, and have a discussion about the character, setting, and draw conclusions.

• Sue blew out the candles and got presents.
• Mary plays her flute for two hours every day.
• The boat drifted in the middle of the lake.
• John ran into the street without looking.
• Meg was the star pitcher, but she had a broken finger.
• We bought tickets and some popcorn.
• I forgot to set my alarm clock last night.
• When I woke up, there were branches and leaves all over the yard.
• Yesterday we cleaned out our desks and took everything home.
• Everyone stopped when the referee blew the whistle.

Why do I Ask Questions?

• To clarify, wonder, determine author's style or intent, to better understand, when the reading gets confusing, to monitor my reading, to synthesize new information, and to determine importance
• To stay actively involved in the reading
• To read with a purpose
• To deepen comprehension (Thick vs. Thin Questions)

When do I Ask Questions?

• Before, during, and after reading ~ I just look at the cover and title and begin asking.
• When I use the strategies: Is my prediction good or do I need to change it? What am I visualizing? Do I need to change my mental image? What's happened so far? Does this remind me of anything?
• If I don't have the background knowledge, I need to ask more questions.
• Hearing other people's questions inspires more of my own questions.
• As I read, does it make sense?
• Just go outside ~ what questions do I have about nature? What questions do I have about a painting or illustration?
• To coincide with the Reading CAFE, I ask myself who/what each paragraph as a way to monitor my reading. I reread if you cannot state who/what the paragraph is about.

How do I Ask Questions?

• Start by using a wordless book ~ what questions do I have?
• Before I read and as I read, many of my questions are predictions. My "after the book has been read" questions are the most thought provoking.
• Create an "I Wonder" chart before, during, and after the story. Which questions were answered? Which had to be inferred?
• There are 3 types of questions ~ Predicting Questions move me forward, Monitor Questions pull me back, Thinking Questions makes me infer
• Questions start with who, what, where, when, why, how, would, could, should, do, does, did
• What happened? Why did it happen? Think about cause and effect.
• Thick questions deepen my comprehension and thin questions can be found in the text.
• Questions can be related to the text type ~ narrative, expository, technical, persuasive, or text structure ~ sequence, problem/solution, cause/effect, descriptive, compare/contrast
• I use connections to help me ask meaningful questions.
• Ask ~ What does my question do for my reading?
• Begin with a KWL chart for nonfiction texts.
• TEACHERS: Give students a list of answers. THEY come up with the questions ~ like Jeopardy!

How do I answer Questions?

• A - answered in the text, BK - answered from someone's background knowledge, I - inferred, D - discussion, RS - research needed C- signals confusion
• I use our own interpretation, the pictures, and rereading.

Types of Questions

• Does the question start with: What did, Who did, How many, What was, Who are, What does ___ mean, Define, What kind ~ then the answer is RIGHT THERE in the text.
• Does the question start with: How do you, How did, What, What happened to, What happened before/after, How many times, What examples, Where did ~ then I must THINK and SEARCH for the answer. The answer is found in different parts of the story. Words to create the question and answer are not in the same sentence.
• Does the question start with: Have you ever, If you could, If you were going to, In your opinion, Do you agree with, Do you know anyone who, How do you feel about ~ then you are I am on MY OWN and I need to think about the answer. The answer is NOT in the story.

Questions to think about

• What is the author trying to tell me?
• Why did the author write this book?
• Is the title appropriate? What is my evidence?
• What did the character learn?
• Who/what is each paragraph about?

Summarize

Why do I Summarize?

• To identify and organize important information
• To check understanding in a brief way
• To find the main idea, and/or problem/solution
• To put the story in order

When do I Summarize?

• When reading, giving game instructions, talking quickly about our week-end, explaining newspaper articles. . .
• Before, during, and after reading

How do I Summarize?

• In my own words
• Before I read, I preview to see how the text is organized by looking at cover, table of contents, illustrations
• During reading, I keep a graphic organizer and jot down what has happened
• After reading, I skim text and determine the most important parts in 3-5 sentences. What can I leave out? Use the graphic organizer to help.
• When it is nonfiction, I use the text structure to create a summary: descriptive, problem/solution, compare/contrast, sequential, main idea/detail, cause/effect
• Pick out what's necessary ~ title, captions, headings. Cross out repeated items. Highlight necessary ideas and key words, make a graphic organizer with key words and ideas for each paragraph, invent a topic sentence by using the first sentence of the text
• Omit unimportant details

Subtext

Why do I Subtext?

• To understand perspectives and inner most thoughts of characters
• To examine what the character is thinking, not saying
• To comprehend the text more deeply

When do we Subtext?

• During reading

How do we Subtext?

• Act out a character in a text by making personal connections and inferring the character's thoughts by using the illustrations in the text.
• Become a character in a painting. What am I thinking, feeling?
• Write an advertisement for a product. Who is my target audience? What can I say to convince people to buy my product?
• Subtext what various people think on the same issue. For example ~ A child wanting candy thinks: "It's delicious! It gives me energy! It's fun to eat! I've been good!" A mom may think: "It's bad for his teeth! It's supper time! He'll get sick!" A store clerk would think: "Buy the candy! I need to make money!" A doctor might think: "He's gaining too much weight. Does he ever eat vegetables?" An onlooker may think: "What a mean mom. One candy bar won't hurt."

Visualize/Sensory Imagery

What do I Visualize?

• Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, a football game on the radio, menu items, instructions, magazine articles, a song being sung or a nature cd. . . .
• Visualize a birthday cake, sketch it, compare ~ no 2 sketches will be alike!

Authors rely on me to Visualize. Why? TO:

• Keep me interested
• Enhance understanding
• Draw conclusions
• Recall details and text after it has been read
• Help me to understand new words
• Make texts personal and memorable
• Form unique interpretations
• Clarify
• Help me when I write

When do I Visualize?

• During and after reading
• When there are no illustrations, but WARNING: illustrations can have an effect on mental images. Try covering the illustrations with post-it notes and have students use their own mental images as you read aloud. Compare.
• Our schema, or background knowledge, helps us visualize
• Hearing other people describe their mental pictures changes my own.

How do I Visualize?

• Using my senses and emotions
• Paying close attention to the adjectives and adverbs
• Picturing the characters, setting, events
• I infer meaning as I create images
• Quickly sketch what I saw and compare with a peer ~ no two sketches are alike!
• As I read, I revise my images when new information is added

Retell

5-finger-retelling

Why do I Retell?

• To create a mental image in great detail to someone who was not there, or to someone who has not read the text
• Learning to retell a story thoughtfully is critical to learning to write a story
• To build comprehension

When do I Retell?

• After reading or after an event (after a movie, vacation, week-end, etc.)

How do I Retell?

• Read the story 3x ~ (1st for impression, 2nd for detail, 3rd for comprehension)
• Use retelling cards, small props, puppets, story guideline posters, and even the book to help as I learn to retell.
• Tell the story. Don't memorize the author's words but develop a personal, storytelling voice.
• Use an expressive voice.
• Pick what is most important to tell.
• Tell details in the right order.
• Recall the story structure and formulate retelling around that
• For Fiction: beginning/middle/end, characters, setting, theme, plot episodes/events, resolution, sequence of events, beginning, next, then, after that, in the end ~ use details!
• For Nonfiction: problem/solution, descriptive, compare/contrast, sequential, main idea/detail, cause/effect, use the table of contents to help

Synthesize/Evaluate

Why do I Synthesize/Evaluate?

• My thinking evolves
• I infer
• I connect to a larger and more meaningful whole by finding the "big idea"
• To see relationships between ideas ~ do I agree or disagree with the author? Why?
• Makes the reading more memorable

When do I Synthesize/Evaluate?

• When there is something to think about, such as an unfamiliar point of view, new information, a new theme
• When making connections
• Before, during and after reading
• Before: What connections am I making? What does the author want to teach me? What is the message going to be? What am I thinking?
• During: Now what do I wonder? What are my connections? How have my opinions, ideas, feelings, and thoughts about the characters, ideas, or problems in the reading change?
• After: What did the authors want me to learn? What was the theme? How have my ideas, thoughts, and feelings about the characters, ideas, or problems change? What visual images will I remember? What thought will I take with me?

How do I Synthesize/Evaluate?

• By filling in these blanks:

1. At first, I thought... but now I think . . .
2. At first, I felt... but now I feel . . .
3. I have been changed by this text in this way. . .
4. From reading this text, I will remember. . .
5. The theme in this text was. . .
6. An "aha" I got from the reading was. . .
7. A light bulb went on in my head and I realized. . .
8. My opinion on this topic now is. . .
9. I will remember the visual I built in my mind for. . .
10. I now agree/disagree with the author because. . .
11. I feel the author's style is. . .

• Start by synthesizing fables
• Use my schema or background knowledge

Nonfiction Text Features

Why do I read Nonfiction?

• To learn
• To build a better home/school connection ~ nonfiction resembles parent interests and will spark a conversation between parent and child
• A great way to learn about the reading strategies

When do I read Nonfiction?

• To get information
• When I have questions about the world
• Start reading nonfiction at a young age!

Examples of Predictable Features of Nonfiction ~ each child should create a journal giving examples of each. Teachers should spend one day on each convention:

• Table of contents helps reader to find key topics in the text in order.
• Types of print helps reader by signaling what is important.
• Headings/subtitles helps reader determine what is important.
• Maps help reader understand where things are in the world.
• Cutaways help reader understand something by looking at it from the inside.
• Comparisons help reader understand the size of one thing by comparing it to the size of something familiar.
• Captions help the reader understand a picture or photograph.
• Photographs help reader understand exactly what something looks like.
• Labels help reader identify a picture or photograph and its parts.
• Tables help reader understand important information by seeing it listed in a table or chart form.
• Glossary helps reader understand key words in text.
• Index helps reader by showing an alphabetical listing with page numbers to find information.
• Close-ups help reader see details.

How do I read Nonfiction?

• First, build and activate prior knowledge to get ready to learn/make predictions.
• Learn the new vocabulary in context ~ through photographs or artifacts and questions, explore through graphic organizers, develop through dramatization and analogies, and apply through a project.
• KWL charts: what do I know, what questions do I want answered, what have I learned ~ synthesize the information for myself and others
• Make connections
• Recognize text structure: problem/solution, descriptive, compare/contrast, sequential, main idea/detail, cause/effect
• I don't need to read nonfiction in order.
• Reread and paraphrase.
• Skim (very rapid reading of whole text in order to grasp sense of main idea and some supporting details ~ goal is to get a quick sense of the entire piece, as the reading progresses concentrate only on key sentences and phases, concentrate on last paragraph which is a summary)
• Scan (quick location of material, forms a mental image of key words and phrases)
• Highlight important information to remember/use sticky notes.
• Start by reading biographies.
• Take notes of main ideas and details.

Raising Strong Readers

Araujo, Judith E., M.Ed, CAGS. "12 Comprehension Strategies." Mrs. Judy Araujo, Reading Specialist.