Week 2. Reading and Assessment

Week 2: Assessment and Instruction of  Comprehension of Narrative Text and Informal Text


Within Context is the reader and the text, while running through it all is the purpose for reading. 

 

  Any definition of Reading that does not include comprehension is not accurate. 

How to help readers demand meaning from text

RECIPE OF COMPREHENSION:

1.  Reading is active because it involves the reader having a conversation with the text. 

2. Background knowledge to create interest, predictions, conclusions, and understanding. 

3. Higher level thinking to create predictions and inferences.

4. Narratives are recommended because they are made for enjoyable reading/comprehension.

Narratives have characteristics (story setting, tone, characters, theme, sequence of events...) that when identified by the reader help the reader make predictions and sense of the material. 

BEFORE READING

BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

FOR COMPREHENSION:

Making Predictions

1.  Use title, pictures before reading to predict what will happen in the story. 
2.  Use key words to create predictions and interest.
3.  Semantic Impressions--students create a story with words from their reading 
4.  Predicted or Probable Passages--students predict how the words given will be used in the story using story grammar. 

A note of caution—sometimes students do not understand the purpose for making predictions and want to be right and may even look ahead, but teacher can model the fun and process of making a prediction and revising it as needed  

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING COMPREHENSION DURING READING

1.  Direct Thinking and Reading Activity or DR-TA (Strauffer, 1975 & 1980)  models the processes that good readers use.

• Uses title and pictures to predict what the story will be about. 
• Rereading a section and stopping to confirm initial predictions or revise prediction
• Repeating the process while reading
• Reflecting about the whole story   

   2.  DR-TA with or without justification

   3.  Silent DR-TA

   4. Use Content Free Questions

• Who is the main character? Why do I think so?
• Who are the other important characters? Why do I think so?
• What is the character's problem?
• How does the character try to solve the problem?
• Do I agree with what the character did? Why? 
• Do I like or dislike this part of the story?Why? 
• How did the story end? Would I change it? Why
• Is there anything I don't understand? 
• What surprised me about the story?
• If I were going to write the author what would I say? Explain.

 

  5.  Use Discussion Cards---Naming Things is Powerful 
Create a set of cards is created per student include literary elements or story grammar elements (Character--main, important, character's actions, motives, beliefs, flat, dynamic, similarities; setting; tone; identify problem; solution; questions; connections (to self, world, another text) exposition; climbing action; resolution; and climax.     

 

 STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING COMPREHENSION:

THAT DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF STORY STRUCTURE

 

 How to help all readers to use strategies that good readers use.

1. Story Maps---Naming Things is Powerful

 

 

2. Character Perspective Charts---Naming Things is Powerful

 

3. Problem Solution Identification Map

4. Story Pyramids  are eight lines, may only use a certain number of words per line, and each line must describe something different 

          One word naming the main character \or idea (Comprehension)

          Two words describing the main character (reading’s purpose)

          Three words describing the setting time and place (in my head) 

Four words describing the problem (not summarizing, questioning, clarifying, predicting)

Five words describing the nest important event (introduce, predict, Semantic Impressions)

Six words describing the nest important event ( DR-TA, Sticky notes, Imaging, Content-free Questions)

Seven words describing anther important event (Story Maps, SWBS, Problem-Solution Identification, Story Pyramids)