TEACHING READING and WRITING

Assignment # 1

Submitted by:
Jessica Rosete

Submitted to:
Ms. Librada Gazzingan
ASSIGNMENT # 1.
Familiarizing students on important topics pertaining teaching reading
in high school through individual or group research.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Research on the following topics and read them extensively. They will be your guides later
when you prepare a plan on a reading lesson and perform a video demo teaching;
2. Be sure to discuss your answers not simply enumerate or identify to be enlightened properly;
3. These topics are vital/essential to the course so it should be taken seriously not lightly.

A. Approaches and methods in teaching reading to high school students

B. Seven strategies to teach students text comprehension
C. Five separate strategies that together form the high five reading strategy
D. Strategies in teaching vocabulary
E. Ten Fix-Up Reading Comprehension Strategy
F. Seven Effective Teaching Strategies for the Classroom
G. Key Comprehension strategies to Teach
H. Pre-reading activities/Strategies
I. During reading activities/Strategies
J. Post-reading activities/Strategies
K. Strategies to teach content of a reading material
L. General Strategies for Reading Comprehension
M. List of verbs to use in formulating objectives in teaching reading
A. Approaches and methods in teaching reading to high school students

Phonics approach
The phonics approach teaches word recognition through learning grapheme-phoneme (letter-
sound) associations. The student learns vowels, consonants, and blends, and learns to sound out
words by combining sounds and blending them into words. By associating speech sounds with
letters the student learns to recognize new and unfamiliar words.

Linguistic method
This method uses a "whole word" approach. Words are taught in word families, or similar
spelling patterns, and only as whole words. The student is not directly taught the relationship
between letters and sounds, but learns them through minimal word differences. As the child
progresses, words that have irregular spellings are introduced as sight words.

Multisensory approach
This method assumes that some children learn best when content is presented in several
modalities. Multisensory approaches that employ tracing, hearing, writing, and seeing are often
referred to as VAKT (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile) methods. Multisensory techniques can
be used with both phonics and linguistic approaches.

Neurological Impress Technique

This is a rapid-reading technique. The instructor reads a passage at a fairly rapid rate, with the
instructor's voice directed into the student's ear. The teacher begins as the dominant reading
voice, but gradually the student spends more time leading these sessions.
Students who have learned mechanics without adequately learning reading fluency frequently
benefit from this, as do students who read slowly or who hesitate over a number of words but are
able to identify most of the words in a sentence. A student is directed to read a passage without
errors. This method functions most effectively when it is practiced for short periods every day.
Language experience approach
The language experience approach uses children's spoken language to develop material for
reading. This approach utilizes each student's oral language level and personal experiences.
Material is written by the child and teacher for reading using each child's experience. This can be
done in small groups and individually.
Familiarity with the content and the vocabulary facilitate reading these stories. Each child can
develop a book to be read and re-read. This approach helps children know what reading is and
that ideas and experiences can be conveyed in print.

Reading comprehension support

Persons with learning disabilities who need work on reading comprehension often respond to
explicitly taught strategies which aid comprehension such as skimming, scanning and studying
techniques. These techniques aid in acquiring the gist, and then focus is turned to the details of
the text through use of the cloze procedure.
The cloze procedure builds upon a student's impulse to fill in missing elements and is based upon
the Gestalt principle of closure. With this method, every fifth to eighth word in a passage is
randomly eliminated. The student is then required to fill in the missing words. This technique
develops reading skills and an understanding not only of word meaning but also of the structure
of the language itself.
B. Seven strategies to teach students text comprehension

By: C.R. Adler

1. Monitoring comprehension
Students who are good at monitoring their comprehension know when they understand what they
read and when they do not. They have strategies to "fix" problems in their understanding as the
problems arise. Research shows that instruction, even in the early grades, can help students
become better at monitoring their comprehension.
Comprehension monitoring instruction teaches students to:
Be aware of what they do understand
Identify what they do not understand
Use appropriate strategies to resolve problems incomprehension

2. Metacognition
Metacognition can be defined as "thinking about thinking." Good readers use metacognitive
strategies to think about and have control over their reading. Before reading, they might clarify
their purpose for reading and preview the text. During the reading, they might monitor their
understanding, adjusting their reading speed to fit the difficulty of the text, and "fixing" any
comprehension problems they have. After reading, they check their understanding of what they
read.
Students may use several comprehension monitoring strategies:
Identify where the difficulty occurs
"I don't understand the second paragraph on page 76."
Identify what the difficulty is
"I don't get what the author means when she says, 'Arriving in America was a milestone in my
grandmother's life.'"
Restate the difficult sentence or passage in their own words
"Oh, so the author means that coming to America was a very important event in her
grandmother's life."
Look back through the text
"The author talked about Mr. McBride in Chapter 2, but I don't remember much about him.
Maybe if I reread that chapter, I can figure out why he's acting this way now."
Look forward in the text for information that might help them to resolve the difficulty
"The text says, 'The groundwater may form a stream or pond or create a wetland. People can also
bring groundwater to the surface.' Hmm, I don't understand how people can do that… Oh, the
next section is called 'Wells.' I'll read this section to see if it tells how they do it."

3. Graphic and semantic organizers

Graphic organizers illustrate concepts and relationships between concepts in a text or using
diagrams. Graphic organizers are known by different names, such as maps, webs, graphs, charts,
frames, or clusters.
Regardless of the label, graphic organizers can help readers focus on concepts and how they are
related to other concepts. Graphic organizers help students read and understand textbooks and
picture books.
Graphic organizers can:
Help students focus on text structure "differences between fiction and nonfiction" as they read
Provide students with tools they can use to examine and show relationships in a text
Help students write well-organized summaries of a text
Here are some examples of graphic organizers:

Venn-Diagrams Used to compare or contrast information from two sources. For example,

comparing two Dr. Seuss books.
Storyboard/Chain of Events Used to order or sequence events within a text. For example,
listing the steps for brushing your teeth.
Story Map Used to chart the story structure. These can be organized into fiction and nonfiction
text structures. For example, defining characters, setting, events, problem, resolution in a fiction
story; however, in a nonfiction story, the main idea and details would be identified.
Cause/Effect Used to illustrate the cause and effects told within a text. For example, staying in
the sun too long may lead to a painful sunburn.
4. Answering questions

Questions can be effective because they:

Give students a purpose for reading
Focus students' attention on what they are to learn
Help students to think actively as they read
Encourage students to monitor their comprehension
Help students to review content and relate what they have learned to what they already know
The Question-Answer Relationship strategy (QAR) encourages students to learn how to answer
questions better. Students are asked to indicate whether the information they used to answer
questions about the text was textually explicit (information that was directly stated in the text),
textually implicit information (information that was implied in the text), or information entirely
from the student's background knowledge.
There are four different types of questions:
"Right There"
Questions found right in the text that asks students to find the one right answer located in one
place as a word or a sentence in the passage.
Example: Who is Frog's friend? Answer: Toad
"Think and Search"
Questions are based on the recall of facts that can be found directly in the text. Answers are
typically found in more than one place, thus requiring students to "think" and "search" through
the passage to find the answer.
Example: Why was the Frog sad? Answer: His friend was leaving.
"Author and You"
Questions require students to use what they already know; with what they have learned from
reading the text. Students must understand the text and relate it to their prior knowledge before
answering the question.
Example: How do think Frog felt when he found Toad? Answer: I think that Frog felt happy
because he had not seen Toad in a long time. I feel happy when I get to see my friend who lives
far away.
"On Your Own"
Questions are answered based on a student’s prior knowledge and experiences. Reading the text
may not be helpful to them when answering this type of question.
Example: How would you feel if your best friend moved away? Answer: I would feel very sad if
my best friend moved away because I would miss her.

5. Generating questions

By generating questions, students become aware of whether they can answer the questions and if
they understand what they are reading. Students learn to ask themselves questions that require
them to combine information from different segments of text. For example, students can be
taught to ask the main idea questions that relate to important information in a text.

6. Recognizing story structure

In story structure instruction, students learn to identify the categories of content (characters,
setting, events, problem, resolution). Often, students learn to recognize story structure through
the use of story maps. Instruction in story structure improves students' comprehension.

7. Summarizing

Summarizing requires students to determine what is important in what they are reading and to
put it into their own words. Instruction in summarizing helps students:
Identify or generate main ideas
Connect the main or central ideas
Eliminate unnecessary information
Remember what they read
C. Five separate strategies that together form the high five reading strategy

1. Activating background knowledge

Research has shown that better comprehension occurs when students are engaged in activities
that bridge their old knowledge with the new. For example, a simple question like “what do you
know about … (a particular topic)” will stimulate students’ previous knowledge of that topic.
This will help them connect the current reading to their already existing knowledge and make the
new reading more stimulating and engaging. The strategy allows students to work their way up
from an already existing schema, instead of starting a new one.

2. Questioning

Encourage students to frame questions before and after reading to increase their comprehension.
Each student should be able to reflect on three main questions, namely, a right now questions,
an analytical question, and a research question.
A ‘right now question’ focuses on the material presented. What is the essence of the material
read? What are the facts that are being mentioned?
An ‘analytical question’ requires students to ponder over what they have learned. What does the
author want me to understand from this material?
A ‘research question’ encourages the students to look for information beyond what is in the text.
This allows for more comprehensive active learning to occur.

3. Analyzing text structure

This requires students to learn how to analyze or comprehend the structure of a text. Students are
taught to identify the pattern by which writers organize their material. This may be in the form of
a cause-effect pattern, problem-solution pattern, or a descriptive pattern like a list, web, or a
matrix pattern. Understanding the pattern in which the material is presented allows the students
to comprehend the information better. It is important to teach all the patterns of a text structure to
the students, as each structure is different and takes time to learn. They should also be taught to
make use of subheadings, labels, captions, tables, graphs, etc. as these help students to
understand the material better.

4. Visualization

The fourth strategy stresses the importance of visualizing the material. Students should be
encouraged to form visual images in their head as they read the text, which will help in better
comprehension. Research suggests that students should visualize them as structural images or
diagrams instead of mere pictures, as pictures tend to fade.

5. Summarizing

The last technique is to summarize the material read. Research has indicated that the ability to
summarize enhances comprehension. Block and Pressley defined summarize as “the ability to
delete irrelevant details, combine similar ideas, condense main ideas, and connect major themes
into concise statements that capture the purpose of reading for the reader.” A student making use
of the other four strategies will find it easier to summarize the material. They can summarize the
material in the form of diagrams, either visually or in writing.
D. Strategies in teaching vocabulary

Tips to make vocabulary “stick”

Here are some teaching strategies that will help you make the most out of vocabulary instruction:

Keep your students reading! Your students will encounter a wide variety of words just through
reading. Provide students with a reading challenge to encourage them to pursue independent
reading. We know that this alone will expose students to more new vocabulary.

Keep it fresh. Don’t do the same thing week in and week out. Both you and your students will
get bored! Switch up your teaching strategies to keep it interesting!
As you add words you want your students to know, don’t forget to review them. Continually
bring back words they’ve already studied. Use past assessments to gather words students have
difficulty with.

Help all learners. Use a variety of practice activities. Not all students will respond to “write a
short story using three vocabulary words in context.” I like to think about Gardner’s multiple
intelligences. By offering multiple ways to practice, you can reach all learners.

Set realistic expectations. Can your students learn 100 words in a school year? You may want
to choose the “must-know” words (or even Latin or Greek roots) that you want your students to
know inside and out.

Use Tiers. Sort the words into three tiers. Tier 1 includes basic words that don’t need instruction,
Tier 2 includes high-frequency words that are used to talk about more complex issues and
through several contexts. Tier 3 includes very specific, low-frequency content vocabulary. You
can focus your instruction on the Tier 2 words — those that students need and will encounter
across multiple texts.
Work at a realistic pace. Can your students learn 20 new words a week? Remember that just
because you get through the entire book or word list doesn’t necessarily mean your students will
have retained anything.

Visit vocabulary regularly. This may be the hardest tip to follow! We often put vocabulary
instruction on the back burner. Short regular vocabulary reviews are better than a big cram
session.

Keep/create a stack of vocabulary words you’re working on. As you introduce new words,
add a card. Use index cards and just write the word on the front in big letters. You’ll be amazed
by how often you can pick them up, grab a card, and have a quick review or game with your
students.

Consider using a word wall. These don’t have to be just for lower grades. But, instead of
sorting words by letter, consider sorting them by word families, roots, or tier 1 meanings. Again,
though, use the words — point them out, use them, review them.
E. Ten Fix-Up Reading Comprehension Strategy

1. Re-read. This is one that most readers want to skip. “I’ll just keep on reading and
she’ll never notice I misread that,” is what a lot of young readers tend to think. But re-
reading helps readers to clarify their thoughts or go back and re-read something that was
misread to find the mistake and fix it.

2. Read out loud. Sometimes it just helps to hear yourself read out loud. {I do this when
we buy a new game board and I have no idea what the directions are telling me.}

3. Use context clues. What clues does the picture or sentence(s) surrounding the
unknown word offer to help you comprehend? Using context clues can help readers figure
out how to decode words or figure out a word meaning. As readers advance, context clues
are typically used to figure out how to read words with more than one pronunciation
(such as a tear or live) or words with more than one meaning (such as run).

4. Look up a word you don’t know. When using context clues still doesn’t help, readers
may need to look up the meaning of a word. Words can most certainly be researched on
the computer, tablets, or phones {supervised for kids}, but we don’t want to neglect the
dictionary. Most readers do not even know how to use a dictionary. Yes, they might be
able to look up the word they need, but they also need to be taught how the dictionary
lists words by base or root so they can find the definition quickly.

5. Ask questions. Questions such as, “Where did my thinking get off?”, “Does that make
sense?”, “What will happen next?” or “What does that word mean?” are quite helpful to
the reader.

6. Think about what you’ve already read.  Is what you’re now reading fit into the story
or purpose of the text?
7. Make connections. Making connections is at the heart of reading comprehension
strategies. Readers want to be able to use what they know so it can be connected with
what they’re reading. When text doesn’t make sense, good readers may try to make a
meaningful connection to make sense of it.

8. Slow down. This another one struggling readers tend to avoid. They want to zoom
right past so that no one can draw attention to their mistake. They may also want to just
get the reading assignment “done”. Slowing down is the last thing they want to do.

9. Think about the author’s purpose. The author’s purpose for writing dictates the
structure they use, the vocabulary they use, and the text features they use. While a reader
may be reading the find out more information about a subject, he may discover quickly
that the author’s purpose isn’t to share all the arguments, but to persuade the reader only
to one side.

10. Pay attention to your thinking {metacognition}.  This may the umbrella that covers
all the other fix-up strategies: Proficient readers pay attention to and heed the warnings of
the thoughts in their head. When a prediction they make does not pan out as they read,
they stop and make new predictions. We must teach readers to think about and be aware
of the thoughts in their head as they read.
 
F. Seven Effective Teaching Strategies for the Classroom

1. Visualization
Bring dull academic concepts to life with visual and practical learning experiences, helping your
students to understand how their schooling applies in the real-world.
Examples include using the interactive whiteboard to display photos, audio clips, and videos,
as well as encouraging your students to get out of their seats with classroom
experiments and local field trips.

2. Cooperative learning
Encourage students of mixed abilities to work together by promoting small group or whole class
activities.
Through verbally expressing their ideas and responding to others your students will develop their
self-confidence, as well as enhance their communication and critical thinking skills which are
vital throughout life.
Solving mathematical puzzles, conducting scientific experiments, and acting out short
drama sketches are just a few examples of how cooperative learning can be incorporated into
classroom lessons.

3. Inquiry-based instruction
Pose thought-provoking questions that inspire your students to think for themselves and become
more independent learners.
Encouraging students to ask questions and investigate their ideas helps improve their problem-
solving skills as well as gain a deeper understanding of academic concepts. Both of which are
important life skills.
Inquiries can be science or math-based such as ‘why does my shadow change size?’ or ‘is the
sum of two odd numbers always an even number?’. However, they can also be subjective and
encourage students to express their unique views, e.g. ‘do poems have to rhyme?’ or ‘should all
students wear a uniform?’.
4. Differentiation
Differentiate your teaching by allocating tasks based on students’ abilities, to ensure no one gets
left behind.
Assigning classroom activities according to students’ unique learning needs means individuals
with higher academic capabilities are stretched and those who are struggling get the appropriate
support.
This can involve handing out worksheets that vary in complexity to different groups of
students or setting up a range of workstations around the classroom which contain an
assortment of tasks for students to choose from.
Moreover, using an educational tool such as Quizalize can save you hours because it
automatically groups your students for you, so you can easily identify individual and whole-class
learning gaps.

5. Technology in the classroom

Incorporating technology into your teaching is a great way to actively engage your students,
especially as digital media surrounds young people in the 21st century.
Interactive whiteboards or mobile devices can be used to display images and videos, which helps
students visualize new academic concepts. Learning can become more interactive when
technology is used as students can physically engage during lessons as well as instantly research
their ideas, which develops autonomy.
Mobile devices, such as iPads and/or tablets, can be used in the classroom for students to record
results, take photos/videos, or simply as a behavior management technique. Plus,
incorporating educational programs such as Quizalize into your lesson plans is also a great way
to make formative assessments fun and engaging.

6. Behaviour management
Implementing an effective behavior management strategy is crucial to gain your student's respect
and ensure students have an equal chance of reaching their full potential.
Noisy, disruptive classrooms do no encourage a productive learning environment, therefore
developing an atmosphere of mutual respect through a combination of discipline and reward can
be beneficial for both you and your students.
Examples include fun and interactive reward charts for younger students, where individuals
move up or down based on behavior with the top student receiving a prize at the end of the
week. ‘Golden time’ can also work for students of all ages, with a choice of various activities
such as games or no homework in reward for their hard work.

7. Professional development
Engaging in regular professional development programs is a great way to enhance teaching and
learning in your classroom.
With educational policies constantly changing it is extremely useful to attend events where you
can gain inspiration from other teachers and academics. It’s also a great excuse to get out of the
classroom and work alongside other teachers just like you!
Sessions can include learning about new educational technologies, online safety training,
advice on how to use your teaching assistant(s), and much more.
Being an effective teacher is a challenge because every student is unique, however, by using a
combination of teaching strategies you can address students’ varying learning styles and
academic capabilities as well as make your classroom a dynamic and motivational environment
for students.
G. Key Comprehension strategies to Teach

What are the key comprehension strategies to teach?

Studies on good readers have identified several comprehension strategies to be highly useful.
These strategies range from the simple to the complex. From the array of strategies examined by
researchers, the following strategies are especially helpful and to lend themselves particularly
well to instruction:

Activating and Using Background Knowledge

This strategy requires readers to activate their background knowledge and to use that knowledge
to help them understand what they are reading. Background knowledge is made up of a person's
experiences with the world (including what he or she has read), along with his or her concepts
for how a written text works, including word identification, print concepts, word meaning, and
how text is organized. Research has established that readers' existing knowledge is critical in
determining their ability to comprehend what they read.

One of the most important contributions made by cognitive scientists to the understanding of
how comprehension works is schema theory. This theory is based on how people organize and
activate their knowledge.

According to schema theory, as people learn about the world, they develop a large network of
knowledge structures, or schemas, with each schema connected to many others. These schemas
grow and change as a person acquires new information through experience and reading. For
example, a very young child's schema for a dog might contain only her or his understanding of
the family pet — something white, furry, and fun to play with. As the child gains more
experiences with a variety of dogs in a variety of settings, the dog schema will expand and be
refined. It may connect to another schema — types of dogs; colors of dogs; foods dogs eat;
places where dogs stay when the family is on vacation; dangerous dogs; who veterinarians are;
and locations of important dog shows.
When they applied schema theory to reading comprehension, cognitive scientists found that good
readers constantly connect their background knowledge to the new knowledge they encounter in
a text. They appear to activate a schema as soon as they begin to read. The initial schema then
activates others, thus directly affecting how readers understand and react to a text.
Schemas that are related to text organization are especially important to comprehension.
Knowing a text's organization improves students' understanding of that text.

Generating and Asking Questions

This strategy involves readers asking themselves questions throughout the reading of a text. The
ability of readers to ask themselves relevant questions as they read is especially valuable in
helping them to integrate information, identify main ideas, and summarize information. Asking
the right questions allows good readers to focus on the most important information in a text.6
Generating good questions may also lead readers to focus on problems with comprehension and
to take actions to deal with these problems.

Making Inferences
This strategy requires readers to evaluate or draw conclusions from information in a text.
Authors do not always provide complete descriptions of, or explicit information about a topic,
setting, character, or event. However, they often provide clues that readers can use to "read
between the lines"-by making inferences that combine the information in the text with their
background knowledge.
It has been shown that when readers are taught how to make inferences, they improve their
abilities to construct meaning. Indeed, research indicates that the ability to make inferences is
crucial to successful reading.

Predicting
This strategy involves the ability of readers to get meaning from a text by making informed
predictions. Good readers use predicting as a way to connect their existing knowledge to new
information from a text to get meaning from what they read.9 Before reading, they may use what
they know about an author to predict what a text will be about. The title of a text may trigger
memories of texts with similar content, allowing them to predict the content of the new text.
During the reading, good readers may make predictions about what is going to happen next, or
what ideas or evidence the author will present to support an argument. They tend to evaluate
these predictions continuously and revise any prediction that is not confirmed by the reading.

Summarizing
This strategy involves the ability of readers to pull together or synthesize information in a text to
explain in their own words what the text is about. Summarizing is an important strategy because
it can enable readers to recall text quickly. It also can make readers more aware of text
organization, of what is important in a text, and of how ideas are related.
Effective summarizing of expository text may involve such things as condensing the steps in a
scientific process, the stages of development of an art movement, or the episodes that led to some
major historical events.
Effective summarizing of narrative text can involve such things as connecting and synthesizing
events in a storyline or identifying the factors that motivate a character's actions and behavior.

Visualizing
This involves the ability of readers to make mental images of a text as a way to understand the
processes or events they encounter during reading. This ability can be an indication that a reader
understands a text. Some research suggests that readers who visualize as they read are better able
to recall what they have read than are those who do not visualize.
Visualizing is especially valuable when it is applied to narrative texts. In reading narratives,
readers often can develop a clear understanding of what is happening by visualizing the setting,
characters, or actions in the plot. However, visualizing can also be applied to the reading of
expository texts, with readers visualizing steps in a process or stages in an event or creating an
image to help them remember some abstract concepts or important names.

Comprehension Monitoring
This involves the ability of readers to know when they understand what they read when they do
not understand and to use appropriate strategies to improve their understanding when it is
blocked.13 Comprehension monitoring is a form of metacognition. Good readers are aware of and
monitor their thought processes as they read. In contrast, poor readers "just do it."
The strategies employed by good readers to improve understanding are called "repair" or "fix-
up" strategies. Specific repair strategies include rereading, reading ahead, clarifying words by
looking them up in a dictionary or glossary, or asking someone for help.

In general, good readers use a variety of strategies such as the ones just discussed to construct
meaning as they read. However, not all good readers use the same strategies; good readers tend
to develop and practice those strategies that are most useful to them. Further, good readers are
flexible in their strategy use: they switch from strategy to strategy as they read; they use different
strategies with different kinds of texts.

The point is because good readers have conscious control of their strategy use, they can make
decisions about which strategies to use and when to use them. Most good readers do this with
little or no explicit strategy instruction. Most students, however, can benefit greatly from
organized, explicit instruction that teaches them to use specific strategies for understanding text.
The good news is that specific comprehension strategies can be taught and learned - and that
their deliberate use by readers improves comprehension.
H. Pre-reading activities/Strategies

What is pre-reading?
What the learner brings to the reading will affect how she or he understands what they read.
Many people argue that it can be very important in helping the learner understand what they
read. In other words, pre-reading activities can help learners prepare for the reading activity.
 
What are the benefits of pre-reading?
There are several benefits to doing pre-reading activities. Pre-reading activities can help the
learner to be more prepared for what they are about to read. It can help them anticipate the topic
of reading. In doing this, they can also prepare themselves for the kind of language, vocabulary,
and even grammar that might be used in the text. Also, if done in the right way, it can encourage
the learners to want to read and maybe even increase their motivation to read.
Here are 10 pre-reading activities to use in class.
 
Speed chatting
Prepare one or two simple questions related to the topic of the reading. Ask the class to make
two rows facing each other. Then, encourage your learners to ask each other the questions, but
warn them that they only have 60 seconds to do so. Once the 60 seconds are up, one of the rows
rotates so each learner has a new partner. Repeat the process several times.

Discussion
Encourage the learners to discuss the topic of the reading. Prepare four or five sentences with
various opinions relating to the reading. Read them out to the class and then place them around
the room. Encourage the learners to go and stand near the opinion that they agree with the most.
Then encourage that group to prepare reasons for agreeing with that particular sentence. Once
they have done this, the learners can then interact with people from other groups to share their
opinions and reasons.

Brainstorming
Give the class five minutes to brainstorm ideas relating to the topic of the reading. Then give
them a further five minutes to organize their ideas and to form sentences. Once they have
completed this, encourage them to get up and move around the room and share their ideas with
other learners.

Pictures
Select three or four pictures that relate to the topic of the reading. Ask the students to make small
groups and give each group a copy of the pictures. The learners should work together to connect
the pictures and to try to guess what the reading will be about. Each group takes it in turns
presenting their ideas.

The title
Ask the students to make small groups and tell the groups the title of the reading. The learners
should work together to pool their knowledge of this topic. Again, once the group has finished,
each group can share their ideas with the other groups.

Storytelling
Prepare a short personalized narrative about something related to the topic of the reading. Be
creative with the story. It doesn’t have to be 100% accurate to something that happened to you,
but it should be personal, and be told enthusiastically. It will help if there are a little suspense and
humor in the story too.

Short conversations
This time give the students a sentence from the reading. The students then have a conversation
with a partner about the sentence. However, tell them there is one rule. They cannot use more
than three words each time it is their turn to speak.

Pictionary
Select some of the keywords from the text. Put the class into two or three groups. In turn, a
learner from each group (at the same time) comes to the whiteboard. They are told the word and
they have to draw that word. They are not allowed to use letters or numbers in their drawing. The
other students try to guess the word and earn points for their team. This can get very lively
indeed!

Purpose
Give the students a purpose for completing the reading. This can be in the form of some
discussion questions about the content prepared by the teacher. Give the questions to the students
before they read the text. Ask them to read them and then while they are reading the text, they
should prepare answers to these discussion questions. When they have read the text, they then
discuss the questions with a partner.

Videos
There is so much good free content available these days. First, find a short video relating to the
topic of the reading. I would suggest something around three minutes long. After watching the
video yourself, prepare some simple discussion questions. Play the video and then ask the
students to talk with a partner about what they saw.
I. During reading activities/Strategies

RESPONSE SHEET: Students note key statements on the left and personal responses to them
on the right; helps connect text to prior knowledge, and provides meaningful study guide later;
based on Cornell note-taking method.

STICKY NOTES: Students use “post its” to write thoughts/notes and stick to a text on which
writing is forbidden TEXT RENDERING: An alternative to the traditional highlighting of words
or concepts that stand out; an interaction between reader and text.

REREADING: Students look back at the text to find the support of an answer/opinion/position.

CHUNKING: Teacher breaks up reading passages into “chunks” (1 paragraph - 3 paragraphs)

DO NOW: Students write their thoughts on a topic or question that relates specifically to text
that will be read by students.
PREWRITE QUESTIONS: Students answer the questions they composed before reading, and
create additional questions that arise as they read the text.

LIT CIRCLES: An independent reading activity that prompts student-generated discussions on

a chosen text. Students are active, rather than passive, users of text.

KWL Chart: Students return to the chart they created before reading to record what was learned
through the reading, and/or to correct any prior misconceptions
J. Post-reading activities/Strategies

EXPERT JIGSAW: An expert jigsaw breaks up a large text into smaller chunks. It allows the
students to take leadership by teaching their peers what they’ve learned, but first gives them the
confidence to do so by giving them time to consult with other students that read the same section
of a given text.

REFLECTION: Students write about the new content or perspectives learned, and describe how
the new learning relates to previous understanding and future actions
.
THINK-PAIR-SHARE: Students write down thoughts on a given subject, discuss with their
partner, and share with the class. Forces interaction and uncovers various perspectives and
comprehension.

WHIP: A text rendering activity that involves full student participation.

KWL Chart: Students return to the chart after reading to record what was learned through the
reading, and/or to correct any prior misconceptions.

I-Search: An alternative to a research paper that leads students to investigate a topic they are
interested in without the worry of plagiarism and the overwhelming paper deluge.
K. Strategies to teach the content of a reading material

TEACH CLOSE READING SKILLS

Guide students in annotation by directing them to do more than highlight or underline.
Encourage students to have a conversation with the text by jotting notes on the text
while reading—this keeps students engaged and often increases comprehension.
Annotations can include:
Defining new words
Asking questions
Coding recurring words and themes
Making personal connections to the text
Citing current events
Highlighting heading and subheadings
Summarizing paragraphs
Chunking
Categorizing information
Numbering and ordering
Drawing pictures
The list of possibilities is endless—the point is to have students form their process
when approaching a text. But don’t be afraid to give students specific annotation
guidelines such as “annotate the writer’s characterization techniques” or “find
examples of . . .” to help them focus. Annotations also help students identify which
strategies work best for them as they try to process and understand information. The
clip “Girls Read Comic ” from The Big Bang Theory is a great way to introduce the
concept of reading closely and its importance.

APPEAL TO THE SENSES

While reading is the work of the mind, incorporating the senses provides extra
reinforcement for students who are still growing their skills. Reading passages aloud
and verbalizing questions you would mentally ask while reading can be a great benefit
to students. Students often have no idea how to ask questions, what type of questions
to ask, or the frequency of questions, so modeling this skill is invaluable. This can be
further reinforced especially for visual learners by using a document camera or
overhead projector to write questions, mark keywords and phrases, and interact with a
text. And as always, encourage students to read with a pen or pencil in hand.

GUIDE STUDENTS IN SETTING READING GOALS

While writing goals are used regularly in the classroom, students do not assess
personal reading skills regularly. Begin the year by having students write a reader’s
biography to gain insight into their reading habits, struggles, and successes; this
serves as a foundation for discussions on setting reading goals. After reading a novel,
nonfiction text, short story, or poetry unit, help students evaluate their reading skills:
Did you feel confident reading the text? Why or why not? What parts of the text gave
you trouble? Could you have used a different strategy to make reading the text easier?
Students should evaluate goals regularly and create new goals based on their needs
and growth.

VARY TEXT LENGTH

When approaching a particularly difficult text, break it up and offer it in shorter
segments. Students often become discouraged with lengthy texts that require intense
concentration. Giving smaller segments allows the students to digest chunks in pieces,
acquire academic vocabulary, and build confidence.

OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHOICE READING

Simply put, the best way to improve reading is to read, and students are more likely to
read when they have a choice in the reading. Newsela  and CommonLit  offer a variety
of nonfiction articles for choice (and CommonLit includes fiction as well); both sites
include articles with various grade levels and across multiple disciplines. Classroom
libraries built from donations, garage sales, and thrift shops encourage students to take
books for personal reading. Ask students about their interests and make
recommendations. Reading for pleasure builds transferable skills for content reading
and should be encouraged, including in class.
ASSESS CONTENT AND SKILL
Students should be able to demonstrate their skills in assessment, whether it’s formal
or informal, formative, or summative. Recall and comprehension questions are a good
way to check for basic understanding, but teachers should then move to the harder
how and why questions. Choose activities that require students to dig deep into a text,
such as:
Facilitate a Socratic discussion.
Create a playlist for a character.
Write a formal essay.
Make a meme for a character.
Present a mini-TED talk on research inspired by a text.
Create a mind map, literary 3x3, or infographic.
Most teachers already incorporate skill-building in their classes to some degree;
however, taking the time to discuss and actively engage students in the process will
keep skill development at the forefront of learning. The result will be students who
not only make gains in reading but also have an understanding of how to become
better readers.
L. General Strategies for Reading Comprehension

The process of comprehending text begins before children can read when someone reads a
picture book to them. They listen to the words, see the pictures in the book, and may start to
associate the words on the page with the words they are hearing and the ideas they represent.
To learn comprehension strategies, students need modeling, practice, and feedback. Key
comprehension strategies are described below.

Using Prior Knowledge/Previewing

When students preview text, they tap into what they already know that will help them to
understand the text they are about to read. This provides a framework for any new information
they read.

Predicting
When students make predictions about the text they are about to read, it sets up expectations
based on their prior knowledge about similar topics. As they read, they may mentally revise their
prediction as they gain more information.

Identifying the Main Idea and Summarization

Identifying the main idea and summarizing requires that students determine what is important
and then put it in their own words. Implicit in this process is trying to understand the author’s
purpose in writing the text.

Questioning
Asking and answering text questions is another strategy that helps students focus on the meaning
of the text. Teachers can help by modeling both the process of asking good questions and
strategies for finding the answers in the text.

Making Inferences
To make inferences about something that is not explicitly stated in the text, students must learn
to draw on prior knowledge and recognize clues in the text itself.
Visualizing
Studies have shown that students who visualize while reading have better recall than those who
do not (Pressley, 1977). Readers can take advantage of illustrations that are embedded in the text
or create their mental images or drawings when reading the text without illustrations.
M. List of verbs to use in formulating objectives in teaching reading
Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (1956): Cognitive Skills
A group of educators, led by Benjamin Bloom, identified a hierarchy of six categories of
cognitive skills: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.  As
students learn, they start with the knowledge level and progress through the hierarchy.  Thus,
advanced courses should include skills at a higher level than introductory or basic skills courses. 
Below you will find a web-resource as well as a list of measurable verbs to assist you in writing
course objectives and assess learning outcomes.

Objective-Builder Resource:  http://teachonline.asu.edu/objectives-builder/

Knowledge Level: The successful student will recognize or recall learned information.
list     record underline
state define arrange
name relate describe
tell recall memorize
recall repeat recognize
label select reproduce
Comprehension Level: The successful student will restate or interpret information in their own
words.

explain describe report

translate express summarize
identify classify discuss
restate locate compare
discuss review illustrate
tell critique estimate
reference interpret reiterate
Application Level: The successful student will use or apply the learned information.

apply   sketch perform

use solve respond
practice construct role-play
demonstrate conduct execute
complete dramatize employ
Analysis Level: The successful student will examine the learned information critically.
analyze   inspect test
distinguish categorize critique
differentiate catalog diagnose
appraise quantify extrapolate
calculate measure theorize
experiment relate debate
Synthesis Level: The successful student will create new models using the learned information.

develop  revise compose

plan formulate collect
build propose construct
create establish prepare
design integrate devise
organize modify manage
Evaluation Level: The successful student will assess or judge the value of learned information.

review  appraise choose

justify argue conclude
assess rate compare
defend score evaluate
report on select interpret
investigate measure support