Reading Strategies
Activating Prior Knowledge
Activating prior knowledge is a pre-reading strategy. This preparational strategy occurs before reading a selection, and involves the pooling of experiences and knowledge on a given topic. Doing so allows the reader to connect with the topic and better understand what he or she will read. Gunning (2013) states, "In time, students should be led to activate both subject and personal knowledge on their own" (p. 317). This strategy will work with my students because they enjoy sharing experiences. My fourth graders thrive when they feel confident and prepared, and this strategy will afford them with the opportunity to feel good going into a text selection. I believe that all of my students will benefit from this strategy, especially those who have a vast pool of prior knowledge from which to pull. This strategy will be taught by modeling, practicing, and continuously helping students add to their pool of prior knowledge. Through questioning, I will demonstrate how to begin thinking about a topic and connecting it to relevant knowledge and experiences. Students will eventually be given prompting questions to independently activate their prior knowledge during independent reading. My hope would be to have students begin asking their own questions and activating their prior knowledge without prompting. I will assess the effectiveness of this strategy by keeping anecdotal observations on notecards for each student. I will create a t-chart which tracks students' ability to activate prior knowledge on one side, and students' range of knowledge on the other.
Comprehending the Main Idea
Comprehending the main idea is a during-reading strategy. According to Gunning (2013), "The main idea is the overall meaning or gist of a passage. It is what the passage is about, a summary statement of its meaning" (p. 320). This comprehension strategy allows readers to formulate the meaning of the text. In unable to comprehend the main idea, says Gunning (2013), students lack the structure needed to organize details in a meaningful way. This strategy will work with my students because many of them enjoy organizing and listing. I believe that I can use that interest to help students see this strategy as a fun way to organize their thoughts on the meaning of the text. I believe that all of my students will benefit equally from this strategy, since comprehending the main idea is essential in understanding and gaining from the text. This strategy would definitely be taught with lessons on identifying key points and differentiating between main ideas and details. I would teach this strategy in a step-by-step fashion, as encouraged by Gunning (2013) because of its complexity. Modeling would come first, of course. Afterwards, students would be given short texts to start, and would work in pairs to write a "gist sentence", focused on the main idea. Simultaneously, we would work on identify details that support the main idea that was chosen. I will assess the effectiveness of the strategy by comparing formative assessments with summative ones. Students will be asked to identify the main idea of the text by writing a summarizing "gist sentence" as we will call them. Furthermore, I will include the identification of details on this assessment in order to assess students' ability to correctly supply supportive details for an idea.
Generating Questions
Generating questions is a strategy that can be used before, during or after reading. This strategy encourages students' participation and enables readers to develop a deeper understanding (Fisher, Frey, & Lapp, 2009). When students generate questions, they can ask a variety of types, such as questions to the author, questions focused on making predictions, inferences, explicit, or implicit. This strategy will work with my students because they dread having to answer question after question from the teacher. Generating one's own questions not only provides a break to the routine, but also ensures deep understanding of the text. All of my students will benefit from this strategy, but I can definitely see my above grade-level readers taking this strategy to new heights and developing some mature, higher-level questions. I will teach this strategy by providing modeling questions. These questions will not be ones that students must answer, but merely just models that they can use to emulate. Eventually these models will be taken away, and I will scaffold by providing question starters (Who can...Why does...How could...). I will assess the effectiveness of this strategy by having students demonstrate progress in a motivating environment. In guided reading groups, students can be asked to write questions for other members of the group. Group members can answer each other's questions and assess each other on the correctness of their responses. I believe that the creation of the questions as well as the opinion of the responses will provide great insight as to students' mastery and use of this strategy.
Making Inferences
Inferencing is a during-reading strategy. Making inferences involves the ability draw conclusions by combining what is read in the text with what is already known through prior knowledge, which is critical for comprehension (Fisher, Frey & Lapp, 2009). This form of elaboration is especially difficult because it requires students to read beyond the explicit. Gunning (2013) states, "Making inferences is the most important elaboration strategy. Much information in a piece, especially fiction, is implied. Authors show and dramatize rather than tell" (p. 331). This strategy will work for my students because they are inquisitive and enjoy a challenge, and I believe that this strategy is the most difficult of comprehension strategies. All readers will benefit from making inferences, but if my lowest readers can learn to effectively infer, they will see the most benefit in their reading comprehension. I will teach inferencing to my students by building off of my lessons on activating prior knowledge. I will model with everyday examples and allow students to realize that they already use this strategy often in their daily life. According to Hansen and Pearson (1982, as cited by Gunning, 2013), inferecing can be taught by combining the activation of prior knowledge, direct inference-making instruction, questions that require inferential thinking, and prediction. I will assess the effectiveness of this strategy by providing students with benchmark assessments involving making inferences. I will scaffold these assessments for students by beginning with asking a question from one text. As students begin to demonstrate growing independence, I will challenge them to make inferences from more than one text.
Look Back
Looking back is a post-reading strategy that Gunning (2013) states, and I agree, is underused by students. This strategy "...involves skimming back over the text and locating the portion that contains the information they need" (Gunning, 2013, p. 346). This strategy will most definitely work with my students, and it is one that I have struggled with for years. I simply have not found ways to get my students to go back in the text, as many of them either do not want to put in the effort, or are typically satisfied with their first instinct. My lowest readers will benefit most from this text because they almost always demonstrate the aforementioned behaviors. In order to teach this strategy, I will first hook my students with stories about forgotten grocery lists, attempting to build something with instructions, etc. After grabbing their attention, I will relate the need to check back to a list or manual with the need to look back in the text. Modeling and small group guided instruction will help students understand the process and, hopefully, see the benefit first hand. In order to assess the effectiveness of this strategy, I will have students complete comprehension assessments in two stages. In stage one, students will answer questions to the best of their ability using only their memory, and a pencil to record responses. In stage two, students will be given a colorful, fun pen, with which to write. During this second stage, students will also be allowed to go back in the text. I believe that students will be motivated to look back in the text if they know they can use the pen to write additional understandings/responses.
Previewing
Previewing the text is a pre-reading strategy. This strategy allows readers to gain insight as to the purpose and structure of the text. Gunning (2013) states that previewing the text activates students' prior knowledge and initiates questioning and predicting strategies as well. While previewing the text, students can view, scan, and skim through various text features, such as headings, contents, illustrations, etc. in order to develop a "...blueprint for constructing a mental model of the text" (Gunning, 2013, p.317). This strategy will work with my students because they are always incredibly eager to investigate a new book. Gaining their interest from the onset really helps engage them in the text. While I believe that all of my students will benefit from this strategy, I find that my lower students (reading below grade level) will find this strategy most beneficial. I will begin to teach my students how to preview by modeling the strategy. I will show students how I first activate my prior knowledge based on the title and cover, and then add to my connections as I continue to preview. Students will then understand that various text features and structures are used while previewing a text. I believe that it is important for students to understand how and why previewing the text is closely related to other pre-reading strategies, like predicting and activating prior knowledge. I will assess the effectiveness of this strategy by conducting some baseline/benchmark assessments before teaching students how to preview. Perhaps I could have students self-assess on their comprehension when previewing vs. not previewing in addition to my own assessments. I would focus mainly on a student's ability to formulate relevant connections and predictions while reading.
