Accessing Literary and Informational Text

Melinda R. Pierson, Ph.D.

Scaffolded Comprehension for Delayed Readers

Analyze instruction for struggling readers – How do you scaffold instruction? Before reading During reading After reading

Research on Reading Scores

Children in kindergarten and 1st grade prefer to read nonfiction (Mohr, 2006; Pappas, 2010)

By 4th grade when students are expected to read and learn from informational text and content area textbooks, there is an overall decline in reading scores (Chall, Jacobs, & Baldwin, 2011)

Greater exposure to informational texts in the early years may help minimize the effects of the “fourth grade slump” in reading achievement

Preview – Before Reading Strategies

Teach the pronunciation and meaning of critical, unknown vocabulary words

Review, teach, or activate any necessary background knowledge

Preview the text

Text Impression

Hold predictive discussions before reading This strategy invites students to share what they know

and motivates them to begin reading The teacher shares key words from the passage prior to

reading Children are invited to hone their predictions based on the

important vocabulary shared

Before Reading – Vocabulary

Limit the number of words that are given in depth instruction to 4-5 words Unknown words Words that are critical to text

comprehension Words that are useful and meaningful Words that are more difficult and

necessary

Before Reading - Vocabulary

Introduce the word Write the word for students to see Read the word and have the students repeat the

word Have students tap out the syllables in the word Have students read the word by parts as you loop

under the word Have students repeat the pronunciation of the word

(as many times as is necessary) *Practice this. Think of a word you will have to

teach this year and practice this strategy with a partner.

Before Reading - Vocabulary

Next. . .Introduce the meaning of the word Present a student-friendly explanation

Tell the students the explanation OR Have them read the explanation with you OR Have the students locate the definition of the word

and break the definition into critical attributes OR Introduce the word using the meaningful parts in the

word (auto – self, bio – life, graph – letters, words or pictures = autobiography) – SEE HANDOUT

*Use the example of the word you will teach and think of a student-friendly meaning.

Before Reading - Vocabulary

Next. . .after the introduction of pronunciation and meaning of the word, illustrate the word with examples Concrete examples

Objects Acting out

Visual examples Verbal examples *Share examples with your partner.

Before Reading - Vocabulary

Finally. . .check students’ understanding Ask deep processing questions

Questioning and Cloze sentences Have students discern between examples

and non-examples Have students generate their own

examples *Share some questions and examples with

your partner.

Sample Questions –Checking for Understanding

How would you describe. . .?

What is meant by. . .?

How would you use. . .?

What ideas justify. . .?

What is an original way to show. . .?

Why is it better that. . .?

What is an alternative to. . .?

What is the relationship between. . .?

Background Knowledge:What and Why

What – all of the knowledge learners have when entering a learning environment that is potentially relevant for acquiring new knowledge

Why – background knowledge of a text has a major impact on whether or not a reader can comprehend text; higher scores on reading comprehension measures across grades and reading ability with prior knowledge of subject area and key vocabulary

Teach Background Knowledge

BIG IDEA – even a thin slice of background knowledge is useful

Preparation What is critical? What information would ease acquisition of new

knowledge? What information would reduce cognitive overload? What information will increase interest & motivation?

Anchor instruction in supplementary instructional texts and technology

*Share with your partner. . .how will you help students gain background knowledge?

Preview – Informational Passage

As the student previews, he/she discovers: The topics to be covered The information that will be emphasized How the materials is organized

Thus, background knowledge will be activated

Preview – Informational Passage

Guide students in previewing the chapter and formulating a topical outline using the text structure Title, introduction, headings, subheadings, questions

Have students preview the selection independently or with a partner

Preview – Informational Passage

Before students read a chapter in a text, teach them to preview the following: Beginning

Title Introduction

Middle Headings and subheadings

End Summary Questions

Preview – During Reading Strategies

Utilize passage reading procedures that provide adequate reading practice *Share with your partner how you provide your students

with adequate reading practice.

Ask appropriate questions during passage reading

Have students generate questions

Teach text structure strategies that can be applied to passage reading

Comprehension:Informational Text Reading

Read

Stop

Respond Answer teacher questions Generate questions/answer questions Verbally retell content Paragraph shrinking Mark text Take notes Map/web content

During Reading – Ask Questions

Ask text-dependent questions

Ask higher order questions

Scaffold higher order questions with foundation questions on key details

Scaffold answers with sentence starters

Use appropriate active participation procedures for asking questions

During Reading –Scaffold Higher Order Questions

Provide a verbal or written sentence starter

Ask lower order (literal) questions first to establish a foundation on which higher order responses can be based In what ways are emperor penguins different from other

birds you know about? Emperor penguins are different from other birds in a

number of ways. First, . . . . . Scaffolding questions. . .can penguins fly? Does the

mother or father penguin sit on the egg to keep it warm? Does the father penguin stay alone or with a group?

During Reading – Students Generate and Answer Questions

Student-generated questions based on headings and subheadings Read the heading or subheading Generate one or two questions Read the section Answer the question

During Passage Reading

Read

Stop

Respond Students create main idea statements

Paragraph shrinking Name the who or what Tell most important thing about the who or what Say the main idea in 10 words or less

Students respond to teacher or partner questions

During Passage Reading

Read

Stop

Respond Students “mark” the text and write notes in the margins

Number the paragraphs Circle the topic and/or key terms Underline the author’s claims or other critical information Notes in the margin might include: a drawing to illustrate a

point, a summary of the content, key vocabulary terms and definitions, responses to interesting information, ideas, or claims

During Passage Reading

Read

Stop

Respond Students take notes Students map/web the content (two column notes with

subject on left and details on right, graphic organizers)

Preview – After Reading Strategies

Have students complete or generate graphic organizers that summarize critical information (SEE HANDOUTS)

Have students write in response to a passage: Summary Compare and contrast Opinion

After Reading – Graphic Organizers

Provide the students with a graphic organizer that reflects the structure of the text material Central idea Hierarchy Compare/contrast Sequence of events Cause/effect Problem/solution

After Reading – Graphic Organizers

After completing the graphic organizer, students: Teach the content on the graphic organizer to their

partner Use the graphic organizer as a support during class

discussions Write a summary of the content based on the graphic

organizer

Write a Summary – Writing FramesSummary of Informational Text

In this section of the chapter, a number of critical points were made about. . .

First, the authors pointed out that. . .

This was important because. . .

Next, the authors mentioned that. . .

Furthermore, they indicated. . .

This was critical because. . .

Finally, the authors suggested that. . .

Writing a Summary – Writing FramesSummary of an Opinion Article

Name of Article. . .

Author. . .

Topic. . . In this article, ________ discusses. . . The author’s primary claim is that. . . First, she/he states. . . She/he then points out that. . . In addition, ______ indicates that. . . Finally, she/he concludes. . .

Write a Summary

Write down the topic of the summary List

Make a list of important ideas Cross-out

Cross out any unnecessary or weak ideas Connect

Connect ideas that could go in one sentence Number

Number the ideas in the order that they will appear in the paragraph

Captioning to Support Literacy

Provides struggling readers (ELLs, students with learning disabilities, or new and/or struggling readers with additional print exposure which will improve foundational reading skills Vocabulary acquisition Listening comprehension Word recognition and decoding skills Reading speed and fluency

Summary

Share two ideas that you will implement during your first week back in the classroom!

Thank you for your participation. Wishing you a wonderful year of supporting your struggling readers!