QLWG Skills for Life - learnquebec.ca · QLWG Skills for Life Series Tutor Support: Strategies for...

QLWG Skills for Life

Acknowledgements Published by: Quebec Literacy Working Group:

Central Québec School Board: Patti L. Moore Eastern Shores School Board: Debrah Adams Eastern Townships School Board: Ilze Epners English Montreal School Board: Mario Pasteris and Mary Gouskos Kativik School Board: Carmelle Castonguay Lester B. Pearson School Board: Denise Llewellyn Littoral School Board: David Roberts New Frontiers School Board: Maria Gudzio Riverside School Board: Linda Martin Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board: Darlene Brown Western Québec School Board: Warren Halligan

Project Coordinator: Patti L. Moore Author: Vicki-Ann Huegli Project Supervisor: PROCEDE (Provincial Organization of Continuing Education Directors – English) Proofreading: Vérifikation Anglaise: Karen Ingalls Cover Design: Creative Solutions Créatives: Vilnis Epners Additional Expertise: Teachers, Tutors, Students and

Local Animators from the following groups who field-tested the units:

Central Québec School Board Chateauguay Valley Literacy Council Eastern Shores School Board Eastern Townships School Board English Montreal School Board Gaspesie Literacy Council Kativik School Board Laurentian Literacy Council The Learning Exchange Literacy in Action Literacy Unlimited

Littoral School Board Lester B. Pearson School Board New Frontiers School Board Quebec City Reading Council Riverside School Board Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board South Shore Reading Council Western Quebec Literacy Council Western Québec School Board Yamaska Literacy Council

ISBN Number: 978-0-9812349-0-8

© Copyright QLWG Skills for Life Series, 2008

QLWG Skills for Life Series Tutor Support: Strategies for Reading #12 of 30 units

Assessment of Student Comprehension and Progress

The Tutor Support Guide provides a sequential list of questions for you to review with the distance education learner. These questions will help you to monitor and guide learner progress. This document will help you to record progress as you review different sections of the QLWG’s Skills for Life units with the learner. Name of Student: _____________________________________________________________________

Unit Title: _____________________________________________________________________

Pages Reviewed: _____________________________________________________________________

Date: _____________________________________________________________________

Progress Indicator

The learner…

Competent

Needs to develop

competence

Observations/Comments

1. adequately responds to questions on the unit of study.

2. demonstrates a sufficient level of comfort with concepts presented in the unit.

3. demonstrates an ability to work independently to complete tasks.

4. provides evidence of task completion.

5. can use personal learning style and strategies to complete tasks.

6. can connect the theme to his or her own life.

General Observations: ______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Checking for Progress and Comprehension


Tutor Support: Strategies for Reading

Overview: Essential reading strategies are provided in this unit so that the learner may feel more at ease handling reading assignments in other units. The learner is encouraged to practice reading as often as possible in order to develop his/her skills. Moreover, basic strategies for reading such as previewing and predicting (before reading), brainstorming (before reading), highlighting and reviewing (while reading), using context clues (while reading), and questioning (after reading) are emphasized. The Unit at a Glance:

• Learn different strategies to facilitate successful reading. • Practice using different strategies for reading. • Read some everyday texts. • Find the main idea when reading. • Reflect on reading.

Checking for Comprehension You are provided with a list of questions for various sections of this unit of study. You can check for learner progress by asking questions on the section of the workbook that that your student has worked on (or is working on). Whenever possible, you are provided with the correct answers to questions (in green). For the most part, however, answers will vary. When the learner responds to a question, verify that he or she both understands key concepts and is progressing at an appropriate rate. As a distance education tutor, you should also check for the learner’s level of comfort and ability with the work. Always consider the following:

Does he/she understand? Can he/she do the activities? How is he/she doing with reading? How is he/she doing with writing?

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Discussion Questions to Monitor Progress, Comprehension and Task Completion

Pages 1-5 of the student workbook This section introduces the idea of developing strategies for reading and emphasizes the importance of reading as often as possible. Check for Comprehension:

1. Why should you bother developing strategies for reading? Answers will vary. Check for general appreciation for developing reading strategies.

2. Why should you read as often as possible?

Practice will help to improve reading skills.

3. What kind of things can you read from your everyday life? Notes Letters Bank statements Advertisements Newspapers Magazines

Books Cereal boxes Flyers Brochures Medicine labels Email

4. What did you read from everyday life?

Answers will vary. Check for task completion.

Pages 6-9 of the student workbook This section introduces pre-reading strategies such as previewing, predicting and brainstorming.

1. How do you preview (before reading)?

Examine the style of the writing. Examine the title and subtitles. Examine photos and their captions.

2. How do you predict (before reading)?

Consider what the style, title and subtitles, and photos tell you about the writing.

Consider what you already know about the subject. Guess what the text is going to say.

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3. How do you brainstorm (before reading)? Brainstorming Step 1: Make a list of everything you already know about the

topic. Brainstorming Step 2: Make a list of everything you would like to know about

the topic. Reading Activity: Warm Winters (pages 8-9 of the student workbook)

4. What did you notice when you previewed the letter to the editor (before reading)? Check for task completion and ability to preview when reading.

5. What did you predict for this letter to the editor (before reading)?

Check for task completion and ability to predict when reading.

6. What things did you include in your brainstorm for this topic (before reading)? Check for task completion and ability brainstorm when reading.

Pages 10-12 of the student workbook This section introduces reading strategies such as highlighting, reviewing, reading out loud and using context clues.

1. Why should you highlight and review when reading? Check for general comprehension: To build upon what you already know by looking for new words and ideas when you read.

2. How can reading out loud be helpful?

Check for general comprehension: It will help to hear how words sound (to predict their meaning). It will also help to hear how words sound together.

3. Why should you use context clues?

Check for general comprehension: When you do not understand a word, they can help you to guess its meaning.

4. How do you find the meaning with context clues?

1. Look at how it is used in a text. 2. Examine the words around it. 3. Try to guess its meaning from these clues.

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Page 13 of the student workbook The learner is asked to reflect on his/her learning and progress with this unit. Verify progress, comprehension and task completion. 1. Have you completed all activities? 2. What was easy and why? 3. What was difficult and why?

Pages 14-18 of the student workbook This section emphasizes the importance of questioning after reading. The learner is then asked to use all of the reading strategies to read an article. Check for Comprehension and Task Completion: 1. Why should you question what you read?

Check for general comprehension: To make sure that you really understood what you read.

2. How do you find the main idea when you read?

To find the main idea, ask yourself what the writer is saying about the topic.

3. Why should you find the main idea? Knowing what the writer is saying about a topic will help you to handle new words.

4. Explain the different strategies you used to prepare to read the article, “Super Sheltie Saves Student from Eviction”.

Check for ability to use various reading strategies to support reading: previewing, predicting and brainstorming.

5. What are some new words you highlighted in this article? How did you find the

meaning of these words? Check for ability to use various reading strategies to handle new or difficult words (i.e. highlighting and using context clues).

6. What was the main idea of this article?

A Shetland sheepdog helps a student by finding a wallet full of rent money.

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Page 19 of the student workbook The learner is asked to think about what they have learned in this unit. Check for Comprehension:

1. What did you know before you started this unit? Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension.

2. What do you know now?

Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension. 3. What else would you like to know?

Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension. Pages 20-21 of the student workbook The learner is asked to complete a Learning Checklist. You may wish to go over this list together. See pages 9 and 10 for a copy of this list.

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Checkpoint – Strategies for Reading

ANSWER KEY Please note that many of the answers to these questions will vary according to individual learners. Check for understanding and an ability to articulate valid responses.

Questions on Reading: Circle the best answer.

1. Who wrote this letter?

a) I don’t know. b) Jane Goodwin. c) The editor.

2. This letter is written:

a) to praise people who have children. b) to respond to an article that had appeared in the newspaper. c) to tell people to discipline their children.

3. What is “corporal punishment”?

a) Using spanking or hitting to discipline a child. b) An effective means to correct bad behaviour. c) Any kind of discipline.

4. What is the main idea of this letter?

a) Boys who are spanked will be violent later in life. b) Hitting is not a good way to discipline a child. c) It is okay to hit a child (if they deserve it).

True or False?

Circle your response. 1. The author thinks that hitting a child will help in the short term (right now).

True False

2. The author wants parents to think about how they discipline their children.

True False

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3. The author thinks that punishing a child is a acceptable human behaviour.

True False

4. The author thinks that children copy the behaviour of their parents.

True False REFLECTION: 5. Do you agree with corporal punishment? Why or why not?

Check for reading comprehension by ability to articulate opinion on the topic.

Part Two: My Reading Strategies 1. List six strategies to help you read well: Check for general comprehension:

Read as often as possible Preview and predict Brainstorm Highlight and review Read out loud Use context clues Question (after reading)

2. Why should you read as often as possible? The more you read the easier it will get. Not only will practice help you to improve

your reading skills, it will also allow you to expand upon what you already know. 3. Give five examples of things you can read from your everyday life. Answers will vary. Check for ability to identify reading material in immediate

environment. 4. Why should you read out loud? Check for general comprehension: It will help to hear how words sound (to predict

their meaning). It will also help to hear how words sound together. 5. How can you find the main idea when reading? To find the main idea, ask yourself what the writer is saying about the topic. 6. How can you prepare for reading? Answers will vary. Check for general comprehension: By previewing, predicting and

brainstorming. 7. What is a context clue? How will it help you to read?

Check for general comprehension: A clue to the meaning of a word based on the context.

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8. Which reading strategies did you use to read the letter to the editor on corporal punishment?

Answers will vary. Check for ability and confidence using various strategies for reading.

9. How will you use what you have learned in the future?

Answers will vary. Check for comprehension and task completion.

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Strategies for Reading: Learning Checklist (Learner’s checklist found on pages 20-21 of the student workbook.)

At the end of this unit, the learner is asked to complete a checklist to see what he/she has learned. The following list matches the one that the learner is asked to complete. Use the Checkpoint questionnaire and your observations to determine if the following behaviours have been achieved.

COMPETENCIES

The learner can…

IN

PROGRESS

ACHIEVED

1. reflect on what he/she already knows about reading.

2. say why he/she should read as often as possible.

3. find different things to read from his/her everyday life.

4. read things from his/her everyday life.

5. read as often as possible.

6. say what previewing is.

7. preview what he/she will read.

8. say what predicting is.

9. predict what he/she will read.

10. say what brainstorming is.

11. brainstorm.

12. say what highlighting is.

13. highlight key words and ideas.

14. say what reviewing is.

15. review what he/she reads.

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COMPETENCIES

The learner can…

IN

PROGRESS

ACHIEVED

16. say what a context clue is.

17. use context clues to understand words when he/she reads.

18. identify the topic of something he/she reads.

19. find the main idea when he/she reads.

20. question what he/she reads.

21. explain what he/she has learned.

22. use different reading strategies in the future.

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Independent Learning Observation Grid

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” ~ Chinese Proverb

Learner’s name: ________________________________________________________ Unit of study: __________________________________________________________ Date started: ___________________________________________________________ Date ended: ____________________________________________________________

Legend:

A - Autonomously B - With some support C - With a lot of support D - Not at all

Assess the learner’s level of independence in the following areas:

The learner… Level of autonomy

actively works on material.

complies with instructions.

demonstrates an understanding of key words.

asks questions.

uses different strategies.

completes tasks.

Comments:

________________________________________________________________________

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QLWG Skills for Life - learnquebec.ca · QLWG Skills for Life Series Tutor Support: Strategies for...

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