WMS Reading Strategy Handbook (1)

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Elaine Zagrodny

Draft Copy

WMS Handbook

Teaching Students to Read Strategically

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Table of Contents Forward 2

Focus Strategy Chart 3

Previewing the Text 4

Questioning the Text 9

Summarizing and Paraphrasing 14

Activating Prior Knowledge 18

Visualizing 22

Analyzing the Text 29

Using Graphic Cues to Make Predictions 34

Checking Predictions 38

Supporting Conclusions with Text-based Evidence 40

Setting a Purpose for Reading 43

Making Connections for Deeper Understanding 49

Connecting Themes/Ideas to Other Learning Situations 53

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Forward The strategies presented in this handbook have been presented to the faculty and students at Woonsocket Middle School over the past three years. The purpose of identifying strategies specific to each quarter is to ensure that students at Woonsocket Middle School are exposed to all of these strategies, with direct instruction and ample practice, over the course of their studies at Woonsocket Middle School.

The strategies identified are intended to be highlighted during the specified quarter. Teachers are expected to provide direct instruction, modeling, practice and discussion around the text and the effectiveness of these strategies before, during and after reading throughout the quarter. However, teachers and students should not feel limited to the highlighted strategies. In fact, teachers should encourage students to use other strategies that make sense in the context of the text, as students continue to add strategies to their toolbox, leading to greater comprehension.

Likewise, the information included in this handbook is intended to guide teachers and provide a starting point for working with students. Teachers are encouraged to be creative and use their professional expertise to enhance the suggestions included within. Keep in mind that the purpose of teaching reading strategies is to help students to become active in the reading process and improve their comprehension. As students work with these strategies, the discussions they have with you and their peers will allow this to happen and foster greater independence. Additionally, these discussions can be extremely enjoyable and provide you, as the teacher, with valuable insight into your students’ understanding of the material presented.

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Focus Strategies at a Glance

Timeline Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

Quarter 1 Previewing text

Questioning the text

Summarizing and

paraphrasing key ideas

Quarter 2 Activating prior

knowledge

Visualizing Analyzing textual

information Quarter 3 Using

graphic cues to

make predictions

Checking predictions

Supporting conclusions

with text-based

references Quarter 4 Setting a

purpose for reading

Making connections for deeper

understanding

Connecting themes/ideas from the text

to other learning

situations

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Prereading: Previewing the Text Introducing the Strategy

This strategy is likely familiar to most students. As a result it offers a wonderful opportunity to reinforce and extend its deliberate use at the middle level.

Begin your lesson by explaining to the class that strategic readers are more active in their reading. This increased activity and the strategies they use result in a better understanding of the material they read. Explain that they will be learning and practicing three strategies each quarter: one to use before reading, one to use during reader and one to use after reading.

Explain that the first reading strategy is one they may already be familiar with – previewing a text. Taking the time to scan a text prior to reading it supplies many benefits to the reader. It provides a roadmap for where the piece of writing is headed, allows the reader to notice the features included that may be useful in understanding the text more fully, encourages the reader to think about what he/she already knows about the topic, peaks the reader’s curiosity and helps the reader identify how easy or difficult the reading will be.

Choose a text similar to the one you would like students to use for independent practice. Although textbooks should be previewed, this strategy is intended to be used for anything a student might read- i.e. chapter books, newspapers, magazines. Begin with something a

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little less daunting than the textbook for a more substantial use of this strategy.

With your chosen text displayed for the class, model how you would go about previewing the text. Share your thinking aloud. For a magazine article, you might begin with the title and talk about what images it brings to mind. Allow your thoughts to wander. Talk about what questions you have based on the title, predict what you think might be included in the article. Notice what the text structure is. You might talk about the fact that since it is non-fiction you know you will have to read it more slowly than a fiction story in order to gain the knowledge intended. If the article is written in a cause/effect format talk about the fact that this information lets you know that your purpose for reading will be to identify what brought the situation about and what the results of this were. Notice any pictures and allow yourself to be curious about what you see. If there are any graphs or chart, preview them and talk about how these might help you to understand more fully what you are reading. If words are bolded or italicized, talk about why they might be important and what you know about them. Finally, look at the difficulty of the vocabulary. Talk about what this might mean for the reader. Will I need to slow my pace, reread at times, read with a partner, or have a thesaurus beside me? This is an important consideration that is often overlooked. Continue previewing until you have reached the end. Ask students what they know about the article having read nothing but the title. What are they curious about and hope to discover?

When introducing this strategy, be sure to allow the time for a thorough preview. Over the course of the quarter as students become more proficient with identifying what is important about a

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particular piece of writing, this activity will require less time. However, the danger is a surface preview that provides little benefit to the reader.

Student Practice

Place students with partners or small groups and the text you would like them to preview. Groups may have different texts but these should have similar formats.

Explain that you would like students to preview this text in a similar manner to the one you just demonstrated and record their observations on a chart similar to the one provided on page 8. You may need to adapt this chart based on the specific piece of writing you have chosen. Monitor groups as they work with this strategy and provide corrective feedback and praise. Make sure they don’t begin reading. When students have sufficiently previewed the text, bring the class back together to share what they have learned about the text. Wrap up this discussion with a conversation about what benefits this strategy has for them as a reader.

Extending the Strategy throughout the Quarter (and beyond)

Before reading anything this quarter, make it a point to have students preview the text. From time to time, continue to model a preview. Have a student volunteer to preview aloud for the class. Have the class preview together, sharing aloud. Have students preview aloud with a partner. Most students will no longer have need of the chart. Have students preview silently and share a few important observations with the class. As the quarter progresses, encourage students to share only those things they notice that are most likely to be useful and not every little thing. For example, I

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might observe that the book has a green cover, but this information will provide no information about its contents. Continue to discuss what they already know and wonder about before reading and how this strategy helps them to engage more fully with the text as they read.

Writing Connection

This strategy is similar to brainstorming in the writing process. Before writing, students should consider what the purpose of the piece is, where the piece is headed, what features might be useful to help the reader understand the text more fully and how to peak the reader’s curiosity.

For a more enriching experience, have students create a piece of writing in similar style to the one they have previewed.

Math Connection

This strategy is easily used with textbook lessons as described above. However, it can also be modified for use with word problems. Have students preview the problem for key words and facts. Students might then predict what they will be asked to do or what operation might be used prior to reading the problem.

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Previewing a Text Record your observations in the chart below. Features Observations Thoughts, predictions

and questions Title

Subheadings

Vocabulary – Is it easy (I know almost every word.) just right (There are only a few words I don’t know.) or difficult (There are 5 or more words on a page I am unsure of.)

Pictures

Charts and other graphics

Format

What am I curious about and what do I expect to learn as I read?

How difficult or easy will this piece be to read? Are there any supports I will use to make this reading easier?

How did this strategy help me as a reader?

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During Reading: Questioning the Text Introducing the Strategy

Post a chart similar to the one on page 12 in the classroom. Explain to the class that strategic readers question what they read as they go along. This helps them to stay focused, make connections to what they already know, challenge their own thinking, set short term goals for what they expect to learn from the text they are reading, set long term goals for further investigation and form their own opinions about what they have read. It makes reading more active and enjoyable. Middle school students often think that reading faster means reading better. You may have to challenge this thinking as you teach your students to be more strategic. Strategy use takes time and slows a reader down until the strategy is internalized fully. Eventually the speed returns along with greater depth of comprehension.

Show the students the text you have chosen to share and do a quick preview. Use the chart posted in your classroom as you read aloud, pausing to question the text as you go. Stop to talk about what in the text or your own personal knowledge brought this question to mind. Discuss what you hope to learn as you continue reading. If students have questions or comments of their own, allow and encourage them to share these as well. Continue the read-aloud and question the text until you finish your selected reading. The content of each piece of writing will dictate how often you should stop to ask a question. As a starting point, encourage students to try to formulate a question every paragraph or two. If any question you have asked is answered as you read on, stop to point that out to the class as well.

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Student Practice

Explain to students that they will work with a partner. First they will preview the text orally. Then, they will read aloud, stopping often and using the chart or photocopy to make use of the strategy. Each partner should make note of the questions the other partner asks in the margin of the text or on a separate piece of paper. Tell the students to use the chart as a guide but not to allow it to limit their questions. Any question related to the text is acceptable. Walk around the room and listen to students read and question. Provide encouragement and guidance as needed.

When all students have finished reading, regroup with 3-4 partnerships forming a group to share the types of questions they asked and how this helped them to better understand the material. Again, monitor group activity and progress.

Come back together as a whole class. Have each group share one best question, one way they found the strategy to be useful and one question they still have about the strategy or what they have read. Chart this report out for students to refer to throughout the quarter.


Before students read anything this quarter, remind them to ask questions as they read. Try to vary opportunities for reading alone, with partners or in small groups. Limit the number of times students read as a whole class to make reading more enjoyable and provide students with greater opportunities for practice. Be sure to continue to monitor students’ use of this strategy. Spend time often discussing the questions students ask and the ways in which they find this strategy to be useful.

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Writing Connection

When an author drafts a piece of writing an internal dialogue often takes place with his/her intended audience. What knowledge should the reader already have? What needs to be carefully explained? What might be confusing? What might be controversial? Are they conflicting opinions that should be considered?

This quarter would be an optimum time to encourage students to pay attention to and develop this internal dialogue as they write. Make this connection explicit and take the time to discuss how your student authors question their intended audience. For an even richer experience as students become more proficient with these strategies, spend time discussing how questioning the text they read and the audience they write for interrelate and the benefit they perceive.

Math Connection

This strategy also works well for word problems in mathematics. Follow the guidance for introducing the strategy and student practice on pages 10 and 11 with the chart on page 13.

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Question What You Read I wonder …

What did the author mean by…?

I am confused about…

I know… because…, but the book says… So, I wonder….

How…?

o Example: How did the Benjamin Franklin get the idea to invent bifocals?

When…?

Where…?

Why…?

What…?

What made the character decide to…?

Why didn’t they just…?

I wonder what would have happened if…?

Would the same be true of…?

I still want to know…

Create questions in your mind based on what you read. Use the questions you formulate to set a purpose for reading further. If you find your questions are not being answered, try to focus more closely on what the author is saying. However, if you are still curious or need further information after reading, you may need to find the answer in another source.

I wonder where else you could look for the answers?

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Question the Math Problem What does … mean?

I am confused about…

What key words are included?

What is the problem asking me to do?

What operation(s) will I need to perform in order to solve this problem?

What information is important to solving this problem?

Is there any information in this problem that is unnecessary to solving it?

I know… because…, but the problem says… So, I wonder….

I wonder what would have happened if…?

Would the same be true of…?

Create questions based on what you read. Use the questions you formulate to help you solve the problem or read it more critically. If you find your questions are not being answered, try to focus more closely on what the information in the problem.

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After Reading: Summarizing and Paraphrasing Introducing the Strategy

Explain to students that a summary is a recounting of the main ideas included in a text. Paraphrasing is recounting those ideas in one’s own words. Encourage students to paraphrase their summaries as often as possible. When used after reading, this strategy helps students to retain the information gathered through reading. Furthermore, summaries provide both the student and the teacher with valuable information about what the student has understood or misunderstood through reading.

Some students may still struggle to differentiate between main ideas and interesting details. Use this as an opportunity to reinforce their understanding of main idea. Summarizing what they read will provide ample practice for relating them through oral summaries. An additional complication may arise if students have done more retelling than summarizing at the elementary level. If this is the case, you may need to do additional practice with identifying the main idea. (A practice example is included on page 18.) Encourage students to relate only the most important facts.

Prepare a paraphrased summary of the text you will be sharing ahead of time. Ask students to listen or follow along as you read. As they listen, have them try to pick out the most important information or main ideas. If they are following along on a photocopy, they might highlight this information. Otherwise, they may jot down ideas on sticky notes or a piece of paper. Read a piece of text aloud to the class, continuing to reinforce your “prereading and during reading strategies” by previewing, asking questions and sharing your thoughts as you read. Once you have finished reading,

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ask the students to share the main ideas or most important facts included in your piece. As students share, jot their ideas down on a chart or overhead. With each contribution, discuss whether you would have included it in a summary or not and why. When students have finished sharing, read your prepared summary and have a student check off the ideas on the chart or overhead. How many of the points you determined were important did students identify as a class? This will provide you with valuable information about how closely you will need to guide their practice.

Student Practice

Have partners work with a shared text. Partners should preview the text, and share the reading using the “during reading” strategy. After reading, these partners should take turns identifying the main ideas in the text. One might identify the main idea and the other state it in words other than those used in the text, alternating roles. These ideas should be written into a shared summary. As a whole class, share summaries and discuss what made the most effective ones more effective. Ask students what they would change in the summaries they have written if they were going to revise them.


Continue to practice summarizing and paraphrasing both orally and in writing. It is very important to provide time for oral practice as it helps to develop ideas and improve paraphrasing skills and the effectiveness of written summaries. I would strongly discourage having students write a written summary of every single thing they read during this quarter. This is time consuming, and will quickly be seen by students as a boring task. It is much more beneficial to provide time for oral summarizing. For written summary practice,

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group and partner writing of short summaries will be more enjoyable and provide opportunities to learn from one another. An occasional independently summary will provide teachers with adequate evidence of the skill acquisition not provided through oral summarization.

Writing Connection

There is an obvious connection imbedded in this strategy. However, an additional consideration is to have students prepare a summarized writing plan as a prewriting exercise. This backwards approach should help to keep student writing more focused.

Math Connection

Have students summarize a word problem to a partner. In their own words, what are the main ideas and important details in the problem? What is it asking them to do?

Another suggestion would be to have students summarize what they did to work through a problem. What did they discover through prereading and questioning the text? What did this lead them to do to solve the problem? What math/problem solving strategies did they use? Did they encounter any challenges? What did they do to address these challenges? How did they check their answer to ensure accuracy? This type of summary practice will provide valuable insight for the teacher and state testing practice as well.

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Main Idea Practice To determine the main idea, look for how the details fit together. What do these details have in common? What they have in common is the main idea. Many times the main idea is the first sentence in a paragraph, but sometimes this is not the case. The main idea sentence can be a sentence in the middle or even at the end of a paragraph.

Practice determining the main idea in the groups of ideas listed below. Then continue to practice by identifying the main idea of each paragraph you read. Look at the details and ask yourself how they fit together.

Main Idea________________________ Main Idea________________________

Oranges Tornadoes

Bananas Hurricanes

Grapes Snowstorms

Apples Thunderstorms

Main Idea________________________ Main Idea________________________

Going for a ride Bringing the right materials

Trying on new clothes Listening in class

Going to the cash register Taking good notes

Paying for your purchases Studying and doing your homework

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Prereading: Activating Prior Knowledge Introducing the Strategy

This quarter as students preview the text they are about to read they will focus more on activating their prior knowledge. Explain to students that by thinking about what they already know about a topic or genre, they are able to interact more fully with the text. It will be easier to question the text as a result. Most importantly, it helps to make synaptic connections within the brain, which in turn lead to greater comprehension and retention.

I use an analogy about cleaning their bedrooms to explain this concept to students. If when Mom says it’s time to clean your room, you throw everything into your closet and any drawer to get it off the floor and make your room look neat, it is very difficult to find anything later. However, if you think about where each item belongs, or where you found it last time, you will have a much easier time retrieving it later. Your brain works in much the same way. Think of your brain as a compact filing cabinet, if you open the proper folder, when you need the information, it will be right where you look for it. This really helps when retrieving information for a test!

Model what you mean for students with a chosen piece of text. Begin with the title. What clues does the title provide about the topic and what information the text might contain? For example, if my chosen text were Big City Cool – Short Stories About Urban Youth Edited by M. Jerry Weiss and Helen S. Weiss, I could easily talk about what I know about big cities. I might also talk about what I know about the urban youth sitting in front of me. From this I might predict that I expect the stories to be ones about characters in situations and

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settings very familiar to us. Moving on to the picture on the cover I notice a boy doing a flip from his skateboard. I might talk about what I have seen others do and how frightened I would be to do the same. I expect that one of the stories I read will be about this. Students may also want to share what they know. Allow some of this, but be certain you don’t lose track of time. One thing middle school students enjoy doing is sharing what they know. Continue to preview the text accessing what you know and talking about what you expect to find as you read. Feel free to wonder about things you don’t yet know, such as how the boy in the story learned to do flips and if he was ever injured. I notice he is not wearing any protective equipment. Ask students how many are anxious to begin reading. If you have chosen a topic they know something about, this strategy should also motivate them to want to know more. If the topic of study is something they know little about, this strategy will not work well. Instead, you will need to frontload their knowledge by providing your own. Obviously, the more information students bring to a text the easier and more enjoyable the experience will be.

Student Practice

Provide each student with a copy of the text they will be reading. If students will be reading different texts, or reading about interrelated topics, group students according to the text or topic. If the topic or text is the same for all, you may wish to have students preview and share their prior knowledge as a whole class. As they share what they know, encourage them to talk about what they expect to discover or what they wonder about based on what they already know. Record this report out on a piece of chart paper. A

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sample chart can be found on page 22. Students may wish to refer to this chart or check off correct predictions about what information the text will contain as they read.

One advantage to using this strategy as a whole group is that the teacher has the ability to detect and correct any misconceptions in students’ prior knowledge. Capitalize on the teachable moment. Simply thank the student for sharing, acknowledge that you understand why someone might think that and provide the correct information. If you have students work in small groups, each should create their own chart and report out to the whole group. This would allow teachers a similar opportunity.


In a variety of groupings have students make use of this strategy every time they read this quarter. Be sure to provide opportunities for practice alone, with partners, in small groups and as a class. After reading, ask students how this helped them as they did the actual reading. Are they reading more actively? Are they more interested in what they read? Is it easier to use the during reading strategies? Do they remember more on tests?

Share with students anything you may notice about their strategy use. Have you noticed a change in test results? Have you noticed a student who simply went through the motions before suddenly engaged in reading? Have you noticed that students are digging below the surface to prior knowledge that will help them to understand the text on a deeper level? This specific feedback can be very motivating.

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Writing Connection

Before students write this quarter have them consciously take time to think about what they already know about the topic about which they will be writing. After a few minutes, have them turn and share this knowledge with a classmate. Next, have them consciously think about what their intended audience should know about the topic. Again, have them turn and talk. This may be considered an oral brainstorming exercise or may lead to a more focused and enriched written brainstorm.

Math Connection

Ask students to share what they already know about the concept they are about to study or read about. This is no different from other content areas. What may be different is an increase in the number of misconceptions and the value of catching and correcting them before moving on.

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Accessing Prior Knowledge What I already know What I expect to discover or

wonder about Example: Lava is hot enough to burn down trees.

What is the actual temperature of lava during an eruption? How scientists are able to determine this temperature safely.

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During Reading: Visualizing Introducing the Strategy

Ask students how many of them see mental images while they read. How many can picture what a character looks like, how a math problem might be drawn out, or what an ancient civilization’s daily life might entailed like simply by reading about it. Many will raise their hands, some will not. Those who don’t are missing a very valuable tool. The strategy of visualizing is enjoyable, keeps readers active, allows readers to recognize when their mind has wandered away from the text, and most importantly, helps them to identify when comprehension breaks down. A reader cannot visualize what he/she does not understand.

Choose a text about a topic students have recently studied. In this way they will be able to visualize the text along with you. Choose a text at a slightly challenging level in order to demonstrate where your picture might become a little fuzzy.

Instruct the class to start their mental camcorders rolling. Many students like to close their eyes in order to create a picture more vividly. Begin to read aloud. Stop at fairly frequent intervals to share the mental images in your mind orally. You want these intervals to be long enough to allow for adequate comprehension, but short enough to form a clear picture. Elaborate on what you see that may not have been directly stated as you draw from your prior knowledge about similar situations. Make it clear to the students when you are doing so. For example, if you are reading about a battle the text may provide the location, the opposing armies and

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the number of men involved but not mention the uniforms, the types of weapons or the casualties and injuries. However, these would very likely be part of your mental picture. Notice how this would add to the comprehension of the facts contained in a textbook.

Try to model for students where your picture might become a little fuzzy because you don’t know much about what the author is saying, even if you have to pretend. Explain that a little fuzzy is okay if you can get the basic idea, however, it should lead to a question in your mind. It is wise to write these questions down on sticky notes or a reading log for further discussion after reading. Sometimes, the author will clear things up for you as you continue reading. Other times your picture remains blurry at that spot.

Explain that if you notice the pictures in your mind are not related to the text, your mind has wandered away. For example, if your mental picture is in the lunchroom or at last night’s dance, you need to refocus. Go back and find the spot in the text where you last saw an image and reread. It is perfectly normal for our eyes and mind to think they are reading and continue to go through the motions as we wander. Unfortunately, comprehension is not taking place at these times, and students need to be aware of this fact.

If you are unable to make a mental picture, you do not understand what you are reading. You need to figure out what is wrong and fix it. It may be that your mind has wandered. The simple fix is above. It may be that you don’t understand, but if you read on a little further, the author will explain and you will be able to visualize again. Try this first. It may be that you missed something important, go back a few paragraphs and reread. It may be that too many difficult vocabulary words have gotten in the way and you need to

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refer to a glossary, thesaurus or dictionary. If you cannot restart your visualization, you may need help from a classmate or your teacher.

When meaning breaks down, students are no longer really reading. It is crucial that students understand this and the need to get assistance in order to proceed. A chart of comprehension remedies has been provided on page 28.

Student Practice

Place students with partners or in small groups to read a shared text. Have them take turns reading between a few paragraphs and a page before sharing their mental pictures. Partners may wish to share what they saw differently. This may be useful but must be monitored by the teacher to insure that sharing does not take longer than necessary. Teacher familiarity with the text students read is always necessary, but extremely helpful for holding students accountable to the reading and providing feedback during the use of this strategy. Remind students to pay attention to the clarity of their picture and seek help as necessary. Group members may be able to provide the help needed, but should be encouraged to remind their classmates where to go for help on their own first.

Share experiences and the usefulness of this strategy as a whole class. Wrap this lesson up with a review of fix-up strategies to use when student’s visualizations lose their focus. (Page 28)


Remind students to get their camcorders rolling before they begin to read anything this quarter. Early on, remind them to make use of comprehension remedies as needed. As the quarter progresses

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students should begin using these remedies independently. When they come to you for help, ask them what they have already tried to fix the problem.

Provide a variety of opportunities for the manner in which students read and the ways in which they share. Sharing of visualizations is the only insight we as teachers have to the actual use of this strategy. Have students share orally with partners, in groups, as a whole class, in writing and in brief sketches. You may wish to have students draw illustrate their mental images with specific attention to the detail included through both the text and their prior knowledge. Most students enjoy this, and it is indeed enlightening, but it tends to be very time consuming. I find it works very well for an enrichment activity or homework.

Writing Connection

This is the perfect quarter to do a little work on descriptive writing! Have students do a mental visualization of the piece they are about to compose. How vividly can they paint that picture for their reader? How many of the reader’s senses can they effect through the written word? Are they able to create a image that is multi-sensory in the mind of the reader?

Have your students write a short descriptive piece to share with a classmate. As they write, they should make an attempt to make the picture as clear as possible. They should also try to help the reader hear, smell, feel or taste whatever makes sense within this piece for a more realistic experience. After students read their classmates writing, have them share their images, visual and otherwise with the class.

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Math Connection

Have students visualize as they read word problems and sketch out each step of the solution. Display and share these sketches through a gallery walk. When students return to their seats, have them share positive comments about the clarity of their classmates’ visualizations and ask questions to clarify their understanding.

After learning a new math concept, have students illustrate orally, in writing or in a sketch a real-life application of the concept with attention to detail as well as concept. Share these with the whole class as well.

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What To Do When Your Mental Image Gets Stuck…

If you are no longer able to create a visual image, you are no longer comprehending.

Reading = Making Meaning From Print

You are no longer reading! You need a remedy fast!

Comprehension Remedies

Are you thinking about something other than what you are reading?

Solution: Go back to the last place in the text where you remember visualizing and reread from there. You may be amazed at how many pages your eyes read without you!

Are you focused but just don’t understand?

Read a few more paragraphs. Often the author has anticipated your confusion and explained the unfamiliar concept more fully.

You still don’t understand? Maybe you missed something important. Go back a page or two and reread.

That didn’t work? Look for unfamiliar words. Use a glossary, thesaurus or dictionary to find their meaning. Then reread.

Still stuck? Ask a classmate (if allowed) or your teacher for help.

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After Reading: Analyzing Text Introducing the Strategy

Text analysis can take many forms. A reader might analyze the author’s style, a character’s motives, what might have happened if a single variable changed, take a position defending the position of a historical figure or a myriad of other things. The common factors in all of these situations are thinking about the text beyond a surface level and the development of a deeper level of comprehension.

Explain to students that thinking about a text in this manner helps readers to create information from the text on their own. Different readers will create different meaning despite the fact that the reading was the same because of the unique experiences and knowledge each reader brings to the text. In other words, there may be different answers to the same question without any of the answers being wrong, as long as the responses are text-based and do not contradict any information contained within.

Choose a text the whole class has recently read or use a brief text to share as a read-aloud. When planning for this lesson, choose a focus for analysis and develop a few inferential questions related to the text. If you have chosen a text the whole class has recently read, ask a student or two to summarize this reading orally. If you have chosen a read-aloud, ask students to listen as you read and to be prepared to answer questions when you finish. Ask your first question and have students write an answer. In this way, all students will have an answer and many will be different.

Teach your students how to disagree politely when they have a difference of opinion and to refer to the text to help make their point

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clear to others. For example, “I understand what he is saying, but the book says…, so I think…”

Once all students have written something and these directions are clear, call on one student to share his/her answer. If the answer is acceptable, praise the student and explain why the response is correct or ask the student to explain his/her reasoning. If the answer contradicts the text or is not supported by it in any way, ask the student to explain his/her reasoning to be sure you understood and then explain why this would not be an acceptable response. Ask if anyone has a different answer. Continue in like manner until you have asked all of your questions and received multiple answers for each. If you are getting the same type of answers, play devil’s advocate and demonstrate for students how someone else might see things a different way.

At the conclusion of this lesson, ask students if anyone was surprised by how someone else understood the reading. Did any of their classmates responses make them reconsider their own opinion or think about the text in a different way? Conclude by reinforcing the reason for using this strategy, to develop a deeper understanding of the material.

Student Practice

Teach students how to develop meaningful questions that do not have a right or wrong/yes or no answer. Use the chart on page 33 and their knowledge of questioning the text from the first quarter. Explain to the students that after reading, they will be discussing the text with their classmates by asking and answering these student-generated questions. Set the expectation that this discussion will last for the entire period. With well-developed questions, this

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should not be a problem. What middle school student doesn’t have an opinion or enjoy debating a personal point of view?

Provide students with the text you will like them to use. Determine how many questions each student should compose after reading. (A list of 5-10 questions will ensure the discussion is sustainable. Assume that some students may have similar questions.) Allow students adequate time to read independently or with a partner. All students should create a list of questions on their own. Plan to have the discussion during the next class period.

During the discussion period, reinforce the need to refer to the text to make your point and to be respectful of the opinions of others. The class should attempt to reach consensus about what they believe the answer to be, but very likely, some will remain divided in their opinion. This is actually desirable. Enjoy the discussion and help to guide and move it along, but resist the urge to participate.

In the last ten minutes of class, ask students what they thought of today’s discussion. How do they feel this strategy benefits them as readers? Chart their responses. Provide students with feedback on the effectiveness of their questions and the quality of their discussion. End by having students write 1-2 things they learned through the discussion that they hadn’t thought about while reading on an exit slip or in a reading log.


Continue to have students develop questions and hold discussions related to the reading throughout the quarter. Some discussions should be whole class, but most should be small group to allow for greater practice. Literature circles work well with this strategy.

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When preparing for circles, however, all students should create questions, not only the “discussion director.” Continue to monitor student discussions and provide feedback to students on their effectiveness and progress.

Writing Connection

One idea is to create or have students create questions to analyze the author’s craft. Have them look at the genre, word choice, sentence structure, characterization, point of view, etc.

Another possibility would be to have students write an extended response to a student or teacher generated question related to something read in class. Students may all have the same or different questions.

Math Connection

Have students dissect a word problem. The problems should be those they can easily comprehend and solve. How many parts can students identify within a word problem? What do they think is the purpose of each piece? Partners and small groups will make this activity more interesting and even more creative. Be sure to share the results as a whole class. Prepare to be impressed and amused.

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Developing Discussion Questions Good discussion questions have no ONE right or wrong answer. The BEST discussion questions are ones in which different people have different opinions that can all be backed up using information found within the text. Use the stems below to guide your questions or create your own.

I wonder why (or how, or where)….

How did… (Be careful that the answer to this question is not in the reading.)

What would the result have been if…

What would you have done if you were faced with the situation where…

If (name or situation) had…what do you think would have happened?

Do you agree with (name’s) decision to… Explain.

What did you find most (interesting, surprising, upsetting, informative, etc.) Why?

What else might have happened when…

Is there anything else you are still curious about?

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Prereading: Using Graphic Cues to Make Predictions

Introducing the Strategy

Students often ignore the graphic cues within a text. You may have noticed this when a comprehension question at the end of a textbook chapter refers to a graph or a caption under a picture and the student insists the answer isn’t there. With this strategy, you call attention to the existence of these tools before beginning to read. In essence, you eliminate the possibility of graphic cues being overlooked.

Graphic cues include any non-text feature, i.e. pictures, graphs, charts and the text included within or below them. Using them as a means to make predictions about the text before reading makes students aware of additional comprehension tools, peaks their curiosity and helps them to set a purpose for reading.

Begin by identifying for students what a graphic cue is. Ask students why an author or book publisher might include these within a text. They are meant to cue the reader about the content of the text, entice them to read the printed page and further illustrate a point made within the text. Explain that this quarter’s prereading strategy will be to preview these cues and to use them to predict what information the text will contain.

Choose several books, magazines and newspapers that include a variety of graphic cues. One by one point out the different cues, examine them and share with the class something you expect to learn as you read. For example, “Here is a pie chart. I notice it is

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divided into different ethnic groups.” Notice any text below the chart. In this case, “Rhode Island 1950.” From this I would predict that the text will be about the diversity of populations in Rhode Island almost 60 years ago. Continue to go through the examples in your stack.

Student Practice

Elementary students often take “picture walks” of a book before reading to predict what the story will be about. Using a similar concept, have students take a graphic walk. Provide your students with text rich in graphic cues, i.e. magazines, newspapers, textbook or encyclopedia sections. Have each student work alone, or with a partner, to identify the graphic cues, predict what the text will be about and record these predictions. A sheet to organize their report out can be found on page 37. Share individual predictions in small groups or as a whole class.


This is a quick, easy strategy. It should be used whenever there is any type of graphic cue this quarter. After introducing the strategy for the first time, it should only take a few minutes for most texts. A novel may have only one graphic cue – a picture on the front cover. It is beneficial to look at this as well. Students sometimes refer back to this picture while reading the novel and try to predict which picture depicts which character and similar discoveries that help to keep these readers engaged.

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Writing Connection

During writing opportunities this quarter, having students add appropriate graphic cues to assist their readers’ comprehension.

Math Connection

Math texts are filled with charts, graph and pictures. The plan above works well for this discipline. Focus on the value of these tools in increasing comprehension of the content.

Teach a new concept without the use of any text. Once students understand the concept, have them compose a written explanation in which they include at least one graphic cue.

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Taking a Graphic Walk

Type of

Graphic Cue

Description

Any Text Within

Your Prediction

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During Reading: Checking Predictions Introducing the Strategy

In elementary grades, students are taught that when making predictions, they cannot be wrong. This is true as long as the predictions are logical, however, this does not mean that what we predict is necessarily the content of the text. As students read this quarter they will check the accuracy of their prediction.

Students have already made initial predictions prior to reading. During the prereading phase throughout the quarter students should record their predictions in some way. Explain that as they read, they need to discover whether or not their prediction was accurate. If it was accurate, make another prediction and continue reading. If it was not accurate, they need to examine whether or not it was logical. Then, based on the new information they have gained from reading, they will revise their prediction for the remainder of the text and continue in the same manner until they have completed the text.

Student Practice

In small groups or pairs have students read and practice this strategy as described above. Monitor these groups providing encouragement and feedback as appropriate. When students have finished reading, engage the class in a discussion about the accuracy of their predictions and how logical their predictions were based on the evidence they had at the time.

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As the quarter progresses challenge students to become more logical in making predictions. Also, try to find more challenging text in which the graphic cues are present but little text or explanation is provided. If this is not possible, challenge the students by providing copies of text with the captions taken out.

Don’t limit yourself to reading material that contains graphic cues this quarter. Have students make predictions from textual cues as well.

Writing Connection

Teach students about an author’s use of red herrings, otherwise known as twists or unexpected events. Students may discover this technique through a study of mystery writing in English Language Arts. Ask students to be conscious of their reader and the predictions he/she is likely to make during writing exercises this quarter. Have them compose a piece of writing in which at times they follow the logical prediction, but once or twice, they throw in a red herring.

Math Connection

As in prereading, this strategy is well suited to the study of mathematics. You may find, however, that students’ predictions are accurate more often than not due to the factual nature and logic of math text.

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After Reading: Supporting Conclusions With Text –based Evidence Introducing the Strategy

Return to last quarter’s after reading strategy. Students actually began to use this strategy during their class discussions. This quarter they will support their opinions and conclusions with evidence from the text deliberately.

Explain to students that every assertion they make regarding a text they read must be supported by evidence within the text. If they can support their assertion with this evidence, and nothing in the text conflicts with this assertion, their position can be considered valid.

Provide an example from something the class has read. For example, the class in this example is all familiar with Street Scene by Paul Kropp. I could conclude that if Jamel had told someone that Sammy had a gun, Dwayne might still be alive. Someone else might say that Dwayne was making choices that probably would have caused someone else to shoot him. We would both be able to back up our assertions by pointing to evidence within the book. I could point to the fact that Sammy only had the gun as protection because he was scared, and that he took it out to use in a crowd because he was scared. As a result, he accidentally shot the very person he was trying to protect. Jamel knew Sammy had the gun and didn’t know how to use it, but he didn’t tell anyone. Therefore, if Jamel had tried to get an adult to help out, Dwayne might still be alive. In like manner, the other person could state the evidence in the text that Dwayne was doing things to upset Sal and his friends or the fact that he was looting from stores during a riot and could have been

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shot by the police. Both assertions although very different can be supported and considered valid. Share an example of conflicting opinions with which your class would be familiar.

Student Practice

Ask students an inferential question about the text they have just read. Have them write a one sentence response. Next have them look back into the text to find as much evidence as they can to support their assertion. Remind them that if they take quote directly from the text, they need to use quotation marks and follow the quote with the page number in parentheses. Have them add a concluding sentence for a one paragraph response.

Have students share their responses in small groups. Have each group decide which response was the most convincing. Report out to the whole class with the groups’ chosen responses and talk about what made them so effective.


Students usually do not have trouble making assertions but may have difficulty finding evidence to support them in the text. Often this stems from looking through the text without a plan. If you ask students why they think something, they can usually tell you. Yet, they may look through the book rereading every word. If this happens, ask the student why he made the assertion and approximately where in the text this happened. Then the student can skim and scan to find evidence without going through the novel from page 1 to find an occurrence that took place in chapter 5. Eventually, the goal is to have students cite evidence by paraphrasing events or facts without returning to the text.

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Writing Connection

Have students write more than one paragraph in response to a question.

Work on persuasive writing to provide students additional practice with supporting a personal point of view. Have students try to convince you in writing not to give a test or homework. Ask them to persuade a friend not to make an unwise decision. Maybe they would like to convince the neighbors of the need to clean a river. The topic is unimportant. This is a new skill and one that requires much practice.

Math Connection

Require students to explain why they chose a particular operation to solve a problem.

Have them defend the strategy they chose to use.

Ask them to explain the process they used to solve a complicated problem, explaining each choice along the way.

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Prereading: Setting a Purpose Introducing the Strategy

Students have been reading for the purposes you set for them all year. In the first quarter, they read to satisfy the curiosity brought about through their preview. In quarter two, they read to add new knowledge to what they already knew about a topic. Last quarter, they read to discover the accuracy of their predictions. This quarter, students will develop a greater awareness of the purposes for reading and begin to determine their own purposes based on the situation and the text.

Begin by sharing the information above with your students. Explain that during this quarter there will be times when they are required to determine their own purpose and other times when you will determine it for them. Have a couple of pieces of reading material available. Take each piece and share with students what your purpose might be for reading each one. As a class, brainstorm a list of reasons why someone might read. (A sample list can be found on page 47.) Keep your brainstorm chart posted in the classroom for use throughout the quarter.

Explain to students that setting a purpose provides important benefits to the reader. Setting a purpose provides a goal and focuses the reader’s efforts on the most important information for reaching that goal. It lets the reader know whether to read every word or to skim and scan for the desired information. It also informs readers about the pace at which a particular piece of material may be read. If I am reading for enjoyment, I might read very quickly. If I am

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reading to discover new knowledge about a topic, I need to slow down the pace. If I enjoy the topic or already know quite a bit about it, I may not need to slow down much. However, if it is new or difficult information, I should expect to slow my pace in order to fully understand what I am reading.

Student Practice

Organize the class into small groups. Provide each group with a stack of reading materials and individual copies of the Scavenger Hunt sheet on page 48 or a similar teacher created scavenger hunt. Working with the assistance of their peers, students will determine at least one text they might read for the identified purpose. As groups complete the activity, ask if any groups had different purposes for the same text. Discuss these as a class. If groups all wrote the same answers, ask students which materials they chose for each purpose to determine differences between groups.

End by recognizing that many of the purposes we set will be determined by the kind of text we chose, but within these purposes we can set more specific goals based on the situation and our own individual need. For example, I may read a driver’s education manual to find out more about the rules of the road, but a more specific personal goal may be to discover these rules in order to pass the written test for my learner’s permit.


As students read this quarter, have them begin by previewing the text using one of the prereading strategies they have learned this year. The strategy used may be chosen by you or self-selected. If you expect a particular outcome after reading, such skit or project, let

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the students know about this expectation upfront. Based on your expectations, their personal knowledge of the topic and their preview of the text, have students determine a purpose for their own reading. Share these purposes or have students record them in a reading notebook. Ask students what implications this purpose will have on the pace of their reading. You may wish to have students record this information as well.

As the quarter progresses, guide students to be more specific in the purpose they set. From time to time, provide students with a broad goal and have them determine a more specific one of their own. They may be times when you want to provide the class with a specific purpose to read. This is helpful in demonstrating for students that we do not always need to read the entire text. If my purpose for reading a textbook is to discover what the third amendment of the Constitution is about, and I know this after the third paragraph, I do not need to read the entire chapter. Continue to discuss the appropriateness of pace in relation to their purpose and the text as well.

This strategy also works well as a “during reading” strategy. While reading, students may adjust their purpose. If they just read something unexpected or unfamiliar, they might want to read to find out more information about it. If they make a prediction, they could read to check the accuracy of that prediction, and so on. Used during reading, this strategy puts the reader in the driver’s seat as it guides them and keeps them actively engaged.

Writing Connection

Setting a purpose for writing is very similar to setting the purpose for reading. The purposes, however, may be somewhat different.

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Make this connection explicit and consider creating a chart of writing purposes.

During this quarter, remind students to think about their purpose for writing every time they write. Have them also consider the purposes someone may have for reading this piece. An example most middle school students can relate to (and learn from) is personal note writing. The author’s purpose may be to share a personal thought or feeling to a trusted friend. However, if the note is lost, the purpose someone else might have for reading it might be to gather information for gossip. An author’s purpose for writing a book review might be to share what he enjoyed about a really good book. The purpose of someone reading that review might be to decide whether or not the book is worth reading. The more students see the direct connection between these interrelated activities, the greater the benefit will be to their skills and responsibilities in both.

Math Connection

Math mysteries work wonderfully with this strategy. Students can set a purpose for reading from the title and again during reading with each clue they discover.

Create a list of reading purposes with your students. Here are a few to get you started.

Purposes for Reading in Math

To learn how/when to perform a new operation

To understand a new concept

To understand how concepts relate to one another

To make connections to the world at large

To determine the information needed to reach a solution

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What’s My Purpose? General Purposes

For entertainment

To learn new information

To clarify information

To use information in a specific way

To make connections between related concepts

To satisfy my curiosity

To boost my interest

More Specific Purposes (The sky’s the limit!)

I want to do well on my test

I love sports. I can’t read enough about them!

I want to become a better reader. The more I read strategically, the better I will be.

It’s raining outside.

I want to learn new techniques to try on my bike.

I want to be a meteorologist (or other career) when I grow up, so I’m learning all I can about weather.

My best friend read this book and loved it.

Everyone is talking about this book, and I don’t want to be left out of the conversation.

I want to be able to participate more in class. By reading, I will understand better and have more to share.

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Scavenger Hunt Use the materials found within your group (and around the room, if your teacher allows) to find as many texts as possible that you might read for the purposes listed below.

To learn about science

To learn about math

To learn about history

To learn about geography

To learn about writing

To learn about art

To learn about music

To learn about current events

To learn about sports

To learn about my personal interests

For pure enjoyment

To share an interest with a friend

To do better in school

To teach someone else

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During Reading: Making Connections for Deeper Understanding

Introducing the Strategy

Post a chart similar to the one on page 53 in your classroom. Students should be familiar with these connections and have most likely used this strategy throughout elementary school. What you want them to do now is to improve their use of this strategy as a means of increasing comprehension.

Review the different types of connections we make with the text. Our prior knowledge enables us to make these connections. Some that we make don’t add much to our reading, they just are. Others may increase our interest in what we read and benefit us in terms of being engaged in the text. The most important connections, however, are the ones that help us to understand the situation in the text or what a character is going through, those that help us to deepen our understanding. An added benefit is that by making meaningful connections, we access our prior knowledge, resulting in greater retention of material. These are the connections that we will share this quarter. As students share connections during reading, they will be required to share how this connection may help them to increase their understanding or how it motivates them to move on.

Prepare a read-aloud to share with students in which you share the connections you are able to make. As you share, identify your connection as text-to-self, text-to-text or text-to-world connection; share the connection and explain the effect this connection is likely to have on your reading. Will it help you? If so, how? Be as specific

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as possible. If it will not be helpful, explain that although interesting these will waste time unnecessarily and will not be shared this quarter.

Student Practice

Have students work with a partner or in small groups to share the reading, make connections and explain how their connections will be helpful. You may wish to have students record these connections in a reading notebook. At the end of class, share the types of connections groups were able to make and their usefulness. You might wish to make a chart of the ways in which connections can be useful to the reader.


Choosing text around a specific them or topic will assist students in making meaningful text-to-text connections. As the quarter progresses guide students to make more meaningful connections. Challenge how useful their less meaningful connections really are to understanding the text. Praise those that help students to really create deeper meaning and talk about what made these connections more helpful. Continue to provide opportunities for shared and independent reading.

Writing Connection

When an author explicitly portrays connections between the information he/she is trying to convey and what the reader is likely to know from personal experience, the world and other material he/she is likely to be familiar with, the writing is enhanced as well as the reader’s comprehension. However, too many connections or unnecessary connections make a reader lose interest. Have a

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discussion around this with the class and encourage students to explain difficult or vague concepts within their writing with connections similar to those they are using as readers.

Math Connection

Have students explore how one concept connects to, builds upon or interrelates with others. When solving word problems, have students look for similarities to others they have solved in the past.

Have students brainstorm connections between concepts and real-world applications. Discuss with the class how making connections improves their comprehension, not only of their reading, but of the concept as well.

When using math mysteries, students will be able to make connections as described above.

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Types of Connections

Text-to-Text Readers compare what was read in one book with the one they are currently reading. When a connection is made, the reader should pause to really remember what was learned through the first reading and think about how it relates to the information in the current one. Is the information the same? New? Conflicting? Does it validate the information or lead to questions? Is one text more current? Is one more credible? Where can you go as a reader to learn more?

Text-to-Self Readers compare what they have experienced in life to what they are reading. When a connection is made, the reader should pause to think about the connection. Is it meaningful or just a pleasant (or unpleasant) memory? Does the experience help you to visualize more clearly? Does it help you understand the concept more fully or in a different way? Does it help you to understand a character’s feelings or dilemma? If it is meaningful, it is worth exploring!

Text-to-World Readers compare what they know about the world and real-life situations to what they are reading. When a connection is made, the reader should pause to consider how this connection relates to the reading and might help to better understand the text. The same questions as those listed under text-to-text apply.

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After Reading: Connecting Themes/Ideas from Text-to-Other Learning Situations Introducing the Strategy

Explain to students that by continuing to think about a text after you finish reading, and in particular, to continue thinking about connections between what the text and what the reader knows increases the reader’s understanding greatly. In other words, it makes them even smarter. This quarter after reading, students will begin to discuss the connections they made during reading and how these connections relate to the other things they have learned in this class, other classes and on their own.

In order to introduce this strategy, begin with a whole class discussion, setting parameters about how to respond ahead of time. Go over the discussion stems on page 56. Explain to students that these are a way to begin a thought but are not meant to restrict their thinking. If they have something to share and a stem is not there, they should create their own.

Begin by sharing a connection of your own. Talk about what you thought about during the time you paused to think while reading and how it helped you to understand the reading and/or your knowledge of the concept better. If it was conflicting in any way, share your confusion and the questions it lead to in your mind. When you finish, it is likely that someone will have a similar connection to share. Call on volunteers or individual students to share a connection they were able to make. The discussion will be

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much more natural with volunteers, but occasionally there will be a reluctant class who require prodding.

Praise contributions throughout the discussion. Ask probing questions as necessary to get to what was meaningful about a connection. Ask students where in the text they saw something if they might have misunderstood. If necessary, have them reread to find it while the discussion continues. If the discussion stalls, share another connection of your own or ask a guiding question, such as “Did anyone else notice…?”

As you wrap up the discussion, provide students with specific feedback about how well they utilized the strategy, what knowledge they gained and how well they were able to sustain the discussion. Praise what worked well and be clear about what you would like them to work on for an even better discussion the next time.

Student Practice and Extending the Strategy throughout the Quarter

Continue to follow reading with discussions, alternating small group and whole class discussions. Continue to monitor students’ use of this strategy during reading and discussion activities. Continue to stress the meaningful nature of connections. Continue to provide feedback on student use of strategy and discussion skills.

Writing Connection

Hold class discussions about student successes/struggles with making connections explicit within their writing. Have students share some of their writing and what worked for them. Model your own writing or do a class writing exercise in which you work

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together to incorporate explicit connections. Have students do some partner writing with the same goal.

Math Connection

Have students explore how one concept connects to, builds upon or interrelates with others.

When solving word problems, have students look for similarities to others they have solved in the past.

Have students brainstorm connections between concepts and real-world applications.

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Discussion Stems I noticed …… in my reading, and in …... class I/we learned…… So now I think (wonder)......

I read…… this confused me because…… So now, my question is……

Through my reading I discovered……When I read ……I was confused because…… but now I understand that……

I was able to make a connection between…… and …… This helped me to understand……because……

I know ……because…… but the book said…… so I wonder……

……book said …… and ……book said……So I want to know…… and I plan to……

I read…… which helped is similar to ……that I learned before. Now I want to learn more about……because……

I never realized that…… and …… were so similar, but when I read…... it all came together.

I agree with what ….. said, but I also think……because…….

WMS Reading Strategy Handbook (1)

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Transcript of WMS Reading Strategy Handbook (1)