READING STRATEGIES

STRATEGY / DEFINITION / PURPOSE / RESOURCES
Chunking the Text / Breaking the text into smaller, manageable units of sense (e.g., words, sentences, paragraphs, whole text) by numbering, separating phrases, drawing boxes / To reduce the intimidation factor when encountering long words, sentences, or whole texts; to increase comprehension of difficult or challenging text /
CloseReading / Accessingsmallchunksoftexttoread, reread,mark,andannotatekeypassages, word-for-word,sentence-by-sentence,and line-by-line / Todevelopcomprehensiveunderstanding byengaginginoneormorefocused readingsofatext /
Diffusing / Readingapassage,notingunfamiliarwords, discoveringmeaningofunfamiliarwords usingcontextclues,dictionaries,and/or thesauruses,andreplacingunfamiliarwords withfamiliarones / Tofacilitateaclosereadingoftext,the useofresources,anunderstandingof synonyms,andincreasedcomprehension oftext
GraphicOrganizer / Usingavisualrepresentationforthe organizationofinformation / Tofacilitateincreasedcomprehensionand discussion /





Guided Reading / Identifying strategies to guide students through challenging text (e.g., make predictions, mark the text, skim the text) / To help students learn to use a multiplicity of strategies to make meaning from challenging text / Lesson Plans:

Interactive Word Wall / Creating an interactive visual display of vocabulary words that serves as a constant reminder or words and groups of words as they are introduce, used, and mastered over the course of a year. / To provide a print-rich environment, reinforcement of learned words, a reference for reading and writing, and an ever-present tool for building word knowledge and awareness. /

KWHLChart / Settingup discussion withuse of agraphic organizer.Allowsstudentstoactivateprior knowledge byanswering“Whatdo Iknow?” setsapurposebyanswering“WhatdoI wanttoknow?”helpspreviewataskby answering “Howwill I learn it?” and reflects onnewknowledgebyanswering“Whathave Ilearned?” / Toorganizethinking,accessprior knowledge,andreflectonlearningto increase comprehension and engagement /
MarkingtheText / Selectingtextbyhighlighting,underlining, and/orannotatingforspecificcomponents, suchasmainidea,imagery,literarydevices, andsoon / Tofocusreadingforspecificpurposes, suchasauthor’scraft,andtoorganize informationfromselections;tofacilitate reexaminationofatext /


MetacognitiveMarkers / Respondingtotextwithasystemofcueing markswherestudentsusea?forquestions aboutthetext;a!forreactionsrelatedto thetext;andan* forcommentsaboutthe textandunderlinetosignal keyideas / Totrackresponsestotextsandusethose responsesasapointofdeparturefor talkingorwriting abouttexts /
Predicting / Makingguessesaboutthetextbyusingthe titleandpicturesand/orthinkingahead abouteventswhichmayoccurbasedon evidenceinthetext / Tohelpstudentsbecomeactivelyinvolved, interested,andmentallypreparedto understandideas / Common Core:


QHT / Expandingpriorknowledgeofvocabulary wordsbymarkingwordswithaQ,H,orT (Qsignalswordsstudentsdonotknow; Hsignalswordsstudentshaveheardand mightbeabletoidentify;Tsignalswords
studentsknowwellenoughtoteachtotheir peers.) / Toallowstudentstobuildontheirprior knowledgeofwords,toprovideaforumfor peerteachingandlearningofnewwords, andtoserveasapre-readingexerciseto aidincomprehension /
QuestioningtheText* / Developingliteral,interpretive,and universalquestionsaboutthetextwhile readingatext / Toengagemoreactivelywithtexts, readwithgreaterpurposeandfocus, andultimatelyanswerquestionstogain greaterinsightintothetext /
Reciprocal Teaching / A scaffolded discussion technique that is built on four strategies that good readers use to comprehend text; predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing. / To improve reading comprehension that is necessary not only for improved test scores but also for life I the Information Age. /

Rereading / Encounteringthesametextwithmorethan onereading / Toidentifyadditionaldetails;toclarify meaningand/orreinforcecomprehension oftexts
Semantic Gradients / A way to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of related words. / It helps students distinguish between shades of meaning and allows them to be more precise and imaginative in their writing. /
SIFT* / Analyzingafictionaltextbyexamining stylisticelements,especiallysymbol, images,andfiguresofspeech,inorderto showhowallworktogethertorevealtone andtheme. / Tofocusandfacilitateananalysisofa fictionaltextbyexaminingthetitleand textforsymbolism,identifyingimages andsensorydetails,analyzingfigurative languageandidentifyinghowallthese elementsrevealtoneandtheme /

Skimming/Scanning / Skimming byrapidorsuperficialreading ofatexttoformanoverallimpressionor toobtainageneralunderstandingofthe material;scanningbyfocusingonkeywords,phrases,orspecificdetailstoprovide speedyrecognitionofinformation / Toquicklyformanoverallimpression priortoanin-depthstudyofatext;to
answerspecificquestionsorquicklylocate targetedinformationordetailinatext
SMELL* / Analyzing a persuasive speech or essay by asking five essential questions:
Sender-receiver relationship—What is the sender-receiver relationship? Who are the images and language meant to attract? Describe the speaker of the text.
Message—What is the message? Summarize the statement made in the text.
Emotional Strategies—What is the desired effect?
Logical Strategies—What logic is operating? How does it (or its absence) affect the message? Consider the logic of the images as well as the words.
Language—What does the language of the text describe? How does it affect the meaning and effectiveness of the writing? Consider the language of the images as well as the words. / To analyze a persuasive speech or essay by focusing on five essential questions /
SOAPSTone* / Analyzing text by discussing and identifying Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, and Tone / To use an analytical process to understand the author’s craft /
Summarizing/ Paraphrasing / Restating in one’s own words the main idea or essential information expressed in a text, whether it be narration, dialogue, or informational text / To facilitate comprehension and recall of a text
Think Aloud / Talking through a difficult passage or task by using a form of metacognition whereby the reader expresses how he/she has made sense of the text / To reflect on how readers make meaning of challenging texts /
TP-CASTT* / Analyzing a poetic text by identifying and discussing Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude, Shift, Theme, and Title again / To use an analytical process to understand the author’s craft /
Visualizing / Forming a picture (mentally and/or literally) while reading a text / To increase reading comprehension and promote active engagement with text /
Vocabulary Notebook / Using a format such as a notebook, journal, or personal list to maintain an ongoing list of vocabulary words, definitions, and connection to academic study / To facilitate and sustain a systematic process of vocabulary development /


Vocabulary Activities:


Word Maps / Using a clearly defined graphic organizer such as concept circles or word webs to identify and reinforce word meanings / To provide a visual tool for identifying and remembering multiple aspects of words and word meanings /

Speaking and Listening Strategies

Choral Reading / Reading text lines aloud in student groups and / or individually to present an interpretation / To develop fluency; differentiate between the reading of statements an questions,; practice phrasing , pacing, and reading dialogue,; show how a character’s emotions are captured through vocal stress and intonation /
Debate / Engaging in an informal or formal argumentation of an issue / To provide students with an opportunity to collect and orally present evidence supporting the affirmative and negative arguments of a proposition or issue /
Drama Games / Participating in creative dramatics (e.g., pantomime, tableau, role playing) / To engage students in reading and presenting of text and to create meaning through a kinesthetic approach /
Fishbowl
(Inner / Outer Circles) / Discussing specific topics within groups; some students will form the inner circle and model appropriate discussion techniques while an outer circle of students listen, respond, and evaluate / To provide students with an opportunity to engage I a formal discussion and to experience roles both as participant and active listener; students also have the responsibility of supporting their opinions and responses using specific textual evidence /
Note Taking / Creating a record of information while listening to a speaker / To facilitate active listening; to record and organize ideas that assist in processing information /
Oral Interpretation / Reading a text orally while providing the necessary inflection and emphasis that demonstrate an understanding of the meaning of the text / To share with an audience the reader’s personal insight into a text through voice, fluency, tone, and purpose
Rehearsal / Encouraging multiple practices of a piece of text prior to a performance / To provide students with an opportunity to clarify the meaning of a text prior toa performance as they refine the use of dramatic conventions (e.g., gestures, vocal interpretations, facial expressions) /
Role Playing / Assuming the role or persona of a character / To develop the voice, emotions, and mannerisms of a character to facilitate improved comprehension of a text /
Socratic Seminar / Tying a focused discussion to an essential question, topic, or selected text in which students ask questions of each other; questions initiate a conversation that continues with a series of responses and additional questions / To help students formulate questions that address issues (in lieu of simply stating their opinions) to facilitate their own discussion and arrive at a new understanding; students also have the responsibility of supporting their opinions and responses using specific textual evidence /

Collaborative Strategies

Critique Reasoning / Through collaborative discussion, respond to the arguments of others; question the use of mathematical terminology, assumptions, and conjectures to improve understanding and to justify and communicate conclusions / Helps students learn from each other as they make connections between mathematical concepts and learn to verbalize their understanding and support their arguments with reasoning and data that make sense to peers /
Discussion Groups / Working within groups to discuss content, to create problem solutions, and to explain and justify a solution / Aids understanding through the sharing of ideas, interpretation of concepts, and analysis or problem scenarios /
Group Presentation / Presenting information as a collaborative group / Allows opportunities to present collaborative solutions and share responsibility for delivering information to an audience /
Jigsaw / By reading different texts or passages from a single text, students become “experts”; they share information from their reading with a specific group, and then return to their initial groups to share their new knowledge / To summarize and present information to others in a way that facilitates on understanding of a text (or multiple texts) without having each student read the text in its entirety /


Literature Circles / Groups of students read the same text to participate in a mutual reading experience; based on the objective(s) of the lesson, students take on a variety of roles throughout the reading experience; texts may be selected based on individual preference or on the demands of the text / To provide opportunities for students to interact with one another as they read, respond to, and interpret a common text /
Think-Pair-Share / Considering and thinking about a topic or question and then writing what has been learned; pairing with a peer or a small group to share ideas; sharing ideas and discussion with a larger group / To construct meaning about a topic or question; to test thinking in relation to the ideas of others; to prepare for a discussion with a larger group /


Problem Solving Strategies

Construct an Argument / Use mathematical reasoning to present assumptions about mathematical situation, support conjectures with mathematically relevant and accurate data, and provide a logical progression of ideas leading to a conclusion that makes sense / Helps develop the process of evaluation mathematical information, developing reasoning skills, and enhancing communication skills in supporting conjectures an conclusions /


Create a Plan / Analyzing the tasks in a problem and creating a process for completing the tasks by finding information needed for the tasks, interpreting data, choosing how to solve a problem, communicating the results, and verifying accuracy / Assists in breaking tasks into smaller parts and identifying the steps needed to complete the entire task /
Create Representations / Creating pictures, tables, graphs, lists, equations, models, and/or verbal expressions to interpret text or data / Helps organize information using multiple ways to presents data and to answer a question or show a problem solution /


Guess and Check / Guessing the solution to a problem, and then checking that the guess fits the information in the problem and is an accurate solution / Allows exploration of different ways to solve a problem; guess and check may be use when other strategies for solving are not obvious /

Identify a Subtask / Breaking a problem into smaller pieces whose outcomes lead to a solution / Helps to organize the pieces of a complex problem and reach a complete solution
Look for a Pattern / Observing information or creating visual representations to find a trend / Helps to identify patterns that may be used to make predictions /

Work Backward / Tracing a possible answer back through the solution process to the starting point / Provides another way to check possible answers for accuracy /
Use Manipulatives / Using objects to examine relations hips between the information given / Provides visual representation of data that supports comprehension of information in a problem /