COMPREHENSION ACTIVITIES
METACOGNITION
"When the mind is thinking it is talking to itself" -Plato, philosopher
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it." -Henry Ford
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it." -Henry Ford
Concrete Experience:
The Reading Salad pg. 12-16
Source: Comprehension Connections Bridges to Strategic Reading
Materials:
One large bowl,two small bowls, small red paper squares, small green paper squares, a book being currently read by the teacher outside of school, a deep picture book.
Purpose:
Students will participate in a concrete reading experience where the teacher guides students to discover metacognition during reading.
The Reading Salad pg. 12-16
Source: Comprehension Connections Bridges to Strategic Reading
Materials:
One large bowl,two small bowls, small red paper squares, small green paper squares, a book being currently read by the teacher outside of school, a deep picture book.
Purpose:
Students will participate in a concrete reading experience where the teacher guides students to discover metacognition during reading.
Teaching Tip:
Gather paint cards from your local hardware store and label them with a gradient that can be used to describe understanding. For example, on a three colored card, the colors could be labeled: clear, hazy and foggy. Color cards could also simply be numbered. When conferring with students and discussing understanding and comprehension, sometimes it is just as easy to refer to a visual. Keep extras in baskets near a guided reading table or next the classroom library. Students can use them as bookmarks and refer to them often.
VISUALIZATION
When your head's full of pictures, they have to come out.-Bill Maynard, author
The true seeing is within.- George Elliot, novelist
The true seeing is within.- George Elliot, novelist
Source:
“Increasing Reading Comprehension through Visualization” via Youtube.com
Love You Forever – by Robert Munsch
Purpose:
Students will practice the comprehension skill of visualization by listening to a short children’s book and drawing a scene from the book to demonstrate their understanding of it. This skill will translate to a more challenging text via the extension activity.
Objective:
Students will be able to practice visualization by listening to a short children’s book without viewing the pictures and drawing what they picture in their minds.
Materials:
Paper, markers, pencils, colored pencils, etc.
Procedure:
The teacher will explain that visualization involves listening to a text carefully and drawing a picture of their understanding of that text. The teacher will read Love You Forever by Robert Munsch aloud to students from the back of the classroom to ensure the pictures are not visible to anybody. Students will utilize their listening skills in order to draw a picture of what they see in their minds while the teacher reads the text to them. Students will share out what they drew and explain their rationale.
Extension:
Students will attempt this activity with a novel they are reading in class to assist with comprehension of the text.
From Readingrockets.com
Follow these few simple steps to provide practice developing students' mental images:
-ReadingRockets.com
“Increasing Reading Comprehension through Visualization” via Youtube.com
Love You Forever – by Robert Munsch
Purpose:
Students will practice the comprehension skill of visualization by listening to a short children’s book and drawing a scene from the book to demonstrate their understanding of it. This skill will translate to a more challenging text via the extension activity.
Objective:
Students will be able to practice visualization by listening to a short children’s book without viewing the pictures and drawing what they picture in their minds.
Materials:
Paper, markers, pencils, colored pencils, etc.
Procedure:
The teacher will explain that visualization involves listening to a text carefully and drawing a picture of their understanding of that text. The teacher will read Love You Forever by Robert Munsch aloud to students from the back of the classroom to ensure the pictures are not visible to anybody. Students will utilize their listening skills in order to draw a picture of what they see in their minds while the teacher reads the text to them. Students will share out what they drew and explain their rationale.
Extension:
Students will attempt this activity with a novel they are reading in class to assist with comprehension of the text.
From Readingrockets.com
Follow these few simple steps to provide practice developing students' mental images:
- Begin reading. Pause after a few sentences or paragraphs that contain good descriptive information.
- Share the image you've created in your mind, and talk about which words from the book helped you "draw" your picture. Your picture can relate to the setting, the characters, or the actions. By doing this, you are modeling the kind of picture making you want your child to do.
- Talk about how these pictures help you understand what's happening in the story.
- Continue reading. Pause again and share the new image you created. Then ask your child to share what he sees, hears, tastes, smells and feels. Ask what words helped him create the mental image and emotions. By doing this, you are providing your child with practice with this new skill.
- Are your images identical? Probably not! This is a great time to talk about why your images might be different. Perhaps your child went on a school field trip or had a school assembly that changed the way they created the picture in their mind. Perhaps experiences you've had as an adult influenced what you "drew." These differences are important to understand and respect.
- Read a longer portion of text and continue the sharing process.
-ReadingRockets.com
MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS
Power Thinking: pg. 38-42
Project CRISS CReating Independence through Student-owned Strategies, 3rd. edition
Purpose:
To provide students with an experience that helps to differentiate between main ideas and details.
The Power Thinking process is fairly easy for students to master quickly. Main ideas and details are assigned numbers.
- main ideas are power 1 ideas
- details are power 2-4 ideas
This strategy is transferable, as students can refer to this strategy when taking notes, reading, studying or brainstorming for a writing piece.
(The following is taken directly from the Project CRISS manual)
Introduction, Modeling, and Reflection
1. Begin instruction by providing students with the following information.
Power 1. Main idea
Power 2. Detail or support for Power 1
Power 3. Detail or support for power 2 (and so forth)
2. Start working with power thinking by using individual words. Later, students can incorporate sentences or phrases. Show your students examples such as the following.
Power 1. Animals
Power 2. Dog
Power 3. German Shepherd
Power 2. Cat
Power 3. Siamese
Power 3. Calico
Note: Ideas or words having the same Power numbers must have a similar relationship to the Power above. For example, "bear" could be another Power 2 but "grizzly bear" would be too specific for a Power 2. If "bear" were the Power 2, then "grizzly" could be Power 3.
3. Pick a Power 1 idea on a familiar topic such as sports, food, or TV shows. Have your students give you a Power 2, 3, and 4 examples. For instance:
Teacher: Power 1 is sports. What will Power 2 be?
Student: Football
Teacher: Great, now give me another Power 2
Student: Basketball
Teacher:Right, now give me a Power 3 example that will fit under basketball
Student: Hoop, court, and basketball
As students give you these ideas, write them on the board or overhead:
1. sports
2.football
2.basketball
3.hoop
3.court
3.basketball
Tip: Instead of writing in outline form, the relationship between main idea and detail can be displayed in a web or graphic format. The manual suggests even using Inspiration software.
This strategy can be used to review learned concepts, organize content, or organize background knowledge. This strategy can be utilized across the curriculum. Power structures can even be extended into writing. The power structure can help students develop and organize paragraphs. This is a great strategy for students still in need of a concrete brainstorm strategy when needing to organize writing. The CRISS manual continues with tips and help for modeling and helping students transform Power structures into paragraphs and writing pieces.
MAKING INFERENCES
"Reading is important-read between the lines. Don't swallow everything." - Gwendolyn Brooks, poet
"What I like in a good author isn't what he says, but what he whispers." - Logan P. Smith, essayist
"What I like in a good author isn't what he says, but what he whispers." - Logan P. Smith, essayist
Source:
Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading p. 49 – 51
Puff, the Magic Dragon – by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton
Purpose:
Students will participate in a kinesthetic learning activity that requires them to make inferences about a mystery person based on what they find in his/her “trash.” An anchor chart will be posted that will help guide students’ thinking during this activity.
Objective:
Working in groups students will be able to formulate three inferences about two items found in the “trash” by using their prior knowledge about each of the items.
Materials:
Poster board or post-it paper; markers; “trash” with pre-selected items for the activity to teach the skill; anchor chart for examples of thinking stems
Procedure:
The teacher will begin the activity by telling students a hypothetical story about a mystery person in their neighborhood.
"Last Wednesday a new person moved into the old Sanderson house on Vine Street. I was driving to school this morning and noticed the new neighbor’s trash can was spilled out all over the road. I stopped my car and got out to examine the contents of the trash because I wanted to know more about the person. I discovered 10 random items that I put in my school bag and brought in to class today. Don’t worry, I wore gloves and washed my hands after I got to school this morning! Before you all arrived I had the brilliant idea of using this mystery person’s trash as a way to teach our new comprehension strategy. This strategy is called making inferences, or inferring. Inferring requires an individual to look at something, in this case a piece of trash, and make an inference, or an assumption about what that person might be like. As readers you all practice inferring and may not even realize it. For example, you may sometimes make assumptions about a character in a story before finding out what actually happens to that character by the end. Sometimes our inferences are right, but other times they could be wrong. The point is that inferences are a good way to show that you understand what it is you are reading."
Students will participate in a hands-on learning experience in which volunteers will pull one item from the “trash.” Another volunteer will create a list on the board of all the items pulled. Once all 10 items are identified the teacher will direct students to the anchor chart on the wall with several possible thinking stems including “My guess is” and “I think that the person is……” The teacher will divide the class into five teams of 6 and assign each group two of the items. On post-it paper each group will write up three possible inferences about the new neighbor’s personality, age, occupation, etc. based on their two items. After several minutes the each group will share out their inferences to the whole group.
The next day the teacher will share the following hypothetical conclusion before the extension activity:
On my way home my neighbor was outside looking at his tipped over trash can. I stopped my car and got out with my school bag. I introduced myself and he said “I can’t believe someone stole my trash.” I opened my bag and said “Actually, once it is out on the street it is public property, so I used it to teach inferring to my 6th grade class today!” My neighbor laughed and asked what they inferred. I shared some information and he said the students were very good at inferring because what they inferred was mostly true.
Extension:
The teacher will reinforce the concept of inferring by reading a short part of a children’s book to the whole group without giving away the ending. Students will independently write down three inferences about what they think might happen to the main character by the end of the book.
Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading p. 49 – 51
Puff, the Magic Dragon – by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton
Purpose:
Students will participate in a kinesthetic learning activity that requires them to make inferences about a mystery person based on what they find in his/her “trash.” An anchor chart will be posted that will help guide students’ thinking during this activity.
Objective:
Working in groups students will be able to formulate three inferences about two items found in the “trash” by using their prior knowledge about each of the items.
Materials:
Poster board or post-it paper; markers; “trash” with pre-selected items for the activity to teach the skill; anchor chart for examples of thinking stems
Procedure:
The teacher will begin the activity by telling students a hypothetical story about a mystery person in their neighborhood.
"Last Wednesday a new person moved into the old Sanderson house on Vine Street. I was driving to school this morning and noticed the new neighbor’s trash can was spilled out all over the road. I stopped my car and got out to examine the contents of the trash because I wanted to know more about the person. I discovered 10 random items that I put in my school bag and brought in to class today. Don’t worry, I wore gloves and washed my hands after I got to school this morning! Before you all arrived I had the brilliant idea of using this mystery person’s trash as a way to teach our new comprehension strategy. This strategy is called making inferences, or inferring. Inferring requires an individual to look at something, in this case a piece of trash, and make an inference, or an assumption about what that person might be like. As readers you all practice inferring and may not even realize it. For example, you may sometimes make assumptions about a character in a story before finding out what actually happens to that character by the end. Sometimes our inferences are right, but other times they could be wrong. The point is that inferences are a good way to show that you understand what it is you are reading."
Students will participate in a hands-on learning experience in which volunteers will pull one item from the “trash.” Another volunteer will create a list on the board of all the items pulled. Once all 10 items are identified the teacher will direct students to the anchor chart on the wall with several possible thinking stems including “My guess is” and “I think that the person is……” The teacher will divide the class into five teams of 6 and assign each group two of the items. On post-it paper each group will write up three possible inferences about the new neighbor’s personality, age, occupation, etc. based on their two items. After several minutes the each group will share out their inferences to the whole group.
The next day the teacher will share the following hypothetical conclusion before the extension activity:
On my way home my neighbor was outside looking at his tipped over trash can. I stopped my car and got out with my school bag. I introduced myself and he said “I can’t believe someone stole my trash.” I opened my bag and said “Actually, once it is out on the street it is public property, so I used it to teach inferring to my 6th grade class today!” My neighbor laughed and asked what they inferred. I shared some information and he said the students were very good at inferring because what they inferred was mostly true.
Extension:
The teacher will reinforce the concept of inferring by reading a short part of a children’s book to the whole group without giving away the ending. Students will independently write down three inferences about what they think might happen to the main character by the end of the book.
CLOSE READING
Tabletop Twitter (Poster Activity)
Notice and Note professional development at Boyertown H.S. Summer 2014
Materials: Short piece of text, poster board, highlighters, pencils, glue
Purpose: Capturing transient thoughts while reading, questioning of text (narrative, poem, expository or even a picture, page out of textbook, something that is thought provoking), encouraging talk (but also prohibiting it!), collaboration with peers, generates questions and ideas for classroom discussion, students reading (and re-reading) short passage with intense attention, development of an interest in a topic or idea to read about in more detail
Procedure: Teacher reads passage aloud, or students read passage silently. Students respond to the same piece of text that is fastened to a large sheet of poster paper. Students converse through writing, asking and responding to questions, while also sharing and discussing thoughts.
Teacher tip: Have a few thought provoking questions available to place in the margins to help facilitate conversation about the text. To increase accountability, distribute different colored highlighters for students to highlight portions of the text to which they are responding.
RIGOR resides in this strategy, as it is engaging and the amount energy and attention given to the text, rather than the difficulty of the text. Students utilize a variety of reading strategies simultaneously. Students read and reread to clarify and build meaning, students question and react to text with meaningful discussions with classmates.
Extension Activities: Writing in response to reading, ideas for follow-up the next day, research projects, topics for additional reads
INFORMATION REGARDING STUDENTS WITH IEPS
- For students with IEPs in a special education classroom, the teacher can still teach the comprehension strategies identified above, but modify them to meet their students’ individual needs. Similarly, students without IEPs at levels such as below basic, basic, and approaching proficiency may benefit from modifications to the above activities in order to acquire a specific set of comprehension strategies that can be applied to their independent reading activities.
A possible measurable annual IEP goal directly related to comprehension is as follows:
“Given explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies, the student will answer implicit and explicit comprehension questions at their instructional level with 80% accuracy on 3 out of 4 probes when administered during the course of the school year.”
- Students will need to apply their understanding of these strategies in order to make progress towards these goals.