1. Embedding Reading Comprehension Strategies 2010

2. Presentation intentions: By the end of this presentation you will have a better understanding of 5 appropriate reading comprehension strategies why we teach the strategies identifying opportunities for teaching the strategies using course material

3. What are reading comprehension strategies? What are reading comprehension strategies we use when we read text? What strategies do our students use?

4. What do we aim to achieve? “Leading our students to become more active, independent and successful readers of content texts by teaching them the strategies that would stimulate them to think more deeply and more competently about the texts before, during and after reading.” Thibodeau, G.M. (2008)

5. 5 Research-based Comprehension Strategies Activating background knowledge Text structure awareness Asking & answering questions Creating mental images Summarising

6. Activating Background Knowledge So learners can link what they read to what they know already...

7. Text Structure Awareness

9. Text Structure: String (sequential).

10. Text Structure: Web (descriptive)

11. Unit Standard 62 ‘Weave’ Compare and contrast Professional Appearance Body partGood habitsResults of bad habits Other hints Body Mouth Hands and fingernails Hair Feet Face

12. Questioning and Answering “ Most readers are constantly posing and answering questions in their heads while they read, as a strategy for understanding the text they are engaged with” (Learning Progressions for Adult Literacy, p. 39). “What structure has the writer followed to put this paragraph or whole text together?” “What is the topic?” “What are the sub-topics?” levels of thinking: e.g. Bloom’s taxonomy.

13. Questioning and Answering Literal levelInferential level Critical level Creative level

14. Creating Mental Images Skilled readers sometimes make pictures in their heads that are consistent with the ideas in a story or article (people, objects, places or events). Creating mental images is important when reading or listening to a story or article that doesn't include pictures. Visualizing can help increase understanding of the material read.

15. Summarising Summarising is the ability to * delete irrelevant details; * combine similar ideas; * condense main ideas; * connect major themes into concise statements that capture the purpose of a reading for the reader. (Block & Pressley, 2003) Summarising is embedded into text structure awareness and is part of the CORE model of instruction.

16. Teaching reading comprehension strategies 1. Teach comprehension strategies one at a time. 2. Initially comprehension strategies should be explicitly taught. 3. Model the comprehension strategy, long-term, through think-alouds. 4. Guided practice: Tutors should work alongside learners as they practise the strategy, using many texts. 5. Aim, over time, is to teach a “small repertoire of strategies”.

17. The CORE Model of Instruction CORE Model of INSTRUCTION ConnectOrganiseReflectExtend (Calfee & Patrick, 1995).

18. The BDA model Before DuringAfter Summarising: Identifying the main idea Asking and answering questions Creating mental images Summarising Connect new knowledge to other contexts Identifying underlying meanings or messages Activating background knowledge Asking questions: Making predictions Asking questions: Purpose for reading Identifying text structure

19. What did we cover today? What is comprehension? What strategies can we teach? Activating prior knowledge Text structure awareness Questioning and answering Creating mental images Summarising

20. By the end of this presentation you will have a better understanding of 5 appropriate reading comprehension strategies why we teach the strategies identifying opportunities for teaching the strategies using your course material