Using Metacognitive Strategies By Alison Gonzalez

What is metacognition? “A person’s knowledge of the intellectual functioning of his or her own mind and that person’s conscious efforts to monitor or control this functioning” (Roe 238). In smaller terms metacognition “is the awareness or analysis of one's own learning or thinking processes” (Webster 1).

Why should we teach metacognitive strategies in other content areas? Metacognitive strategies promote comprehension of the student. Comprehension of the material is the overall goal in education. Metacognitive strategies are easy, and it keeps the students paying attention to what they are reading. Metacognitive strategies have a positive effect on study strategies.

How do you use metacognition for comprehension? During the reading you can ask the students to concentrate on a certain skill that you are learning today. For example: A science focus could be the water cycle. When reading the story every time the students hear the words clouds, rain, or sun. They would say aloud: “that is part of the water cycle.” This makes the students focus on the water cycle and makes them think what things are included in the water cycle.

How do you use metacoginitive strategies for a study technique? “Students who monitor their own comprehension and use fix-up strategies are more likely to comprehend and retain the information that they read” (Roe 414). Fix-up strategies (These strategies are a part of metacognition): – Rereading – Self-questioning – Retelling – Predicting and verifying – Reading further while withholding judgment

What does the student learn from metacognitive strategies? They gain knowledge in the area of concentration They comprehend the story better, because they are constantly paying attention. They will learn to ask themselves whether they are looking for directly stated, implied, or needed to connect information from their own backgrounds with the material (Roe 238). The student will learn meaning and have better retention of what they are reading.

Sample Lesson Plan Using Metacognitive Strategies Grade Level Targeted: 3rd Grade Objectives: – The student will compare, contrast, and ask questions about life cycles of various organisms. – The student will adjust their reading rate to support comprehension when reading narrative, expository, and technical texts. Standards/Benchmarks/Indicators: – Standard 3: LIFE SCIENCE – The student will develop an understanding of biological concepts through direct experience with living things, their life cycles, and their habitats. – Benchmark 2: The student will observe and illustrate the life cycles of various organisms. – Indicator 1: The student compares, contrasts, and asks questions about life cycles of various organisms.

Sample Lesson Plan Using Metacognitive Strategies Continued Standards/Benchmarks/Indicators Continued: – Standard 3: Reading: The student reads and comprehends text across the curriculum. – Benchmark 2: The student reads fluently. – Indicator 5: The student will adjust reading rate to support comprehension when reading narrative, expository, and technical texts.

Sample Lesson Plan Using Metacognitive Strategies Continued (Before Reading): I would begin by asking a question that grabs the students attention: Do you think that a butterfly and a caterpillar are the same thing? Some students would blurt “they are the same” and some would say “they are different.” I would explain to them that today we are going to figure out that answer by learning about life cycles. I would explain to them that because we are going to read an expository text we will change the pace of our reading to better comprehend the text. I would start off the lesson by asking every student to get a sheet of notebook paper out and draw what they think a human life cycle would be. If the children were unfamiliar with the term life cycle I would explain that first. Then I would have them compare their drawling to a picture of a human life cycle found on the web-site: I would ask the children if their life cycle looked similar to the web-site or different. We would discuss what they left out of their lifecycle drawing and why. Then I would ask the students to think about the lifecycle of a butterfly. I would tell them that as a class we are going to try and make a life cycle of a butterfly and compare it with the article. I would first ask how does a butterfly start? If the students were having a hard time agreeing I would take a vote. Then I would ask what is a butterfly like as a child, as a young adult, and as an adult? I would remind everyone that we are going to read an expository text today. Some of you might be wondering what the difference is in between an expository text, and the text you normally read narrative text. Narrative text has beginning, middle and end, characters, plot or conflict, and setting. The main purpose of expository text is to inform or describe. People write expository texts in order to research a topic to gain information. I would explain to them that when we read an expository text we need to change our pace for better comprehension. I would read an exert from a narrative text and an expository text to show the children the difference in pace. I would make the children listen for the way that I slow down when reading facts. Transition: Then I would explain to the students that we are now going to read the article about a butterflies life cycle from the web-site: I want them to think about the life cycle that we drew as a class and compare it to the article. However because the article is an expository text we will need to adjust or pace when reading for better comprehension.

Sample Lesson Plan Using Metacognitive Strategies Continued During Reading: – I would pass out the article from the website: Then I would tell the class that we are going to read this text together. However our pace when we read will change because it is expository. This is when the metacognitive strategy begins. Then during the first paragraph we will find the sentence, “To grow into an adult they go through 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.” I will tell the students to stop after reading that sentence. I will discuss with them that those four stages are a part of the butterfly life cycle. Then I will tell them that if they hear any of the four stages they are to say “life cycle.” Then we would continue reading the article. When we would come to the third stage I would ask the children to stop again, and we would discuss that this is the crucial stage of transition for a butterfly. I would also comment on the pace that the class was using while reading. If it was too fast, too slow, or perfect. Then I would let the class continue reading. Transition: Then I would explain to the students that we are now going compare our life cycle of butterfly that we made as a class to the article that we just read. We are also going to discuss the pace of reading the expository text, and if you could tell a difference.

Sample Lesson Plan Using Metacognitive Strategies Continued Post-Reading: – I would ask the students if they could retell the story back to me. I would assign each table a paragraph, and they would have to give me one sentence that retold the that paragraph. Then I would write the classes sentences on the board to complete the retelling. – This is where the students have to remember their metacognitive strategy. I would ask the class to remember every time that we said life cycle out loud what were the 4 stages that we said that four. As they name them I would put them up on the boar. We would talk about what the butterfly looked like at those four stages. I would even draw a life cycle chart of a butterfly to represent the article. Then I would ask the students what is the difference in between our life cycle chart that we drew before reading, and after reading. – Then I would tell the students to pick a buddy in the classroom. I would have page numbers of text that they can find in their reading book. Some pages will have expository texts on them, and some will have narrative texts on them. I want them to pick one expository text and one narrative text to read with their partner. I want them to really pay attention to the pace of their own voice and their partners while they read the stories. While they are reading I would float around the room listening to them checking to make sure they were reading with the appropriate pace. Then after the activity we will discuss how the reading pace changed, and the reasons why we needed to change our pace. Transition: I would tell the children that they are going to receive pictures of two different life cycles. I want them to draw a concept map that compares and contrast the two cycles.

Sample Lesson Plan Using Metacognitive Strategies Continued Independent Practice: – The students will be handed two life cycles on a piece of paper. One will be of a frog and one will be of an insect from the following cites: and ycle.jpg. The students will be instructed to make a Venn diagram and compare and contrast the two life cycles. They will be instructed to have at least 3 things that the cycles have in common, and 3 things that the cycles have different.. ycle.jpg Transition: – I would tell the students to turn in the assignment to my desk, and sit down ready to listen.

Sample Lesson Plan Using Metacognitive Strategies Continued Closure: – I would ask the students if they can tell me the difference between expository and narrative text. Then I would ask them which one do you read with a slower pace? – I would ask the students if they can explain to me what a life cycle is. I would ask them if they can remember the 4 stages of the life cycle of the butterfly. – I would tell them that tomorrow in reading we are going to learn about another form of text informational, and in science we are going to catch our own caterpillars to watch them go through the life cycle. – Then I would ask the students if there were any further questions, and then move on to the next subject.

Sample Lesson Plan Using Metacognitive Strategies Continued Adaptations: – For ESL children I would make sure that they are understanding the vocabulary of the story. I would make them a print out of any words that looked difficult from the story along with their definition. – For MR students I would have a para or another student help them with the Venn Diagram. – For gifted children I would have extra books on life cycles sitting around the room that they could read if they finished an activity early. Reflection: – I will use the activities where the students compared life cycles on the Venn Diagram, and their partner reading to reflect upon if the students were gaining knowledge on pace changing and life cycles. Assessment: – What methods of assessment will be used to monitor and/or assess student learning? I will access the students by doing an informal assessment while they are reading with a partner. I will mark down if they changed pace while reading the expository text or if it stayed the same. I will use the Venn diagram that they drew of the life cycles to informally access if the students understood the concept of comparing life cycles. – Were your objectives met? My objectives were met by several activities. – What will you do for students who did not learn? For the students that did not learn the concept I will take time after school to go over it with them, If it was a large number of students I will spend more time on the concepts by reviewing them for a couple of days. – How could learning be extended or enriched for those who did learn? I am going to let the children the children observe the lifecycle of the butterfly when they catch them the next time. For reading we will continue on learning how to change our pace with informational text in the next lesson.

Lesson Plan materials Article from: cycle.shtmlhttp:// cycle.shtml Human Life Cycle Picture From: an_body/lifecycle.jpg an_body/lifecycle.jpg Comparison Picture from: Other Comparison Picture from: 4/insect_life_cycle.jpg

For More Information on Metacognitive Strategies Visit: – Instruction of Metacognitive Strategies Enhances Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Achievement of Third- Grade Students leader/reading/metacognitive-strategies.html leader/reading/metacognitive-strategies.html – This cite is about best practices in Metacognitive strategies ognition.htm ognition.htm – METACOGNITION: Study Strategies, Monitoring, and Motivation By William Peirce © 2003