1. Scaffolding Students’ Comprehension of Text
Article written by
Kathleen F. Clark & Michael F. Graves
Summarized by
Kristine Barrett

2. Scaffolding M. Pressley
The scaffolding of a building under construction provides support when the new building cannot stand on its own. As the new structure is completed and becomes freestanding, the scaffolding is removed. So it is with scaffolded adult-child academic interactions. The adult carefully monitors when enough instructional input has been provided to permit the child to make progress toward an academic goal, and thus the adult provides support only when the child needs it. If the child catches on quickly, the adult’s responsive instruction will be less detailed than if the child experiences difficulties with the task.
M. Pressley

3. Why use scaffolding? Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development
Pearson and Fielding’s release of responsibility model

4. Inductive form of instruction
It teaches students how to find and organize information, create and test hypotheses that describe relationships among data sets. (Joyce & Weil)

5. Forms of Scaffolding Instruction
Moment-to-moment scaffolding
Instructional frameworks
Questioning the Author
Scaffolded Reading Experience
Instructional procedures
Direct Explanation of Comprehension Strategies
Reciprocal Teaching

6. Moment-to Moment Verbal Scaffolding
Use of a variety of questioning techniques
Prompt
Probe
Help explain answers more in-depth
Knowledge of how to ask questions without giving answers
Give meaning and purpose to questions
Must remain very aware of students’ abilities

7. Instructional Frameworks
Questioning the Author
Use for reading individual texts
Used to understand, interpret, and elaborate on author’s meaning
Open-ended questioning techniques instead of story element questions
A variety of responses is desired from questions
Designed by I.L. Beck, M.G. McKeown, J. Worthy, C.A. Sandora, and L. Kucan
Scaffolding Reading Response (2 phases)
Planning Phase in which the teacher must consider:
The students who are reading
The reading selection
The purpose for reading
Implementation Phase
Pre-reading activities
During-reading activities
Post-reading activities
These activities are designed to guide the students to meet the purposes set in the planning phase.
Designed by M.F. Graves & B.B. Graves

8. Instructional procedures for teaching reading comprehension strategies
Direct Explanation of Comprehension Strategies
Reciprocal Teaching

9. Direct Explanation of Comprehension Strategies
The teacher…
Clearly explains strategy
How it is to be used
When it is to be used
Models the strategy
Provides opportunities for student modeling

10. Reciprocal Teaching Teaches four comprehension strategies: Questioning
Summarizing
Clarifying
Predicting
The strategies are directly taught and modeled.
The strategies are designed to teach understanding of the purposes of reading, activating prior knowledge, focusing attention on important content, critically evaluating text, monitoring comprehension, and drawing & testing inferences.

11. The teacher’s role is to provide the students with enough instruction and guidance as long as necessary. That instruction and guidance will continually change as the students develop their own skills and strategies, which will enable them to become independent learners and thinkers.

12. Final Thoughts Very well written
Provides useful insights into reading instruction
Explained in easy to understand ways
Background information is provided
Constructivist elements are provided
Scaffolding, zone of proximal development, Reciprocal Teaching, and the gradual release of responsibility model
Definite instructions for use in the classroom
Allows students to grow into creative thinkers who are able to take learning into their own hands.
Each form builds on the other ones so students will continually use them in comprehending any type of material.
Students will begin to see the connections to all subject areas instead of just during “reading time”.

13. Each form of scaffolding instruction requires students to think for themselves.
Teachers model strategies.
Collaboration between students is encouraged.
Examples are given from a variety of levels of education
Authors quote directly from classroom discussions so readers can “see” the form at work.
This is a real-world article, which would allow me to take the knowledge gained from it and begin using it immediately within my own classroom.

14. Scaffolding “is a highly flexible and adaptable model of instruction that supports students as they acquire basic skills and higher order thinking processes, allows for explicit instruction within authentic contexts of reading and writing, and enables teachers to differentiate instruction for students of diverse needs” (Clark & Graves, 2005, p.579).