Reading Strategies 2

Allison Kings article, From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side, is a great text with a lot of information and strategies on how to facilitate discussions and how not to be a sage on the stage. Three strategies that I took away from Kings article that I could implement in my teaching is the guided reciprocal peer questioning, jigsaw, and co-op cooperative learning.

·         Guided reciprocal peer questioning is a strategy that allows students to come up with higher order thinking when they are thinking of and responding to questions by their peers. This strategy allows the students to infer using the text and use the information to create questions that they can relate to other topics or materials.

·         Jigsaw is a fun strategy that allows a teacher to break up a topic into 6 or more pieces. The students oversee learning about the piece they have and then teach it to their peers. Once all the students have presented, they will then have a completed picture about the topic they were researching. This strategy showcases accountability and teamwork. It also gives every student has an important role.

·         Co-op operating learning is exactly what the name entails. It builds on cooperative learning between the students making it student-centered rather than teacher centered. This is a great way for students to do research projects on topics they are interested in or the unit of that month. However, with this strategy there is a reflection at the end where students can give direct feedback about what worked, what did not work, and if this strategy benefited their learning. This is critical because students become aware of their own thinking process and it gives the teacher an idea of what to tweak for the next project.

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PAR- A Framework for Content Area Reading

Pre- reading

·         Anticipation guide: before reading a book or article have students fill out an anticipation guide about how they feel about certain topics/themes. After they have read the reading material they will go back and see if their answers have changed and whether their opinions have been swayed by the new information they have accumulated.

•  Example: we can learn many lessons from our elders.

·         Build background knowledge: building background knowledge on the topic or theme of the reading gives students some information of what to expect instead of just diving right into the book. This allows students to make their own connections as they are reading.

•   Example: Have students read about the American dream before reading The Great Gatsby

During Reading

·         Journals/Reading logs: have students keep journals where they can write the information that they are understanding as they are reading or what they are not understanding. Write comments on the journals either clearing up questions they may have or simply respond back.

•   Example: Why doesn’t Holden in The Catcher in the Rye just tell the truth?

 

·         Read out loud pausing: pause during read out loud in class and have students predict what may happen next.

•   Example: In The Lord of the Flies, will Ralph and Piggy lie or tell the truth about Simons death?

After Reading

·         Board games: have students create games based on what they have read. This is an extension of what they had just finished reading and it solidifies new information.

 

·         Written reflection: have students write a written reflection based on how they felt about the book. What did they like? What would they change if they could re-write the ending?