3. Think-Pair-Share
THINK-PAIR-SHARE : Students write down
ideas, discuss with a fellow peer, and then share
collaborative ideas with the rest of the class. This
strategy promotes healthy interaction between the
students and the non-fiction book being presented.
Furthermore, it also can expose students to
different perspectives, while activating students’
schema (prior knowledge) and schemata
(background knowledge).
4. KWL Charts
KWL Chart : By using a 3 columned page, students
can write what it is that they know, or think they
know about the non-fiction topic in the “K” column.
Then the students would write questions about
what they want to learn from the text in the “W”
column. After reading the nonfiction text, students
would then write what they learned in the “L”
column, while reflecting on their prior questions.
5. Previewing theText
Teachers model the importance of identifying key
components of a book like headers, pictures,
subheadings, picture captions and other key
features so that students can make predictions or
inferences about a nonfiction book. Allowing the
students to collaborate together and to discuss
their findings in a class discussion is a critical
component of the overall reading process.
6. Identifying KeyWords
Identifying key words: Students write an
informative essay while utilizing new vocabulary.
This is an exercise that allows students to
identify, and write what they know about the new
terms before reading a nonfiction text. This is a
great strategy for activating schema (prior
knowledge), and acts as a guide for a teacher to
determine the most appropriate form of instruction
delivery. This strategy could also be applied as an
after reading strategy, which enhances overall
comprehension of the text and new terms.
7. Internet Scavenger Hunt
Internet scavenger hunt: A teacher presents a
nonfiction topic and creates a scavenger hunt list
from key terms and concepts from the text. Then
students would work in small groups to collect
information regarding the scavenger hunt list on the
internet. After all information is collected students
would discuss their findings to the whole class. This
activity is a great way to pique student interest on a
nonfiction topic before reading.
9. Response Sheets
RESPONSE SHEET : Students write key concepts or
terms on the left side of a piece of paper. Then
students would write personal reflections to each
concept or term on the right side of the paper. This
can help to bridge the text to a students prior
knowledge, and can also be used as a tool for
studying.
10. Literature Circles
LITERATURE CIRCLES : Is an independent reading
activity where students write down ideas and
questions related to the text. Then students work
in small groups to share their question and ideas in
a text related discussion in order to
summarize, predict, and make inferences. This
activity gives students a chance to become active
readers of the nonfiction text chosen.
11. Guided Reading
Guided Reading:Is when a teacher explicitly models
how to read, while using scaffolding techniques to
support students as they read a nonfiction text. The
teacher must educate readers on the most effective
reading strategies through explicit modeling and
systematic instructions.
12. ReciprocalTeaching
Reciprocal teaching:Is an active reading strategy where
students take turns to assume the role the teacher in
small reading groups to guide other students in a
discussion about the text. The acting student-teacher
has to employ four reading strategies that directly relate
to the comprehension of the text like
summarizing, generating questions, clarifying, and
predicting. The teacher must first explicitly model an
effective delivery of these strategies before hand in
order for a student to execute this exercise proficiently.
This reading strategy promotes critical thinking
skills, actively engages students to ask questions during
the reading, and helps to build comprehension skills.
13. Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers: Can be used by students and
teachers in order organize key terms, facts, and
ideas from the text which aids in developing
comprehension proficiency. Some examples of
graphic organizer are:
Venn diagrams, semantic mapping, timelines, flow
charts, concepts maps, and etc.
15. Literature-BasedThematic Units
Literature-based thematic units: Are a great way for
students to focus on a topic, genre, author, or an
illustration, and allows students to conduct further
research on a topic in the efforts to get a more in-
depth perspective on a particular topic, while
integrating a variety of academic disciplines.
16. Learning Logs
Learning logs:Is a great tool where students can
write down questions, ideas, and information into a
composition book after reading a text. Learning
logs are used to summarize what they may have
learned, helps organize new vocabulary terms, and
can help students to make meaningful connections
to the text.
17. Exit Slips
Exit Slips:Is a great tool for a teacher to quickly
assess what information students have learned
after a reading. The teacher can hand out out slips
of paper for students to write down three or four
facts about what they learned from the text, or the
teacher can ask questions related to the text so that
the students can write down their answers. This
strategy not only helps a teacher assess and track
students, but it also helps students reflect and
summarize the key concepts fostering the
development of proficient comprehension skills.
18. Retelling
Retelling:This a great outlet for students to monitor how
much of the nonfiction text that they can remember.
The main idea of this exercise is for the student not to
memorize exact words, but for the student to recall in
his/her own words details about
events, people, ideas, or any crucial information
presented in the text. This strategy could be done orally
in small groups, or in a whole class setting. This is a
great way for students to share with each other their
individual ideas and concepts that hey percieved about
the text presented.
19. Oral Reports
Oral reports: Are a way for a student to do research
on a chosen topic, which requires the student to
read multiple forms of text, and then transfer the
facts and ideas into a summary, or an outline into
their own words. Next, the student/students would
present their findings to the entire class without
reading directly from their report, rather spoken in
their own words.
20. Don’t forget….
“What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object
made from a tree with flexible parts on which are
imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance
at it and you're inside the mind of another person,
maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across
the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and
silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is
perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding
together people who never knew each other, citizens
of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A
book is proof that humans are capable of working
magic.”
[Cosmos, Part 11: The Persistence of Memory (1980)]”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
21. References
Bursuck, W. D., & Damer, M. (2011). Teaching reading to
students who are at risk or have disabilities a multi-tier
approach. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Campbell, E. (2001). Reading rockets. Retrieved from
http://www.readingrockets.org/search?cx=004997827699593
338140:nptllrzhp78&cof=FORID:11&ie=UTF-8&as_q=Before, d
uring, after reading strategies
Chandler, O. (2007, January). Good reads: quotes about
reading. Retrieved from
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/reading?page=8
Roe, B. D., & Ross, E. P. (2006). Integrating language arts
through literature & thematic units. Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc.
22. Chris McIntyre
RED 4348
Critical Assignment 1: Strategy Flip Chart
FEAP# 2 The Learning Environment
3/31/14
Being an effective reading specialist takes a lot of careful planning and consideration on the most
effective ways to get students actively involve in the reading process. Using before, during, and after research-
based reading strategies will not only help to activate a students’ schema and schemata, but will also build
proficiency skills in all five essential reading components. Effective delivery of various reading strategies can
help to develop a student’s intrinsic motivation and metacognition, “which is the conscious awareness of their
thought process while reading” (Bursuck&Damer, 2007, p.285). Furthermore, application of before, during, and
after reading strategies can challenge students to think critically about new ideas and content, which leads to a
cultivation of meaningful, real-life connections to a text. Having multiple research-based reading strategies can
be powerful weapons for reading teachers to utilize against an epidemic of low motivational readers, and at risk
students.
23. In order for a teacher to motivate and connect students to the importance of reading a specific text, one
must first activate students’ schema (prior knowledge) and schemata (background experiences). If
students cannot make any real-life connections and acknowledge the importance of the nonfiction
content being introduced, then there will be a deterioration of reader motivation and participation. Using
a research-based reading strategy like Think-Pair-Share can help to activate reader’s schema, and
schemata. This strategy promotes healthy social interaction between peers and the teacher through the
sharing of ideas and different perspectives on the nonfiction text being introduced. Another excellent
before reading strategy is the implementation of KWL Charts. This is a tool that bridges what students
(K)now, (W)hat students want to learn, and what they (L)earned about the nonfiction text. Students
divide a piece of paper into three columns (K, W, and L) to make a chart that connects a student’s prior
knowledge to a free flowing of ideas and reflections. KWL charts are not only a vital instructional
procedure tool, but they set a purpose and desire to learn and can motivate students to discover the
answers to their generated questions.
24. Another effective before reading strategy that can be utilized by a reading teacher is called Previewing
the Text. This is a vital component to the reading process where a teacher explicitly models how to
identify key components of a book like headers, subheadings, pictures, picture captions, and generating
predictions from these observations. Identifying key words can be done strategically before reading to
activate schema, and can act as a guide for a teacher to determine the most effective form of delivery of
reading instruction. Students would first identify new terms, and then write what they know about the
new vocabulary, while comparing their ideas after a reading to their initial thoughts. Finally, Internet
Scavenger Hunts can be used to motivate and pique interest of a specific topic or subject, while
activating a student’s prior knowledge. The teacher would first create a scavenger hunt list of the most
important core concepts that need to be covered in the nonfiction text. Then, students would work
together in small groups to search the web to complete the list, and compare with the class what they
discovered. Integrating technology is imperative to incorporate across the curriculum, and captures and
holds the attention of a generation of digital natives.
25. During reading strategies should also be implemented to further meaningful connections, and aid
proficient comprehension of a nonfiction text. Using Response Sheets a student would write key
concepts or terms on the left side of a piece of paper during a reading, and on the right side of the paper a
reflection after a reading. This can help to bridge a student’s prior knowledge to the new concepts and
ideas being introduced. Furthermore, implementing Literature Circles where students read
independently, while writing down predictions, questions, and main ideas to be shared in small group
discussions with peers can be a excellent during reading strategy as well. This activity gives students a
chance to become active readers, promotes critical thinking skills, and helps to develop proficiency in
reading comprehension. Guided Reading is another teaching technique where a teacher explicitly
models how to read, and then provides scaffolding techniques to support students as they read. This
strategy not only shows students the correct way to read, but provides meaningful practice and
supportive feedback which is an integral component of the reading process.
26. Utilizing a during reading strategy called Reciprocal Teaching can be a great way for a teacher to get
students to become active readers, rather than passive, of the reading process. First, a teacher would
explicitly model how to lead a small group discussion about a text, while employing four comprehension
concepts like summarizing, generating questions, clarifying, and predicting. Then the students would
take turns assuming the role of the teacher, while the teacher walks around to each group to
monitor, offer feedback, and provide support. This reading strategy promotes critical thinking
skills, keeps students actively engaged, gives students a sense of educational freedom, and helps to build
comprehension skills. The last strategy, Graphic Organizers, could be utilized before, during, and after a
reading. Students and teachers work together to write down and organize key terms, facts, and ideas
from the text, which in turn helps to develop an understanding of new vocabulary and promotes
proficient comprehension skills
27. After reading strategies should be implemented in efforts of furthering reading
comprehension, pique student interests, and to solidify core concepts into a reader’s long-term
memory. Using a strategy like Literature-Based Thematic Units can be an excellent way for a
student to conduct further research on a topic, or subject and promotes a cross-curriculum
perspective from all the academic disciplines. This is an effective comprehension strategy, which
provides a student with a more in-depth perspective on a particular topic, or topics. Also, creating
Learning Logs can be a great tool for students to use all year long, and students can write down
questions, ideas, and information into a composition book after reading a text. Learning logs are
used to summarize what students may have learned, helps organize new vocabulary terms, and
can help students to make meaningful connections to the text.
28. An additional after reading strategy that can be used is the implementation of Exit Slips. This
is an easy strategy thatcan be utilized by a teacherto quickly assess what information students
have learned after a reading. The teacher would hand out slips of paper to students so that
students can either write down three or four facts about what they learned from the text, or write
down answers to questions generated by the teacher about the text. This strategy helps a teacher
to assess and track student progress and comprehension, and helps students to utilize
comprehension strategies like reflecting, summarizing, and identifying main ideas and key
concepts
29. A great outlet for students to monitor how much of the nonfiction text that they can remember can be
done by implementing the Retelling after reading strategy. The main idea of this strategy is for the
students not to memorize exact words from a text, but for the student to recall in his, or her, own words
the important details about the main idea, people, events, or key concepts and information presented in
the text. Then students would share their findings and perspectives collaboratively in small peers
groups. This strategy promotes proficiency in comprehension skills, while fostering a healthy social
interaction from the sharing of ideas and different individual perspectives. Finally, Oral reports can be
assigned to individual or small groups of students to perform research on a chosen topic. This strategy
requires that a student reads multiple forms of text and write a summary of the main idea, key terms, and
other important information. Next, the student would present his findings to the entire class without
reading directly from their report, rather in their own words. This strategy can help a student to develop
comprehension skills, pique student interests of a particular topic or subject, and can help build public
speaking skills and confidence.
30. Implementing effective before, during, and after research-based reading strategies when presenting any
nonfiction text can not only set a purpose for learning, but also give a reader the opportunity to explore
new places, people, and new concepts about the world around them. Nonfiction books can pave the path
to a plethora of information that can lead a reader to new interests and lifelong hobbies. The job of a
reading specialist is not to just teach children how to read, but to show emerging readers that reading
nonfiction books can be less of a challenge, and more of a pleasurable experience that can carry on
through adulthood.
31. References:
Bursuck, W. D., &Damer, M. (2011). Teaching reading to students who are at risk or have
disabilities a multi-tier approach. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Campbell, E. (2001). Reading rockets. Retrieved fromhttp://www.readingrockets.org/search?
cx=004997827699593338140:nptllrzhp78&cof=FORID:11&ie=UTF-8&as_q=Before, during,
after reading strategies
Chandler, O. (2007, January). Good reads: quotes about reading. Retrieved from http://
www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/reading?page=8
Roe, B. D., & Ross, E. P. (2006). Integrating language arts through literature & thematic units.
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
