Gear offers strategies to teach students how to connect literacy skills and comprehend text by balancing decoding and thinking skills. She recommends teaching five reading strategies - connecting, questioning, visualizing, inferring, and synthesizing - and modeling their use. Teachers should guide practice with the strategies and assess their independent use. The document provides thorough explanations and resources to help students develop reading power.

1. Reading Power
Adrienne Gear
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2. Gear offers strategies to teach students
how to connect the literacy pieces as
they read.
Puzzle Pieces from: http://rlv.zcache.com/puzzle_pieces_sticker-p217871268446556158z85xz_400.jpg
Child reading from: http://www.cartoon-clipart.com/cartoon_clipart_images/girl_or_child_reading_a_book_0515-1002-0104-0834_SMU.jpg
February 11, 2012

3.
Literacy instruction must balance
decoding and comprehension skills.
Balance Scale from: http://www.medicalscale1.com/tag/berg-balance-scale/ February 11, 2012

4. Gear states, “Reading demands a two pronged
attack. It involves cracking the alphabetic
code to determine words and thinking about
those words to construct meaning.”
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5. In the words of Gear,
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6. Child reading from: http://www.harcoboe.com/bigelm/uploads/image/Karla%20Rose%20Clip%20Art%20Photos/little_boy_reading_clip_art.png
Child with magnifying glass http://www.lcps.org/cms/lib4/VA01000195/Centricity/Domain/6816/MagGlass.jpg
February 11, 2012

7. Gear believes the missing piece of reading
instruction is reading strategies taking place
while reading.
Puzzle with missing piece from : http://www.uwrf.edu/PSYC/images/MissingPuzzlePiece_1.jpg February 25, 2012

8. Metacognition,
awareness of thinking,
is a prerequisite for becoming a successful reader.
Girl thinking from http://www.ceres.k12.ca.us/InstNorms/images/Picture1_000.gif February 25, 2012

10. Image from: http://blog.eventbrite.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/connecting.jpeg February 25, 2012

11. Image from: http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/clipart/j0134399.gif February 25, 2012

12. Image from: http://thejobstop.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/interrogation1.gif February 25, 2012

13. Image from: http://problemfinding.labanca.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/sbpuzzled-300x276.jpg February 25, 2012

14. Image from: http://blog.afoolishmanifesto.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/transform.png February 25, 2012

15. Students need to connect with the text. Connections
are not right or wrong. They are based upon our
personal experiences. The ability to make connections
begins the path . . . “for all other reading strategies to
walk upon.”
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16. Students need to question the text. Questions need to
go beyond the literal surface of the text. They need
to stretch students’ thinking and promote students to
wonder while they read. Move beyond quick questions
to deep thinking questions.
Image from: http://dbhennigan.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/faq_questionmark.jpg February 25, 2012

17. Students need to visualize the text. Help
students form images in their minds as they
read. Choose books that describe things that
are familiar to students. Provide pre-reading
language for ELL students.
Image from: http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/clipart/j0134399.gif February 25, 2012

18. Image from: http://www.91daychallenge.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/important-points.png February 25, 2012

19. Students need to make inferences when reading text.
They must fill in the information gaps by becoming a
book detective by looking for the author’s clues. Clues
may be found in pictures, text, or personal
connections.
Image from http://www.asianjobportal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/gaps_thumb.jpg February 25, 2012

20. Lastly, students need to transform or synthesize the
text. To transform means to bring about a change in
thinking. Synthesis is another word for transform.
Summary is a two-dimensional display of reading.
Synthesis includes the reader’s thoughts, which makes
it a three-dimensional display of reading. It reveals
how the reader’s thoughts were transformed.
Image from: http://blog.afoolishmanifesto.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/transform.png February 25, 2012

22. To teach the five reading powers the teacher
must model a reader’s speaking and thinking
voices.
Speaking from: http://www.clipsahoy.com/clipart3/as5819tn.gif February 25, 2012
Thinking from: http://www.clipsahoy.com/clipart3/as5814.gif February 25, 2012

23. A teacher models through pauses while reading to explain to
students what her thinking voice is saying. Students need to
understand that it is the teacher’s turn to share her thinking
voice.
Teacher and students from: http://www.valdosta.edu/~agedward/reading-teacher-color.gif February 25, 2012

24. Guided reading the teacher guides students to read
with a thinking voice. She guides students to use
strategy language. Students share their thinking with
each other. Sharing of thoughts leads to deeper
comprehension of concepts.
Reading Group from http://www.haven.k12.pa.us/title1/guidedreading.jpg February 25, 2012

25. Independent practice and application happens when
students work through strategies on their own and
apply the strategies to their reading.
Girl Reading from http://www.picgifs.com/clip-art/activities/reading/clip-art-reading-953887.jpg February 25, 2012

26. Once students learn one of the five Reading Power strategies
the teacher can use the strategy to assess students on any text
they read. As students learn all five strategies they may display
how they use the strategies in conjunction with one another and
reveal they have the Reading Power!
Boy with Book from: http://www.elpl.org/sites/default/files/Boy%203.png February 26, 2012

27. The three components of reading
power are
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Book Bins from: http://www.mrskristincook.com/readimages/rk8_boy8.gif February 25, 2012
Method of Instruction from: http://www.iobm.edu.pk/images/teaching-methods.jpg February 25, 2012

28. The Reading Power’s Model States:
Puzzle from: http://www.cybercitizeninc.com/Image10.gif February 25, 2012

29. Book bins, while not necessary, organize
materials to further promote implementation
of the five reading power strategies.
Book Bins from: http://www.mrskristincook.com/readimages/rk8_boy8.gif February 25, 2012

30. Gear clearly details methods of instruction.
Method of Instruction from: http://www.iobm.edu.pk/images/teaching-methods.jpg February 25, 2012

31. She recommends a comprehensive book list for
each strategy.
Image retrieved from http://ascplcl.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/booklist-copy.jpg March 4, 2012

32. Furthermore, Gear has catchy tunes for the
introduction of each strategy. The songs help to move
students to think carefully of the strategy while
reading or being read to.
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33. Gear also offers a wide array of reading
comprehension sheets to use in instruction to further
promote and display students’ comprehension of each
strategy.
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34. Adrienne Gear provides outstanding strategies for
reading instruction, thorough explanations of teaching
methods, lists of resources, and assessment sheets.
Image Retrieved from http://www.readingpowergear.com/images/asg.jpg March 4, 2012

35. Reading Power is an excellent resource for reading
instruction. Give your students the
READING POWER and get Gear’s book today!
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36. Additional Resources
Adrienne Gear Biographical Information
http://www.readingpowergear.com/bio.html
Reading Power Home Page
http://www.readingpowergear.com/
You Tube Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=m5gxSIVanmM
Teacher Tube Video
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?
video_id=13838