1. SSILTT 2012
Comprehension: During and
After Reading

2. Word Sort

3. During Reading/
Reading Comprehension
• Teaching activities to focus on
comprehension
• Concrete activities to ensure they
READ and comprehend what they read
• Some resources from the CCSSO
Adolescent Literacy Toolkit

4. Adolescent toolkit:
http://programs.ccsso.org/projects/adolescent_literacy_t
oolkit/resources_for_teachers/10620.php

5. Sticky Notes
•Self-monitoring strategies or fix-up strategies for
students to do themselves (ex. During test!)
•Exactly the same as college students actively
reading in their textbooks!
•Uses sticky notes to tab specific points of interest
or points of strategy application in a text during
reading. It helps readers engage with text and
focus on specific aspects of the reading process. It
requires them to consciously apply reading
strategies – and to think metacognitively about
these strategies, in other words, to think about and
articulate their thinking. And most importantly, it
builds readers who are active participants, not
passive recipients, of the reading process.

6. Sticky Note Uses
(teach and model each use for a
sufficient period of time)
•Making Connections:
Comprehension is a transaction between the
reader and the text (Louise Rosenblatt, 1978).
Uses schema/background knowledge
Adrienne Greer suggests that students “BIBB –
Bring It Back to the Book.
Effective Prompt (lower grades):
When I read __________, I made a
connection to
________ because __________.

7. Sticky Note Uses
•Visualizations:
Mental Images, Mind Movies
Students purposefully construct visual – or other
sensory – images to support comprehension
Students could do a quick sketch on their post-it
note of the image that comes to their mind.

8. Sticky Note Uses
•Predicting:
Not just random guesses
Good readers use clues in the text to anticipate
future events!
Most important part of predicting:
Using the clues in the text to come up with a
reasonable and credible thought.
Students can track their own thinking as they
confirm or correct their predictions. (I think it
it….Now I think it is…..)

9. Sticky Note Uses
•Drawing Inferences:
Good readers infer all the time they just don’t
know it!
Part of the challenge is teaching students to
recognize an inference and understand both the
textual clues and the background knowledge they
needed to draw on in order to make the inference.
I think….., Now I think…., My thinking changed
because…..
What I read What I know What I infer

10. Sticky Note Uses
•Vocabulary:
Highlighted What I I How I I might
Highlighted What I How might
Highlighted
Word What
think/know itit How I might
remember itit
Word think/know it remember it
Word think/know
means remember
means
Highlighted What I think/ How I might
means
Word know it remember it
means

11. Sticky Notes
Students think as they read by making notes on
sticky notes all through the text, then discuss
or write about their sticky notes after reading.
• *************Questions*************
• Examples of (kinds of cells, equations,
migration, charitable acts, etc.)
• Steps in a process
• Things you want to discuss
• Things you disagree with
• Get fancy with different colors to color-
code

12. Sticky Notes
•After:
Make sure you model each strategy until students
are capable of completing it on their own.
Can share with a partner or small group
Make sure students don’t do a lot of writing – this
takes away from important reading time
Might want to set parameters on # of sticky notes
allowed.

13. • Think of 3 different ways students could
use sticky notes to mark-up
informational text as they read.
– Where should they put them and what
should they write on them?
• Share
• Or, mark with codes as read, see
handout

14. Try it with a magazine
independently then share as a
small group.
Pick the one most interesting post-
it to share with the whole group!

15. Partner Reading
Partner reading is one of the most
efficient ways of increasing time spent
reading.
• Gives you a purpose to read
• Gives you support when you encounter
problems
• Results in far greater time spent
reading than whole-class turn taking
• See handout

16. Partner Reading
Research-based fluency strategy used with readers
who lack fluency.
Purpose: supporting each other through the oral
reading of connected text
Supports and enforces student modeling and
reinforcement of quality reading behavior
Improves fluency, reading rate, word attack skills
Ear to ear, knee to knee

17. Partner Reading
Fishbowl first time…maybe with a neighbor teacher,
administrator, or someone wandering around outside
your classroom!
Hold students accountable
Be purposeful about pairing (high/low, high/high,
problem pairs, special needs {learning, emotional})
Encourage pairs to ask questions as they read (“what
was your page about?”, “What was your favorite part?”)
A
NO ROUND ROBIN!!!! (why?)

18. Partner Reading
•More to evoke ideas:
Summarize the section read
Ask a question to clarify meaning of a word or idea
Identify an important question that is answered by the
passage
Relate the content to a personal situation or real-life
example
Share a reading skill that was useful during reading

19. Partner Reading
React to the ideas in some way that reflects analysis
or evaluation of the reading:
• Agree or disagree with the content or the author’s
point of view
• Discuss the style or logical development of the
writer
• Draw inferences from the reading
• Compare or contrast this passage with the other
readings or ideas.
• Identify effective use of a writing skill.
Initially teachers may slect the passage, have students
read it quietly, write if finished early, all pair, pairs share,

20. Try it!
•Use a text on your table
•Partner with the person sitting next to
you
•You read a paragraph/page (if short)
and have partner “say something”
•Then switch
•Complete “say something” a couple of
times each

21. Say Something
Forces students to think, summarize,
or respond as they are reading.
2. Students read together in pairs or
small groups (silently, usually)
3. Students stop briefly every 3-4
paragraphs or at the end of every
page to “say something.”

22. Rules for Say Something
1. Decide who will say something first.
2. When you say something, do one of
these:
• make a prediction
• ask a question
• clarify something you
misunderstood
• make a comment
• make a connection
3. If you can’t do one of these five
things, then you need to re-read.

23. Simpler Version of Say
Something
• When partner reading:
– Read a page
– Stop to summarize
– Partner “approves” your summary, if not you
reread
– Switch
• Either way: teach the listening partner NOT to
interrupt or correct if the reader stumbles or
pauses. Let them self correct unless they ask
for help
• Teach with a fishbowl

24. Try it!
• Read with a partner.
• Stop every page or 3rd
paragraph to “say something”
• Discuss

25. Say Something on Paper
• With a sticky note or right on the text,
say something at the end of each page

26. During Reading: Bookmarks
Encourage students to notice and keep
track of words, ideas, etc. as they read.
3. Teacher models first
4. Fill out bookmarks during reading
5. Share/discuss/write about bookmarks
after reading.

27. Comprehension Strategies
USE ACROSS CONTENT AREAS!!!!
Conscious plans – set of steps that good readers use
to make sense of text.
Comprehension strategy instruction helps students
become purposeful, active readers who are in control of
their own reading comprehension.
Metacognition: Good readers use metacognitive
strategies to think about and have control over their
reading.
Requires active engagement

28. Comprehension Monitoring Strategies
Before Reading: they might clarify their purpose for
reading, make predictions, preview the text (picture
walk)
During Reading: students might monitor their
understanding, adjust their reading speed to fit the
difficulty of the text and “fix” any comprehension
problems they have
After Reading: students check their understanding of
what they read

29. Comprehension
• Discuss teaching comprehension-
discuss what’s difficult?
• Think of a text you had students read
last spring. What were some discussion
questions you asked or questions you
had them write? (save for later)

30. Teaching Reading Strategies
• Teaching the invisible process that go on
inside a reader’s head to construct meaning
– Monitor and fix up
– Making connections
– Asking questions
– Making inferences
– Using text features
– Using text structures
– Graphic organizers and text structures

31. Comprehension Strategy
Instruction
• Active, independent readers do things
with their minds to comprehend the text.
• Dependent readers hope the text will
magically make sense.
• Comprehension can be taught.
• Getting you to comprehend is not the
same as teaching you to comprehend.

32. “Guided release of responsibility”
to teach strategies
1. Teacher modeling
– Explicit explanation of what, why, how
– Think-aloud to demonstrate the strategy
– Model with multiple texts, genres, etc.
2. Guided practice-teacher and student
together
3. Independent practice-student alone with
feedback
4. Application-no coaching, feedback, or
support

33. During Reading:
Making Connections
To schema
– Text-to-self
– Text-to-text
– Text-to-world
– ACTIVELY READ Miller’s think-aloud (pgs
14-18 in handout)
– discuss what we see there based on the
GRR steps

34. During Reading: More on
Connections
• Ignoring distracting connections
• Marking connections with sticky notes
so you can talk about them later

35. During Reading Strategies
• Monitoring--does this make sense?
• Fix-up strategies
– Re-read*******
– Slow down
– Keep reading but pay attention
– Ask yourself questions till you figure it out
– Use the illustrations or graphics
– Stop and think
– Summarize what you’ve read so far
• Prepare a think-aloud where you model one
of these strategies

36. Comprehension Strategies
ACTIVELY READ pages 14-16 in Handout

37. During Reading: Making Inferences
• Combine what is on the page with what is in your
head
– drawing conclusions, filling in missing details, figuring out
what’s going on, predicting, etc.
– Discuss ads that require inferences
He put down $10.00 at the window. The woman behind
the window gave $4.00. The person next to him gave
him $3.00, but he gave it back to her. So, when they
went inside, she bought him a large bag of popcorn.

38. Teaching Inferencing: Syntax
Surgery
• Discuss the two different scripts from
Beers
• Syntax Surgery
– Examine the two examples
– Do the same with Sunderland/Teen Sailor
– What inferences did you make?
– How did you figure out what the pronouns
were referring to?
– How did you figure out what was going on?

39. Teach Making Inferences:
Two Column Chart
• See Miller example
• Discuss how you’d do it

40. Making Inferences: It Says-I
Say-But So
• Using poems, modeling making
inferences using
It says-I say-And So . . . .
It Says (the I say (what I And so . . .
text says) know) (inference)

41. Using Text Features
• Make a list of text features good
readers know how to use, compare
to framework
• Discuss scavenger hunt, make
chart
Feature Where How used?/ Why
found? in books?

42. Teaching Text Features
• Look at the examples of think-
alouds in the think-aloud handout
(in the vocab packet)
• Prepare a think-aloud where you
model how/when/why to use one of
the text features on your list

43. Using Text Structures
• Recognizing text structures
• An architecture for organizing the
information as you read
• See handout for more
• Creates “slots” in your mind

44. Examples of Text Structures
• Text structures - sequential order,
description, simple cause and effect,
procedure, compare/contrast, order of
importance, problem/solution, etc. (look in
your framework)
• Find them in the texts around you
• Prepare a think-aloud with one, how does
recognizing the structure help you build
comprehension

45. Graphic Organizers and Text
Structures
Select the right graphic organizer (from
handout) to use with particular texts, discuss
• sequential order
• Description
• simple cause and effect
• Procedure
• compare/contrast
• order of importance
• problem/solution

46. Teaching Comprehension
Strategies, Summary
• Analyze example of Kate’s think-aloud
• Good?
• Could be better?

47. Teaching Students to Take
Notes
• Model, model, model
• How DO you decide what’s important
• Important vs. interesting
• Two-column note taking (handout)
• Other ideas?

48. After Reading
• Show you’ve really read--accountability
• Dig deeper for understanding and
critical thinking
• Apply learning

49. AFTER reading:
Accountability
• Prove you’ve read and understood the
text
• Every time
• Not a quiz, worksheet, fill-in-the-blank
or outline
• Avoid lecturing/explaining (disincentive
to read)

50. After Reading: Accountability
• Discuss with a neighbor
• Write a summary or a response (and
share with the teacher or a neighbor)
• Write a question you have about the
text or three things you remember
• Teacher randomly chooses 5 readers to
tell the whole class what they’ve read

51. Save the Last Word for Me
• Each in a group of 3 has 3 index cards
• As read, write quote on one side, why on
back
• In groups, person reads quote, rest of group
discusses the quote, then the first
person/reader explains her thoughts
• Rotate around
• Try it
• Extend: write about/whole class discuss
which one was most important, etc.
• Nonfiction?

52. Summarizing
• Somebody-Wanted-But-So (narrative texts)
– Multiple points of view
– More than one for longer stories-SWBS, then
SWBS, then . . . .
• Determining importance (informational texts)
• Read a passage. How did you figure out what was most
important?
• 5 Ws

53. Teach Rules for Summarizing
• Delete irrelevant information
• Delete redundant information
• Use a general idea (category) to describe a
list of ideas
• Look for a topic sentence to borrow for the
summary
• Put it in your own words or create your own
topic sentence if not provided
• (Cranes example)

54. Practice Summarizing and
Give Feedback
• Read
• Write summaries
• Share and vote, which is best
• Discuss/justify
• 15-7-3-1 with Noah Webster passage

55. After Reading: Questions That
Require Synthesis and Inferences
• Analyze the questions you wrote at the
beginning of the workshop
– Do they require synthesis: information from more
than one place in the text?
– Do they require students to make inferences: to
blend what’s on the page with whats in their
minds?
– Is there more than one right answer? Should there
be?
– Could students answer without even reading the
text? (text dependent vs. independent questions)
– Where fall on Bloom’s Taxonomy?

56. Use It Says to Answer Questions that
Require Inference
•Practice/see example in handout
•Try with sample MCT 2 questions
Question It says I say And so
Why did GL
break Baby
Bear’s
chair?
Why did GL
run away
when she
woke up?

57. QAR
Another test taking strategy. The answer is:
In the text:
Right there
Think and Search
In my head
Author and You
On your own

58. Silent Discussion
• Put provocative questions or statements on at the top
of a blank page, one question/statement per group
member
• Students in groups read the question/statement,
respond/ask a follow up question
• After a set amount of time, they pass to the left, and
the next person responds
• Continue till all have read and responded at least
once
• Try it!

59. After Reading:
Most Important Word
Engages students in high DOK reflection.
3. Students pick most important word, and
write a few reasons why it’s so important
4. Discuss as small groups or large class, then
write to justify why it’s the most important
word
5. Could do most important sentence,
paragraph, or passage

60. After Reading: Word Sort
• Pick key words from the text related to major
concepts and ideas (or use the words you sorted as a
pre-reading activity).
• Ask students to work in groups to sort those words
into categories (either open sort or you provide
categories).
• Students write (or talk) to justify and explain their
sorting.
• Try it!
• Discuss ways to use before, during, and after
instruction

61. Wrap-Up 1
• Read and discuss model think alouds in
handout

62. Wrap Up 2
• Make a list of all comprehension stuff
we’ve done
• Write on your framework which
teaching strategy could help you teach
each competency in comprehension