Teacher Notes

Symbols
I do: my turn to talk. This is the explanation section of our
lesson where you are required to listen.

We do: this is where we discuss or work on the concepts

together.

You do: your turn to be involved. You may be working in a

group or on an activity individually.
 Why Do We Read?
Being able to read is an extremely useful skill to have. For many people,
it is one of life’s pleasures. But what is the purpose of reading?
• We might read a text to gather information about a topic or idea.
• We might read a text to learn how to do or make something.
• We might read a text to understand the opinions of others.
• We might read a text to be entertained.
In all of these situations, the reader must be able to decode the
words on the page, then create meaning from them.
 Reading Comprehension Strategies
The goal of reading any text is to create meaning. Without meaning, a
text is nothing more than a series of words on a page!
Reading can be a frustrating and unenjoyable process when we don't
understand the meaning of a text.
Reading comprehension strategies are tools that readers can use while
reading to help them comprehend (understand) a text.
These strategies can help readers to stay engaged with a text and gain
greater enjoyment while reading.
 Monitoring
Monitoring means being aware of your thoughts as you are reading
and keeping track of your understanding of the text.
Being aware of our progress as we learn new skills helps us to set goals,
identify problems and build on successes. It is the same with reading!
Noticing what we understand in a text (and what we don’t) can help us
to be ‘active’ readers who are deeply engaged in the reading process.
When you monitor your thinking while you are reading, you are able to:
• identify what you do understand
• pinpoint what you do not understand
• use strategies to resolve problems in your understanding.
 How to Monitor
While you are reading, think about the ways in which you might
monitor your understanding of the text:
• Is this text making sense to me as I read?
• Do I know what all of the words mean?
• How am I feeling as I am reading the text?
• Which parts of the text are the most appealing to me?
• What strategies could I use to improve my understanding?
 Using the Strategy - Monitoring Symbols
One strategy you can use to monitor your understanding is to annotate
the text you are reading with simple monitoring symbols.
‘Annotate’ means to add notes to a text. Annotations are handwritten
onto the text by the reader (usually in pencil, so they can be erased and
easily changed if necessary).
The following slides contain some symbols that you might like to use
next time you are reading to monitor your understanding.
Which of these symbols do you think might be the most useful?
Using the Strategy - Monitoring Symbols

I understand this I am confused by this I am surprised by this

part of the text. part of the text. part of the text.
Using the Strategy - Monitoring Symbols

I think this is an I learned something I really enjoyed

important part of new from this part this part of the
the text. of the text. text.
 Using the Strategy - Class Activity
As a class, you are going to read a narrative poem called The Brave Babysitter
and the Boys.
This poem contains numerous idioms. Idioms have a commonly understood
meaning that is different to what each word in the phrase literally means
e.g. You’re driving me up the wall!
After you have read each verse, discuss your understanding as a class.
Does the text make sense? Was the verse confusing? Surprising? Important?
Once you have had a discussion, your teacher will annotate the verse
using the appropriate monitoring symbols.
 The Brave Babysitter and the Boys
Not so very long ago, our parents went away,
To keep an eye on my brother and I, a sitter came to stay.
Now let’s not beat around the bush, we aren’t a cup of tea,
It’s not always a piece of cake to look after my brother and me.
We’re certainly not a walk in the park, we aren’t a bed of roses,
Sometimes we do quite horrible things right under people’s noses.
We used every trick in the book that day, we were terribly, awfully bad,
We drove that sitter right up the wall – and she got barking mad!
“Now look, you two, I’ve had enough – this is the final straw!
You’ve pushed my buttons and now I’m done, I can’t take anymore!
You have no spark of decency, I’m lost for words to say,
If you keep ticking along like this, I’ll have to call it a day!”
My brother looked across at me – we knew we’d been no good,
At the drop of a hat, we changed our ways and started to act like we should.
The babysitter was over the moon, she said we’d made her day,
Better late than never, I guess – at least that’s what they say!
 Monitoring - Independent Activity
You should now understand how, when and why to use the reading
comprehension strategy of monitoring.
It is time to apply your skills!
Independently complete the Monitoring Comprehension Worksheet.
Read the text The Great Discovery. As you are reading, annotate the
text with the monitoring comprehension symbols you have learned.
Explain when and why you used each symbol while you were reading
e.g. I thought this part of text was surprising because…