Powerful Se Struggling Readers Small Group Instruction That Improves Comprehension Lois A. Lannin Q =‘ Foreword by Joseph YukishPutting the Strategies Into Practice Self-Regulating Readers of all ages need to be conscious of when they are not creating ‘meaning. The ability (0 self-monitor meaning enables students to select ‘and use strategies to improve comprehension. —Maryann Manning (2002) he strategy self-regulating is operationalized in all reading. You have been using this strategy of self-regulating while reading this book, but you are most likely not even consciously aware of the skills you are using to keep track of meaning. This is because comprehension strategies and skills typically go underground” for proficient readers. Self-regulating skills become imperceptible unless you need them. KEY TERMINOLOGY Self-Regulating: This strategy requires an active awareness and knowledge of one's mental processes (metacognition) and knowing what to do in order to accomplish the goal of comprehension, ie (Continued)74 OUR POWERFUL ST! FOR STRUGGLING READERS. GRADES 3-8 (Continued) ‘+ Knowing self as a learner, the reading task, and reading strategies: If there is @ conscious awareness of what we know about ourselves as a learner, we are on our way to learning how to selfregutate. Knowing our strengths and weaknesses allows 2 proactive plan to be developed that will support success. ‘= Knowing the purpose for reading: The skill of knowing the purpose for read- ing directs which monitoring skills need to be used and the reading rate. + Looking back, rereading, and reading ahead: Most struggling readers believe that something must be wrong with them if they must read a textbook ‘chapter or article more than once or look back over text features they previ- ‘ously skimmed. Good readers, especially when reading less familiar topics, rec- ‘ognize that reading material once is not enough © Predicting, confirming, clarifying, and revising: Making predictions means describing winat one thinks will be revealed next in the selection based on clues from the ttl, illustrations. and text details. © Problem solving words, phrases, or paragraphs: Problem solving skills may take many forms. Using the meaning of prefixes, sufixes, and word roots may help unlock an unknown word. Proficient readers also use information from text (context) to decipher unfamiliar words. © Cross-checking multiple sources of information: This self-reguating ski requires bringing together at lease three sources of text information simultaneous). Adjusting reading rate: The skill of knowing when and how to skim and scan for specific information and when to read more slowly is closely tied to the pur- pose for reading ‘+ Questioning: Questions that support che self-regulation strategy include: What '5 going on in the text? Why | am reading this text? Are there ideas that don't fit together? Are there any wards I don't understand? Is there information that doesn't ‘agree with what | know? © Synthesizing text with background information: Meaning is being con- structed and adjusted constantly as a reader analyzes text information against the background information he or she brings to the text. Ey WHAT IS SELF-REGULATING? ‘Metacognition refers to higher-order thinking, which involves active control over one's cognitive processes. Self-regulating is a metacognitive activity. When readers are self-regulating, they have the ability to scrutinize, regulate, and direct them- selves to a desired goal before, during, and after reading. A student demonstrates, self-regulation (metacognition) by articulating the strategies and skills used to read and understand text and by fixing problems that interfere with comprehension. John Flavell’s work with metacognition (Livingston, 1997) helps describe the complexity of the strategy self-regulating, Use of this strategy begins at the knowledge level: 1. How well you know yourself as a learner. For example, you know that as a reader, you need a quiet, distraction-free setting. 2. How well you recognize the demands of the reading task. For example, you are aware that you will need a dictionary close at hand while read- ing a scientific article on a topic about which you know very little.PUTTING THE STRATEGIES INTO PRACTICE: SELF-REGULATING 75 3. How well you recognize the strategies necessary to accomplish a learning. goal. For example, you consciously think about the strategies you will need to read challenging text. This knowledge helps a reader approach an unfamiliar reading task with a plan in mind. At the application level, self-regulating involves making sense of one’s read- ing. The strategy self-regulating encompasses the skills and processes a reader uses to regulate—from preparing for a reading task to evaluating personal progress toward understanding. At the most basic level, a reader needs to be aware of remaining mentally engaged with the text. It doesn't take indepen- dent readers long to realize when their thoughts have drifted away from the task of reading. At this point, the good reader will snap back and regroup to find the point of departure. Struggling readers often continue to go through the physical motions—eyes sweeping across words and hands turning pages—only to get to the end before realizing their minds were somewhere else, and they have no recollection of what was read. Once readers recognize where reading has broken down, the next step is to work out the problem. There are a number of fix-up skills that support the self- regulating strategy. Often a reader employs more than one. but the point is that a proficient reader will do what it takes to make sense of text. Self regulating is, a significant component of comprehension.In a Reading State of MIND Siecamaccoc ean Teacher Modeling, and Comprehension InstructionMonitoring Comprehension monitoring is the capacity of a reader to notice while reading whether a text is making sense or not. Monitoring is a habit for effective readers; we tend to know right away when a text is not making sense. Most readers have had the experience of reading along and suddenly realizing that they have no idea what they just read. This may be because they are tired (reading too late at night in bed, for example) or because the text is simply too difficult. in addition, the reader might have encountered some of the following (e.g,, Collins & Smith, 1980; McKeown & Gentilucci, 2007; Yang, 2006): + New words or known words that do not make sense in context + Sentences that are vague, ambiguous, or inconsistent with back- ground knowledge - ‘Paragraphs in which relationships are unclear, conflicting, or con- nected in several possible ways The difference between skilled and struggling readers is in what they do when comprehension is compromised. Skilled readers do not simply notice that they have lost the meaning. They also have plans for fixing up their comprehension. Wilhelm (2001) provided a flowchart that teachers an use to help students monitor their comprehension and use fix-up strategies. His flowchart can be found in Figure 7, which identifies a number of fix-up strategies. Mr. Hargrove models monitoring for his students as a component of ‘each reading he does. As he reads aloud, he regularly makes comments about whether or not the text makes sense. Naturally, he models a number of other comprehension strategies in each reading, too. For example, while reading the text of George Washington's farewell address (1796), Mr, Hargrove noted that the first sentence was a bit confusing. Washington's first paragraph reads, Friends and Fellow Citizens: ‘The period for a new election of a citizen to administer the executive — ‘government ofthe United States being not far distant, and the time actually [4 arrived when your thoughts must be employed in designating the person who isto be clothed with that important trust, It appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that | should now apprise you of the resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number of those out of whom a choice is to be made. ‘Mr. Hargrove said, “I'l have to reread this as | noticed that | got a little lost in what he was saying {reads aloud the passage again. | have to make some connections here. Washington is talking about the Presidency, but is using different language—he never actually says, ‘president. Ws true that the President is a citizen who administers the executive branch of the United States government, but when he first said it that way, I wasn’t sure what he was saying.” Mr. Hargrove knows that this serves to remind his students about the importance of monitoring. comprehension,Keeani Strategies a practical classroom guide Fee dis et ~ @plast Pe pare Bytaaite= Introduction Unless students are self-monitoring while they are reading, they cannot truly comprehend the text. Self-monitoring relates to the concept of ‘meta-cognitive awareness,” which is ‘knowing when what one is reading makes sense by monitoring and controlling one's own comprehension’. — Mares & Hodges (1985), p. 153, What is self-monitoring? Self-monitoring plays a crucial part in comprehension. It requires students to be metacog be aware of their own thinking as they read, Most importantly, it requires students to realise when they have stopped understanding what they are reading. | think itis news to a lot of students that adult readers get stuck or lose concentration when they read. | explained to my students how, when | am reading my book in bed at night, | can read a whole page and suddenly realise that | have no idea about what is going on, even though | have read the words | asked them who else had had a similar experience. Practically the whole class agreed they had! | explained to them that this is a common thing that happens to all readers. Good readers know when this has happened a voice in their heads says,"Uh oh, I don't get this - problem! warning bells flashing lights! time to stop!” Itis interesting to note that research shows that when students with poor comprehen: toa word or part in the text they don’t understand, they just keep reading because they don't know What to do. Students need to be able to identify exactly where the breakdown in meaning has occurred. This. could be at word, sentence or paragraph level -"! don't understand what an estuary is" or“I don't understand the first paragraph on page 14" Once they can articulate what the problem is, students can then use a fix-up strategy such as rereading, reading on, stop and think, visualising or adjusting their reading rate (see Word attack poster (SM6) and bookmark (SM7); Fix-up strategies poster (SM8) and bookmark (SM9}) ~to n.come ‘To summarise, self-monitoring is the students’ ability to + be aware when meaning breaks down + identify what its they don’t understand (word, sentence, paragraph) + use appropriate strategies to restore meaning. How does self-monitoring support comprehension? Self-monitoring supports comprehension by giving the reader control over the reading process. Before reading, they might clarify their purpose for reading and preview the text. During reading, they monitor their understanding, perhaps adjusting their reading speed to ft the difficulty level of the text and using ‘fix-up’ strategies to deal with any comprehension problems they may have. After reading, they can monitor their understanding of what they have read.Language we use when self-monitoring + im not sure what means. + don't get that paragraph. + The author mentions John Davies in Chapter Two, but | can't remember much about him. | think Il go back and reread that chapter to help me understand this part. + [don't understand what that sentence means. | am going to go back and read it aloud slowly and see if that helps. + lve lost my concentration. Id better go back and reread that page. + Tim going to try and create a pictu in my mind to help me understand that bit. 2 _ Self-monitoring ‘Stl ontoring ibang amore of your on thinking hen you rec ‘A rely impertant part of s-menitoing i knowing when you have stopped understanding what you ‘word anton or aven a pargraph means Hyoucon ecognie when hs hoppens oucon use 2 strategy sucha cooing to fc Self-monitoring ‘mini poster SMS | Selfemonitoring strategy starter chart SM¢ 47 waeStrategy log A strategy log is a useful tool for both student and teacher. It allows the student to monitor their ‘own reading, For the teacher it provides evidence of which strategies the student is using, whether they are using them appropriately and whether they fully comprehend the strategy’s use. A strategy log is also a good discussion tool for conferencing with students about their reading. Strategies and skills practised: self-monitoring Materials: + text for teacher modelling + text at the students’ instructional level + Myreading strategy log PMS + enlarged copy of My reading strategy log PMS for modelling ‘Student grouping: individuals Procedure 1 With the students’ help, briefly revise and record all the reading strategies you have covered. 2. Introduce the idea ofa strategy log. Explain that the purpose of the strategy log Is to see what strategies the students are using to gain meaning from the text. 3 Model the use of a strategy log by doing a think-aloud ~ read a short piece of text and discuss and record which strategies you use on the enlarged strategy log. 4 Students read a text at their instructional level, recording which strategies they use on their strategy log sheet. My reading strategy log me _—. ow | | al | oes | | Wanye aha the ike | 19 [crackle on the RT” weed er dF sagiained F quesed uhet # meantpadjay u mo pasn 1 say/ABajong poy 1 wayqoug ‘Sheena amon 2008 This page reproduce cestoom ydosBoung/aBog ag sjeuibu no, fo] Abayeays Surpeas Aj aL ecg Pes Ca re SeesKey Ideas for Comprehension Strategy Instruction Monitoring * Proficient readers monitor their comprehension during reading - they know when the texts they are reading or listening to makes sense, when it does not, what does not make ‘sense, and whether the unclear portions are critical to the overall understanding of the piece. * Proficient readers can identity when the text is comprehensible and the degree to which they understand it. They can identify ways in which a text becomes gradually more understandable by reading past an unclear portion andor rereading all or part ofthe text ‘+ Proficient readers know what they need to comprehend from a text - they are aware of their purpose for reading and what will be required of them with respect to reporting on their reading, * Proficient readers are aware of the purpose for their reading and direct special attention to the parts of the text they most need to comprehend for that purpose. + Proficient readers are able to assume different ‘stances’ toward a text. For example, a child can read a book from the point of view of different characters, of a book reviewer, or of a writer seeking new techniques for his/her work. + Proficient readers can ‘think aloud’ about their reading process, They are aware of and can articulate the surface and deep structure strategies they use to identify words, read fiuently, and create solutions to reading problems. + Proficient readers can identify confusing ideas, themes, and Jor surface elements (words, sentence or text structures, graphs, tables etc.) and suggest a variety of means to solve the problems they encounter. + Proficient readers identify difficulties they have in comprehending at the word, sentence, and whole-text levels. They are flexible in their use of tactics to revise their thinking and Solve different types of comprehension problems, © Proficient readers solve word- and sentence-level problems with surface structure strategies such as decoding strategies/or word analysis. © Proficient readers solve text-evel problems by monitoring, evaluating, and making revisions to their evolving interpretation of the text while reading They then compare the emerging meaning to their background knowledge and make adjustments to incorporate new information into existing memory stores. + Proficient readers are independent, flexible and adaptive: © They show independence by using surface and deep structure strategies to solve reading problems and enhance understanding on their own. © They demonstrate flexibility by using a particular strategy (such as determining importance) to a greater or lesser degree depending on the demands of the text © They are adaptive in their ability to ‘turn up’ (or turn down) the volume on a Particular strategy or use all comprehension strategies in concert. * Proficient readers use text management strategies. They pause, reread, skim, scan, consider the meaning of the text, and reflect on their understandings with other readers. Sanaa EEE EEEEEEnnneeeeeeeeee Keene, O. & Zimmerman, S., (2007). Mosaic of Thought The Power of Comprehension Strategy Instruction. 2nd Edition, Portsmouth, NH: HeinemannAnne Harvev Goudvis Strategies ection so praMonitoring Comprehension: The Inner Conversation When readers read, they have an inner conversation with the text. They listen to the voice in their head speaking to them as they read, which allows them to construct meaning. Only when they are having an inner conversation will they notice when they stray from it. Both of us read before turning in for the night. ‘We mark the chapter and turn off the light. Or we wake up with lights blazing at 200 Ax, our glasses cocked, our books sprawled across our chests. But whichever the case, we've each had the same experience of picking up the book the next night, opening to the marked page, and having no clue what the last page or so was about. We know we read it, but we don’t know what we read. We might scroll back a few paragraphs or might even flip back several ages to reconstruct meaning. The fact is that all readers space out when they read. Kids need to know this, or they risk feeling inadequate when it happens to them. We share these stories of our attention lapses with our students. When they learn that adult readers space out, to0, they are less likely to brand them- selves poor readers at such times. We need to teach readers to be disposed to think about their reading as they read, moving towards becoming the strategic, reflective learners that Perkins and Swartz describe above. Once readers are made aware of their inner conversation, they tend to catch themselves quicker and repair meaning if there's a problem. So we teach all readers how to stay on top of their reading. Readers take a giant leap toward independence when they develop the ability to monitor their comprehension. When readers have the disposition to focus ‘on their thinking while reading, they are able to use reading strategies flexibly to enhance understanding We teach readers to + Become aware of their thinking as they read * Monitor their understanding and keep track of meaning, + Listen to the voice in their head to make sense of the text + Notice when they stray from thinking about the text + Notice when meaning breaks down + Detect obstacles and confusions that derail understanding * Understand how a variety of strategies can help them repair meaning when it breaks down + Know when, why, and how to apply specific strategies to maintain and further understanding Proficient readers—adults and children alike—proceed on automatic pilot most of the time, until something doesn’t make sense or a problem arises and understanding screeches to a halt. At that point, experienced readers slow down and reread, clarify confusions before they continue, and apply appropri- ate strategies to cruise on down the road. They might ask a question when they need more information. Perhaps they infer a theme from a character's actions Or they might activate their background knowledge when reading an editorial and disagree with the author's premise. Less proficient readers may be so focused on decoding that they can’t give adequate attention to making meaning when they run into trouble. Just as. Steph taught Alverro to stop and think about meaning, students need to be reminded fo stop periodically in order to keep track of their understanding Awareness and monitoring go hand in hand, enabling an active reader to con. stantly check for understanding. Monitoring by itself, however, isn’t enough. Just because readers realize there’s a problem with comprehension doesn’t mean they can solve it. Reflective, strategic readers know which strategies to activate when meaning is.Strategies That Work lost and how to maich the appropriate strategy with their purpose for reading. Readers who monitor their understanding can access different strategies—ask- ing questions, visualizing, or inferring—to construct meaning in the face of problems. A reader's repertoire of strategies needs to be flexible enough to solve comprehension problems with words, sentences, or overall meaning, Leaving Tracks of Thinking ‘The Wisconsin that Steph described in Chapter 1 is Wisconsin in the heart of the summer. Wisconsin in the dead of winter is a different animal. One of Steph’s annual winter childhood games will give you an idea; it involved ‘counting the string of subzero highs each January in hopes of breaking the established record. But what northern Wisconsin lacked in Fahrenheit each winter, it made up for in beauty. The roof-top icicles, the frosty pines, and the drifting snow lent winter a luster one never forgets. Each moming after a fresh snow, northern Wisconsin kids would scan their backyards for critter tracks. ‘They knew whose pawprints were whose, and they leapt out of bed at the crack of dawn to see who had trespassed during the night. ‘We tell kids these stories about fresh tracks in the snow, or in the sand for those who live near water. We explain that fresh tracks let us know who's been. there, even after they've gone. In the same way as animals leave tracks of their presence, we want readers to “leave tracks of their thinking.” It is impossible to know what readers are thinking when they read unless they tell us through conversation or written response. The reading comprehension instruction described in this book encourages students to mark and code text with thoughts and questions, to “leave tracks” so they can remember later what they were thinking as they read. Kids love the idea of making, tracks in the margins, tracks on sticky notes, tracks in their journals. These written tracks help the reader monitor comprehension and enhance understanding. They also provide clues to the teacher about a reader's thinking, evidence that is difficult to ascertain without some form of oral or written response. (See Chapter 6 for lessons that show kids how to monitor their comprehension and leave tracks of their thinking.)Strategies. That yChapter 6 ever found yourself reading something but thinking about something else?” Steph asked a group of seventh graders gathered in front of her during the last period of the day. The entire class shot their hands into the air. “Wow, all of you. Okay, take a minute and think about a time this has happened to you. Then turn and talk to a part ner about what you were reading and what you were thinking about.” The room exploded with chatter as Kids shared their thinking. Apparently, this was routine stuff for them. After several min- utes, Steph asked if anyone wanted to share his or her experience. “Ithappened to me last period in science,” Taunia ventured. “We were reading about atoms in the text- book, but I was thinking about something else.” “So what were you thinking about?” Steph asked. Taunia explained that Friday would bring the first middle school dance of the year and she and her mom hacl made a deal that if she did all of her chores that week, her mom would buy her a top that she had picked out at Tj Maxx the previous weekend Today was the day, so she was focused on that top. Her main concern was whether it would still be there, since she knew that many of the items at T] Maxx were one of a kind. However, she had taken action to increase her chances of securing that top. She had moved it from the girl's junior depart- ‘ment to men’s coats, hiding it deep in the middle of the size 46 rack. Now that's strategic! If only all of our kids were as strategic about their reading as Taunia was about her outfit for the dance. Sometimes reading goes smoothly, and some. times it doesn’t. Sometimes readers can’t get enough of a topic. Other times they could care less about it. Sometimes a lack of background knowledge inter- feres with reading and understanding, Other times a compelling topic engages readers throughout the text. Sometimes readers proceed seamlessly; other times they stumble because the text is too hard. And sometimes, they lose focus as Taunia did and don’t even notice that they are no longer thinking about the ‘words and ideas in the text. S © tell me something. How many of you have 77 Strategies That Work Surprisingly, Taunia reported that she was able to answer the questions at the end of the atoms chapter, not because she understood what she read, but because all of the answers were in bold print. So she just skimmed the bold print answers and matched them to the questions they fit, another strategic act ‘on Taunia’s part. We want our kids to do more than skim bold print to discover answers. We want them to merge their thinking with the text information, building knowledge as they go. And we want them to stay engaged in their reading and be stimulated by their thinking, In the lessons described in this chapter, we use explicit language that relates directly to monitoring comprehension. As you do these lessons, we sus- pect you'll hear your kids tell you that they need to stop, think, and react to the information, or that they have strayed from their inner conversation. We teach the language and lessons of monitoring so that our kids can monitor meaning, articulate their thinking, and become strategic readers who develop new insights Strategy Lessons: Monitoring Comprehension Following the Inner Conversation Purpose: Listening tothe inner voice and leaving tacks of thinking Resource: Gleam and Glow, by Eve Bunting Responses: Sticky nots on apiece of paper on cioboards PR S23ns comprehension san ongoing process of evhing thinking. When reeders ead and ‘Construct meaning, they carry on an inner conversation with the text They hear a voce in thelr head speaking to them as they read—a voice that questions, connects, laughs, ctes, This inner conversation helps readers monior ther comprehension and Keeps them engaged inthe story, concept, information, and ideas, allowing them to buld their understanding as they go, Once we have modeled the inner conversation, readers will more seamlessly activate a particu lar strategy, such as questioning, connecting, or determining importance, when they read because they are more ely to notice and consider ther thinking, Interactive Reading Aloud Steph launched this lesson on the inner conversation with a group of eighth graders at Horace Mann Mile School in San Diego. Most ofthe kid in he class were imngrans fro a variety counties around the world, including Somalia, Sudan, Cambodia, and Mexico Soph chose to use Eve Bunting’ picture book Gieam and Giow,a grpping fictionalized aocoun ofa tue story trom the war in Bosnia. nti story, a family is separated by the ravages of war and eventualy ‘urited in a refugee camp. Steph knew that many ofthe kis in hs ciass could readily relate to this story having been immigrnts themselves, some even having lved in refugee camps at one xy _ line or another. So she purposely chose this book sine te Kd would key connec fot. Tis === lessons part of our video series Strategic Thinking (2004). ‘Throughout the story the two young protagonists never forge he two pel fish, Gleam and Glow, who they were forced to leave behind, but who, amid the great destruction of war, survive and flourish in a pond behind ihe famiy former home. Despite the loss of material possessionsChapter 6 Monitoring Comprehension ‘and the disintegration of their former way of if, the family sur th g vives and emerges stronger than ever, which in many ways par Se mnebnd filly, Seng allel the story ofthe two ish, Gleam and Giow. Inthe end the Arunnads, ond Ne poh agers UN story remains one of determination, hope, and survival. “siulands ‘h fhe With the kids gathered infront of her, Steph began by say fh ah a lve bo “Nothing is more important during reading than the reader's What 8 so wager ‘only Sewgh i thinking. | have chosen this book because it makes me think ‘about so many things. When readers pay attention and think about the words and ideas in the text, they cary on an inner Ata se —— — conversation with the tex. tts @ quiet conversation that hap- Yo used So qagh they found pens in the reader's head Apes cant at thei father. She then gave some examples ofthe kinds of things raad- ( albnal A bunk ers hear in their heads as they read. ‘When | read and pay Xe behind ete | atenton ear avo in my hed tht says cifeen ngs o | Oni ok bab twitter tk BL At hstrgs her an omnes ates tec bape Ph Sin her Stay we ot tke Hun, I con't get his pat. And when I ead on, | might heat dhe ae sag ie Of nowt Oren etre oeten _ a 7 7 | might hear something like Wow, / never knew that before. This ; 7 's the inner conversation tat Ihave withthe writer as | read } Ther trates wey ‘th ne ) ‘While I am reading to you, | want you to think about and notice touroyeous.. She rig ca ‘ ‘what you hear in your inner conversation.” ows ayee 99 beeabe io th Steph then modeled her thinking wih the frst page of where A the sf et, Gleam and Glow. As she dd, she pointed out he connections, Gan itor) > SEANASN ite | qustons an scion andjoted nr tesa ov steg rees | ees ahs Raabe there iy «=! | showing how she lf rack of her thinking at Next Steph continued to ead the story, engaging the kids fh 7 uid pracice. Sometimes she simply asked them totum and Gon || Set toson Gam ad talk bout her hiking, This isan open-ended tinkng prompt that we encourage teachers to ask equenty Other times, she asked a more specific thinking prompt, such as, “Turn and talk about the mam in his story. What are you Ihnking about her rola inthis story?" This more specific thinking prompt gets kids to tak about a certain aspect of the story that may help them focus ona spec heme. What i important here i that she varied the thinking prompts from open ended to specie and gave kids a lot of time to interact withthe text ‘tthe end ofthe story, kids go into groups of four and used ther sticky nots responses io fuel a discussion ofthe story as Steph moved around between the groups and listened in on them. Upon contusion ofthe lesson, Steph asked them to share some of what they learned about moniring comprehension and the inner conversation as well as their thoughts on the story See Figur 6.1. (See addtional examples oftheir inner conversation on sky notes inthe assessment section af the end of tis chapter) Noticing When We Stray from the Inner Conversation Purpose: Monitoring the inner voice to focus thinking and “fx up" comprehension. Resource: A piece of adult text Response: Two-column chart titled Why Meaning Breaks Down'What to Do About It Qi. shen ae een othe inne wie wi hey noice when hey aay fom inner conversation withthe text. In truth, tis natural fr our minds to wanderQuality ComprehensionUsing Fix-Up Methods When Meaning Is Challenged on When a reader becomes confused or is unclear about the meaning of a passage, some type of corrective action is needed. Encouraging students to use fix-up meth- ods when meaning is challenged is critical. Providing them with the following three methods to clear up comprehension problems is one way to provide instruction in this strategy: 1. Reread the passage. 2. Go back to other parts of the text. 3. Read on for no more than two sentences, Teacher Tips for Strategy Instruction * Students need direct instruction in practicing the three fix-up methods. This is best done through think-alouds during small-group instruction, where teachers can first demonstrate confusion or misunderstanding and then a trial-and-error process of using the fix-up methods. After modeling the various methods and en- couraging students to independently practice while remaining in the small group, discussions on how students used the methods to clear up their confusion are crit- ical. Obviously, initial direct instruction can later be replaced with occasional teach- able moments once students internalize this process and become proficient. * Of the methods presented, the second, which that requires students to scan earli- er paragraphs, pages, or chapters, is the one most resisted by struggling as well as proficient readers. Simply reading on and ignoring misunderstandings may be So routine to some students that it becomes a hard-to-alter habit. Using think- alouds and modeling to provide students with quick ways to scan other places in the text, such as by hunting for keywords or referring back to the table of con- tents for a page range where they might find the detail they need, may be helpful. ‘+ Attimes, students will be unable to clear up misunderstandings, as they may be un- able to understand words or phrases used in the passage. For example, in the stu- dent example on page 51, “getting on his good side” is an idiom. If'a student doesn’t understand the idiom, he or she may not be successful at gaining meaning no mat- ter which fix-up method is used. * When providing instruction in nonfiction or informational text, students may be confused by new information that could challenge prior knowledge they gained from another source. For example, during an instructional unit, a student encoun. tered information from two sources that was contradictory. Here, teachers may ad- vise the student to (a) check the credibility of the sources, (b} seek other sources to either confirm or refute the information, or (c) state that there was contradictory in- formation and keep it as an ongoing question to resolve during future studies. Text Suggestions While providing instruction in this strategy, itis critical to have a text that provides a “just-right” amount of challenge. If the text is too easy, students may indicate they 48 Strategy 1: Using FacUp Methods When Meaning Is Challenged Paris?don't have an authentic opportunity to try using the fix-up methods. Likewise, if the text is too complicated, students will be overburdened trying to grasp meaning and become frustrated with recording all of their experiences. Working with nonfiction small-format guided reading books might present more authentic opportunities for students to try the fix-up methods. Even using carefully selected passages within these small-format texts is a workable plan. If necessary, support the instruction you're providing in this strategy by using Passages from different texts. In other words, if you've clustered this strategy with others and thus far you've worked with one text, simply take a break from that text and use varied materials during small-group instruction Student magazines such as Weekly Reader, Time for Kids, or National Geographic for Kids would be good alternatives to nonfiction texts. Perhaps your library has a subscription and keeps back issues. Using nonfiction magazine articles, even if they are from different issues, in a small-group setting is a workable solution. As students progress in their ability to work with the fix-up methods, consider exposing them to other opportunities to use the methods. Sometimes students don’t think of reading as a skill that is developed outside of the instructional time provid- ed for it during the day. Using think-alouds during teachable moments, teachers can demonstrate the use of the fix-up methods while reading school fliers, notes, or even a lunch menu. ‘Student-Friendly Chat on the Importance of the Strategy When providing instruction on using fix-up methods when meaning is challenged, you can use the following dialogue as a way to explain the importance of this strate. gy to your students: Good readers pay attention to their ability to understand what they're reading. At times, even the best readers may be unsure of what they’ve read. Their thoughts might wander or maybe they get distracted by noises across the classroom. Before they know it, they're at the end of a page and can’t remember what they've read. Other times, even the best readers might become confused by what they've read. “This doesn’t make any sense,” they might think silently. No matter which prob- lem happens, whenever good readers don’t understand what they've read, they take action and do something to help fix this problem, They don’t keep reading. Three 00d fix-up methods are the following: |. Reread the passage. Rereading the passage after you've regained your focus might solve the problem. Also, if you read something incorrectly, rereading the pas- sage might help correct the problem. Even rereading it aloud might help. 2. Go back to other parts of the text. Quickly scanning an earlier paragraph, page, oF chapter might help you find just the right detail that clears up a misunderstand. ing or confusion. 3. Read on for no more than two sentences. Often, a misunderstanding might be- ‘come clear through something else that you read in the text. In this case, read- ing on might fix the problem. Still, you have to be careful you don’t keep reading Strategy 1: Using Fx-Up Methods When Meaning Is Challeaged 49and never clear up the problem. It’s best to go only about two sentences before you stop and try another fix-up method. Remember it’s not only important to use one of these fix-up methods, but it’s also just. ‘as important to recognize when you don’t understand something and take action! Practice With Prompts Using the Read-Along Guide This strategy will typically be introduced and covered only in the Introductory Read- Along Guide, which features only the foundational eight strategies covered in this chapter (see chapter 4 for more information on the Read-Along Guide), After this ini- tial instruction, students may be offered further instruction using teachable mo- ments. Here, students may be asked to refer back to their experience with the strategy in the Introductory Guide and then encouraged to simply transfer the skill as they work with new texts. Determining how often to formally cover this strategy in a Read-Along Guide is a decision best left to the teacher. You can use the following dialogue as a way to explain to students how they should begin their practice in the use of the strategy: Let’s practice using these fix-up methods during our reading. Use the prompt in your Read-Along Guide to record any confusing parts you read, and be sure to include the method you used to help fix the problem, To learn and practice this strategy, you'll be asked to pay close attention to your reading. When something doesn’t make sense, try fix-up method 3 and read on for no more than two sentences. If you're still not getting it, stop reading. Then you can try out another fix-up method. If you just lost focus and don’t remember what you read, try fix-up method 1. If something doesn’t make sense, fix-up method 1 might help here, too. For example, maybe you read snake for snack. If you're con- fused and can’t remember a character’s name or certain events, try fix-up method 2 Go back to other sections in the passage. Figure 10 illustrates how students will respond in the Guide to prompts about their reading as a way to monitor their use of Strategy 1. In this example, a fourth- grade student responded to prompts about using fix-up methods while reading ‘Skinnybones (Park, 1997). Featured excerpts from the book provide insights on how the student applied the strategy while reading. While providing instruction in fix-up method 1 where students will be pra ing rereading sections of a passage and recording their activities in their Guide, struggling and proficient readers will often fix the problem and want to keep reading instead of recording it in their Guide. For example, the student whose response is featured in Figure 10 was able to swiftly fix his misunderstanding caused by the transposition of words in the idiom “getting on his good side.” Still, encouraging stu- dents to record some examples that demonstrate their ability to use the strategy is important, as it is the only insight teachers have on their mental processes. Also, re- mind proficient readers who may automatically correct themselves through reread- ing that this will be a one-time lesson, 50 Strategy 1: Using FixUp Methods When Meaning Is ChallengedE 5 3 ~ } ce | a ) Ee} a=) —_ ro) my © TEA el ea eR Bara ay ete a Ee Lata ate6 Monitor Comprehension Strategy Wrap-up: Creating an Anchor Chart to Capture What We Learned about Monitoring Comprehension Teaching Language ‘Now that we have done some lessons on monitoring comprehension, let’ take a look back at what we have learned. We can co-construct an Anchor Chart about this strategy that will serve as a visual reminder to help us keep track of our thinking. The Monitoring Anchor Chart can guide us as we continue to ‘use monitoring strategies to help us understand what we read. ll begin by sharing something important that I do when I monitor my understanding, and I will record it on the chart. For instance, to keep track of my thinking, I focus on what the text makes me think about. I pay attention to my thinking when I read, listen, and view. While I am jotting this down on the chart, tum to each other and talk about something you have learned that is important to do in order to keep track of your thinking as you read. Be sure to say it in a way that makes sense to you. [Kids turn and talk.) Let’ share some of your thoughts. [We want 10 capture kids’ comments that show their understanding of the strategy as well as our lesson language to guide future teaching and learning.] What We Learned about Monitoring Comprehension We pay attention to ovr thinking when we liften, read, or Look at the pictures. We draw or write down what the text makes uf think about. We talk to each other abost ovr thinking, We ask qyestions to make sense and gain understanding, We understand the difference between what happened jn the text and what the text makes vf think about. We pay attention te the Features and their purposes. We vse text and visval Features to understand new information. We know that our thinking matters! The Primary Comprehension Toolkit: Monitor ComprehensionExpectations for student thinking and learning Questions you can ask yourself to assess stu- dent understanding Language of monitor- ing comprehension Assessment Checklist for Monitor Comprehension = Develop an awareness of their thinking as they read, listen, and view = Understand that their thinking matters when they read, listen, and view = Understand the difference between retelling events and thinking about the text = Leave tracks of their thinking by drawing and writing = Learn how to talk to a partner about their thinking = Notice the nonfiction visual and text features and understand that they give information = Recognize that text and visual features have a specific purpose = Do they jot down or draw to leave tracks of their thinking to monitor understanding? = Do they understand the difference between what the text is about and what it makes them think about? = Do they ask questions to gain understanding? = Can they sustain a conversation with a partner about the topic? = Do they pay attention to the nonfiction features when they read or view? = Do they understand the purpose of nonfiction text and visual features? = Do they recognize the importance of their thinking when they read, listen, or view? = Do they refer to the Anchor Chart for support? “T think... “Lunderstand... “The text makes me think. “This feature makes me think...” “I don't understand. “This doesn’t make sense...” “Huh? I don’t get this part...” “Oh, now I getit...(after talking, reading on, or rereading)” Lesson 3: Explore Nonfision Features 47Stephanie Harvey & Anne Goudvis — a —) } Ny ° Le | iT ° 3 =] = @ —s Ue] Ett ts) Follow Your Inner Conversation Notice When You Lose Your Way TT MERE2 THE CompRewENsion Toouxsr Monitor Comprehension Strategy Wrap-up: Creating an Anchor Chart to Capture What We Learned about Monitoring Comprehension Teaching Language ‘Now that we have done some lessons on monitoring comprehension, let’s take a look back at what we have learned. We can co-construct an Anchor Chart about this strategy that will serve as a visual reminder to help us keep track of our thinking, The Monitori monitoring strategies to help us understand what we read. Anchor Chart can guide us as we continue to use T'll begin by sharing something important that I do when [ monitor my understanding and I will record it on the chart, For instance, to keep track of iy thinking, { need to listen to my inner conversation. While I am jotting this down on the chart, turn to cach other and talk about something you have learned that is important to do in order to monitor your thinking as you read. Be sure to say it in a way that makes sense to you. [Kids turn and talk] Let's share some of your thoughts. [We want to capture kids comments that show their understanding of the strategy as well as our lesson language to guide future teaching and learning.) What We Learned about Monitoring Comprehension We Listen to what the voice in ovr head ir Saying —our inner conversation, We notice when we are not paving attention and step, go back, and veFoces We notice when we're confefed and reread conbssing parts te try to rake sense of them. When we come to 2 word we don’t know, we reread or fametines read on to Figure it ont We atk qyestions when we are confused to help make sense of text We write down our thovghts next to the text to keep track of ook thinking,Expectations for student thinking and learning Questions you can ask yourself to assess student understanding Questions students can ask themselves Language of monitoring comprehension Assessment Checklist for Monitor Comprehension These are questions we have asked our studonts, but you can adapt them to fit your own students’ unique needs, = Listen tothe inner conversation and leave tracks to hold thinking and loara and remember information ‘=: Notice when we stray from an inner conversation and stop to refocus ‘Reread and read on to clarity moaning and clear up contusion v8 Stop and use fix-up strategies when meaning breaks down, Le, ask questions Remember to stop, think and react to learn information and expand thinking © Articulate the strategies they use to understand content as well as their own reading process Do they jot down their thinking to leave tracks oftheir inner conversation and to monitor their understanding? ‘Do they stop and go back to refocus their thinking? = Do they reread or read on for clarification and to clear up contusion? ‘Are they able to use fix-up strategies to get back on rack? ‘Do they stop, think and react to the information to gain understanding? Are they beginning to articulate the strategies they use to understand the content ‘8s well asthe reading process? ‘Do they refer to the Anchor Chart for support? Did | follow my inner conversation? Did | eave tracks of my thinking? Did | stop and refocus when my mind wandered? Did 1 go back and reread when the text didn't make senso? Did | ty reading on when | was confused? Did use a fix-up strategy to get back on track? Did | remember to stop, think, and react while reading? ‘My inner voice says. think.” “Tundorstand...” "Tho toxt makes me think. “Tm nt thinking about the text here...” “Lean't hear ny inner voice hore. “I dont understand...” “This doosn' make sense... “Huh? | dan‘ get this par. “Ineed to reread, “Maybe if read on..." “When I went back and reread, I learned...” “Oh, now I gett... "(ater reading on or rereading) Srearscy Custer: MONITOR COMPREHENSION 39)Why Meaning Breaks Down Fix-up Strategies © 206 by 42 THECoMPRENENSION TootKrT Portsmouth, Ni: Heinemann. 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