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Purpose: To develop reading comprehension
strategies
Time: 40 minutes
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During Teacher Directed Reading all the students in the class
use the same text. Stories from a basal may be used, or
stories from an anthology, or class sets of novels. The
text is not reading leveled material; rather it is
age/grade level appropriate. The text varies in
instructional difficulty. Therefore, the teacher should
alternate hard pieces with easier pieces. For instance, The
Devil's Arithmetic is a hard novel and Pinballs is a
much easier novel. The goal is not to "cover" or
"read" the literature -- the goal is to use the
literature to teach reading comprehension strategies. The
lesson is structured to support diversity in reading levels
within the class.
The purpose of this block is to teach reading comprehension
strategies that will enable students to acquire, interpret,
apply and evaluate text. The teacher must preview each
piece of literature or each chapter within the novel to
determine which comprehension strategy(s) this particular text
lends itself. This then becomes the focus of the lesson.
There are only a few comprehension strategies but these
strategies must be taught thoroughly as students develop the
ability to read more complex text. The strategies taught
are those embedded in the text. Examples of comprehension
strategies are:
- Inferences
- Compare/contrast
- Cause and effect
- Sequencing
- Main idea and supporting details
- Character analysis
- Literary elements
- Point of view
- Print concepts
The Lesson is divided into three parts:
Prereading time - 10 minutes
This component occurs at the beginning of each teacher
directed reading lesson. These activities prepare the
reader to comprehend the text.
Building
or Activating Prior Knowledge
Key
Vocabulary
-
Point
out specific words or phrases used in the text that might
interfere with comprehension.
-
Read
the sentence(s) that contain the vocabulary word.
-
Tell
the students the meaning of the word(s).
Preview
and Predict
Set
the Purpose for Reading
This
is the "treasure hunt" and is often neglected during
the prereading. Give the students a specific question to
search out as they read. This is powerful in building
comprehension.
During
Reading time - 15-20 minutes
Students
read the text in a variety of ways. Some students will
need support as they read this text as it may be above their
instructional reading level.
Shared
Reading
The
teacher reads the text aloud as the students follow in their
text. Some students may elect to choral read with the
teacher. The teacher:
-
reads
with expression
-
models
the thinking processes, models predicting and thinking aloud
-
"walks
through" inferences in the text
Paired
Reading
The
teacher pairs a strong "compassionate" reader with a
weaker reader. These students take turns reading the text.
The teacher may read with a flexible group as the pairs
read.
Independent
Reading
Students
read text alone. Students who need extra support use an
audiotape of the text as they read, or they read with the
teacher.
Post
Reading time 10-15 minutes
Using
the strategies that are embedded in the text, the teacher leads
the students to think crucially about the text. The use of
graphic organizers at this time will enhance the students'
understanding and comprehension.
Post
reading activities may be:
-
Whole
class, teacher led
-
Collaborative
groups
-
Independent
Note:
A majority of the time the teacher should be teaching comprehension
strategies. Answering questions orally or in written
format is not comprehension instruction - it is assessment of
comprehension.
Management
Time
is needed to plan the lesson. Just reading a story or
chapter and doing an activity will not increase comprehension.
A good lesson plan will match the comprehension strategy
embedded in the text with the instructional needs of the
students. This will ensure success.
Materials
Needed
-
Whole
class sets of reading materials, i.e. novels, basals,
anthologies
-
Graphic
organizers
-
Literature
response journals
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