Before Reading Strategies
Outside establishing a purpose for reading and reviewing discussion questions, these strategies can help increase student understanding and engagement.
Establish a Purpose for Reading
Webbs Depth of Knowlege
Like Bloom's, this resource assists our students in creating questions meant to provoke their thinking and the thinking of those around them.
Blooms Sentence Starters
When focusing on inquiry, our students might have difficulty creating questions. Use this resource as a way to guide them toward basic questioning eventually moving them toward critical thinking skills.
Review what you know about the topic
What do I already know?
My go-to for getting students involved. In giving students a chance to activate prior knowledge, they are telling you what they know empowering them to share their learning with you.
Ask yourself what you want to learn about the topic
Question-Answer-Relationship
This iconic strategy created by Dr. Taffy Raphael, offers universal design in its approach to inquiry. There are several ways to utilize the Q-A-R model; ultimately scaffolding based on student need. The "Right There" Questions are found directly in the text. The "Think and Search" are inference-based questions. Finally, the "Author and Me" Questions or "On My Own" Questions encourages students to interact with the text on a personal level.
Preview the text
How Well Do I Know These Words?
Think of using this vocabulary graphic organizer in pairs as students determine the words they think they know and the ones they actually know. Doing this activity as a pair gives students the opportunity to talk about words and how words benefit their learning.
Take notes
Cornell Notes
Two-column notes gives students the opportunity to create questions or to apply Main Ideas. In addition, after they have written brief notes, use the Summary space to connect it all together. Consider modifying these notes for your classroom use and for varying student abilities.