Group+9+Module+9

1. What does research say about the topic? PEGGY: The text states the internalization of comprehension starategies involves long-term practice with the strategies, including opportunities to reflect on strategies use with others. SUSANNAH: The text says that when students decode or sound out words, they have to use alot of short term memory to decode. Since we have little short term memory, that means there is no short term memory left over for comprehension. In a study where one group discussed the meanings of words, and the other group worked on fluency (drilling the words over and over so they would be recognized and read effortlessly), the group with fluency drilling hasd better comprehension skills than the one that had discussed the meanings of the words in depth. So, in our order of words - it seems that fluency is very critical to comprehension, because it uses up less short term memory. I wish we could "buy" more RAM for our brains trhe way you can for computers! RENEE: According to research metacognitively sophisticated readers engage in predicting, questioning, imaging, clarifying, and summarizing while reading. Such reading increases fluency skills, comprehension, prior knowledge and vocabulary knowledge. MANDY: The text discusses the different strategies students use while reading.

2. In what ways does strategically active reading affect metacognition? PEGGY: According to the text reading increases fluency, which increases comprehension. Metacognition is the knowledge of thinking processes, therefore, through reading stategies reading and rereading will increase prediction, imagery, and summarization from what has been read. RENEE: The text also mentions the actrive reading incresese questioning, clarifying and vocabulary knowledge. SUSANNAH: When you are reading strategically and actively, you are **not** sitting by the pool with a margarita, listening to music and reading what Oprah has to say about her favorite slippers. You are **attacking** a text with a plan to read it for a **specific reason**, and to get **particular knowledge** from it. You have thought about **what you already know or do not know**, you are cognizant of what you need to do to "conquer" or "digest" the book and you are very serious, alert and even a little tense. You probably have a love-hate relationship with the text, but in the end you GET IT! **Comprehension is all present** and in the future you can even quote the author (who's name you remember and who's autobiography you have also probably already read to build good prior knowledge) and impress people at your husband's boss's Christmas party - because YES! Even 6 months later it is still committed to your long term memory! MANDY: Metacognition is the thinking process. Readers read the text and are constantly thinking about what they are reading.

3. Plan ways to have students become active readers within your classroom. PEGGY: Recently we were studying characters, plot, setting, and theme. We used short passages to identify each of these elements in fiction. One example for the students to actively become involved in reading and understanding was when we used a graphic organizer to imagine what the characters looked like and some characteristics about each character. The use of imagination helps students to draw a picture which increases comprehension. RENEE: Students could create KWL charts, dress up like a character in a text, create a power point on research, have a wiki discussion about a text they are reading as a class. SUSANNAH: Maybe the students could get together in groups and make up their own reader's theater - I am talking about upper elementary - 3rd - 5th graders. MANDY: I like to incorporate anything hands on. My students like to draw pictures and act out things that they ave read or that I have read to them.

SUSANNAH's question: What can we do for students who are unmedicated ADHD students who do not have the mental capacity to assess which information is important, and which is not? According to the text, good readers can scan through a text and decide (before reading) what parts should be read in detail and what parts should be ignored. You know, that decision is almost impossible for ADHD kids and adults (like me) to make. We cannot prioritize well. I guess that is another reason why these modules are so overwhelming. Am I even reading the text correctly and getting out of it what I should? (rhetorical question). Most of it seems redundant, but am I really getting the point? (rhetorical question) Some of the strategy assignments seem so inappropriate that I believe they are assigned to see if we can figure out that they are inappropriate. Meeting once a week for two hours (or even one hour) would make a huge difference in my comprehension. RENEE: Your question made me think about math word problems. I hated them when I was in school. I see students with and without ADHD, on meds or not, all struggle with these problems. Half of the information given in the question has nothing to do with the answer. Students need higher level thinking skills for such problems. I believe the teacher must model the question, answer, problem solving skills over and over. The teacher could have the students highlight the information in the question that is needed to find the answer. I agree with you about the class, it would be helpful to meet once a week. I am glad that we have each other to lean on.

PEGGY: I believe we have to slow the instruction down, break it down into smaller pieces, and then review-review-review. It is difficult for ADHD students to develop organization skills, but that is a huge task that they need to learn. It helps to keep them on track and focused on the priorities. Then as schedules, such as this short intense session, occur they can eat their elephant one bite at a time. SUSANNAH: Yes, ADHD students need to learn also WHAT to ficus on. On assignments where spelling and penmanship **do not** count, I have students that re-write and erase their letters over and over again, ans so they are not focusing on comprehension at all, but on how to get that "s" to sit on the line. I wish, since 99% of their adult life will be using computers, that our kids could spend time learning keyboarding skills, instead of the hours they take to put ideas down on paper with pencil. I just keep telling them to "hang on" until they get to where they are allowed to type everything.

RENEE: An oldie but goodie is a KWL chart. This may help the students focus more on the text being read to them. You could also try visualization skills with them. Model, model model... walk them through it. Tell them (before you read) that you need them to draw you a picture about the story after you read it to them. Good luck..I hope that helps. SUSANNAH: Making them read with expression helps. For example echo reading. Your read the first sentence with expression and they are supposed to read it right back, imitatiing your expression. Or, just pickout a few sentences that demand expression and see if they can echo them back to you. Also, once you have discussed what the meaning of the reading is, have them read it again, knowing what they know, and ask the same comprehension questions again. After a while they may catch on the paying active attention the first time they read.
 * PEGGY's Question: How do we help students listen to what they are reading for comprehension? I have a grandson and tutee currently that neither of them are able to tell me what they just read.**

SUSANNAH: Well, that would be the "Before reading" reading strategies, such as the strategies where you introduce soem vocabulary abd predict how it will be used in the text. Brainstorm with the classroom about the subject matter - KWL. Also playing a short video that peaks their interest and has something to do with the reading helps - that way you are actually building their proipr knowledge. Of course, going on a field trip, and inviting a guest "expert" to the subject to your classroom would be great. MANDY: I would go over all the pictures in the book and see if they can tell you what they are or what they mean, and this also helps to activate their background knowledge. The students may be able to relate to the text better. MANDY: My question is how do you create comprehension strategies that meet the needs of mutiple learners? I will be having ten boys that all have autism this year in my class.....all day.
 * RENEE'S QUESTION: What reading comprehension strategies would you suggest for elementary students with very little back ground knowledge?**
 * PEGGY**: Definitely use before reading brainstorming. Yes, Susannah all the other ideas are good as well, however in these times of budget crunches the more before reading strategies within the classroom, like brainstorming, telling oral history, examples, questioning, KWL's, etc. will probably be the best solutions. Another reason why I like the READ 180 program and will miss using it so much is the fact they include background information before introducing the text.
 * PEGGY:** Whew, Mandy that is a tough one. I've never worked with autistic children so I'm not sure how to advise you. Autism is a special category and I believe you have to be a very special teacher to work with them.