READING POWERS
We begin our year by discussing all the different 'powers' that will help us become better readers...By mastering these powers, we will improve our reading skills in both fiction and non-fiction...because READING IS THINKING!
CONNECTING
VISUALISING
INFERRING
ASKING QUESTIONS
TRANSFORMING
SUMMARIZING
Inferring(March/April)
Students use their prior knowledge (schema) and clues from the text and illustrations to make an inference about the:
story, characters, author's message, theme, problem or point of view.
They use their inferences to better understand what they are reading.
Asking Questions - January/February 2017
Using a Q-Chart, students will learn to compose interesting questions and apply these as they read. This strategy encourages them to think more deeply about the author's message, the characters and the plot rather than just to tell what the story is about. They can ask questions before, during and after they read a text. Some questions will be answered, some may need to to be investigated further and some may leave them wondering. This strategy is especially important when reading non-fiction. Students are reminded that asking questions is a great way to approach a topic because it points them in a specific direction to answer that question. It zeroes in on an answer and forces the student to look specifically at that topic.
Summarizing/Making Connections - October/November 2016
Text to Self Connection - When something we read reminds us about a personal experience, we consider this a connection to our own lives.
Text to Text Connection - Something we are reading makes us think about another piece of text that we have already read.
Text to World Connection - We sometimes read about a topic that reminds us of an event or idea that is happening in the world. For instance, we might read about how the number of animals in the world has dropped to 50% of what it was 40 years ago. A connection could be made to our own backyard which is being developed and where the animals must find new homes.
Before - We use our 'schema' or background knowledge to connect to the title, cover and a brief skim of the book. Use CATS which stands for cover, author, title and skim to help students remember this strategy.
During - We begin to record our 'connections' using 'stickie notes' so that we can write about them later.
Students use their prior knowledge (schema) and clues from the text and illustrations to make an inference about the:
story, characters, author's message, theme, problem or point of view.
They use their inferences to better understand what they are reading.
Asking Questions - January/February 2017
Using a Q-Chart, students will learn to compose interesting questions and apply these as they read. This strategy encourages them to think more deeply about the author's message, the characters and the plot rather than just to tell what the story is about. They can ask questions before, during and after they read a text. Some questions will be answered, some may need to to be investigated further and some may leave them wondering. This strategy is especially important when reading non-fiction. Students are reminded that asking questions is a great way to approach a topic because it points them in a specific direction to answer that question. It zeroes in on an answer and forces the student to look specifically at that topic.
Summarizing/Making Connections - October/November 2016
Text to Self Connection - When something we read reminds us about a personal experience, we consider this a connection to our own lives.
Text to Text Connection - Something we are reading makes us think about another piece of text that we have already read.
Text to World Connection - We sometimes read about a topic that reminds us of an event or idea that is happening in the world. For instance, we might read about how the number of animals in the world has dropped to 50% of what it was 40 years ago. A connection could be made to our own backyard which is being developed and where the animals must find new homes.
Before - We use our 'schema' or background knowledge to connect to the title, cover and a brief skim of the book. Use CATS which stands for cover, author, title and skim to help students remember this strategy.
During - We begin to record our 'connections' using 'stickie notes' so that we can write about them later.