Reading Comprehension Strategies: 1)Making Connections When we read for meaning, we make connections to other texts, to ourselves, and to our world. A text-to-self connection helps you build understanding and make meaning from the story. We come to reading with many experiences and memories that help us make connections and bring meaning to what we read. These experiences are called �schema.� Text-to-text connections are connections to meaningful story elements in another book. Text-to-world connections are connections to things happening in our world. Meaningful connections help us understand important story elements (character, setting, problem, solution). Connections should be related to what�s important in the book. 2)Visualizing When readers combine their personal knowledge and experience with the author�s words and ideas to make mental images, they are visualizing. The author�s words �paint a picture in our minds.� When the words help us make a picture in our mind that helps us understand a story element (character, setting, problem, solution), this is a meaningful visualization. The words should help us use our five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing). The words must be important to the meaning of the story. Words, phrases and short passages can give us visualizations. Everyone�s visualizations are different because we are using the author�s words and our own experiences, our schema, to make a picture in our mind. 3)Predicting Prediction helps set the stage for reading for meaning. As we read, we use our past experiences and knowledge, or schema, to make �thinking guesses� about what will happen next in the story. We also use prediction to figure out the meanings of individual words or phrases. We begin by looking at the cover illustration and title. Have we read other books by this author? Does the illustration or title give any clues about the story? All predictions that use our schema are important and valuable. We check to see if our predictions are �confirmed� or �not confirmed.� As we read, if our predictions are not confirmed we use the new information we have to make new predictions. 4)Retelling Good readers can tell all the important things that happened in a story in their own words. Retellings of a story should include important story elements (character, setting, problem, solution). Several different story maps, webs and frames can be used to help organize important information for retelling a story. When doing a written retelling, students should not copy dialogue (what characters say) or sentences from the story. 5)What�s Important? In nonfiction, we are reading to find out facts and important ideas. Some special features of nonfiction can help us such as italics, bold print, headings and subheadings. There are also graphic aids such as charts, labels, tables, maps, captions, table of contents, index and glossaries to help us make meaning. In fiction, thinking about the setting, plot, characters, problem and solution can lead us to the theme or main idea of the story. What is the author telling us? We can think about this for each paragraph or page of text that we read. What is important here? What does the author want me to know? 6)Inferring When readers infer, they use their prior knowledge and clues from the story to draw conclusions and form unique interpretations. �The story does not say, but we can decide. . .� � Readers can determine the meanings of unknown words by using their schema, paying attention to clues in the story and pictures, rereading and discussing with others. � Making predictions and being able to explain your thinking behind that prediction is a part of inferring. Good readers make predictions and confirm or change their predictions as they read on. � Poetry is excellent for practicing making inferences. Often you need to use your background knowledge and clues from the words to draw conclusions and understand what a poem is about. � Good readers know to infer when the answers to their questions are not stated in the story. You have to �Read between the lines.� � Good readers create their own interpretations to enrich and deepen their experience with a story. Often authors want to leave their readers with something to think about and remember. Books can help you to think about important things in a new way. �What does the author want you to think about and remember?� 7)Questioning Good readers purposefully and spontaneously ask questions before, during, and after reading. � We ask questions to clarify meaning, think and wonder about what we are about to read, focus our attention, and find answers. � Readers determine whether the answers to their questions can be found in the text or whether they will need to infer the answer from the text, their background knowledge, and/or an outside source. � Good readers understand that many of the most intriguing questions are not answered directly in the book, but are left to the reader�s interpretation. � Readers understand that hearing others� questions inspires new ones of their own; likewise, listening to others� answers can also inspire new thinking. � We understand that questioning is used in many areas of our lives. � Good readers know that questioning deepens their comprehension. How to Answer Questions: *Circle key words in questions *Reread *Underline (or place a sticky note) on the sentence that helps you answer the question *Use words from the question to form your answer: When does the story begin? The story begins on the first day of school. What is Richard�s nickname? Richard�s nickname is Beast. *Rate your answer 1. I have NO idea 2. I�m not really sure 3. I might be right 4. I�m pretty sure I�m right 5. I�m POSITIVE I�m right Accelerated Reader: This is a computer program. Warnsdorfer has a large library of reading comprehension tests on the computer. Books that have a test on the computer are marked with special stickers in the Warnsdorfer library as well as my classroom library. The program keeps track of all the tests that a student takes, the book level, and scores. At the end of each marking period, I will send home your child�s Accelerated Reader progress report. Students have ample opportunity to take tests on the computer during Reader�s Workshop. Students may takes tests on books read in class independently, books read aloud for Shared Reading, and books read at home. Students are cautioned to read carefully before taking a test. They must have a conference with me if they receive 60% or lower on a test. Power Reading Sessions: Read aloud to your child for five minutes. Be sure that the book is on your child's reading level. Model good reading for them by pronouncing words carefully and clearly, and by making appropriate pauses for periods and commas. Next, listen to your child read aloud from the same book for another five minutes. Your child should begin at the point where you stopped reading. Remind your child to take it slowly and read so that the words make sense. This is why your oral reading is so important. It's setting an example for your child. Finally, ask questions about what was read. Check how well your child was listening and reading by asking general questions about what was read. Talk about the story. Power reading is an excellent way to improve reading skills and demonstrate the importance you place on reading. start a book that your child is interested in and continue using the same book for Power Reading sessions until it is completed. Guided Reading Practice: Second grade students need time to "practice" reading each day so that they may gain fluency. Students need to read with speed and accuracy so that they can concentrate on meaning rather than decoding words. Read to your child and let your child hear the way a good reader sounds. Let your child reread favorite stories and books often. Coaching During Reading: When your child does not know a word you can say: 1. Put your finger on the word and say all the letters. 2. Use the letters and picture clues. 3. Try to pronounce the word by looking to see if it has a spelling pattern or rhyme that you know. 4. Keep your finger on the word and read the other words in the sentence to see if it makes sense. 5. If it doesn't make sense, go back to the word and think about what would make sense and have these parts.