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April 16, 2006
Learning to Read Strategically
When was the last time you were reading and encountered a word that you did not know or a passage that you didn't understand? Adults often forget the many strategic skills that are combined for successful reading. As successful readers, our strategies are all on "automatic pilot," and we use them subconsciously. That is not the case for emerging and developing readers.
When completing the Record of Oral Reading using the Developmental Reading Assessment® K-3 or 4-8, Second Edition, (DRA2), it is the observations the teacher makes about a student's reading that provides a window to understanding what the student does while decoding text. Does the student attempt to decode unknown words? Does the student know when he or she has made a miscue? Does he or she attempt to self-correct miscues? Having an understanding of these miscues provides an opportunity to design instruction in the areas of relative weakness by teaching specific reading strategies.
There are several strategies that are useful for children to have when reading. Reading with Strategies is a program that was developed by Debra Meckley, Lorraine Edwards, and Deanna Stegeman to teach children how to use seven specific strategies to become better readers. The strategies are as follows:
- Look at the picture.
- Does it make sense?
- Get your mouth ready.
- Does it look right?
- Reread.
- Does it sound right?
- Look for chunks.
Reading with Strategies comes at two levels—Emergent and Early. Each set includes 24 poster-size cards that have a colorful, engaging photograph and a sentence or two about the photo. This learning tool also includes two sheets of small cling-ons that are used to cover specific words that represent unknown words to students. The Teacher's Resource that accompanies the program is rich with directions on how to teach each of the strategies; questions to ask before, during, and after reading; and specific suggestions for which words to cover with the cling-ons.
Collecting assessment data using the DRA2 is just the first step in improving reading. What we do with the information is what changes reading behaviors over time. It is time to move the assessment results from the file cabinet to the lesson plan and model and teach students how to effectively use reading strategies to become self-sufficient readers.
For more information on Reading with Strategies, refer to page 74 of the Pearson Learning Group '05-06 catalog or contact customer service at 1-800-321-3106. The ISBN for Reading with Strategies, Emergent Stage is 0-673-77812-6 and Early Stage is 0-673-77866-5.
Posted by Melody at April 16, 2006 05:49 PM