Reading Strategies
Below, I will elaborate on how each reading strategy is used to help students effectively interpret the texts in this unit. As will be noted, some of the strategies are implemented before or after reading, while others are implemented while reading. Each reading strategy will be used for each text in this unit with the aim of helping students create a regular approach to interpreting historical text. Lastly, the order of these strategies is deliberate. For maximizing the effectiveness of these tools it is suggested that they be used successively (over the course of the entire unit, not within the scope of each text); each strategy builds upon the one before it, and scaffolds the process of interpretation and critical thinking.
"My Reaction"- My Reaction is a post-reading strategy that is designed to help students record their initial reactions to a text and thus become conscious of the feelings that were evoked while reading the text. My Reaction is a two step process. Initially students will record five reactions (more specifically, feelings, thoughts, ideas, connections, and images that pop into their head while they read the text) within a circle that is in the center of the paper. The circle is divided into five slices, with each slice being the designated space for a single reaction. After students have recorded five initial reactions, students will then re-read the text to try and identify what word, phrase or passage, specifically, evoked those reactions. Once students identify these excerpts, they will then record the excerpts on the boxes that correlate with the slice that now should contain the student's initial reaction to the piece. This reading strategy is relevant because it helps us understand how text can promote social or political action through literary devices. Students can share their reactions with each other in groups, or partners. It is suggested that the teacher call on a handful of students to share their reactions while the teacher is recording these reactions on the board. After the initial reactions are recorded as a class, the class can discuss why these reactions were experienced. Probably there will be common reactions and common excerpts among the students. This practice is effective because it illustrates on a smaller level how text can evoke powerful feelings on a collective level.
"5W"- The 5W strategy is a during-reading strategy that is designed to help students comprehend the lower-order thinking aspects of a text by organizing the contents into different categories. 5W is an abbreviation for Who, What, Where, When and Why. As mentioned above, 'How' is intentionally omitted (but can be included at the discretion of the teacher), as it usually leads to a higher order thinking process that is best addressed after the superficial aspects of a text have been digested. For this reading strategy, students are given a graphic organizer that contains five columns or boxes. Each box represents one of the W's. The 5W approach can be implemented in a variety of ways.
The first way 5W can be implemented is by having students record information in the text into the appropriate category of 5W. This can be done individually or with a partner. For example, while reading the lyrics to U2's song, "Pride," students may fill the 'What' box with: barbed wire, a shooting, betrayal, kiss, love. Furthermore, the 'Where' box may contain: Empty beach, Memphis. This approach is effective in helping students identify and organize the factual contents of a text.—to take inventory.
Another way the 5W method can be implemented is by asking students to write three questions in each box about matters that seem unresolved after they've read the text. This is an effective way to help students generate a variety of multi-tiered questions. Continuing our examination of "Pride," questions that may arise in the 'Why' box may be: Why was the man shot? Why can Pride not be taken? Why was the man betrayed with a kiss? Whereas the 'Who' box may contain: Who is the narrator talking about? Who was oppressing the man in the story? The questions generated by students after reading a text can be a great way to lead them into a student-centered discussion.
"Sum-it-Up"- Sum-it-Up is an after-reading strategy that aims to help students use phrases or passages from a text to create a short, concise summary of what the author is saying. It is generally more effective to initially supply students with potent passages from the text for them to summarize, before giving students the autonomy to summarize passages of text on their own. When looking at the graphic organizer, Sum-it-Up is made up of three identical columns: A, B and C. Each column contains a blank box titled "passage", a smaller box titled "keywords," and a third box titled "summary." On the bottom of the page, independent from column A, B and C is a box labeled "Summed-Up!" This box is where the students will write their final summary after the process, which is explained in detail below, is complete.
For this reading strategy, ask students to get into pairs. This reading strategy is best done in pairs as students can reach more effective summaries after negotiating each other's ideas. For this example, I will assign a poem entitled "There is a Longing" by Chief Dan George. After students have read the poem in its entirety (and presumably, completed previous reading strategies), pass out passages from the text that you have printed and cut into small squares that will fit into the box titled "passage." Students can paste these print outs onto their graphic organizer to avoid copying down long passages. Have students analyze the passage that you have provided for them. Remind them only to consider the passage in question and try not to consider passages in the text that are not directly part of the passage currently being examined. Asking students to choose three keywords (or more, depending on the length of the passage) from the passage that are "telling" or "required to understand" what is being said. After a brief discussion with their partners, have students write down these keywords in the box titled "Keywords." Next, ask students to write one sentence that includes all three keywords, summarizing what is being said in the passage. Remind them not to worry too much about being specific, but rather, tapping into the big idea. This sentence is to be written in the box titled summary. This sentence will be titled sentence A.
Repeat the same process for columns B and C, creating sentence B and C, respectively. To finalize this strategy, have students combine sentence A, B and C into a 3-sentence paragraph that will be written in the lower box titled "Summed-Up!"
This strategy is helpful for students who have a difficult time knowing what passages are significant when trying to summarize or interpret text. Giving students a print-out of important passages both helps alleviate students feeling overwhelmed by a long text and helps students feel that part of the work is already done. Again, this reading strategy is designed to help students extrapolate the general theme or idea that an author is trying to convey, which is essential in interpreting the tone and purpose of a piece of work.
"Making Inferences"- Making inferences is an after reading strategy that can be effectively coupled with the "Sum-it-Up" strategy. Making Inferences is designed to encourage students to begin thinking critically about a text and is most effective after students have established a clear understanding of the lower-order thinking aspects of a text. Making Inferences helps students begin thinking about the purpose of a text, that is to say, begin considering the author's intention. Using this strategy is also effective in having students begin to see passages as evidence towards their own conclusions about the text. Lastly, this strategy encourages students to begin considering the relationship between the text, its author and any relevant background or context.
Making Inferences is a three-step process. This graphic organizer is made up of three horizontal rows. Each row contains three boxes and each row is independent of the others, thus allowing three inferences to be developed per graphic organizer. The boxes are labeled box 1 "What the Author Said," box 2 "What I Know," and, box 3 "What I can Infer." Students will examine a passage or phrase from the text that will be written in the "What the Author Said" box. Secondly, students will fill the second box, "What I Know" with either a personal experience that relates to the topic of box 1 or background/context about the author, social climate, period in history, etc. Teachers who wish to adhere to the Common Core standards may want to avoid asking students to write about their own experiences in the box titled "What I Know," and instead, ask students to list specific information about the author and/or the social/political climate surrounding the author at the time. This suggestion concentrates more on using concrete evidence to help students make inferences. Lastly, students will essentially combine the two boxes with the goal of arriving at a conclusion about what can be inferred about the intention of the text or the author's purpose in writing. This conclusion will be written in the box labeled "What I can Infer."
For the following example of how this reading strategy can be applied in the classroom, I will use Walt Whitman's poem, "I Hear America Singing."
Box 1 may contain: Each singing what belongs to him or her and to no one else, the day what belongs to the day-at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
Box 2 may contain: Walt Whitman often celebrated democracy, friendship and American values.
Box 3 may contain: Walt Whitman wrote this poem to celebrate the working people of America, encourage people working in harmony, being friendly with one another despite their differences. He hoped to express the strength in the American worker and possibly, the story of America.
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