Ms. Docherty

Comprehension Strategies

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Goal: 5.12

 

Title: Angles Summaries for Highlighting Deeper Ideas in Plot

 

Age and reading level: L-Z+ 3rd-5th+

 

Brief Description: A certain type of summary that has students state a message, lesson, or theme. It helps students see the story in different ways to increase comprehension.

 

Materials needed: something to write on and writing utensils, passage or book

 

Steps for instruction:

Start writing with what the story is really about.

What’s the big idea of the whole story

Say it Like a thesis

What parts of the story best support that idealist them in order

List what else is important in the story

What supports your idea?

Only tell extra parts that go with your idea.

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Goal:5.14

 

Title: Chapter-End Stop Signs

 

Age and reading level: L-Z+ 3rd-5th+

 

Brief Description: Students will write something that was important in the chapter at the end of each chapter while reading. This helps students highlight key events and be able to remember it by taking notes. Students can use their notebook to do this or a post it note at the end of each chapter to keep in the book. Some students also like a worksheet to write their chapter-end stop signs on to turn in.

 

Materials needed: Post-it notes or worksheet, writing utensils, book

 

Steps for instruction: 

Reach Chapter End or 

Check the chapter title and identify the important thing that happened

Say what was important in a brief way

Reread sticky note or writing to remember the most important event from each chapter

 

 

Goal: 6.13

 

Title: Yes. But why?

 

Age and reading level: L-Z+ 3rd-5th+

 

Brief Description: Understanding different motivations in characters. It helps you understand the kind of person he or she is. By knowing this- helps students understand and infer what the character will do next.

 

Materials needed: Paper or something to write on, writing utensils, a book you want to know more about.

 

Steps for instruction:

Name what the character does or says. Now think, why did she or he do or say something.

Think about character motivation.

If students write what the character is doing, ask “I’m wondering why the character did that”

Are there clues earlier in the book that would lead them to know?

Use words maybe because…. To add motivation

 

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Goal: 7.24

 

Title: Titles Can Be Telling

 

Age and reading level: R-Z+ 4th-5th+

 

Brief Description: Reading into the title of a book can help infer the answer the students are looking for. Think about how the title connects to multiple aspects of the book. Students will use the title to help connect themes, settings, characters, and etc.

 

 

Materials needed: Writing materials

 

Steps for instruction: 

Ask what’s a thread throughout the book?

What connects to the title?

The title connects to one story element and how would it connect with another?

That idea fits with the story, is there any more ideas you have?

Add “Or maybe…”

Add “It could also be…” to add connect to your idea of connecting the titles

 

 

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Goal: 7.16

 

Title: Stories Teach Us About Life Issues

 

Age and reading level: N-Z+ 3rd-5th +

 

Brief Description: Have students think about what issue or issues like class, race, or gender is in the text being read. The characters are learning lessons in the book, its important for readers to pay attention to this. When the character learns something, we can learn something too. Children will write issues on a piece of paper and cut them out and place them on a sheet to show what’s going on in the book as a whole.

 

Materials needed: Scissors, glue, paper, writing utensils.

 

Steps for instruction:

Ask yourself, what issue is showing up in your book?

What are you learning?

What is the character learning? Reread the last page

First, find the part where the character has a major problem

Flip pages to where the character learns something

That’s the issue and find out what your own idea is about the issue

This will be the lesson for the character