"Weading" Wednesday
...alliteration defeats spelling...
Besides the WORD PART of the WEEK...
The ROOT for this week is ARCH (meaning most important, ruler, or chief).
Before
1. Activate prior knowledge about a topic.
2. Develop clearer understandings about concepts.
Procedure:
1. Write a cue word on the board.
2. Have students brainstorm words or concepts related to the topic. Write down all ideas.
3. Lead a discussion about whether any words should be eliminated. If so, why?
4. Divide the class into groups of three or four. Have groups cluster the words and give each cluster a descriptive term.
5. Have groups share their clusters and give reasons for their choices.
6. Have students read the text. Afterward, have students revisit their clusters and modify, if necessary.
Source: Maring, G., Furman, G., & Blum-Anderson, J. (1985). Five cooperative learning strategies for mainstreamed youngsters in content area classrooms. The Reading Teacher, 39, 310-313.
During
The Question-Answer Relationships is a way to help students realize that the answers they seek are related to the type of question that is asked; it encourages them to be strategic about their search for answers based on an awareness of what different types of questions look for. It is even more important to understand where the answer will come from. Teaching QARs to students begins with helping them understand the core notion. When they are confronted with a question, the answer will come either from the text or from what kids know.
Explain Those Four QARs!
1. Right There. The answer is in the text, and if we pointed at it, we'd say it's "right there!" Often, the answer will be in a single sentence or place in the text, and the words used to create the question are often also in that same place.
2. Think and Search. The answer is in the text, but you might have to look in several different sentences to find it. It is broken up or scattered or requires a grasp of multiple ideas across paragraphs or pages.
3. Author and You. The answer is not in the text, but you still need information that the author has given you, combined with what you already know, in order to respond to this type of question.
4. On My Own. The answer is not in the text, and in fact you don't even have to have read the text to be able to answer it.
After
Procedure:
1. Teacher draws a T-chart on the board. In the boxes at the top of the chart, students record issues, events, or characters.
2. Below these designations, supporting ideas or examples are given.
3. As always, teacher should model the use of this strategy first.
Jenny Ozbirn - Instructional Partner at the FFC
Email: jozbirn@florencek12.org
Twitter: @ffcsoar