Welcome to the Reading Comprehension Strategies Session!

1. Welcome to the Reading Comprehension Strategies Session!

2. Let’s get to know one another… • As you walked in, you had a sticky note with a name of an animal placed on your back. (Don’t Look) • Now for the next three minutes, go around and ask other participants questions to discover what animal you were assigned. Ready, set, go!!

3. Now what does “discovering your animal” have to do with Reading Comprehension???

4. Reading Comprehension is a thinking process, and it is an ACTIVE process!

5. Goal for the next 20 minutes… • To provide strategies before, during, and after you read. • To give you a better understanding of how to help your child’s comprehension of what they have read. • To provide you with a wealth of tools that will meet the individual style of your child.

6. So let’s dive in! Before you read you can….

7. Strategies Before Reading • Brainstorming /Previewing • Examine together the title of the selection they are about to read • List all the information that comes to mind • Activates prior knowledge • K-W-L charts • Schema charts ABC…

8. K-W-L Chart

9. This is my schema about ____________

10. More Strategies Before Reading • Present and review key words (vocabulary) or phrases. • Before reading with child, preview the book and pick out vocabulary words or phrases. • Ask child to tell you what the words/phrases mean • Help the child with words/phrases he does not know • Predicting • Look at the title of the book • Look at the pictures in the book • Talk about what you believe the book will be about

11. While you are reading, there are many strategies to help a child comprehend. Here are three strategies…

12. You can use sticky notes! • While you are reading, answer 3 of these questions. Put the answers on the sticky notes, and leave them on the page that answers your questions. • Tell two things you remember from the text you just • read. • What was the setting of the text you just read? • What is a word you didn't know the meaning to or • a word that you find interesting? • Find a part in the book that surprised you? • Choose one of the main characters in the book • and tell why you think he/she is the main • character? • What question comes to mind as you read this • part of the book? • Is there a funny part? a sad part?

13. Connecting to the book by… • Text-to-self • Text-to-text • Text-to-world

14. ReQuest-Questioning each other as you read After every two or three pages, ask your partner a question about what you both have read, and have the partner answer it. Read two or three more pages, then reverse the roles.

15. After Reading Strategies… Why aren’t we done when we have finished reading the story? • Reading comprehension is the ability to understand what you have read and it is the essence of reading. • If you do not understand what you have just read, then can it be considered reading?

16. There are a great deal of interactive and engaging activities that students can participate in while at home:

17. Beach Ball Comprehension After you are reading, toss the ball to your child. The section that their left hand thumb is touching is the question they must answer

18. Roll the Dice Comprehension • After you have read the book, roll one dice. • Based on the number that is rolled, answer the question that contains the corresponding number as the guide.

19. Popsicle Stick Comprehension After you have read the book, close your eyes and select 3 popsicle sticks. Answer each question or perform the activity that was selected.

20. Foldable Comprehension After you have read the book, decide what information is best suitable to recall from the book. Construct a Foldable for the story. • Fold the paper in half to focus on the main idea and supporting details • Fold the paper in thirds to focus on the beginning, middle, and end of the story • Fold the paper in fourths to focus on story elements, such as character, setting, problem, and solution

21. What can you do to help your child with reading? • The single most important way to help your child develop a love of reading is to read aloud to your child.  Try to read aloud at least 15 minutes each day to your child. • As you are reading with your child, help your child see how he/she is like or not like a character in the book. • To help your child read more fluently, give them opportunities to read aloud at home.  Children can read recipes, read with a sibling or a parent, etc. • Establish a family reading hour . • Take regular trips to the library . • Write notes to your children and leave them around the house for them to find and read (Scavenger Hunt) .

22. Comprehension Websites • Mrs. Travis Classroom : http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/TTravis/index.cfm • Reading Comprehension Resources : http://www.resourceroom.net/Comprehension/index.asp • Wordly Wise 3000 : http://www.wordlywise3000.com/ • Prereading Strategies : http://departments.weber.edu/teachall/reading/prereading.html • Internet 4 Classrooms. Grade Level Skills : http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help.htm • Arcadmic Skills Builders. Language Arts : http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/ • The Reading Matrix . Com : http://www.readingmatrix.com/directory/pages/ • Improve Literacy : http://www.improveliteracy.com/Reading_strat.aspx

23. Beach Ball Set-up • Use a permanent marker to write the questions in each color section. • You can mark off different sections within the color sections to add more questions. • See attachment for questions Popsicle Stick Set-up • Use a permanent marker to write the questions on each popsicle stick. • Place the sticks in a cup or bag. • Take them out when you read. • See attachment for questions

24. Sample Questions for Activities: • Who are the main characters? • When and where did the story take place? • What happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story? • What was the problem and solution of the story? • Summarize or retell the story • What was your favorite part of the story? • What was the main idea? What supporting details helped you determine the main idea? • What is another way that the problem could have been solved? • Why did the problem happen? • How did the character’s feelings change throughout the story? • Name 3 events in the story. • What is another way that the story could have ended? • What did this story remind you of?

25. Other Home Activities: • Act out a scene you choose or the class calls out to you while up there. • Create a monologue for a character in a scene. what are they thinking/feeling at that moment? why? • Write to a friend, the author, or to a character about this book. write as if you were the character or author and write to yourself. • Draw a map of the book's setting. • Write a review of (or discuss) a movie based on a story. • Draw the most important scene in the book and explain its importance. • Who of all the characters would you want for a friend? why? what would you do or talk about together? • Write a biography of one of the characters who most interests you • Write a song about the story, a character, or an event in the book. • Create a diorama of a particularly important scene