The Important Things: Creating
Classrooms Where Thinking is
Valued Nicki Clausen-Grace
What Practices Discourage Teachers from Thinking?
u Too many standards
u Prescribed/Scripted Curriculum
u Over-testing
u Lack of time for reflecting
Guiding Questions
u How can I help all my students move forward purposefully as readers and writers?
u Can all students metacognate (at the time 3rd graders)?
u Does metacognition really improve comprehension?
Comprehension BEST PRACTICES
u Modeling/Demonstration of Strategies Before, During, and After Reading
u Scaffolding Application
u Guided Practice in Application
u Opportunities for Independent Use
u Explicit, Intensive, Persistent (over time)
u Wide Reading (using a variety of genre)
Three Factors Affecting Comprehension
u Factors within the Reader- schema, interest, & attitude.
u Factors within the Environment- home, community, & school.
u Factors within the Text- text structure and organization, text features (including electronic), writing style- readability, technical vocabulary.
Stage 1: Think Aloud
Interactive Read-Aloud
Shared Reading
Stage 2: Refining Strategy Use Small Group Whole Group
Stage 3: Letting Strategy Use Gel
Content Area Studies Literature Circles
R5
Independent Reading
Stage 4: Self-Assessment and Goal-
Setting Literature Circles
R5 Independent Reading
The Metacognitive
Teaching Framework
Our Solution….
u Assess students’ metacognitive knowledge, motivation, level of engagement and comprehension.
u Establish a safe, cooperative environment. u Set up classroom structures. u Establish a common language
u Introduce metacognitive strategies (5 + clarifying). u Review genre. u Text structure. u Teach text features.
Laying the Foundation
Cultivating conversations: Conversation starters
u 1. What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? 2. If you could live in the setting of any book, where would it be? 3. What is your favorite school supply? 4. What is your favorite meal? 5. Where do you go for advice? 6. What do you use most often, the library or the Internet? 7. What is your favorite sport? 8. What is your favorite game? 9. What was your favorite year in school? Why? 10. If you could only have one book (gasp!), what would it be? 11. What is your biggest pet peeve at school? 12. What is one thing you’re looking forward to this year? 13. What was your favorite book that you read this summer? Why? 14. What do you want to be when you grow up? 15. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Directions:
1. Read the article and make notes for discussion.
2. When the time is up, have a meaningful discussion about your thoughts on what you read.
3. Assess the quality of your discussion based on the Meaningful Discussion Scale.
NON-FICTION TEXT FEATURES SCOPE & SEQUENCE K 1 2 3 4 5 PRINT FEATURES
Titles X X X X X X
Headings X X X X X
Subheadings X X X
Bold Print X X X X X
Italics X X X X
Captions X X X X X X
Pronunciation Guide X X X X X
Bullets X X X X
Side Bars X X X X
GRAPHIC AIDS
Photographs X X X X X X
Drawings X X X X X X
Insets X X X X X X
Cross Sections/ Cutaways X X X X
Diagrams X X X X X
Labeled Diagrams X X X X X
Maps X X X X X
Graphs X X X X X
Time Lines X X X X X
Charts/Tables X X X X
ORGANIZATIONAL AIDS
Table of Contents X X X X X X
Index X X X X X
Glossary X X X X X
Text Feature Walk Structure
u Transitioning readers from doing a Picture Walk (typically with narrative text) to a Text Feature Walk (primarily with expository text).
u Let’s watch the TFW- Think about how this might be helpful to readers and you will have the opportunity to try it out.
Stage 1: Think Aloud
Interactive Read-Aloud
Shared Reading
Stage 2: Refining Strategy Use Small Group Whole Group
Stage 3: Letting Strategy Use Gel
Content Area Studies Literature Circles
R5
Independent Reading
Stage 4: Self-Assessment and
Goal-Setting Literature Circles
R5 Independent Reading
The Metacognitive
Teaching Framework
Problems with questioning…
u They Don’t Know How to Ask a Question, u Irrelevant (off topic, unconnected) u Lack Depth (surface), u They Know the Answer already, u Don’t Relate to Main Idea, u Don’t Help with Comprehension, u Ask Questions that they don’t want to know the
answer to.
Questioning Unit ch. 7 “If we read without questions we might as well abandon the book.”
(Harvey and Goudvis, 2000)
u Read through questioning components with an elbow partner.
u Discuss what you think each component means (think of an example of how the component would be used to ask questions).
Stage 1: Think Aloud
u Teacher Directed (as he/she shares thinking)
u Direct instruction (a specific learning goal is identified)
u Modeling (teacher demonstrates thinking while reading text)
u Explanation (teacher tells)
Elements of an Effective Think Aloud
u Teacher prepares in advance.
u Teacher selects an appropriate text.
u Teacher selects a manageable amount of text.
u Teacher sets a purpose for students (orients them to task).
u Teacher clarifies misconceptions.
Stage 1 Think-Aloud: Questioning
Identify what questioning component(s) I am using while I think aloud. *Think-Aloud Sticky Notes
I think questioning helps you go deep into the text and like understand it better because you’re asking your questions that you want to know.
Kaitlin (4th Grader)
Stage 1: Think Aloud
Interactive Read-Aloud
Shared Reading
Stage 2: Refining Strategy Use Small Group Whole Group
Stage 3: Letting Strategy Use Gel
Content Area Studies Literature Circles
R5
Independent Reading
Stage 4: Self-Assessment and
Goal-Setting Literature Circles
R5 Independent Reading
The Metacognitive
Teaching Framework
Stage 2: Refining Strategy Use
Guided Practice in:
u Whole group
u Small group
This is when we conduct lessons related to the component of a strategy in order to assist each reader with strategy application.
Stage 2: Activities for Teaching Questioning Text Feature Walk
Metacognators
Preview, Read, Question
Questioning My Textbook
Expository Text Investigation
Question and Answer Books
Questioning helps me with research because if I can’t find what I’m looking for, I try to ask myself what web site could help me learn about the thing I’m researching.
Andrea (4th Grader)
Stage 1: Think Aloud Interactive
Read-Aloud Shared Reading
Stage 2: Refining Strategy Use Small Group Whole Group
Stage 3: Letting Strategy Use Gel
Content Area Studies Literature Circles
R5
Independent Reading
Stage 4: Self-Assessment and
Goal-Setting Literature Circles
R5 Independent Reading
The Metacognitive
Teaching Framework
Stage 3: Letting Strategy Use Gel
Collaborative Practice and Independent Application in:
u Small group (discussion of realia, literature or textbook circles)
u Individual (structured independent reading: R5)
Questioning helps me with all the strategies including clarifying because when I ask questions, I want to figure it out. And so on.
Andrea (4th Grader)
Best Practices in Independent Reading
u Access to appealing books
u Comfortable/conducive environment
u Encouragement/feedback (guidance in book selection, commenting, goal-setting)
u Non-accountability/grading
u Follow-up activities (discussion)
u Time to read (consistent)
u Part of reading block (connected to teaching) Pilgreen, 2000; Wiesendanger, Braun, & Perry, 2009
Clausen-Grace and Kelley, 2014
Let’s Watch R5 in Action
Note how R5 is different from SSR (or other independent reading blocks).
Clausen-Grace and Kelley, 2012
Stage 1: Think Aloud Interactive
Read-Aloud Shared Reading
Stage 2: Refining Strategy Use Small Group Whole Group
Stage 3: Letting Strategy Use Gel
Content Area Studies Literature Circles
R5
Independent Reading
Stage 4: Self-Assessment and
Goal-Setting Literature Circles
R5 Independent Reading
The Metacognitive
Teaching Framework
Stage 4: Self-Assessment and Goal-Setting
Once students have demonstrated application and understanding of the strategy being taught they create a plan for independent application.
How we Know the MTF Works
u Seven full years of Pre and Post: DRA 4-8 (engagement, fluency, and comprehension) and FCAT
u Observations u Student Response Logs u Student Conference Forms u Student Surveys u Interviews of Students u Parent Survey