Text Discussion
Provide opportunities for extended text discussion and student engagement.
One important way to improve students' reading comprehension is to engage them in high-quality text discussions in pairs or groups. Discussions in English and content area classes that encourage students to unpack the information in the text, make inferences, or consider different points of view are particularly effective in promoting their understanding of complex material.
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School Example
Literature Circles in High School
Ninth-grade Humanities teacher Rebecca Wieder describes how she facilitates literature circle discussions. Wieder's students discuss a novel in groups where each plays a role: summarizer,...
Sample Material
Literature Circles Lesson Plan and Materials
This set of materials, provided by Rebecca Wieder, includes a lesson plan for literature circles as well as the following materials for students: a description of student roles in literature...
Sample Material
"Four R" Note-Taking Template
English teacher Jim Burke created this template to help students take notes as they read a text. Related Media and Files: Building Academic Literacy Through Text Discussion...
Overview
Adolescent Literacy
Data from recent national assessments indicate that many middle and high school students are failing to comprehend text at a proficient level. Even high school students with average reading ability...
School Example
Reciprocal Teaching in High School
Teacher Suzanne Herko describes how she teaches her Humanities students about the strategies and structures of Reciprocal Teaching. Watch students discuss literature in small groups while playing...
Sample Material
Reciprocal Teaching Roles
This student handout contains a summary of the four Reciprocal Teaching roles that teacher Suzanne Herko refers to at the beginning of Reciprocal Teaching in High School. Related Media and...