Active+Reading

THIEVES: Used for Nonfiction Prereading media type="custom" key="12235386"

QAR: Students should be taught the question/answer relationship classification system and become proficient in classifying questions. A graphic organizer may be useful in helping students develop such skills. After reading a text, students may record a few questions that are either teacher or student-generated. Then they classify the questions and supply an answer to each one. Students should offer proof for their decision about how to classify each questions. Continue this procedure until students become adept at classifying questions. Initially, it may be more helpful if students answer the question first and then classify the question by thinking about what they did to answer it. When using the QAR strategy, a typical lesson might proceed as follows:
 * 1) Assign students to small groups of 3 or 4 students. Assign each group 1 or 2 pages of material, and have them generate samples of each type of question.
 * 2) Each group teaches the whole class their assigned pages and asks the questions they generated. The other students record the questions and classify them, providing proof of their classification before answering the questions.
 * 3) Working individually, students generate additional questions for the entire text selection, especially “on my own” discussion questions. Students can trade and answer each other’s questions.

SQ4R: The **SQ4R** **Method** will help you keep studying organized and efficient. The steps to **SQ4R** ( Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Record, Review) are explained in the steps below.

**SURVEY**
Glance over the material to get a feel for what you will be reading. Survey the entire text When you first receive the text, spend about 20 minutes skimming the entire textbook to acquire an overall understanding of how the book is organized. Survey a chapter assignment before you actually read it. Survey should tell the scope of the content, how different topics are organized, and what the author's purpose and point of view are. The chapter survey will also give you sufficient background information for class notes. Our society is visually oriented; authors and publishers are well aware that effective use of illustrations in textbooks is more necessary than ever. Illustrations can literally replace hundreds of words and convey a message more dramatically and quickly than a comparable section of text. Formats range from equations, theorems, and formulas to tables and graphic illustrations.
 * 1) Read at the title page.
 * 2) Read at the copyright page.
 * 3) Read at the table of contents.
 * 4) Read the preface.
 * 5) Read at the ancillary material (appendix, glossary, bibliography, and index)
 * 6) Read at any illustrations (including charts, graphs, and tables)
 * Survey each chapter**
 * 1) Read the chapter title.
 * 2) Read the chapter objectives.
 * 3) Read the chapter summary or review.
 * 4) Read the major headings and subheadings.
 * 5) Read the visual aids.
 * 6) Read the italicized and/or underlined words and terms.
 * Survey the illustrations**

**QUESTION**
As you survey the material, ask the questions about what you will be reading and what you will try to answer. Turn the headings and subheadings into questions. These questions give you a real reason for reading and will help you concentrate on the subject you are reading. Imagine, as you read the textbook, that the author is speaking directly to you. Question the author statements. Challenge the ideas presented. Textbooks are not the A final word, but are a means of actively involving you, the reader, in the learning process. Do not passively accept the author is presentation of material; look at it critically and read with a questioning and searching attitude. Ask the standard questions: what, why, and how.
 * Ask questions before, during, and after reading the material**

**Read**
Read for the main ideas and organization Now you should read actively with these certain questions in mind and attempt to answer the questions and organize the material. These answers will be the important facts and details. Read everything in a chapter including any of the visual aids such as picture captions, graphs, charts, etc. Note any words or phrases that are italicized, underlined, or in bold print (there=s a reason this material is highlighted!) The tendency in reading is to keep going, but you should stop at the end of each section to see if you can answer the questions you asked at the start of the section. __Find the main ideas in each chapter or section__. Textbook authors write as you have been taught to write: they develop a topic sentence and/or paragraph, substantiate it, and draw conclusions. __Concentrate on what you are reading__. Try to feel the rhythm of the author's prose (short, snappy sentences or long, labored explanations) and then "go with the flow." Note particularly the headings and subheadings; they indicate the relative importance of each topic. __Study the illustrations__. These serve as "pegs" to help you remember the major points being discussed in the text.

**RECITE**
Summarize aloud what you read

Recite the main ideas, in other words, aloud or to yourself, after finishing a page. Check the comprehension and make sure you have the correct information. Do the same for the major points after reading each section or chapter. By reciting what you've read, you are able to see how much information you absorbed, areas you didn't understand and need to review, and answers to the questions you generated for yourself. If you cannot answer the questions, go back to the material and reread.

**RECORD**
Marking the textbook increases understanding of the material for the present and for future reference. The process of selecting and marking requires you to find the main ideas. Later, when you review the text for exam purposes, you will find that the textbook markings and highlights enable you to grasp the essential points without having to read entire paragraphs and chapters again. Write down the central points for the chapter or section in the notebook. Do each assignment before class. This will prepare you to participate in class discussions which will, in turn, help you remember the material you have read and to put it into perspective.
 * Underline and make marginal notes**
 * Underlining** key words and sentences will make those items stand out in the mind.
 * Marginal notes** give you the opportunity to question a statement or position taken by the author as well as making you select the key words or items you want to remember from the paragraph.
 * Summaries** enable you to write a brief summation of a section in other words.
 * Develop your own system of reading**. Use whatever facilitates your retention of the material and works best for you. You might use the following: a double underline for main ideas and a single underline for supporting points; a bracket to enclose several consecutive lines that are important, rather than underlining all of them; or a box or circle around key terms.
 * Read before you mark**. Read a few paragraphs or sections and then go back over the material and underline those topics and/or words that you feel are important.
 * Be selective**. Underline only those points that are clearly essential. You will then have a visible outline of the major points on a page.
 * Use other words**. Marginal notations and summaries should be in other language so you can readily recall the original material as you review. Using the text in this manner enables you to extract all that the book has to offer you in a learning situation, now and in the future. You will be able to use the texts for review in later softwares in the same field or in an allied field, thus reducing the need to re-read the material. You will reap the most benefit from reviewing the notes in the text, rather than being distracted by notes you may find written by some other person in a used text.
 * Coordinate class notes and textbook notes**
 * Read** the textbook material on time and prior to the corresponding class or lecture if at all possible. You can then follow the instructor's thought more easily, separate important points from lesser details, and have class notes become more meaningful to you.
 * Develop** your own note-taking technique for each class. Many students use only one side of the paper for class notes, leaving a 2- or 3-inch margin on the left side of the page for writing key words and labeling.
 * __Combine the text notes__** and class notes. Do this by writing class notes on the right hand page of the notebook and transferring text notes to the appropriate left hand facing page. You can then easily review all the information gained from class and text reading.

**REVIEW**
Review constantly

Reviewing is an essential part of retention. Review the textbook notes shortly after you have written them and continue to review them periodically. Spend a few minutes going over the earlier notes before beginning a new reading assignment. This will help you keep the overall picture of the author's development in mind and will let you place the new material properly within that arrangement. Review any and all supplements to the text. These usually contain quizzes and self tests on material in the text which will prepare you better for examinations. Constantly review throughout the software will greatly reduce the time you will need to spend preparing for exams and will make that time less stressful ("cramming") and more relaxing.



BDA Strategies:

Reading involves connecting new text to that which is already understood (prior knowledge). BDA strategies are used to get students to activate existing knowledge, thereby creating a mental framework to which new text, terms, ideas, etc. can be attached. This mental framework is begun __before__ reading even begins, strengthened as students interact with the text __during__ the reading, and reflected upon __after__ reading as students incorporate what they have just read into their core knowledge. Key processes used throughout BDAs are __writing__, conversation and reading.



Pre-Reading Activities:

The importance of engaging students in prereading activities cannot be overemphasized. It is through activities conducted prior to reading a selection that the teacher can build and activate students' background knowledge on topics or concepts contained in the book. Activation of relevant knowledge is fundamental to comprehension. Because children may not spontaneously integrate what they read with what they know, special attention should be paid to preparation for reading. If appropriate background knowledge cannot be assumed, knowledge-building activities should be provided. In addition to building or activating background knowledge, prereading activities can provide a forum to elicit from students their feelings and reactions to ideas and issues contained in a reading selection before confronting those issues in the text. Such activities allow students to examine their own beliefs, enhance understanding and appreciation of events in the book or decisions made by characters and encourage aesthetic responses to literature. Further, because they have thought about issues with which characters are confronted, students will identify more intensely with characters during reading. Prereading activities serve to set purposes for reading, arouse students' curiosity, and motivate them to read



Active Reading Chart:

The following active reading chart is a great tool to be used for students in need of better organization while they are reading. The student must record main ideas/standouts, connections or questions, and unfamiliar words or terms. This forces the student to stop, reflect, and record all while reading a piece.



Interpretive Questions: Below are some guidelines for writing interpretive questions. Students can come up with their own questions during reading. The class as a whole can explore answers to those questions during a shared inquiry discussion.

Text Annotation: When students annotate a text, it helps them to process the information they are reading. When students are first learning to annotate a text, it might be helpful to give them some specific tasks such as "highlight important information," "highlight and place a question mark next to confusing or difficult text," "circle words or terms you don't know," and "write connections, comments, questions, or 'I wonder' statements in the right-hand column as needed." It might also be helpful to define a specific purpose for students to keep in mind as they read. A specific purpose statement might be something like, "As you read, think about what Lincoln chooses to share about himself. What is different from what you would expect to hear from someone running for president today? Share with your partner and jot down some of your ideas in the right-hand column." When asking students to annotate a text, be sure to provide students with a copy of the text on which they can write. One way of doing this is to provide students with a handout that has the text printed in the left-hand column of the page and an empty column on the right-hand side of the page. Students can mark up the text in the left-hand column and make notes in the right-hand column.

Text Chunking: Text Chunking enables students to read challenging texts. When teachers breakdown text into manageable pieces it helps students paraphrase, organize information, and synthesize the text. While text chucking is often a teacher's role, students can also practice chunking text for success in independent reading. The slideshare below demonstrates a How To Tutorial for Student Chunked Texts. media type="custom" key="13406702"

**__ Text Rendering or Talking to the Text __** || ** What is it? ** A text rendering is a during reading activity that creates interaction between students and text. Students are expected to mark their text in some way as they read, focusing on a few types of connections. If the text is duplicated on copy paper, they could write directly on their copy; however, if text is in a book that cannot be marked up, try to provide **sticky notes** as an alternative. At the end of the class period, the sticky notes can be removed and re-attached to a folder or other tracking sheet to record the students’ text renderings.
 * How is it used?**

A typical text rendering might focus on three types of student-text interaction. Using a code to simplify the process, the student might be directed to place a check, star or + sign (+) next to some statements with which he/she agrees; an exclamation point (!) next to text that appears to state the main idea, and a question mark (?) near text which confuses the reader. Of course, the teacher may request some different types of connections to be made, with appropriate symbols, and with some students only one type of connection might be suggested at first until they become able to handle more than one.

During text rendering, a highlighter might be used to highlight the actual words that are connected to the symbol markings. Additionally, students can be encouraged to write marginal notations, if possible, to capture more of their thoughts as they read.

Following completion of the text rendering, it is important that students be given the chance to reflect on and share the connections they made. This can be done in numerous ways, but typically involve a **Think-Pair-Share** or a Whip. If doing a Whip, it is best to ask students to simply read or restate the one statement that best captured the main idea. By hearing each student’s response, no matter how many repetitions there are, the teacher can quickly determine how successful the reading went, how divergent the thinking was, and possible issues that have to be clarified before moving on, etc. Students are involved in a way that doesn’t fault them for “wrong” answers, and may actually reinforce their effort or build up their understanding. At the very least, it puts the language of the text into an oral form, and weaker students begin to recognize the text as they look for and hear others read it.