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This literacy strategy allows students to write questions directed towards the author to comprehend the text on a deeper level. Students are encouraged to question the message of the author, if facts relate to what they have previously read in the passage, and the clarity of a passage.
Advantages:
*Teaches students to monitor their comprehension
*Guides in their questioning abilities while reading text
*Allows students to critique work
Disadvantages: May be challenging to utilize in 3rd or 4th grade. It would be easier to use in 5th and 6th grade

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Questioning the author is a strategy that engages students actively with a text. Rather than reading and taking information from a text, the QtA strategy encourages students to ask questions of the author and the text. Through forming their questions, students learn more about the text. Students learn to ask questions such as: What is the author's message? Does the author explain this clearly? How does this connect to what the author said earlier?

This website shows and example of using the question the author strategy with a common health-related sign that might be read by students.
See example >
Language Arts

Here's a simple, clear description of how students can learn to think, "If I were the author..."
See example >
Social Studies

Here's a short paper that describes how teachers can use the question the author strategy to help students make sense of social studies. Examples are given for elementary age students.

Beck, I.L., & McKeown, M.G., Hamilton, R.L., & Kugan, L. (1997). Questioning the author: An approach for enhancing student engagement with text. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

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Question the Author | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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Questioning the author is a strategy that engages students actively with a text. Rather than reading and taking information from a text, the QtA strategy encourages students to ask questions of the author and the text. Through forming their questions, students learn more about the text.

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This strategy allows students to listen to a short lecture about the topic, then read about the topic, and discuss it.
Advantages:
*Exposes students to oral instruction
*Builds schema/background knowledge
*Engages all students classroom discussion
Disadvantages:
*Doesn't involve movement for kinesthetic learners
Home Connection:
Students could listen to a song, read the lyrics, then discuss it with their family

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The listen-read-discuss strategy helps students comprehend text. Before reading, students listen to a short lecture delivered by the teacher. The students then read a text selection about the topic. After reading, there is a large group discussion or students engage in small group discussions about the topic. During the discussion, students compare and contrast the information from the lecture with the information they read.

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Listen-Read-Discuss (LRD) | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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The listen-read-discuss strategy helps students comprehend text. Before reading, students listen to a short lecture delivered by the teacher. The students then read a text selection about the topic. After reading, there is a large group discussion or students engage in small group discussions about the topic.

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This writing strategy allows student to analyze their role as author, audience, format, and topic.
Advantages:
*Guides students to write from different view points
*Helps students recognize main idea, audience, and organization
*Shows students the importance of creative thinking
Disadvantages:
*Very subject specific and cannot be used in many subjects
Home Connection:
Encourage students to create their own acronym with house hold item to guide students with their writing. Allow them to create what it means to them. Encourage them to share with their families and other students.

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Hey hey! So this week in first grade we are writing friendly letters. As part of our school's training in the 6+1 Traits of Writing, we are trying to help our kids focus on the Voice trait. One great tip that I learned from another teacher who came to visit our school is the R.A.F.T. method. It stands for Role, Audience, Format, and Topic. This is great to use when you are trying to help your students change their perspective and become more creative in their writing.

So I decided to make this cute little graphic organizer to help my students plan out their ideas. That way, when they go to actually write their letter, they can refer back to this worksheet for help. It is available at my TpT store for FREE! Just click the picture below to get it!

Our format will be a friendly letter but it is up to my students to decide who they want to be when they write their letter and who it will be addressed to. It will be Christmas themed, so students may choose to be a reindeer, an elf, a toy, or even themselves. The possibilities are endless and this really gives the kids a chance to think outside of the box! The topic is Christmas but within that broad spectrum they can steer the letter in any direction that they want to! I am really excited to see what my kids come up with! I will post some of their work later this week when we are done!

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Hey hey! So this week in first grade we are writing friendly letters. As part of our school's training in the 6+1 Traits of Writing, we are trying to help our kids focus on the Voice trait. One great tip that I learned from another teacher who came to visit our school is the R.A.F.T.

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Through this literacy strategy students label and determine shades of meaning in groups of synonyms by organizing words
Advantages:
*Helps broaden students vocabulary
*Allows students to understand shades of meaning
*Helps students use a more colorful vocabulary in their writing
Disadvantages:
*Cannot be used in multiple subjects
Home Connection:
Have students label words on paint chips by looking up synonyms in thesaurus or online with their families

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Helps broaden and deepen students' understanding of related words

Helps students distinguish between shades of meaning

Enhances students' vocabulary, which can help them be more precise and imaginative in their writing

How to use semantic gradients

1. Select a pair of polar opposite words.

2. Generate at least five synonyms for each of the opposite words.

3. Arrange the words in a way that makes a bridge from one opposite word to the other. Continuums can be done horizontal or vertical, in a ladder-like fashion.

4. Have students discuss their rationale for placing certain words in certain locations. Encourage a conversation about the subtle differences among the words.

OR

1. Select a specific vocabulary word, e.g., large.

2. Using a book you've read, a unit of study, or different writing samples, create a list of semantically similar words. The teacher can develop the list, or work collaboratively with students to generate a list. It may work best to think of your target word as being in the center of your continuum.

3. Arrange the words in a way that illustrates an understanding of each word's meaning. Continuums can be done horizontal or vertical, in a ladder like fashion.

4. Have students discuss their rationale for placing certain words in certain locations. Encourage a conversation about the subtle differences among the words.

Download this semantic gradients handout, with examples of topics or themes and words that relate to that topic.

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Semantic Gradients | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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Semantic gradients are a way to broaden and deepen students' understanding of related words. Students consider a continuum of words by order of degree. Semantic gradients often begin with antonyms, or opposites, at each end of the continuum. This strategy helps students distinguish between shades of meaning.

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This graphic organizer guides in constructing a paragraph using a visual aid. This organizer allows students to label the main idea and supporting details.
Advantages:
*Guides students in organization and strategic thinking
*Shows students how information is related to other information
*Helps students distinguish between main idea and supporting details
Disadvantages:
*Not versatile/Can’t be used in most subjects
Home Connection:
Have students organize paragraph out of a book they are reading at home. Have students put the main ideas and supporting details in chart

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The “paragraph hamburger” is a writing organizer that visually outlines the key components of a paragraph. Topic sentence, detail sentences, and a closing sentence are the main elements of a good paragraph, and each one forms a different “piece” of the hamburger.

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Before reading students sort groups of vocabulary words into different categories based on similarities.
Advantages:
*Students and teachers can assess knowledge of known vocabulary and unknown vocabulary
*Could be used individually or in a group setting
*Introduces students to vocabulary
*Could be used in multiple subjects
Disadvantages:
*I can not think of any disadvantages
Home Connection:
Have students sort words they find while shopping in a grocery store

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Concept Sort | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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A concept sort is a vocabulary and comprehension strategy used to familiarize students with the vocabulary of a new topic or book. Teachers provide students with a list of terms or concepts from reading material. Students place words into different categories based on each word's meaning.

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Students can use this map as a framework or a guideline to determine events in a story.
Advantages:
*Helps students to utilize comprehension strategies
*Guides students in determining important details in a story
*Improves ability to order sequence of events
Disadvantages:
*Can not be used in all subjects
*There are several variations of this idea out there so it may be overused and confusing for students if exposed to a different variation
Home Connection:
Have students fill out a story map for a book or a movie viewed at home

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This literacy strategy allows students to be the owners of their learning by allowing them to search a specific concept under a general topic. Students then come together to teach each other how their ideas that fit together with the other concepts the students in their group researched.
Advantages:
*Allows students to make choices and be in control of their learning
*Students learn to work cooperatively
*Builds comprehension skills
Disadvantages:
*Must be completely in a small group
Home Connection:
Have students create a jigsaw piece for every member of their family. Students can have each family member record personal interests and views then come together and share ideas and put the jigsaw together

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Jigsaw | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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Jigsaw is a cooperative learning strategy that enables each student of a "home" group to specialize in one aspect of a topic (for example, one group studies habitats of rainforest animals, another group studies predators of rainforest animals).

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Students can use this literacy strategy to gather information from several sources and organize their findings.
Advantages:
*Can be used for a variety of topics across several subjects
*Teaches students how to organize data clearly and distinguish between important details and supporting facts
*Can be used to measure students knowledge about a certain topic
*Students can use this chart to build in background knowledge and active their schema
Disadvantages:
*Not well known
Home Connection:
Have students inquire and fill out chart based on a family tradition

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I used the inquiry chart in a small group setting, with my 1st grade enrichment group. I gave each student a different animal group, and three questions. The students used 2 books and the internet as sources. With each source they found and interesting fact and a formulated a new question.

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This chart can be utilized when students are recording information about nonfiction texts. They can use this to organize the new knowledge they gain through reading.
Advantages:
*Students can organize new information using the prompts of this chart
*Students can see what questions to look for while reading
*Students work on vocabulary by listing words they may not know the meaning of
Disadvantages:
*Does not allow students to formulate their own questions
*Does not have broad range of uses
Home Connection:
Have students could fill out this chart while watching the news during the evening with their family for practice