Making predictions is defined as a pre-reading strategy in which readers use information from a text (including titles, headings, pictures, and diagrams) and their own personal experiences to anticipate what they are about to read (or what comes next).  This strategy is powerful, but relatively easy to use.  This strategy works best for my students after we have had a prior discussion about the topic or idea.  As soon as a reader sees the title of a text or heading, looks at a picture on a cover, or even reads a first line, prior knowledge is activated, and on the basis of that prior knowledge, predictions are created.  This strategy works for all students in my third grade classroom.  It can be modified to meet the need of all levels of readers by changing the level of text and also by scaffolding questions that guide students towards predicting with text clues that support their predictions. 

There are various ways that I teach students how to use prediction in reading. When I introduce a book, students look at the pictures on the cover, read the first line then I ask them to make a prediction for the story or passage.  After this is done, I read students the summary on the back to let them see how close their predictions were.  Another way that I teach predictions is to have students write their predications on sentence strips and place them on the whiteboard.  We constantly review the predictions when we get to that point of the story.  Having students put their predictions on the wall allows me to assess the effectiveness of this strategy and also supports other students that are struggling to come up with acceptable predictions. 

Setting the purpose for reading is defined by Gunning (2013), as “The purpose for reading is the question that the reader wants to answer or the information the reader is seeking”. This strategy works for my third grade students because it supports them in activating their prior knowledge.  Purpose can be for entertainment, to get information, or to learn how to perform a task. This strategy is used daily during guided reading. They are able to distinguish whether or not they are reading for entertainment or reading to find and learn new information. This strategy works for all students in my third grade classroom.  It can be modified to meet the need of all levels of readers by changing the level of text, the topic of the material and also by giving choice.  

            I begin teaching this strategy early in the school year during guided reading.  I begin my introduction of it and explain the benefits of each strategy that is implemented into lessons.  As a small group, the strategy is modeled various times depending on the level of readers, type of text, and interventions being implemented. Once the purpose is introduced, students are given infinite time to practice this pre-reading strategy throughout the year.   Students will always need to practice this strategy because the texts they read are constantly changing, along with the purpose of reading.  I assess students applying this strategy verbally during guided reading and also with written responses.   If students are reading to answer a specific question, assessing by the written response the student communicates is appropriate. 

Teaching the Main Idea is a strategy taught all throughout the school year. Gunning (2013) defines Main Idea as, “The overall meaning or gist of a passage.  It is what the passage is all about, a summary statement of its meaning”.   This strategy works best for my students because it helps them recognize details, supports them with inferring, and also retelling the story.  I begin by introducing this strategy during guided reading.  I begin by reading them a story and modeling how to find the main idea.  We then break down each paragraph, pulling out key ideas and important pieces.  Once students are able to identify the main idea of the story, they practice this strategy independently with short passages.  

To assess this strategy, students share their stories or passages and orally discuss the main idea. Many times, students will write a short paragraph discussing the main idea in their own words.  This strategy is a process in which we take out a little bit of information at a time until the main idea is recognized. 

Summarizing, which is done during reading, is a strategy that often goes with finding the main idea.  As defined by Reading Rockets (2015) “Summarizing teaches students how to discern the most important ideas in a text, how to ignore irrelevant information, and how to integrate the central ideas in a meaningful way”.  I define summarizing to my students as retelling the story, while weaning out the less important details. This strategy is important to teach during reading.  It allows students to retell a story. It is similar to the main idea, but in this strategy, students are giving supporting details as well.  This strategy works well for my third grade students because it helps students learn to determine essential ideas in the story or passage. This is beneficial for all readers in my classroom.  Summarizing can be taught using fiction or nonfiction text.  This approach is easily differentiated using various levels of text and can be used across the curriculum for all subjects. 

When I begin teaching this skill, I do not originally have students write a summary.  This tactic can be taught having students retell verbally and later introduce the tactic using written summaries.  This strategy is taught from the beginning of the year until the end of the year.  Asking questions as prompts, encouraging students to emphasize major events and main ideas are all ways this lesson can be modeled and implemented.  It is important to remember that using shorter texts with a less complex structure work best for this type of strategy.  To assess this strategy, I have students write the details that support their summary to determine if the details they have chosen are important piece of information.  When students are writing a summary, I often have a rubric for them to follow.  This way they understand how many supporting details and main idea points they need to include.  This is a useful tool that also helps me better understand if students comprehend what they are reading. 

According to Reading Rockets (2015) Inferences is defined as “Observations that occur when we can see something happening. In contrast, inferences are what we figure out based on an experience.”  This strategy that occurs post-reading is clarified to my students using simple terms.  I explain this as “reading between the lines and trying to figure out what the author wants us to know, but doesn’t come out and say ”.   Making Inferences is a skill that requires higher-level thinking.  This skill is taught in all subjects and is the most difficult strategy for the students in my third grade classroom.  Students in my classroom all benefit from this strategy.  It is a useful skill to use for science, social studies and reading.  

            When beginning to teach this lesson, I guide students by telling them were looking for clues within the text.  The author is trying to convey a message and we need to figure out what he/she is trying to tell us.  Once we find additional clues, we use the information we already know to form conclusions.  To assess this strategy, I will observe students as they make inferences while reading various texts.  Students will be assessed on making an inference based on two or more pieces of the text.  Students will also be assessed based on supporting facts or details that support the inferences they chose.  

Generating Questions is a strategy that is done post-reading. Gunning (2013) explains by saying, “Question generation is a powerful elaboration strategy”.   As a post-reading tactic, students get to become the questioners.  In the ReQuest activity, students go from being the passive reader to active participant. Students and teacher form questions about the text and are then able to pull answers from what they are reading.  This is a skill that reinforces comprehension and also creates a purpose for reading.  Generating questions is useful for all students when reading fiction or nonfiction pieces. 

            Teaching this strategy begins with choosing a text that is on the students’ level.  Choosing a text that is fairly open-ended makes it possible to ask a number of questions about it.  Explaining the procedure to the students follows this.  Examining the text from cover and title to all the illustrations will help students begin to think of questions related to the text.  When students finish reading the text they will begin to ask their questions.  When students have asked and answered their questions, the teacher then takes the time to ask questions.  During this time, the teacher will model questioning, including higher-level questioning.  Once the teacher and students have asked a significant amount of questions, a purpose has been set to begin reading the remaining portions of the text.  To assess this strategy, the teacher will note the students’ ability to ask and answer appropriate questions. 

 

Reading Rockets. (2015). Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.readingrockets.org/