Reading with Purpose:

Strategies for Secondary Students

Gary Dogterom

Wolf Creek School Division #72

Lacombe, Alberta

gdogterom@wolfcreek.ab.ca

Defining Reading

1.	Write your own definition of reading:

2.	List the types of text, students in your classroom need to know how to read well:

3.	What are YOU thinking about when you read:

(a)	novels- 

(b)newspapers-

(c) magazines -

	     (d) daily announcements – 

Literacy and Numeracy 

Literacy Definition: “The ability to understand and employ printed information in daily activities at home, at work and in the community – to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.”(Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society: Further Results from the International Adult Literacy Survey, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Human Resources Development Canada and the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada, 1997)

Reading – Twenty two percent of Canadian adults can use reading materials to carry out simple reading tasks only in familiar contexts with clearly laid out formats. They do not have the skills to cope with unfamiliar and more complex reading materials. The reading skills of 16% of Canadian adults are too limited to allow them to deal with the majority of written material encountered in everyday life. This percentage covers 5% of people whose abilities are at Level 1 (see below) and 2% report that they have no abilities in English or French, for a total of 7% at the lowest level of reading skills. Older Canadians, part-year workers, and workers from primary industries (forestry, agriculture, fishing) are more likely to have reading problems than other Canadians.

Level 1 - People who have difficulty with printed materials and identify themselves as unable to read.

Level 2 – People who can use printed materials for limited purposes such as finding a familiar word in a simple text.

Level 3 – People who can use reading materials in a variety of situations providing it is simple, clearly laid out and the tasks involved are not too complex.

Level 4 – People who can use a wide range of reading materials and meet most every day reading demands.

Is this what the text books in our classrooms look like to our students?

“…A fourth answer is that hermeneutic phenomenology employs modes of discourse that try to merge cognitive and non-cognitive, gnostic and pathic ways of knowing. By these terms we mean that not only do we understand things intellectually or conceptually, we also experience things in corporeal, relational, enactive, and situational modalities. Thus, hermeneutic phenomenological method tries to “explicate” meanings that in some sense are implicit in our actions. We know things through our bodies, through our relations with others, and through interaction with the things of our world.
	Phenomenological research/writing succeeds when we can make these meanings recognizable.” (Max van Manen, 1997) 

Doug Buehl – Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning

In my action research project last year, I used six strategies from this text (plus one other – reciprocal teaching) and implemented them throughout a semester with an ELA 10-2 class. I had good results with most of these strategies and continue to use these and others in all my English classes. The six strategies from Buehl’s book include:
(a)	Learning Logs
(b)	K-W-L
(c)	Concept/Definition Mapping
(d)	Vocabulary Overview Guide
(e)	Power Notes
(f)	Read-Alouds
(g)	Plus “Reciprocal Teaching” explained below.

Reciprocal Teaching

This strategy works from the premise that one of the highest orders of understanding a concept is the ability to explain or teach it to others. As instructors of the content area of study, students follow four steps. Initially, students summarize passages read and identify main ideas. Then questions are created. In the clarifying phase, each reader focuses on unfamiliar vocabulary including any confusing concepts. Finally, students gather all the information to determine what might happen next – predicting. As students become familiar with this process of reciprocal teaching, they are able to guide class discussion in a more productive and thoughtful manner. 

I found this a challenging strategy with my non-academic 10-2 class but has worked much better with my 20-1 class.

Concept/Definition Map

What are some examples?

(Schwartz & Raphael, 1985)

Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, 2nd Ed., by Doug Buehl Copyright2001. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
May be copied for classroom use.

     What is it?

What is it like?

Concept/Definition Map for Science – Tundra

What is it?

Reindeer can be found there

Lichens, grasses, mosses grow there

Arctic Region of Canada

Northern Alaska

geographical region

tundra

Is treeless

What is it like?

Temperature usually below freezing

Has permafrost

Northern Siberia

		What are some examples?

(Buehl,1995; adapted from Schwartz & Raphael, 1985)
		
Vocabulary Overview Guide

			Topic: ________________________

Category:
       ________			____________			____________
 			
Clue:  _______________	Clue: _________________        Clue: _________________

	Definition:		Definition:			    Definition:

	_____________	_______________		     ___________________

	_____________	_______________		     ___________________

	_____________	_______________		      ___________________

Clue:  _______________	Clue: _________________        Clue: _________________

	Definition:		Definition:			    Definition:

	_____________	_______________		     ___________________

	_____________	_______________		     ___________________

	_____________	_______________		      ___________________

Clue:  _______________	Clue: _________________        Clue: _________________

	Definition:		Definition:			    Definition:

	_____________	_______________		     ___________________

	_____________	_______________		     ___________________

	_____________	_______________		      ___________________

   

Vocabulary Overview Guide For Ghosts
		Topic: Ghosts

Category:
		Appearance			People			Explanation

		    eerie			       tormented		              legend

Clue:	cemetery at night			victim			  Paul Bunyan

	Definition:				Definition:		   Definition:

	Frightening				to be pained		    a story from the
Strange	                                    to be bothered		    past; may not be
				    true     

apparition	premonition		supernatural

Clue:		Mr. Scrooge		Clue:	storm clouds		Clue: Superman

		Definition:		Definition:			Definition:

		ghostly figure		a warning			something outside
					a feeling something		the natural world
					will happen  

(Buehl, 1995; adapted from Carr, 1985)     

Thinking Strategies Used by Proficient Readers  
  (Based on the research synthesis of P. David Pearson and Janice A. Dole)

A strategy is an intentional plan that is flexible and can be adapted to meet the demands of the situation.

Proficient Readers:

∙ Activate background knowledge and make connections between new and known information.
∙ Question the text in order to clarify ambiguity and deepen understanding.
∙ Draw inferences using background knowledge and clues from the text.
∙ Determine the importance in order to distinguish details from main ideas.
∙ Monitor comprehension in order to make sure meaning is being constructed.
∙ Reread and employ fix-up strategies to repair confusion.
∙ Use sensory images to enhance comprehension and visualize the reading.
∙ Synthesize and extend thinking.

Proficient Readers of Technical Text

-	Stay calm. They adjust the reading rate to meet the demands of the text.
-	Read with a purpose in mind. They are searching for an answer to a question or learning how to do a procedure.
-	Read out of order. They go back and forth between the text and the task, often noticing diagrams and directions along the way.
-	Study diagrams and graphics. They know that sometimes this is the most important part of the reading.
-	Ask questions. They know their questions will give them a reason to read.
-	Practice what they read. They try out what they know and then retry after reading more text.
-	Paraphrase. They check for understanding and assimilate new information.
-	Prioritize unknown vocabulary. They don’t try to learn every new word before they begin a task.

Tovani 2005

IDEAS ABOUT INNER VOICE

Conversation Voice (useful voice)

This voice helps readers to:
-	relate to the text
-	make connections between the text and the reader
-	ask questions
-	give opinions
-	talk back to the text
-	remember what is read

Reciting Voice (waste of time voice)

This voice causes readers to:
-	lose track of what is being read
-	stray from the text
-	forget what is read
-	not care about the reading

Learn to identify and turn off the reciting voice by rereading and giving yourself a job or a purpose for the reading.

Reading Purposes

Some purposes are:

-	ask a question (see Bloom’s model)
-	look for the answer to a question
-	make connections
-	look for clues to help draw an inference
-	retell what has been read
-	visualize a picture

Based on Tovani (2004)

Construction of Meaning

Signals that indicate meaning is being constructed

The reader…
-	listens to the conversation voice
-	visualizes a picture in his head
-	makes connections to known information and/or draw analogies
-	asks questions that lead to clarification or deeper understanding
-	paraphrase what has just been read
-	rephrases what he thinks the text meant
-	adds natural breaks that enhance meaning
-	makes logical work substitutions

Signals that indicate meaning is breaking down

The reader…
-	recites only the words and is not conversing with the author
-	can’t visualize a picture of what he’s read
-	is unable to make connections or analogies to known information
-	doesn’t have enough meaning to ask questions other than word meanings
-	doesn’t remember what he’s read and can’t paraphrase
-	is unable to rephrase the reading in another fashion
-	rereads the same line or word over and over again
-	is hindered by too many unknown words
-	notices his mind wandering

Tovani, 2004

Name __________________________
Period_________________
Date ____________________
                    
INNER VOICE SHEET

Title of text ____________________________________________

Author of text __________________________________________

Directions: Begin reading at this point _____________. Record the conversation you have in your head as you read. Attempt to write at least two sentences per box. If you catch yourself using a reading strategy (visualizing, for example), add that at the bottom of the box. Also, decide if the conversation inside your head helps you interact with the text or distracts you from making meaning.

Inner voice on _________				Inner Voice on _________

Inner voice on __________				Inner Voice on _________

“No need for a cellphone ban” – National Post, Saturday, February 25, 2006
Editorial

Part One
Every driver has experienced the frustration of encountering other motorists who are distracted by cellphone conversations. Some drive too slowly, others swerve or absent-mindedly change lanes without signalling, and some labour endlessly to pull into a parking spot because they are not willing to put both hands on the wheel.
Part Two
But then, every driver has also encountered other motorists exhibiting exactly the same annoying habits due to distraction from an array of other sources – from eating food and drinking hot coffee to fiddling with the car stereo or turning away from the road to face other passengers in the car. In fact, far more accidents are caused by those activities than by phone conversations. That is why politicians’ intermittent attempts to ban motorists from using cellphones unless they use hands-free technology – the latest comes in the form of a private member’s bill from Ontario Conservative MPP John O’Toole – entirely miss the point.
Part Three
	There is nothing inherently wrong with using a cellphone while driving. In some cases, in fact, it is the smart thing to do – if, say, drivers are lost and need directions, or are stuck in traffic and want family or employers to know they will be late. Where it becomes a problem is among easily distractible types who lose their concentration when engrossed in conversation, and among those who fall to exercise sound judgment – trying to keep talking while turning left in a bus intersection, for instance
Part Four
In other words, governments do not need to ban cellphones, any more than they need to ban hot coffee or babies from cars. Rather, it is up to individuals to use common sense in managing their distractions. If they do not, they are already liable for the consequences: A driver who causes an accident because he was distracted by a phone conversation will be judged more harshly under the law than one who was not. Sweeping new legislation will accomplish nothing. 

Response Journals

This is not a new strategy but fits perfectly with reading purposefully.

I explain to students that these entries are their thoughtful responses to text, not just regurgitation of facts.

Students are to write in three areas:

Comments (emphasize NO facts) – this includes telling what you liked, didn’t like, opinions, connections to other works they’ve read or seen (movies, TV) Example – “It’s crazy that Romeo and Juliet plan to marry so quickly!”

Questions (emphasize higher levels of questions – see Bloom’s Taxonomy) – questions evolve from anything they don’t understand to questions derived from the text. Example – “Compare (Level IV of Bloom) today’s wedding preparations to those of Romeo and Juliet.”

Predictions (emphasize preciseness) –what they believe will happen next in the story, play, movie or what might happen if the text had continued. Example – “Paris will be miffed when he learns he has ‘lost’ Juliet.”

I use a scale of five to grade response journals, and then multiply by two. Depending on the grade level, for example, I ask for a certain number for each act of a Shakespearean play, therefore, response journals would be worth fifty marks. At the grade ten level, I ask for a minimum of three responses for each of the three areas for each act. By grade twelve, I would ask for a minimum of eight.

5(10) marks – Excellent -all entries present with astute observations, higher- level questions and perceptive predictions
4(8) marks –Proficient - all entries present with careful attention to each of the three areas
3(6) marks – Satisfactory – all entries present with evidence of thought and effort.
2(4) marks – Limited – mainly complete but entries very brief or carelessly completed.
1(2) marks – Poor – incomplete entries – lack of thought demonstrated
0 – not submitted.

Model Questions and Key Words to Use in Developing Questions
(Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, Developed and Expanded by John Maynard, Pomona, California)

I	Knowledge (Eliciting factual answers, testing recall and recognition)
Who, what, where, when, why, how, describe, match, select, choose, omit…
II	Comprehension (Translating, interpreting, and extrapolating)
State in your own words, classify, judge, infer, indicate, show in a graph, table…
III	Application (To situations that are new, unfamiliar, or have a new slant for students) Predict, select, judge the effects, explain, identify the results of…
IV	Analysis (Breaking down into parts, forms)
	Distinguish, identify, make a distinction, what relationship between…
V	Synthesis (Combining elements into a pattern not clearly there before)
	Create, tell, make, do, dance compose, develop, plan…
VI	Evaluation (According to some set of criteria, and state why)
	Appraise, judge, criticize, defend, compare, what inconsistencies appear…

See the presenter for a longer list of prompts for each level.

Essential Elements of Comprehension Instruction:

1.	Assess the text students are expected to read. Is it interesting and pertinent to the instructional goal? Is it at the reading level of the students or is it too difficult? If the text is too difficult, consider how you will make the text more accessible.
2.	Provide explicit modeling of thinking processes. As an expert reader of your own content, identify what it is you do to make sense of the text. Share that information with your students.
3.	Define purpose and help students to have a clear reason for their reading and writing. Make sure they know how the information they read and write will be used.
4.	Teach students how to “hold their thinking” and give them opportunities to use the information they’ve held.

Tovani, 2000
Example of Accessible Text

Poems
Short non-fiction selections
Fiction
Picture books
Newspaper articles
Short stories
Vignettes
Biographical information
Internet pieces
Student generated writing
Mathematical writing
Lists
Historical recounts
Photos
Postcards
Quotations
Song lyrics
Stamps
Letters and journals
Pictures of artwork
Calendars
Recipes
Brochures
Maps
Charts and graphs
Catalogues
Menus
Almanacs
Magazine articles

Tovani, 2000
Consonant Method of Reading

Consider reading only the consonants of most words – this takes some practice but can be used for beginning readers as well as increasing reading speeds for older students and adults.

Example

I  _m  s_   pl_ _ s_d  t_  b_  h_r_  t_d_y. T_ _ch_ng   r_ _ d_ng  sk_lls  t_  f_ll_w  

c_ll_ _ g_ _s  _ s   wh_t    _nsp_r_ s   m_    _n  m_  pr_f_ss_ _n_ l   l_f_  _ t  th_s   t_m_.

I have had great success with this method. Find text that the students have some background knowledge, both in experience and working vocabulary, then many  students catch on to this concept very quickly. 

Try it the next time you read the newspaper and see if you cannot read more quickly with the same amount of comprehension!

See presenter for specific examples of this process.

Instant Words
I believe that students who have a working knowledge of these 300 words will have a good start in reading much of their material. According to TheReading Teacher’s Book Book of Lists (1993), “these are the most common words in English, ranked in frequency order. The first 25 make up about a third of all printed material. The first 100 make up about half of all written material, and the first 300 make up about 65 percent of all written material. Is it any wonder that all students must learn to recognize these words instantly and to spell them correctly too?”
Words 1-25		Words 26-50		Words 51-75		Words 76-100
The			or			will			number
Of			one			up			no
And			had			other			way
A			by			about			could
To			word			out			people
In			but			many			my
Is			not			then			than
You			what			them			first
That			all			these			water
It			were			so			been
He			we			some			call
Was			when			her			who
For			your			would			oil
On			can			make			its
Are			said			like			now
As			there			him			find
With			use			into			long
His			an			time			down
They			each			has			day
I			which			look			did
At			she			two			get
Be			do			more			come
This			how			write			made
Have			their			go			may
From			if			see			part

Common suffixes:-s,-ing,-ed,-er,-ly,-est

Instant Words (continued)

Words 101-125	Words 126-150	Words 151-175	Words 176-200

Over			say			set			try
New			great			put			kind
Sound			where			end			hand
Take 			help			does			picture
Only			through		another			again
Little			much			well			change
Work			before			large			off
Know			line			must			play
Place			right			big			spell
Year			too			even			air
Live			mean			such			away
Me			old			because		animal
Back			any			turn			house
Give			same			here			point
Most			tell			why			page
Very			boy			ask			letter
After			follow			went			mother
Thing			came			men			answer
Our			want			read			found
Just			show			need			study
Name			also			land			still
Good			around			different		learn
Sentence		form			home			should
Man			three			us			Canada/America
Think			small			move			world

Instant Words (end of the first 300)

Words 201-225	Words 226-250	Words 251-275	Words 276-300

High			saw			important		miss
Every			left			until			idea
Near			don’t			children		enough
Add			few			side			eat
Food			while			feet			face
Between		along			car			far
Own			might			mile			far
Below			close			night			Indian/Native
Country		something		walk			really
Plant			seem			white			almost
Last			next			sea			let
School			hard			began			above
Father			open			grow			girl
Keep			example		took			sometimes
Tree			begin			river			mountain
Never			life			four			cut
Start			always			carry			young
City			those			province/state		talk
Earth			both			once			soon
Eye			paper			book			list
Light			together		hear			song
Thought		got			stop			being
Head			group			without		leave
Under			often			second			family
Story			run			later			it’s

After discussing and sharing so many solid reading strategies and concepts – that really work, then you get an e-mail that looks like this!

Can you read this?

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulacity uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the human mind, aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uivervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in what order the ltteers in a word are, the only iprmoatnt thing is that the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pcle. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the human mind deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Please discuss the implications of this page with the presenter!

Having Some Fun With Language/English

I believe it is important to show students that “English/language” can be fun. Students at the senior level still like to do “Mad Libs,” “Wuzzles” (found in most major newspapers and you can order books of them-with the answers!) and other word games, word searches and puzzles.

Another source of entertainment can be found on the website of Richard Lederer – listed on the reference page at the end of this presentation. Examples follow:

     -Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during 
       a root canal?
He wanted to transcend dental medication.

-	The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
-	The buck does funny things when the does are present.
-	I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

-“How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which our house can burn up as it burn down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on!”

-	“To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.”

These are just a sample of the many treats you will find on Richard’s website.

References
Buehl, Doug. (2001). Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning. 
	Newark, Delaware: International Reading Association.

Goodman, Vera. (1999). Reading is more than phonics! Calgary, Alberta. 
	Reading Wings.

http://pwl.netcom.com/~rlederer/aboutrl.htm

The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists, Third Edition. (1993). Prentice Hall.

Tovani, Cris. (2000). I Read It But I Don’t Get It. Portland, Maine: 
	Stenhouse Publishers.

Tovani, Cris. (2004). Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Portland, Maine: 
	Stenhouse Publishers.

www.abc-canada-org/literacy_facts/