Word+Caller

Strategies for Struggling Readers



** What you can do to help the "word caller" **

 * Evaluate for listening comprehension level versus reading comprehension level to assess comprehension skills.
 * Provide intensive pre-reading activities to activate their thinking about the subject of the reading.
 * Model reflection in think-alouds with stress on active reading: predicting, visualizing, clarifying, questioning, summarizing.
 * Provide "fix-up strategies" to be used when comprehension breaks down.
 * Provide guided practice in accessible material with specific feedback.
 * Require quality independent reading and detailed response focused on specific but open-ended reading comprehension purposes.
 * Focus on the thinking aspect of reading and de-emphasize the word level or word recognition aspect of reading.
 * Ignore miscues that do not affect text meaning or comprehension.
 * Connect comprehension expectations to existing knowledge/experience.

** Strategies you can use to help the "word caller" **

 * Model and coach pre-reading strategies: previewing text to activate thinking set purpose and predict topics/essential ideas/themes.
 * Tie learning to comprehension rather than rote memorization: visualizing vocabulary meanings, relating words to synonyms, antonyms and examples.
 * Analyze fiction and expository text structure/organization (sequence, cause/effect, problem/solution, evaluation, description) and literary techniques (flashbacks, foreshadowing, figurative language) to guide and support comprehension.
 * Engage in rehearse activities (group or individual) before reading and after reading to "cement" reading comprehension purposes firmly in the reader's mind.
 * Model open-ended questioning and predicting to guide reading and monitor comprehension.
 * Provide structure of text-tagging, marginal notes, think-marks to read actively.
 * Scaffold reading support to release responsibility for comprehension to student and gradually release responsibility to student as comprehension emerges.
 * Skim and scan layout of reading assignment to quickly list and share first impressions and first facts based on headings, visuals, first and last paragraphs. Clarify comprehension by collaboratively predicting what important point or questions the reading will answer.
 * Use QAR (question-answer-relationship) to answer questions based on three places they can find information. "Right there answers" to information explicitly state in text, "Think and search answers" to information suggested by text and "on your own answers" to information in the reader's background knowledge.
 * Institute presentation into writers' workshop so "word callers" have a 'voice'.

Give her chances to "publish" her work. She has the words but needs oppportunities to connect them. With some help to organize her thinking, she is able to make connections and tell her story. Create various opportunities for her to express her understanding in multiple modalities.

** TOOLBOX (in your handouts) **
7. Envisioning Words 8. Three Things I'd Like to Know 9. Cornell Notes 10. You Be The Jury 11. I Believe 12. Alike But Different

** ONLINE **

 * 1) Visualize – RWG/Read&Write for Google, [|Word Q], [|Proloquo2go] ex and [|info]
 * 2) Model and coach pre-reading – [|SchoolTube], [|AnimotoEdu], ShowMe/Educreations iOS apps, Flocabulary videos
 * 3) Visualize vocab – [|Visuwords], [|VisualThesaurus], [|Merriam-Webster]
 * 4) Tagging info – [|Diigo]
 * 5) List and share – Smart Notebook, (Elmo/Smart/iPevo) document camera, Gdocs, Mword, OneNote, [|TitanPad], [|TodaysMeet], [|Prezi], HaikuDeck iOS app/online

** REFERENCES: **
Allen. J., (2008). //More Tools for Teaching Content Literacy//. York: Stenhouse Publishers.

Beers, S. & Howell, L. (2003). //Reading Strategies for the Content Areas, Volume 1: An ASCD Action Tool//. ASCD

Chapman, C., & King, R. (2003). D//ifferentiated Instructional Strategies for Reading in the Content Areas//. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Lipton, L. & Wellman, B. (2011). //Groups at Work//. Sherman, CT. MiraVia, LLC

Nagy, W., (1988). //Teaching Vocabulary to Improve Reading Comprehension.// Urbana: Eric Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills.

Peter Pappas [|Blog site] (Peter and Patricia developed most of the points and offline handouts)

Strong, R., (2002). //Reading for Academic Success: Powerful Strategies for Struggling, Average, and Advanced Readers, Grades 7-12//. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Strong, R., Silver, H., & Perini, M. (2007). //Reading for Academic Success, Grades 2-6//. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Wormeli, R., (2004). //Summarization in Any Subject//. City: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Deve.

 GREEN= ** we have it in the PSD Resource Centre Library **