Reading Comprehension: The Key to Academic Achievement Presenter: Amy Benjamin

1. Reading Comprehension: The Key to Academic Achievement Presenter: Amy Benjamin • Today’s Presentation: • Reading comprehension in the intermediate grades • The relationship between background knowledge and • comprehension • 3. The comprehension process: Before, During, After • Outlining as a note-taking, reading comprehension strategy • The Five Gears of Reading • 6. Academic vocabulary development • through immersion You may access today’s visuals at: www.amybenjamin.com (Reading Comprehension: 2010)

3. Science Reading Survey Always Usually Sometimes Never I understand what I read for science class. I need to read things again to understand. I look at the photographs to help me understand. I think the captions help me understand the photographs, tables, and charts. I read the titles, headings and subheadings. I think I have a good science vocabulary.

5. Focus Strategiesfor All Subjects: 1. Read aloud/think aloud (model your thinking process as you read) 2. Getting reading and writing to support each other (writing-to-learn activities) 3. Direct vocabulary instruction

6. 10,000 hours of practice

7. Outline: Middle Sch High Sch I. A. B. C. II. A. B. C. III. A. B. C. I.________ A.______ 1._____ 2.______ a._____ b._____ c._____ B.__________ II.____________ A.__________ B.__________ 1._______ 2._______ 3._______ C.__________ Main idea Main idea Main idea Elementary Boxes & Bullets

8. The Reading Process:BeforeDuringAfter 3C’s: B:Connect ! (4 connections) D: Concentrate ! (5 behaviors) A: Complete ! (3 choices) Or, 3F’s: B: Frontload D: Focus A: Finish

9. The Reading Process:Before: Connect ! 3 C’s Connection 1: Background knowledge (incl. key vocab) Connection 2: Text type (organizational structure) Connection 3: Establish a purpose for reading Connection 4: Overview

10. Before: Connect! 3 C’s “What comes to mind when I say the word______?” “What do/does ___________remind you of?” “What do you see in your mind when I say ______?” “What words are you seeing that you need to know more about?

11. Before: Connect! 3 C’s Building Background Knowledge: Pre-teach new vocab Present visuals Connect to personal experience

12. Before: Connect!Prepare for the genre How is it organized? 3 C’s Picture the structure. Set up a “mental closet” to contain the information. Think about what you expect in this structure.

13. Before: Connect!Have a focus for reading. 3 C’s Decide what you are looking for. (page 86)

14. Before: Connect! Get an Overview 3 C’s THIEVVES: Title Headings Introductory paragraph Every first sentence of every paragraph Visuals and Vocabulary End-of-chapter questions Summary

15. The Reading Process:During: Concentrate! 3 C’s Adjust the environment: eliminate all sensory distractions Visualize: Look for imagery in the text Visualize the organizational structure Monitor comprehension: Be prepared to reread and/or seek outside help Be an active reader: Anticipate, react, predict, question connect

16. The Reading Process:After:Complete! 3 C’s Write, talk, or draw

17. Five Gears of Reading: Skim it: Scan it: Sample it: Read it: (optional) Study it: Go back, as necessary, getting a more useful and permanent understanding. This may involve working with a partner, taking notes, creating graphic organizers, and other meaning-making activities. Now that you’ve let the text wash over you, read it thoroughly: every word, every sentence, every graphic. Glance over it; (30 secs per page); get the gist; be able to state what it is about in a complete sentence Look it over with an eagle’s eye, scanning for specific information, such as information that has key words to answer questions Find a segment that is most interesting to you and read it carefully. www.amybenjamin.com

18. Sleet, hail, and snow are examples of water changing into a solid state when the air temperature is at the freezing point of water.

19. The Academic Word List (AWL): Background:The Academic Word List consists of 570 word families that are not in the most frequent 2,000 words of English but which occur frequently over a very wide range of academic texts. These 570 word families are grouped into ten subsets that reflect word frequency. A word like analyze falls into Subset 1, which contains the most frequent words, while the word adjacent falls into Subset 10 which includes the least frequent (among this list of high incidence words). The AWL is not restricted to a specific field of study. That means that the words are useful for learners studying in disciplines as varied as literature, science, health, business, and law. This high-utility academic word list does not contain technical words likely to appear in one, specific field of study such as amortization, petroglyph, onomatopoeia, or cartilage. Two-thirds of all academic English derive from Latin or Greek. Understandably, knowledge of the most high-incidence adademic words in English can significantly boost a student’s comprehension level of school-based reading material. Students who are taught these high-utility academic words and routinely placed in contexts requiring their usage are likely to be able to master academic material with more confidence and efficiency, wasting less time and energy in guessing words or consulting dictionaries than those who are only equipped with the most basic 2000-3000 words that characterize ordinary conversation. The following link gives you a two-page version of the list: http://www.doe.in.gov/TitleI/pdf/Word_List_Feldman.pdf Source: Coxhead, Averil. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 213-238.

20. Academic Word List: Subset 1 analyze approach area assess assume authority available benefit concept consist context constitute contract data define derive distribute economy environment establish estimate evident factor finance formula function income indicate individual interpret involve issue labor legal legislate major method percent period principle proceed process policy require research respond role section sector significant similar source specific structure theory vary Academic Word List: Subset 2 achieve acquire administrate affect appropriate aspect assist category chapter commission community complex compute conclude conduct consequent construct consume credit culture design distinct equate element evaluate feature final focus impact injure institute invest item journal maintain normal obtain participate perceive positive potential previous primary purchase range region regulate regulate relevant reside resource restrict secure seek select site strategy survey tradition transfer

21. Academic Word List: Subset 3 alternative circumstance comment compensate component consent considerable constant constrain contribute convene coordinate core corporate correspond criteria deduce demonstrate document dominate emphasis ensure exclude fund framework illustrate immigrate imply initial instance interact justify layer link locate maximize minor negate outcome philosophy physical proportion publish react register rely remove scheme sequence shift specify sufficient technical technique technology valid volume Academic Word List: Subset 4 access adequacy annual apparent approximate attitude attribute civil code commit communicate concentrate confer contrast cycle debate despite dimension domestic emerge error ethnic grant hence hypothesis implement implicate impose integrate internal investigate mechanism occupy output overall parallel parameter phase predict prior principal professional project promote regime resolve retain series statistic status stress subsequent sum summary undertake

22. Academic Word List: Subset 5 academy adjust alter amend aware capacity challeng clause compound conflict consult contact decline discrete draft enable energy enforce entity equivalent evolve expand expose external facilitate fundamental generate generation image liberal license logic margin mental medical modify monitor network notion objective orient perspective precise prime psychology pursue ratio reject revenue stable style substitute sustain symbol target transit trend version welfare whereas Academic Word List: Subset 6 abstract acknowledge accuracy aggregate allocate assign attach bond brief capable cite cooperate discriminate display diverse domain edit enhance estate exceed explicit federal flexible furthermore gender ignorance interval lecture migrate minimum ministry motive neutral nevertheless overseas precede presume rational recover reveal scope subsidy trace transform transport underlie utilize

23. Academic Word List: Subset 7 adapt adult advocate aid channel chemical classic comprehensive comprise confirm contrary convert decade definite deny differentiate dispose dynamic equip eliminate empirical extract file finite foundation grade guarantee hierarchy identical ideology infer innovate insert intervene isolate media mode paradigm phenomenon priority prohibit publication release reverse simulate sole submit successor thesis topic transmit ultimate unique Academic Word List: Subset 8 abandon accompany accumulate ambiguous appendix appreciate arbitrary automate bias chart clarify commodity complement conform contemporary contradict crucial currency denote detect deviate displace eventual exhibit exploit fluctuate guideline highlight implicit induce inevitable infrastructure inspect intense manipulate minimize nuclear offset paragraph practitioner predominant prospect radical random reinforce restore revise schedule tense terminate theme thereby uniform vehicle via virtual visual widespread

24. Academic Word List: Subset 9 accommodate analogy anticipate assure attain behalf cease coherent coincide commence compatible concurrent confine controversy converse device devote diminish distort duration erode ethic format inherent insight integral intermediate manual mature mediate medium military minimal mutual norm overlap passive portion preliminary protocol qualitative refine restrain revolution rigid scenario sphere subordinate supplement suspend temporary trigger unify violate vision Academic Word List: Subset 10 adjacent albeit assemble collapse colleague compile conceive convince depress encounter forthcoming incline integrity intrinsic invoke levy likewise nonetheless notwithstanding ongoing panel persist pose reluctance so-called straightforward undergo whereas whereby

26. Categories of Word Knowledge: aglet • I. Naming a well-known concept:

27. BOSU II. New word for a simple but new concept

28. Categories of Word Knowledge: photosynthesis insulin quadratic equation calculus • New word/ new, complex concept • Concept may be understood on progressively deeper level III.

29. Categories of Word Knowledge: square policy discriminate property • IV: Narrowing the meaning of a known word

30. Of Limited Value… Lists alone Context alone Definitions alone Dictionaries and Glossaries alone Of Durable Value… Words in clusters Multiple exposures in various contexts Chances to speak, hear, write the words Manipulation of forms of words Classify and categorize word lists Word games

31. Rule of Thumb New learners need SIX (meaningful) exposures to a new word during the initial lesson and at least THIRTY additional exposures during the ensuing month.