Study Skills and Reading
Strategies
for Content Area
Reading
Learning to use study
skills and reading strategies is very important for students of all ages.
Academic performance is greatly enhanced when students become active
learners and implement these study strategies (1999 316).
Here are a few processes that students should learn to use: (1999 319)
1.
Select important ideas and restate them in your own words.
2.
Reorganize and elaborate on these ideas.
3.
Ask questions concerning the significance of targeted information and
ideas.
4.
Monitor when you know and when you do not understand.
5. Establish goals and define your tasks.
6. Evaluate plans and the usefulness of the strategies you selected.
Brozo, W.G., & Simpson, M.L. (1999). Readers,
teachers, learners: Expanding literacy across the content areas (3rd
Ed.). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall
Here are a few web sites that offer some tips for study
skills and reading strategies.
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/2821/c3.cfm
The author of this site is Stacy Grossman—a Masters student at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The article focuses on facilitating reading comprehension at the middle school level. Grossman points out that by the middle school level, students are “reading to learn” as opposed to “learning to read.” The most important aspect of “reading to learn” is understanding text structure. Here are some strategies Grossman suggests trying to aid students’ awareness and understanding of text structure.
1.)
Concept Mapping—This involves constructing a map, or web,
of ideas. In this diagram, key
words are circled and connected with lines to other similar concepts.
Students are able to visually see the connection of ideas.
2.)
Identifying text structure—Before they can learn,
students must first be able to perceive the organization of expository text.
Students must understand patterns and patterned arrangements of ideas.
The site also discusses the role of media in teaching students to identify text structure. The author points out that educational technology gives the user the opportunity to interact with the information. However, she cautions that software should not be used simply because it exists. Grossman states, “The need for software should precede the use of software.”
http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/1999-ja/secondary.shtml
This site features the Harvard Education Letter. The author of the article—“What Secondary Teachers Can Do to Reach Reading”—is Vicki Jacobs. The article points out a common problem that many of us will face—As a content teacher, how do I teach reading? It first points out that assigning students to read a text does not promote learning. Here are the steps Jacobs suggests in helping students read. The steps were derived from a model of learning called the “schema theory.”
1. Pre-Reading—The first stage of reading is designed to allow teachers to recognize the different contexts, experiences, biases, and background knowledge of the students. These factors can affect how the students read and what they learn from the text. By knowing this, teachers can provide bridges and other connections to help the students. This step is essential for comprehension.
2. Guided Reading—This stage requires activities that allow students to integrate prior knowledge with new knowledge gained from the text. One method of promoting understanding is rewording the chapter questions into “how” and “why” questions. This requires students to move beyond superficial understanding into application thinking.
3. Post-Reading—The last stage allows students to put into words what they have read and apply it to different situations.
By using these steps, teachers promote understanding of content as well as give students the opportunity to exhibit their comprehension, vocabulary, and study skills.
http://www.how-to-study.com/read.htm
This site is a link off the “how-to-study” home page. It focuses on how students can improve their reading skills. The article offers several characteristic of a good reader:
1. A good reader thinks about what the author is saying.
2. A good reader is active, not passive.
3. A good reader concentrates on what is being read.
4. A good reader remembers as much as possible.
5. A good reader applies what is being read to personal experience.
The site then elaborates on how to become a good reader by outlining several processes.
1.
Think about the subject you are going to read about.—This involves
asking yourself questions such as, “What do I already know about the
subject,” and “What do I want to learn about this subject?”
2.
Skim the section you are going to read.—As you skim, notice if you
see anything familiar and anything new. Also,
think about what your overall impression is of the text.
3.
Read for comprehension and make notes of important parts.—Use
post-it notes or index cards to write down main ideas and vocabulary. This will help when you study later. Also, if you come across an idea you don’t understand,
reread that section.
4.
Recall to yourself what you have just read about.—As you read, put
the main ideas into your own words. At
the end of the reading, recall what the main points were.
Site 4
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infocs/Study/reading.html
This page is sponsored by the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The homepage has several categories from which to choose from, including note taking and reading skills. The page dedicated to reading skills has several tips to aid students in comprehension and has instructions for how and why teachers should implement these strategies.
1.
Get into the material more often, but for shorter periods of time.—Some
students may only be able to concentrate on reading for short periods of time.
Also, changing tasks hourly, spreading the work over a period of time,
and engaging in the activity more frequently aids learning.
2.
Read groups of words at a time, and without mouthing them.—Because
the brain works faster than the mouth, this technique allows for greater speed
and more comprehension.
3.
Establish a context by beginning with an overview of the topic.—This
improves comprehension as well as retention.
Students can establish a context by first reading the introduction,
skimming the heading, studying the
charts/graphs, and reading the summary.
4.
Read with a purpose—Students should read the assigned questions
before they begin reading the text. As
they read, students should mark in the margins at the places they think
they’ve found an answer. Students
should not take notes or highlight while they read because they don’t know
what the most important points are until they’ve read the entire passage.
5.
Set the text up so you can study effectively from it. —Students
should write the questions in the margin beside the answer and regularly review
these questions.
http://k-6educators.about.com/library/weekly/aa030401a.htm?once=true&
This site is designed by Beth Lewis specifically for Elementary Educators. It includes information on how to teach reading comprehension. While the page is for elementary teachers, the tips it offers are applicable for all grade levels.
The article begins by pointing out that the traditional method of teaching reading comprehension (asking students to read a book and then answer a sheet of questions about the book) is not consistent with how students will read and comprehend as adults. Instead, Lewis offers that teachers should use real-world, student-driven instructional strategies. The author then offers several thinking strategies that proficient readers implement as they read:
1.
Determining What is Important—Readers identify the important themes
and focus less on the smaller details of the text.
2.
Drawing Inferences—Readers use background knowledge and new
knowledge to form conclusions and inferences.
3.
Using Prior Knowledge—Readers build on prior knowledge to increase
their comprehension of the text.
4.
Asking Questions—Readers ask questions before, during, and after
reading.
5.
Monitoring Comprehension and Meaning—Readers think about whether
the text makes sense or not.
6.
Creating Mental Images—Readers use the 5 senses to build mental
images that enhance the reading experience.
