MGE/SEC
444-444G
Topic: Study Skills and Reading Strategies for Content Area Reading (Language Arts)
“Knowing
how to study is like knowing how to fish. It’s
a set of learning skills that lasts a lifetime and brings many rewards.
Just as there are ways to know you are a competent fisherman, there are
also ways to develop study skills competency.” (Study Strategies Homepage)
My topic was strategic learning/study skills/and reading comprehension
(Chapter 9). There is a plethora of
information on the web about study skills that overlap with information in our
text. Many of the strategies found
on the web are useful because they can be applied to realistic content area
tasks. In other words, the learning
strategies given can be taught to the student who will then be able to
consistently use the skill for studying and learning in realistic situations.
Also, the strategies can be easily modified to meet a student’s
personal needs and styles (pg. 322, text).
Other web sites included studies on reading comprehension and note taking
and how it correlates to achievement.
This website had some excellent resources that included assessment, learning opportunities, and keeping a record. It included information on metacognitive awareness (pg. 345, text) in a study done by Valdosta University and its relationship to learning. The assessment portion of this web site included some good tools for assessing a student’s (or your own) learning style and current study habits. They included:
·
Study Skills
Survey
·
Time Audit
for One Week
·
Study Skills
Checklist
·
Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator
·
Keirsey
Temperament Sorter
http://www.d.umn.edu/student/loon/acad/strat/
http://muskingum.edu/~cal/database/ReadingComp.htm
(arrived here through Ask Eric)
This site is provided by Muskingum college center for advancement of
learning and features general-purpose learning strategies.
The site is divided into four different sections:
·
Background
Information on reading comprehension
·
Purpose of
reading comprehension strategies
·
Advantages
of reading comprehension strategies
·
Specific
reading comprehension strategies
Each
section is further broken down into more pertinent information.
The background information section included information relevant to
Chapter 9 of our text.
·
metacognitive
behaviors of good and poor readers
·
reasons for
lack of comprehension
·
troubleshooting
The
site also gives links for specific strategies discussed in Chapter 9 such as
summary writing, test book note taking, study groups for reading, group
activities for content reading, graphic organizers, etc.
This is a very comprehensive, worthwhile web site.
http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/www/digbib/digprint.cgi?filename=d037.txt
This site examined three important areas about note taking (discussed on
page 332, text).
1.
Does note
taking promote encoding? The answer
to this question (according to research) is “yes.”
Note taking does promote encoding. Further,
“Students perform better when they are allowed ‘to encode in the way that
they prefer’ using noes or other strategies.” (Beecher, Jeff, Eric Rec
Digests)
2.
Is reviewing
notes and effective learning strategy? Some
studies (Carter and VanMater, 1975) and kiewa (1985) show that it is the review
of the notes themselves rather than the actual taking of notes that lead to
higher achievement in students.
3.
What does
the research suggest to the teacher? Teaching
strategies for the teacher to enhance note taking include:
Current
research interests include cognitive processes of individual learners, relevance
of the schema theory, and metacognition.
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/readingliterature
This was probably the most useful and readable site I reviewed.
It had terrific ideas about graphic organizers, reading and literature,
previewing, pre-writing exercises, note taking, etc.
Kim’s Korner is a site composed of ideas and information about language
arts from educators all over the USA. It
has lesson plans, links, graphs, and strategies—everything you might want as a
language arts teacher in the way of learning strategies and resources.
It has a lot of information geared towards middle school students but
also incorporates grades 9-12 and the elementary grades.
http://www.smcps.k12.md.us/mbms/writing/graphorg.html
I focused on this web site because of the graphic organizers available
for evaluation. The organizers are excellent study tools to help students
focus on main ideas, theme and/or characterization.
Other organizers such as the decision making model could be used in other
content areas. Organizers covered
were:
·
decision
making model
·
character
map
·
main idea
pyramid
·
question/answer
chart
·
story map
·
Venn diagram
And
North Central Regional
Educational Laboratory
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1grorg.htm
Both of these web sites gave examples of graphic organizers and
journaling. There were links to
other sites and pages that covered many educational ideas.
I especially liked the examples of the double-entry journal and
compare/contrast matrix given on these sites.
I believe both of these tools can enhance learning for the students by
making literature more personal and interesting.
It helps for students to write out the differences between characters,
themes, or concepts in literature and makes the reading more relevant.
The double journals ask the students to reflect and repeat passages in
the text so that comprehension is enhanced.
All of this information was very relevant to Chapter 9 as approaches to
helping students study and learn across the content areas, since the different
strategies are applicable to all subjects.
The variety also appeals to a wide range of learning styles.
(1999).
Readers, Teachers, Learners: Expanding Literacy Across the Content Areas
(3rd Edition). New
Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Citations
From the ERIC Database
AN: ED442079
AU: Readence,-John-E.; Moore,-David-W.; Rickelman,-Robert-J.
TI: Prereading Activities for Content Area Reading and Learning. Third Edition.
CS: International Reading Association, Newark, DE.
PY: 2000
AV: Order Department, International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Road,
P.O. Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139 ($15.95). Web site: http://www.reading.org.
PR: EDRS Price MF01/PC06 Plus Postage. DL: http://orders.edrs.com/members/sp.cfm?AN=ED442079
DE: *Content-Area-Reading; *Learning-Strategies; *Reading-Comprehension;
*Reading-Readiness
DE: Adolescents-; Instructional-Effectiveness; Secondary-Education
AB: Research has informed educators about the value of preparing students for
reading in the content areas, but how do teachers begin the complicated task of
planning effective prereading activities that maximize their students' learning?
This book provides practical activities that promote the learning of adolescents
in their daily work in content classrooms. This third edition of the book
differs from the second edition in two significant ways. First, it contains
updated material that reflects the most recent information that has been
revealed about prereading activities, and second, it concludes with a new
chapter that addresses the nuances of selecting, combining, and using prereading
activities across lessons and units. Other chapters offer valuable strategies
for asking and answering questions before reading, forecasting passages,
understanding vocabulary, graphically representing information, and writing
before reading. The wealth of strategies and the expanded reference list offered
in the book will help teachers make printed materials in all content areas
understandable and interesting to students. (NKA)
AN: ED441229
AU: Gude,-Sonya; Jackson,-Tonya; Shaw,-Arnitria
TI: Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension in Content Areas.
PY: 2000
NT: Master of Arts Action Research Project, Saint Xavier University and SkyLight
Professional Development.
PR: EDRS Price MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DL: http://orders.edrs.com/members/sp.cfm?AN=ED441229
DE: *Content-Area-Reading; *Instructional-Effectiveness; *Reading-Comprehension;
*Reading-Improvement
DE: Action-Research; Classroom-Techniques; Cooperative-Learning; Grade-1;
Grade-5; Grade-8; Middle-Schools; Primary-Education; Reading-Strategies
AB: This report describes a program for improving reading comprehension skills
in order to heighten understanding of materials covered in class and performance
on activities and exams. The targeted population consisted of first-, fifth-,
and eighth-grade students in a large, lower- to middle-class community located
in central Illinois. The problems in reading comprehension were documented
through classroom performance and test scores. Analysis of probable cause data
revealed that students lacked the necessary skills to process and understand
what they read. Faculty reported that these deficiencies affect everything from
following directions to the results on standardized exams. Review of curricula
content and instructional strategies revealed that the methods that have been
used are inconsistent and have not been planned in a way that emphasizes
comprehension. A review of solution strategies (suggested by knowledgeable
others) combined with an analysis of the problem setting resulted in the
selection of an intervention that focused on the basics of comprehension (such
as context clues, summarizing, and clarifying), presented with pre- and
post-reading strategies, and cooperative learning. Post intervention data
indicated an overall increase in reading comprehension abilities. Appendixes
contain survey instruments, data tabulations, story pyramids, and graphic
organizers. (Contains 27 references and 12 tables.) (Author/RS)
AN: ED440372
AU: Thompson,-Sara
TI: Effective Content Reading Comprehension and Retention Strategies.
PY: 2000
PR: EDRS Price MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DL: http://orders.edrs.com/members/sp.cfm?AN=ED440372
DE: *Content-Area-Reading; *Reading-Comprehension; *Reading-Instruction;
*Reading-Strategies
DE: Elementary-Secondary-Education; Learning-Theories; Literacy-;
Retention-Psychology
AB: This booklet provides a sampling of strategies that will help students with
content literacy. It is based on the idea that reading is about understanding
such that the words are transformed into meaningful thoughts within the reader's
cognitive frame of reference. The booklet contains various learning theories,
and the strategies suggested correlate to these theories. The strategies are
divided into three categories: preparation, during reading, and after reading,
which correspond with 9 comprehension strategies, 22 organizational strategies,
and 6 retention strategies. The booklet concludes that incorporating strategies
into instruction will help increase comprehension levels and move students from
passive to active learners. (Contains 37 references and 5 appendixes with
extensive worksheet examples for the given strategies.) (EF)
AN: EJ601071
AU: Agnew,-Mary-L.
TI: DRAW: A Motivational Reading Comprehension Strategy for Disaffected Readers.
PY: 2000 SO: Journal-of-Adolescent-and-Adult-Literacy; v43 n6 p574-76 Mar 2000
DE: *Reading-Comprehension; *Reading-Improvement; *Reading-Motivation;
*Reading-Strategies
DE: Class-Activities; High-Schools; Higher-Education; Middle-Schools;
Reading-Attitudes; Reading-Difficulties
AB: Describes a strategy adaptable to middle school, high school, and college
levels that helps to motivate students to want to read and gain information;
promotes discussion and fosters students' learning from one another; helps
below-grade-level readers understand content; and encourages higher order
thinking. (SR)
AN: ED438519
AU: Costa,-Melynda-Blaylock; Skeen,-Janice-C.
TI: Increasing Reading Comprehension in the Middle School.
PY: 1999
NT: Master's Action Research Project, Saint Xavier University and IRI/Skylight.
PR: EDRS Price MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DL: http://orders.edrs.com/members/sp.cfm?AN=ED438519
DE: *Instructional-Effectiveness; *Middle-Schools; *Reading-Comprehension;
*Reading-Improvement; *Reading-Strategies
DE: Action-Research; Grade-7; Reading-Research
AB: This report describes a program for increasing student reading
comprehension. The targeted population consisted of seventh grade students in a
growing middle class community located in Illinois. The problem of low reading
comprehension was documented through teacher, student, and parent surveys. In
addition, reading interest inventories, and teacher-made comprehension
assessment materials, were utilized in identifying and documenting this problem.
Analysis of the probable cause data revealed that a number of factors related to
low reading comprehension. Among the causes are a lack of prior knowledge and
background knowledge, and a lack of motivation to read. Another cause of low
comprehension in reading could be that students do not utilize proper reading
strategies. Furthermore, educators are not being given adequate inservice
training on the reading strategies that their students should use to improve
their reading comprehension. A review of solution strategies suggested by a
group of knowledgeable others combined with an analysis of the targeted site,
resulted in the selection of three major categories of intervention: instruction
in pre-reading strategies, active reading strategies, and post-reading
strategies. Post intervention data indicated an increase in reading
comprehension. Appendixes contain survey instruments, data, evaluation measures,
and student samples. (Contains 26 references, and 6 tables and 2 figures of
data.)(Author/RS)
AN: ED437618
AU: Schoenbach,-Ruth; Greenleaf,-Cynthia; Cziko,-Christine; Hurwitz,-Lori
TI: Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High
School Classrooms. The Jossey-Bass Education Series.
PY: 1999
AV: Jossey-Bass Inc, Publishers, 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94104-1342.
Tel: 888-378-2537; Web site: www.josseybass.com.
NT: Published in partnership with WestEd.
PR: Document Not Available from EDRS.
DE: *Content-Area-Reading; *Literacy-; *Reading-Comprehension;
*Reading-Improvement; *Reading-Programs; *Reading-Strategies
DE: Class-Activities; Classroom-Techniques; High-Schools; Middle-Schools;
Student-Needs
AB: Many middle school and high school students have difficulty reading and
understanding academic texts, which limits their ability to meet today's high
learning standards. This guidebook addresses this quiet but growing crisis.
Aimed at content area teachers in secondary schools, the guidebook describes a
successful approach to helping students improve their literacy across all
subject areas. The guidebook describes a program in which an entire freshman
class in one urban high school increased its average reading scores by more than
two years--piloted in San Francisco, the groundbreaking Academic Literacy
program proved that it was not too late for teachers and students to work
together in boosting literacy, engagement, and achievement. Easy to read and
filled with classroom lessons and exercises, the guidebook shows teachers how
they can create classroom "reading apprenticeships" to help students
build reading comprehension skills and relate what they read to a larger
knowledge base. It also discusses the strategies and support systems needed to
implement and evaluate reading apprenticeship programs throughout a school. The
guidebook can be a companion for educators ready to face the challenge of
building reading into their content area teaching. Appendixes contain a
curriculum overview of the first unit taught in the Academic Literacy course;
and a discussion of evaluation instruments used. (NKA)
AN: EJ585803
AU: Vaughn,-Sharon; Klingner,-Janette-Kettman
TI: Teaching Reading Comprehension through Collaborative Strategic Reading.
PY: 1999 SO: Intervention-in-School-and-Clinic; v34 n5 p284-92 May 1999
DE: *Cooperative-Learning; *Learning-Disabilities; *Reading-Comprehension;
*Reading-Difficulties; *Reading-Strategies; *Teacher-Role
DE: Elementary-Secondary-Education; Teaching-Methods
AB: Provides an overview of collaborative strategic reading (CSR) as an approach
to enhancing the reading-comprehension skills of students with learning
disabilities. Procedures for implementing CSR with collaborative groups and
techniques for teaching reading-comprehension skills are provided. The role of
the teacher is described and sample teaching vignettes are included. (Author/CR)
AN: EJ585760
AU: Gardill,-M.-Cathleen; Jitendra,-Asha-K.
TI: Advanced Story Map Instruction: Effects on the Reading Comprehension of
Students with Learning Disabilities.
PY: 1999 SO: Journal-of-Special-Education; v33 n1 p2-17,28 Spr 1999
DE: *Instructional-Effectiveness; *Learning-Disabilities;
*Reading-Comprehension; *Teaching-Methods
DE: Generalization-; Intermediate-Grades; Maintenance-; Middle-Schools;
Story-Grammar
AB: This multiple baseline study investigated the effectiveness of direct
instruction of an advanced story-map procedure on the reading comprehension
performance of six middle school students with learning disabilities (LD).
Results indicated an increase in story grammar and basal comprehension
performance generalization to a novel passage, and maintenance of strategy
effects (two weeks after intervention) by all six students. (Author/DB)
AN: ED432011
AU: DeFoe,-Marguerite-Corbitt
TI: Using Directed Reading Thinking Activity Strategies To Teach Students
Reading Comprehension Skills in Middle Grades Language Arts.
PY: 1999
NT: Ed.D. Practicum, Nova Southeastern University.
PR: EDRS Price MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. DL: http://orders.edrs.com/members/sp.cfm?AN=ED432011
DE: *Instructional-Effectiveness; *Language-Arts; *Reading-Comprehension;
*Reading-Improvement; *Reading-Instruction
DE: Cooperative-Learning; Decoding-Reading; Metacognition-;
Middle-School-Students; Middle-Schools; Parent-Participation
AB: This practicum was designed to use directed reading thinking activity
strategies to teach reading comprehension skills to middle grades language arts
students who frequently failed to make passing scores in reading comprehension
exercises. The program included three specific strategies. The first strategy
was to teach the students higher-order thinking and metacognitive skills by
using SRA (Science Research Associates) activities, Directed Reading/Thinking
Activities, and Question and Answer Relationship strategies. The second strategy
was to teach the students decoding by analogy. The third strategy was to use
cooperative learning while working on reading comprehension assignments. The
goal and expectations were for all the students to improve reading comprehension
so that students would make better grades. An analysis of the data revealed that
students did improve their reading comprehension skills, but not significantly.
Parent involvement was not what was expected. The lack of interest was due to
tight schedules, and their perceived inability to help. Contains 31 references.
(Author/RS)
AN: EJ583732
AU: Lebzelter,-Susan; Nowacek,-E.-Jane
TI: Reading Strategies for Secondary Students with Mild Disabilities.
PY: 1999 SO: Intervention-in-School-and-Clinic; v34 n4 p212-19 Mar 1999
DE: *Mild-Disabilities; *Reading-Comprehension; *Reading-Difficulties;
*Reading-Improvement; *Reading-Strategies; *Vocabulary-Development
DE: Secondary-Education; Student-Evaluation; Word-Recognition
AB: Describes seven learning strategies designed to promote word recognition,
vocabulary development, and reading comprehension in secondary students with
mild disabilities. An instructional sequence is provided for each of the
strategies, research findings are reported, and a checklist is included that
teachers can use to evaluate learning strategies. (Author/CR)