Strategies
A synthesis of research on how students summarize while reading.
How Classroom Teachers Approach the Teaching of
Thinking
Classroom teachers frequently use various programs, strategies, and techniques to enhance student thinking, including questioning, writing, and general information processing (meaning construction, encoding, matching, analyzing, representing, and abstracting). The paper notes other strategies not used or underutilized by teachers. (SM)
Suggests that classroom instruction can be aided by training students in question generation. Encourages secondary and postsecondary content area teachers to encourage student questioning instruction as a basis for higher level thinking about subject matter. (RS)
The ABCs of Content Area Lesson Planning:
Attention, Basics and Comprehension
Discusses the factors to consider in content area lesson planning. Attention; Basics; Comprehension.
Reading
in the Content Areas: Unlocking the Secrets and Making Them Work
Describes how the author worked with her colleagues and with her sixth and seventh grade students, together searching for ways to improve their ability to read textbooks effectively, and to process and build on text information independently. Notes the open dialogue engaged in by teacher and students throughout the entire process as they searched together for an effective strategy. (SR)
Instructional
strategies for content-area reading instruction.
Presents an overview of the components of content area reading instruction. Instructional strategies that can be used to teach students with reading disabilities how to approach content area reading; Strategy instruction in word identification, vocabulary, and comprehension skills; Phonetic analysis; Structural analysis; Semantic feature analysis.
This article offers a classroom teacher's proven program of structured, sustained silent reading (SSR) that helps students successfully develop academically as well as socially. The program is aligned with the Standards for the English Language Arts (1996) published by the National Council of Teachers of English.
Contextually Relevant Word Study: Adolescent
Vocabulary Development Across the Curriculum
Argues the importance of contextually relevant word study across the curriculum of upper levels of schooling. Outlines and describes seven general principles for making word study strategies a natural part of ongoing studies in the subject areas, and describes their application in class.
Focuses on the mascot activity developed to teach two reluctant seventh graders about Canada. Use of teacher-made graphic organizer that lists the Canadian provinces and territories; Creative ideas developed by the students; Capitalization on the students' sports interest by having students design and name a sports arena appropriate for each team. INSET: Student response to mascot activity.
Teaching Learners to Think, Read, and Write
More Effectively in the Content Areas
Discusses the method of teaching learners to think, read and write more effectively in content subject and examined how the construct can be implemented in a classroom. Text structure; Concept mapping; Shift in teaching style; Diagrams showing the construct..
Focuses on supplementing content-area instruction with read-alouds and discussions on picture books that engage adolescents in the U.S. Advantages to reading aloud to students in content areas; Planning and implementing read-aloud sessions in content areas; Criteria for choosing the picture book to read aloud; Sources for picture books. INSET: Framework for starter questions.
Not Just For Primary Grades: A Bibliography
of Picture Books for Secondary Content Teachers
This article reports on a series of studies designed to enhance reading comprehension and content-area reading for students with diverse learning needs in general education classrooms. Strategies were implemented through a peer-mediated instructional format (either small groups or pairs).
Sonnets for Subjects, Limericks for Lunch, and (Teaching
Skills within Meaningful Contexts)
Illustrates how poetry, content material, and literacy skills can come together with examples from health class, social studies, math, lunch, English, home and careers class, physical education, science, and homeroom. Notes also poems that can be used in American history class.
Guidelines for Implementing a Graphic Organizer
Suggests attributes for effective graphic organizer implementation accompanied by a sample classroom prereading dialogue. Benefits of expository materials; Steps for creating graphic organizers; Impact of graphic organizers on students' reading comprehension and recall.
