A Guide For Parents
Introduction Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning (reading comprehension). It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practice, development, and refinement. In addition, reading requires creativity and critical analysis. (Wikipedia) For the purpose of teaching reading, the numerous skills involved have been divided into Assessment Focuses. These assessment focuses are explained through a variety of teaching strategies on the following pages. On the reverse of each page is a selection of questions to match the assessment focus. The final three pages are a brief overview reading behaviours and skills at level 3,4 and 5. We are shortly to introduce our Ravens Reading Characters and have included these within this book.
TOP TIPS FOR TEACHING READING AFS ASSESSMENT FOCUS TEACHING TIPS AF1 use a range of strategies, including accurate decoding of text, to read for meaning; Types of reading: A. Skimming when you need only a general idea of what the text is about and whether it is going to be useful. Run your eyes quickly over the text. Look at headlines, headings, subheadings, titles, the opening lines of paragraphs and words that signal a new point is being made. B. Scanning when you want to find a specific piece of information quickly. Glance quickly down the text for key words. Run a finger down the middle of the page as you read to focus your eyes and keep them moving. C. Close reading when you need to explore the details in the text. Read all the words in a short section. Read and reread difficult sections, revising your interpretations each time. Use text marking to identify key points and paraphrase what the writer is saying. D. Continuous reading when reading for pleasure or to understand a full account of something. Read all the words, but you might be able to read some sections very quickly. Others might need a slower pace to let you take in all of the ideas. Reading Strategies: A. See images visualize what the writer is describing. What pictures can you see of the characters, the settings and the action? B. Hear a reading voice as you read, think about whose voices you are hearing and how it changes. Think about how the central characters sound and the sound effects of all the action. What can you hear while you read? C. Establish a relationship with the narrator think about the narrator the person telling you the information in the text. Identify who the narrator is. Do you like her/him? What would you say to him/her if she/he were in the room? D. Establish a relationship with the writer can you hear the writer s voice? Is the author hiding behind a narrator or character or speaking directly to the reader? What do you think the writer is trying to say to you? E. Predict what will happen use what you know about a text to suggest what you think will happen next. Can you explain why? What evidence have you got? F. Relate ideas in text to own experience does this remind you of anything you have done in your life or anything you have seen or heard about? How does this make you feel about the events in the text? Reading Strategies Card Sort activity.
AF2 - Sidney Scanner Can you find words, phrases and information in the text? Can you pick up the main points?
ASSESSMENT FOCUS AF2 understand, describe, select and retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text; TEACHING TIPS Quotation quests find quotations to support a view, opinion, statement. PEEL paragraphs. Comprehension questions. Scan the text for the correct information. Present these as a series of bullet points using your own words. Close read the text for specific answers. Write down 3 bullet points that summarise what the text is about. Skim a text for no more than 20 seconds. Which bits of the text caught your attention? Make a list. Now close read. In pairs, close read a text. From each paragraph/section, identify one sentence that makes the main point. Skim read the text. Why do you think the writer uses this title? Highlight the facts and opinions in a text in different colours. What does this tell you about the text? Reduce the text to five sentences, then five words and then one word. Sequence a list of points from the most important to the least. Restructure key information into a different format e.g. spider diagram, bullet points, time line, flow diagram. Reread the 2/3 texts. Make a list if the similarities and differences between the texts. Close read the extract. Ask yourself which you think are the most important pieces of advice and record these in a table. Read a description of a place. Visualise the information by drawing a rough map of the place, annotating it with the details given. Read backwards and forwards in the text to check you are linking up the places correctly.
Reading Assessment focus 2. Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text. Questions Where does the story take place? When did the story take place? What did he/she look like? Where did he/she live? Who are the key characters in the book? What happened in the story? What kinds of people are in the story? What is happening at this point in the story? Read the part that tells me Where did you find the information about..?
AF3 - Detective Dexter Can you be a detective and find information through clues in the text? Can you infer and deduce?
ASSESSMENT FOCUS TEACHING TIPS AF3 deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts; Infer look for what is implied (suggested) rather than what is explicit (stated/obvious). Read between the lines to find the meaning. Look at the words and how they are organised in order to see the writers different meanings. Deduce - be a detective. Use evidence in the text to work out what is meant. You might have to fill in gaps and make links between ideas. Give students statements related to a text. They must infer to decide if they are: a) literally true (the writer actually states them) b) inferentially true ( the writer doesn t state them but the reader can work out from the text that they are true) c) incorrect (there is no evidence to back up the statements from the text) Create a table; in one column include Information from the text and the other What it tells us about the writer. Close read a text and try and empathise with a central character. (Empathy imagine you are in the same situation as the characters or people. What would you do? How would you feel? What impression do you get of the writer from the text? Support your answers with close reference to the text. Close read the text. Who does the writer sympathise with? How do we know this? Read the text forwards and backwards finding examples from the text. Remember you will need to infer. Skim read advertisement(s) to get a general idea of what they are about. Speculate about: o the type of magazine/publication they come from o who would read this magazine/publication
3 Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from text. What makes you think that? What words give you that impression? Why? How do you feel about? Why? Can you explain why.? If you were going to interview this character/author, which questions would you ask? What sort of person do you think would use this book? Describe a time when you think they would use it. Which parts of the book could help you find the information you need? Do you agree with this opinion? Explain your own opinion using the texts to help you? At the end of the story the main character is feeling. Does this surprise you? Explain as fully as you can using parts of the story to help you? What does this tell you about what.was thinking? Through whose eyes is the story told? Who was the storyteller? How do you know? Do you think this is true/untrue? Why do you think this? What do you think the. is thinking? If it were you what would you be thinking? Which is your favourite part? Why? Which bit of the text shows this? Predict what you think is going to happen next. Why do you think this? Using all the evidence available, can you tell me what you feel about.? Who would you like to meet most in the story? Why? Can you support your view with evidence? What is your opinion? What evidence do you have to support your view? Is this a place you could visit? Why/why not? How did one of the characters change during the story? Draw a timeline that shows the changes.
AF4 - Jigsaw Jim Can you talk about how the writer has organised the text? Can you discuss the structure of a piece of writing?
ASSESSMENT FOCUS AF4 identify and comment on the structure and organization of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level; TEACHING TIPS Read the text closely. Divide it into sections and give each section/paragraph a subtitle or key word. Scan the text and pick out 6 features that make it clear that it is a non-fiction text (layout, heading, language, other features). Skim the text and identify any features of the layout which the writer uses to emphasise certain points (e.g. bold type, bullet points, etc.) Pick out imperative verbs in a text. How is the information organized in the text? Think about the writer s purpose and audience and in your answer comment on the following: o layout and design o use of images o the different types of information presented Scan the text and trace the moments of tension. Draw an emotion of tension graph for the events of the text. On the vertical axis add quotations that show the events and on the horizontal axis add quotations that show the tension in the central character(s). Draw a graph to show the narrative structure of a text and the changing levels of humour, tension and drama. Produce a narrative map/flow diagram of events/ideas in a text. Log the structure onto a grid e.g. point/evidence grid, cause/effect grid, argument/counter-argument. Look at an example of an advice leaflet. Focus on how the information has been presented to the reader e.g. boxes, fonts, colours, etc. How useful would this leaflet be? In what ways could it be more helpful? Close read the text. How is the whole text structured? How are links made between paragraphs? How are links made within paragraphs?
4 Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from text. What makes you think that? What words give you that impression? Why? How do you feel about? Why? Can you explain why.? If you were going to interview this character/author, which questions would you ask? What sort of person do you think would use this book? Describe a time when you think they would use it. Which parts of the book could help you find the information you need? Do you agree with this opinion? Explain your own opinion using the texts to help you? At the end of the story the main character is feeling. Does this surprise you? Explain as fully as you can using parts of the story to help you? What does this tell you about what.was thinking? Through whose eyes is the story told? Who was the storyteller? How do you know? Do you think this is true/untrue? Why do you think this? What do you think the. is thinking? If it were you what would you be thinking? Which is your favourite part? Why? Which bit of the text shows this? Predict what you think is going to happen next. Why do you think this? Using all the evidence available, can you tell me what you feel about.? Who would you like to meet most in the story? Why? Can you support your view with evidence? What is your opinion? What evidence do you have to support your view? Is this a place you could visit? Why/why not? How did one of the characters change during the story? Draw a timeline that shows the changes.
AF5 - Choosy Charlie Can you comment on the words and phrases that the writer has used? Can you say why they have chosen the words they did?
ASSESSMENT FOCUS AF5 explain and comment on writers uses of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level; TEACHING TIPS Read the text and try to hear a reading voice and think about the following features: o the use of pronouns o the type of punctuation used o the voice of the writer o the type of advice given. For each feature, pick out an example from the text and then explain what effect it has on the reader. Find examples of each of the following techniques and explain its effect: o onomatopoeia o simile o personification o metaphor Scan the text and pick out words or phrases which suggest who is the writer and the audience e.g. a science reporter. Pick out the techniques the writer uses to persuade you e.g. the opening statement, use of pronouns - we and us, use of rhetorical questions or exclamation marks, use of repetition, use of verbs, use of metaphorical language, etc. Scan the text and find three examples of emotive language and comment on why the writer has used them. Close read the text. The narrative voice is humorous. Pick out examples of the following types of humour: o irony o self deprecation o exaggeration o rhetorical devices How does the writer achieve an informal tone? Consider the use of the following: o colloquialisms o asides o use of parenthesis o punctuation Highlight the key language features in the text e.g. adjectives in a persuasive leaflet, emotive language in a charity appeal, imperatives in a recipe.
5 Explain and comment on the writers uses of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level. I wonder what the writer intended by using these words? What do these words mean and why do you think the writer chose them? How has the author used adjectives to make this character funny? What do the physical descriptions of characters tell us about how they are feeling? Look at the verbs/adjectives/adverbs, what do these words tell us about? By writing the line in this way, what effect has the author created? What do these words tell you about? Which word encourages you to read the..? What does the word scrambled tell you about the way Legs got dressed? Why do you think the author has mentioned a lot in the story? Explain what you think this phrase adds to the story. Why did the author choose this title? What is the effect of writing in the past/present tense? Why do you think the writer has chosen to use the words..? Why do you think the author has written this sentence in this way? Which author s style did you enjoy the most? Why? Do you want to read the rest of the text? How does the writer encourage you to read the rest of the text? How do these phrases help to make the description effective? How does the author make the appear frightening? Which part of the story best describes the setting? Which words and /or phrases do this?
AF6 - Hector Reflector Can you say what the writer s point of view is? Can you tell what they think of their characters and what they do?
ASSESSMENT FOCUS AF6 identify and comment on writers purposes and viewpoints and the overall effect of the text on the reader; TEACHING TIPS What feelings does the writer want you to have about the characters and events in a text? Reread the text and note down your feelings about the events? Try to explain why you felt that way. Reread the text. Note down your feelings during the reading and try and explain why you felt that way. Close read the text. What evidence does the writer use to support his argument/view? How convincing do you find his arguments/views? Make judgements and support your answer with a clear explanation and references to the text. The text is written in the first/third person. What is the effect of this on the reader? Support your answer with examples form the text. Write a PEE paragraph to explain the writer s viewpoint in a text you have read. Ask questions of a text. What effect do the ideas/arguments/views have on the reader? Why do you think the writer has used them? Write a list of questions that can be asked of the writer in order to find out about the writer s feelings, views and attitudes. Speculate what his/her responses will be. Close read the article. Establish a relationship with the writer. What clues are there in the text about the writer s attitude to the subject/person he is writing about. You should consider the: o the language the writer uses to describe the person/subject
6. Identify and comment on writers purposes and viewpoints and the overall effect of the text to the reader. Can you think of another story that has a similar theme eg good over evil, weak over strong, wise over foolish? I wonder why the writer has decided to? What was in the author s mind? Why did the author chose this setting? How would the views put across in these texts affect your views on.? What makes this a successful story? What evidence do you have to justify your opinion? Could it be better? Is it as good as..? What effect does it have on you as a reader? Why do you think the writer wrote that description? What is the author trying to tell you about by writing this section in.? (eg short lines) What was the most exciting part of the story? Explain your answer as fully as you can? Which illustrations did you find most useful? Do you think that the writer believes that exist? How can you tell that the writer has this opinion? What are the main contrasts the poet makes in the third and first parts of the poem? What impression of..does the first paragraph give you? In what ways is the second paragraph different? The texts try to make you care about Which do you think is the most effective? Why? What is opinion about.? If was alive today would he be arguing for? What do you think makes this a successful story? Use evidence from the text for your answer?
AF7 Tim Time and Place Can you say where and when the writing is set? Can you say how you know it is from a different culture or time in history?
ASSESSMENT FOCUS AF7 relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts and literary tradition. TEACHING TIPS Close read the text. With a partner, create a list of things from the text that are different from nowadays. Has anything not changed? Why? Skim read the text and find examples of words from earlier times/other countries. Read backwards and forwards to help you understand what they mean. What comment on the society in which they lived is the writer making in this text? Support your view with evidence from the text. Pick out the words and phrases that tell you that the text is written about a different country or culture. What do these words mean? Try to work out the meaning by looking at the rest of the text or use a dictionary to help you. When you have read a text written in the past look closely at the sentence structure. How are they different to modern writing? Support your answer with evidence from the text. Read a text written in the past e.g. Dickens or Shakespeare. Rewrite a section of the text using modern vocabulary and style. When you have read the text produce a chart to record how the language has changed or is different. Head one column Word from text and the other Modern Meaning/Translation. Investigate how different cultures/countries may use different spellings or grammar by reading examples of texts and highlighting the differences.
7 Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts and literary traditions. Do you know another story, which deals with the same issues eg social, cultural, moral issues? What would this character think about.? (Possibly a present day issue) Do you know any more stories like this? Have you ever read a book with a similar theme to this one? What does this remind you of? What does it make you think of? Do you know any more stories like this? Does this story remind you of any personal experience/something that has happened to you? Describe it. Have you ever been in that situation? What happened? How would you have felt in the same situation? What might you have done instead? Can you compare. to a person who has frightened you? How would you feel if you were treated like.? What would you do? What do you think would have happened if? Are there any familiar patterns you notice eg familiar story structure, imagery? What kind of a text is this? How do you know? What will it be like? What can I expect of a book of this type? Many traditional tales have messages. What do you think this story is trying to tell us? Which stories have openings like this? Do you know any other texts with similar issues or themes? Do you know another story with these characters in? Can you think of another story where the main character has problems with their family?