Transportable Reading Strategies

Transportable reading
strategies

Table of contents
2
• Annotating
• Anticipation Guide
• Article of the Week
• Chapter Discussion Protocol
• DR-TA
• Final Word Protocol
• Follow-Up Questions
• It Says, I Say, and So…
• KNFS
• KWL
• Marzano’s 4 Questions: Analysing
the Effectiveness of Inferences
• One Minute Write
• Quotation Mingle
Page
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
• Probable passage
• Reciprocal Teaching
• Reading a visual
• Reading with Questions in Mind
• Rereading Prose
• SQ3R
• Text Coding and Jigsaw
• Think Aloud (student to student)
• Thought-Provoking Statements
• Two-Column Notes
• Tweet the Text
• Written Conversation
• Wide Reading
• References
Page
29
31
33
35
37
39
41
43
45
47
49
50
53
55

Annotating
The ‘What’: Students ‘mark up’ important, interesting or intriguing parts of a
text and jot down their thinking about it in the margins.
The ‘When’:
• When you want students to actively read and record their thinking about a text they
need to understand well
• Model during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility
Model
• Support students with annotation during Guided Instruction
• Engage students in annotating during ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Independent
Learning’, as part of thee Gradual Release of Responsibility
The ‘Why’ :
Helps students engage with the text when their minds are tempted to wander
Helps readers ‘hold’ and recall their thinking so they can refer to it later
• Helps students notice patterns, synthesise new information and thinking and ask
questions to build more background knowledge
• Helps teachers notice how readers are using strategies to construct personal
meaning and diagnose what learners need in order to better comprehend the text
Examples of text codes or
symbols to use when
annotating:
* for a key idea or something
important, memorable or powerful
! for discovering something new or
surprising
L for new learning
R for “it reminds me of ...”
I for inference
V for visualise
Huh? For confusion
+ for something you agree with or
knew
- For something that contradicts
what you know or expect
3

Source of
example:
Harvey
Daniels and
Nancy
Steineke
(2011).Text
s and
Lessons for
Content-
Area
Reading,
Heinemann,
Portsmouth,
p. 43.
The ‘How’:
1. Prepare to demonstrate: Get a short piece of text that you can project and annotate ‘live’ in front of the
class. Ensure it is something short and provocative that is related to what students are learning about,
which you’d enjoy reading aloud. Aim for a text chunk less than a hundred words long, and then blow up the
font so students can easily read along when projected.
2. Model annotation: Just read the article aloud, stopping to underline the most important parts. At each
underline, mark up the text with words and phrases describing your thinking (questions, connections,
comments or images) and record that thinking in the margin of the projected text. You might even want to
use ‘text codes’ or symbols like the ones below, before recording thinking in the margins. This should take four
or five minutes.
3. Give instructions for student reading and annotation: “As you read the text, I want you to do what I’ve just
demonstrated: First, underline information that is important, surprising, interesting or though-provoking.
Then, before continuing to read, stop and jot down a sentence or two that explains why you chose that bit to
underline. The goal is to explain your thoughts, opinions or questions briefly. Try to imagine you are having a
conversation with the text inside your head. Your notes are your side of that conversation.”
4. Monitor reading: Circulate as students work. Annotating can feel unnatural at first. Some students will
simply read, others will only underline, and some will just underline and say they want to go back and record
their thoughts before they finish. Keep encouraging students to follow the given instructions.
5. Pairs discuss the article: Invite students to pair up with someone in the class and to have a quick discussion
about the text. Ask them to compare what they’ve annotated and their thoughts with those of their partner.
Urge students to discuss and answer/explore any questions they posed.
6. Share with the whole class: Invite volunteer pairs to read aloud and discuss the annotations that produced
particularly interesting conversations (‘conversation gold’!)
4

Anticipation guide
The ‘What’: Students respond to a list of statements that either support or challenge their prior knowledge,
assumptions and ideas about the topic will learn about when reading or viewing a text/series of texts. First, they indicate
whether they agree or disagree with these statements. Then, they read the text. Afterwards, they return to the statements
to mark any confirmation or shifts in their thinking. They conclude by writing a reflection about what they learned after
reading. See this example of statements at right:
5
Source: Douglas Fisher & Nancy
Frey (2012), Improving Adolescent
Literacy: Content-Area Strategies
At Work, Boston: Pearson, p. 30-31
The ‘When’:
• As a pre-reading strategy when introducing a new topic, in order to elicit and appraise prior knowledge, encourage
predictions and stimulate curiosity
• Introducing new reading material on an existing topic to check assumptions/deepen understanding
• Revisit after reading to evaluate student knowledge and understanding, and to deepen this through discussion

The ‘Why’ :
6
Stimulates student curiosity and engagement in a topic
Creates a purpose for reading (gathering evidence for/against initial beliefs)
• Encourages critical thinking and can be used to explore assumptions and rethink misconceptions about a topic
The ‘How’:
1. Read your chosen text and identify key ideas, major concepts and supporting details. Identify students’ experiences and beliefs
that will be challenged and in some cases, supported by the material. What common misconceptions are there about this topic? Jot
them down.
2. Come up with a series of statements that might challenge and modify students’ pre-reading beliefs. Create some of these
statements around concepts students would most likely have misconceptions about.
3. Arrange the statements on a graphic organiser, complete with true or false checkboxes and a space for writing their responses
and a reflection (see example on previous page)
4. Distribute graphic organiser and read each statement aloud, asking students to consider each statement carefully. Ask them to
indicate agreement/disagreement and to justify their responses. You might ask them to discuss this in groups.
5. Invite students to read the passage of text and to highlight evidence that confirms their beliefs in one colour, and evidence that
disconfirms their beliefs in another. You might need to model this first. Let them know they can change their minds if they come
across new information that makes them rethink their earlier beliefs.
6. When students have finished reading, have them compare their original responses to the topic with their responses after reading.
Ask them if they changed their mind at any point or modified their responses, and why.
7. Optional: Ask students to complete a reflective writing activity to synthesise their new knowledge using evidence from the text.

Article of the week
7
The ‘What’: A weekly routine where students are either assigned an article or asked to choose one, and are
required to purposefully annotate it. Students note their thinking and confusion in the margins before writing a
reflection on what they they learned/what the article made them think about. The aim is to build students’
background knowledge about world events or topics/issues relevant to a unit of study.
The ‘When’:
• On a weekly basis as part of a class routine, starting at the beginning of a lesson
• Model how to engage in this routine during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of
Responsibility model
• Students are initially guided through this during ‘Guided Instruction’, before being asked to do it independently
The ‘Why’ :
• Builds background knowledge to support comprehension –builds disciplinary knowledge if texts are disciplinespecific
• Helps students build their vocabulary incidentally
• Can enhance student engagement if they choose the article

The ‘How’:
1. Before engaging in this routine, make sure you model how to
annotate an the article (See Strategy #1):
Highlight/underline key words and phrases
• Jot down anything you find surprising, significant, or which
raises questions
Note any connections to self, other texts or world events
• Note anything confusing
2. Select a current, high-quality and high-interest piece of writing
for students to engage with. It could be a news story, essay,
blog, speech. – anything! It could be related to the unit that you
are studying, or an article to help build students’ general
knowledge.
3. The first few times you engage in this routine, you might
want to read the article aloud with students and instruct them to do
the following:
a) Note your confusion
b) Show evidence of annotating purposefully (see Step 1)
c) Write a reflection that captures what you learned and what this
article made you think about.
8
You might want to ask students to share annotations and ideas as a
class.
4. The next few times you engage in this routine, ask
students to do it independently, roving around the room for support.

Chapter discussion protocol
The ‘What’:
Students use a protocol to engage in structured collaborative discussion about what is significant to them after reading a
chapter or short text, before sharing as a whole class.
The ‘When’:
• When reading a new text or topic
• When delving more deeply into a topic that has already been introduced to students
• Model how to use the protocol during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility model
• Support students to use it during ‘Guided Instruction’
• Students can use the protocol in group discussions during ‘Collaborative Learning’
The ‘Why’ :
• Helps students monitor their thinking about reading by identifying what is most significant to them after reading a
chapter or passage
• Requires students to synthesise their understanding by exploring how reading influences/develops their thinking about
a topic and their shapes their actions
9

The ‘How’:
Part 1:
1. Before students try this strategy on their own with a new text,
demonstrate the protocol with a familiar text they have already read.
Use a small volunteer demonstration group in a ‘fish bowl’ set-up (5
students)
2. As the class observes, guide the small group through the protocol and
discuss how it worked. After this ‘fish bowl’ activity, have the class
debrief the protocol and discuss how it worked.
3. Pre-reading: Have students jot down their thinking about the topic
before reading (see Point #1 at right)
4. Reading the text: Have students read the new text. Encourage them to
use specific text-coding symbols to use as they read (! = most important,
* = reinforces ideas about topic, ? = reconsider thinking about topic)
10
Part 2:
1. Organise the class into discussion groups of five. Assign a facilitator and
timekeeper for each group to guide discussion. Review all of the steps
from the chapter discussion protocol before students begin the activity.
2. When students have their discussions using the protocol, circulate
around the room and monitor discussions. Provide feedback as necessary.
3. Finally, debrief the protocol as a whole class.

dr-ta (Directed reading/thinking activity)
The ‘What’:
A series of questions that prompts students to activate their prior knowledge, make predictions, check the
accuracy of their predictions and summarise what they learned.
The ‘When’:
• When introducing students to a new topic or text
• Model how to use this strategy during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of
Responsibility Model
• Students can work in groups during Collaborative Learning
• Students can apply this strategy during Independent Learning
The ‘Why’ :
• Encourages students to be active readers, activating prior knowledge before reading and
summarising what they learned after reading
• Prompts students to read with purpose by making predictions about what they’re going to learn and
reading to check the accuracy of their predictions
11

Source of
example DR-TA
organiser:
Vicki Urquhart
& Dana Frazee
(2012),
Teaching
Reading in the
Content Areas:
If Not Me,
Then Who? 3 rd
Ed., Moorabbin,
VIC: Hawker
Brownlow, p.
98.
The ‘How’:
1. Model the strategy by:
Previewing a text and its features to determine the topic
• Sharing your thinking with students using the graphic organiser prompts as
a guide (see example on the right)
2. Have students preview the text, noting the title and any sub-headings,
pictures or graphics. From this preview, ask students to identify the topic.
3. Ask students to complete the first two sections of the DR/TA form (see
right), writing down what they know and what they think they know about
the topic that they are reading about.
4. Ask students to come up with questions or predictions about what they think
they will learn from reading the text. Invite students to write these ideas in
the third section of the organiser. This sets the purpose for reading.
5. After students read the text selection, have them revisit each of their
predictions or questions. Ask them to confirm, revise or reject those ideas
based on what they read.
6. Have students complete the organiser by writing their ‘key takeaways’ in the
fourth section. They can also include material they thought the text would
address but didn’t.
7. Have students discuss this material with classmates to reinforce
understanding of it.
12

FINAL WORD PROTOCOL
The ‘What’:
A small group discussion protocol where students share their thinking about a text in rounds. During
each round, the last person to speak has the final word.
13
The ‘When’:
• When reading a new text or starting a new topic
• Implement the protocol after reading
• When you want to develop students’ understanding of an existing topic
• During the Collaborative Learning part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility model
The ‘Why’ :
• Provides an opportunity to enhance student engagement
• Encourages students to monitor their engagement and develop their comprehension of texts
• Develops students’ oral language and listening skills
• Exposes students to different viewpoints, arguments or interpretations of the same content they
are reading about, providing opportunities for them to synthesise their understanding

The ‘How’:
1. Introduce the protocol to students, explaining each step.
You might want to model this first in a ‘fish bowl’
environment with four students as you coach them
through the steps.
2. Have students read a highly engaging, topic-specific text
and annotate/mark it (see Strategy #1) for questions
they have, points they found surprising, new learning,
important information, points they agree or disagree
with, etc.
3. Encourage students to identify 2-3 things they want to
talk about.
4. Assign a facilitator and a timekeeper for each group.
Alternatively, you can facilitate and keep time for the
whole class. The facilitator makes sure everyone follows
the protocol, and the timekeeper lets everyone know then
the tie allotted for each step has elapsed. Other students
can assume these roles during the round when the
timekeeper or facilitator speaks.
5. At the end of the small-group discussions, have each
group share three key issues they identified with everyone.
Final Word Protocol:
Before small-group discussion:
• Students read a text and identify three things they want to discuss
• Students form groups of four and assign themselves numbers from 1-4.
Round One:
• Student #1 begins and speaks about something in the text for one minute.
No one else can speak while Student #1 speaks. They must listen to the
speaker.
• After one minute, student #1 stops and Student #2 has a minute to
respond to what Student #1 said. Again, no one speaks while student #2
responds.
• After one minute, Student #2 stops and Student #3 responds to what
Student #1 said. Everyone else listens.
• After one minute, Student #3 stops and Student #4 responds to what
Student #1 said.
• After one minute, Student #4 stops and Student #1 has the ‘final word’ for
one minute to respond to what everyone else said.
Round Two:
• Student #2 begins this round
• Repeat all of the steps, ending with Student #2 having the final word.
Round Three:
• Student 3 begins this round
• Repeat all of the steps, ending with Student #3 having the final word.
Round Four:
• Student 4 begins this round
• Repeat all of the steps, ending with Student #4 having the final word.
Closing:
• Each group shares three ideas with the rest of the class
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FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
15
The ‘What’: Supporting students to discuss deep, critical questions about text, followed by asking probing questions
to deepen each other’s ’ thinking.
The ‘When’:
• When you want students to move beyond surface-level learning and thinking about text
• Model asking follow-up questions during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility model
• Support students during the ‘Guided Instruction’, ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Independent Learning’ phases of the
Gradual Release of Responsibility model
The ‘Why’ :
• Encourages students to evaluate the questions they have about texts, prompting deeper thinking about the content
they are reading about
• Provides opportunity for students to take responsibility for following up their questions and clarifying thinking about
text

Examples of follow-up
questions:
• “What makes you
say that?”
• “What details in
the text made you
feel that way?”
• “From the details
you’ve just
mentioned, do you
think….? Why”
• “Are you
saying…? Why?”
• “Could you tell me
more about that?”
• What part strikes
you the most?
• “What is the
connection
between…and
…?”
• “What sort of
impact do you
think that would
have on…?”
The ‘How’:
1. Introduce the concept of deep questions: Ask students what kinds of questions make for a good, deep discussion in a small group. Invite students to
•
share their ideas and jot them down so students can see. Add to and expand the list. Some suggestions:
Open-ended
Based on things in the text but you’ve got to think about how to answer, not just fill-in-the-blank
Might have to read further before being able to answer
• Involve making predictions, reading between the lines and making connections to text and background knowledge
• Ask for details
2. Distribute text and monitor student reading of text: Introduce text to students. Read it aloud or have them read it on their own. Explain that their
goal is to jot down 5-8 good discussion questions that they will use later. Ensure you have some questions ready to share.
3. Model asking follow-up questions: Explain to students that today’s focus is to refine their discussion skills by practising follow-up questions: “Follow-up
questions are questions you ask after your partner has already given a comment or answer. The goal with these questions is to get your partner to go
back to the text and defend their opinions with specific details.” Ask for a student volunteer and have them bring their text with them and stand next
to you. Ask the student one of your questions and listen carefully. Ask a probing follow-up question (see the yellow box on the left), until the student
shares some deeper thinking and supports what they say with evidence. Continue modelling with a second question and series of follow-up questions.
There are two key points to remember: One, the next question is always based on the partner’s previous response. Two, the partner can’t answer a
follow-up questions until after you’ve written them down. This builds in wait time.
4. Debrief the modelling: Ask students what they noticed about the demonstration. Options might include: good follow-up questions extend a discussion,
waiting for you to write your question down gives partners wait time, the person asking the questions doesn’t add their own thoughts until after all
follow-up questions have been asked.
5. Student pair discussion and share: Students have a go at posing questions and then asking follow-up questions in pairs. Monitor discussions to
ensure students slow down, listen to each other and follow the above points mentioned in the debrief.
6. Pairs share their thinking with the class: Have students share interesting, relevant points and review which questions generated the most discussion
with the class.
16

IT SAYS, I SAY, AND SO…
17
The ‘What’: A simple activity involving a series of prompts which support students in making inferences and
asking questions, while emphasising the importance of basing inferences on evidence found in a text.
The ‘When’:
• When students are trying to make sense of implicit information in a text, visual or graphic
• Model and demonstrate during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Support students to use it during Guided Instruction
• Students can use this strategy while working collaboratively or independently
The ‘Why’ :
• A versatile strategy that provides a clear ‘thinking framework’ to support students in making inferences and
visualising connections between the texts and their own thinking processes
• Prompts students to become more thoughtful and metacognitive when it comes to inferring and reasoning
• Encourages students to use evidence to support their thinking about text

The ‘How’:
1. Give students some background on the topic to be studied and have students generate questions about it. Have students
create a table on their sheets of paper similar to the sample shown at the end of these steps. Model how to ask
questions and show students how to jot them down in the first column. Ask students to write their own questions in
the first column. Optional: One helpful variation is to brainstorm good questions and then choose the best ones. Then,
ask students to justify why the questions are good.
2. Have students look for text sections that could the question and jot down information form these sections into the ‘It
Says’ column.
3. Have students compare the prior knowledge with the information from the text to form an inference, and to jot this
down in the ‘I Say’ column.
4. Have students use the first two columns as the foundation in which they construct an answer in the ‘and So’ column.
Question: It Says… I Say… And So…
18
What might be the
global effects of
climate change?
If global temperatures continue to
increase, sea levels might rise as much
as between 18 and 59 centimetres by
the end of the 21 st century, causing
water to expand.
The higher the sea levels are,
the higher the risk of flooding.
If the ice melts, then the ocean
level rises, many places just
above sea level may flood.

KNFS
19
The ‘What’: Students use a graphic organiser like the one below to understand, analyse and solve word
problems in Maths and Science, followed by explaining their reasoning process:
K
What facts do I
KNOW from the
information in
the problem?
N
Which
information is
NOT needed?
f
What does the
problem ask me to
FIND?
s
What STRATEGY,
operation or tools will
I use to solve the
problem?
Write an explanation of your reasoning process:

The ‘When’:
• Model and demonstrate during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Support students to use it during Guided Instruction
• Students can use this strategy while working collaboratively or independently during and after their first encounters
with a word problem in Science and Maths.
20
The Why: Provides a self-questioning framework for students to activate prior content knowledge, selectively read with
purpose and reflect on existing problem-solving strategies to comprehend and solve a worded problem.
The ‘How’:
1. Introduce students to the four-column graphic organiser. Present students with a word problem, and model how to include
appropriate information in each of the columns. Model the process with a think aloud (see Strategy #21) and explain how you
knew what information should be included in each column. Show ‘how’ and explain ‘how you know’.
2. Ask students to work in groups and complete their KNFS organisers as they read other word problems
3. Have group members discuss how they decided which information should be included in each column, and have them write
4. Make sure students continue to use this strategy and have ongoing independent practice reading and comprehending what word
problems are asking them to do.

KWL
21
The ‘What’: A before, during and after reading procedure that encourages active reading behaviours. It invites students to:
list what they know about a particular topic they will be reading about, ask questions regarding what they want to know about it
and record what they found out after reading.
The ‘When’:
• Introducing a new unit
• Reading for research and inquiry
• Model and demonstrate during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Support students to use it during Guided Instruction
• Students can use this strategy while working collaboratively or independently when engaging in a new topic, reading or
research.
The ‘Why’ :
• Encougages active reading through prompting students to activate their prior knowledge , ask questions and read with purpose
• Integrates different comprehension strategies to help students build knowledge and understanding (eg: activating and
connecting, monitoring, summarising and synthesising)
• Opens up opportunities for students to revise their thinking about a topic and correct initial misconceptions

The ‘How’:
1. Introduce: Present students with a blank K-W-L graphic organiser (see example below). Alternatively, you can distribute a blank sheet
of paper and ask students to create their own chart. Students can work individually, in groups or you can do this together as a class.
K
What do I
KNOW?
W
What do I
WANT to
know?
l
What have I
LEARNED?
2. Column 1: Have students respond to the first prompt in Column 1: ‘What do you know (about this topic)?’
3. Column 2: Next, ask students to respond to the prompt in the second column, ‘What do I want to know’(about this the topic)?’ Ask
students to respond with questions. Some students might not know where to begin if they don’t have a lot of background knowledge
about the topic. In this case, jot down some prompts (eg: “Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?’).
4. Read: Students engage in reading or in several readings across a unit. They use their ‘Want to Know’ questions to guide their reading
and any notes they take.
5. Column 3: After reading, students jot down what they learnt in the third column. They review the ‘K,’ column, revising any
misconceptions. They then check the ‘W’ column and note which questions they have explored. If you are using it to introduce a unit, make
connections between students’ initial learning and what they will learn more about as the unit progresses. Encourage students to keep
adding to the ‘W’ and ‘L’ columns as they read more about the topic.
22

Marzano’s 4 Questions: analysing the Effectiveness of
Inferences
23
The ‘What’: A four-step thinking process that prompts elaborative interrogation (asking ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions) of students’
inferences. Students first make an inference, then ask themselves a series of questions to analyse and evaluate their thinking. Finally, they ask
themselves if they need to modify their initial inference based on new evidence and thinking.
The ‘When’:
Introducing students to a new unit, topic or reading
Engaging in problem solving
Model and demonstrate during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
Support students to use these questions during Guided Instruction
• Students can use this strategy while working collaboratively or independently
The ‘Why’:
Encourages students to become more active readers by interacting with and considering evidence from their reading
Prompts students to become more thoughtful and metacognitivei n their reasoning and synthesis of information
• Supports students to critically review their inferences, hypotheses and thinking process

I’m thinking
________
because
_______ . After
considering
_________, my
original thinking
has been
strengthened/
needs to
change,
because
____________
____________
The ‘How’:
Engage students in previewing/reading a text about a topic. This could involve:
Examining the front cover, images and blurb of a book
• Skimming the title, headings, sub-headings, text features and visual features of a non-fiction text
• Reading a passage, short text or visual
1. What is my inference? Ask students a question linked to the text that they just previewed or read, which prompts them to use what they know
along with the clues in the text to make an inference (see ‘Strategy #8’ for more detail)
Eg #1: Why might
[character] react in
this way?”
Eg #2: “Using what you have read
and what you know, what do you
think is happening inside
someone’s heart when they have
a heart attack?”
Students can use the sentence starters to help them express their inferences: “I’m thinking…” ,“This could mean…” , “Maybe…”
2. What information did I use to make this inference? Ask students return to their reading and ask them to highlight what evidence or clues
from the text they used to make their inference. If students cannot find evidence to support their inference, then perhaps they drew upon
prior knowledge, which they will need to check. Alternatively, they might have some misconceptions about the topic which they can address.
3. How good was my thinking? Invite students to consider other possibilities or to explain their thinking (‘What are some other reasons why
this character might feel conflicted in this situation? What do we know for sure?’ ‘What made you say that?’, ‘What do other sources of
information tell us?’). Students might realise they need more information or considerations to make a reasoned inference.
4. Do I need to change my thinking? Invite students to consider possible changes to their initial thinking and to jot this down, explaining why.
The idea is not to discredit students’ original inferences, but to help them build the habit of updating their thinking as they encounter new
information.
24

ONE-MINUTE WRITE
25
The ‘What’: An after-reading strategy that prompts students to listen carefully to a text/part of a text being
read aloud, before recording their reactions to it in a ‘One-Minute Write’.
The ‘When’:
• After reading a short text – when you want students to express and extend their thinking about it
• Model writing a ‘One Minute Write’ during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility
model
• Support students during Guided Instruction
• Engage students in applying it during ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Independent Learning’
The ‘Why’ :
• Encourages students to monitor their comprehension and thinking in relation to a text
• Prompts students to synthesise different perspectives about a text with their own
• Helps students form opinions and develop thoughts about what they are reading
• Encourages students to critically reread a text, providing a ‘bridge’ between personal connections and analysis

The ‘How’:
1. Explain that you are going to read a text/section of text aloud and would like students to stop and complete a ‘One Minute Write’
afterwards. Explain that a ‘One Minute Write’ means they will be writing nonstop for a short period of time about the first things that
spring to mind after they have read. Eg: “I’m going to read you a _______ by _______ . After I’m done, we are all going to take one
minute and jot down our responses and reactions to what we’ve read. Okay, ready?”
26
2. Read the text out aloud and ask students to listen carefully and/or jot down their thinking in the margins as you go.
3. One Minute Write: Ask students to jot down what the text:
makes then see, think or wonder
what it makes them feel
encourages them to connect to (other texts, personal experiences, world events)
• what they think about the author’s purpose, genre or key ideas
Ask them to “keep the pen moving” for the whole minute.
You might want to write alongside the students or rove the room.
What does the text make you…
• see, think or wonder?
• feel?
• connect to?
• think about in terms of the topic, author’s
purpose, genre, key ideas or content?
4. Ask students to meet in pairs and take turns reading aloud their responses to the text. Circulate and support them as needed. As students
share, project the text again and encourage them to reread it and see what else they notice.
5. Ask students to share as a class: “Now let’s get a sense of all the different responses that this text inspired”.
6. Reread the text aloud and prompt students with “Why?” and “How?” questions relevant to the reading/content. Use this to start a class
discussion.

QUOTATION MINGLE
27
The ‘What’:
A pre-reading strategy that introduces students to key quotes from a text and encourages them to
share predictions and summarise what they think the text will be about.
The ‘When’:
• Before reading a text
The ‘Why’ :
• Stimulates student interest and curiosity
• Encourages students to predict, hypothesise, pose questions and draw inferences before reading
• Creates purpose for reading
• Encourages collaborative learning

The ‘How’:
28
1. Prepare the materials: Extract around eight interesting sentences from an engaging piece of text that students will read and copy them onto
index cards or paper strips (virtual learning variation: make one PowerPoint or Google slide per quote, group students in a Google Doc and assign
them a quote, or use Padlet to present each quote in a separate grid). You’ll need one quotation for each student in your class, so you might need to
make multiple copies.
2. Describe the activity: “Today we are going to read a really interesting _________, but this time I’m not going to tell you the topic beforehand.
You’ll have to guess. I’ve taken eight sentences from the article and copied them for you on these cards. We’re going to have a ‘quotation mingle’,
where we take our cards and walk around the room and compare out quotes to ones other people have, one at a time. We’re going to mingle and
have some small talk about our sentences from the mystery text. Your job is to figure out what this text is about by reading the sentence you have,
and then hearing seven other sentences and talking with the people who have them. Okay? With each person you talk to, discuss what the whole
text might be about. The more people you talk to, the more quotes you’ll see –plus your partners can tell you about other quotes they’ve seen. When
you need a partner, wave your hand in the air, like this. When you find a partner, take turns reading your quotations aloud –then talk.” (Virtual
learning variation: If working synchronously, hold online breakout discussion rooms. If working asynchronously, group students and have them
post their thoughts about their own quotes followed by comments on others’ thoughts on a Padlet or Google Doc/slides)
3. Monitor and coach: Let students mingle for six to eight minutes. Be in the crowd, urging students to switch partners keep it brisk and lively. Be a
partner to lost or hiding students.
4. Call time and monitor: Ask each pair to join up with another pair to form a group of four. Explain to students that you want them to discuss
what they think the text will be about in their groups. Allow three minutes and circulate, supporting students. When the time is almost up, explain
that you want them students come up with what they think the title of the text will be, word for word. Allow two more minutes for this.
5. Share with the whole class: Reconvene as a class and invite discussion about the main predictions students made while mingling, as well as their
predicted titles. Discuss similarities and differences in thinking.
6. Read the text: Now it’s time to reveal the text and let students read it. Have students mark the text for the spots where their predictions have
been confirmed or contradicted. Then, gather in small groups or as a class and talk, first about the content of the article, then about how the
predicting process worked.

PROBABLE PASSAGE
The ‘What’:
Before reading, students categorise important words and concepts from a text, before writing a prediction. Then,
students read the text and discuss how it compares to their predictions, before modifying them to summarise the text.
29
The ‘When’:
• Begin the strategy before reading
• Model each part of the strategy as part of the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility
• You can support students to categorise the words from the passage during the ‘Guided Instruction’ part of the
Gradual Release of Responsibility model
• Students can write their predictions and summaries as part of ‘Collaborative Learning’ or ‘Independent Learning’
The ‘Why’ :
• Provides students with inventive to read to find out if their predictions are accurate
• Provides an opportunity for vocabulary instruction
• Engages students in active reading as they read to critically evaluate their predictions and summarise key points

The ‘How’:
1. Select an appropriate text for students and identify
important words and concepts in it.
2. Present the words and concepts to students and discuss
their meaning together. Ask students to categorise the
words and concepts according to pre-selected categories
that relate to what you are teaching (in an English class
studying narratives, this might include story elements like
character, setting, conflict, resolution, themes. For a
History class, this might include long-term causes, shortterm
causes and immediate triggers. See another example
on the right). Some words might belong in several
categories. You might want to guide students and do this
together as a class.
3. Have each student write a ‘probable passage’ with words
from each category that predicts what the text will be
about. You can provide sentence starters if students need
extra scaffolding.
4. Invite students to read the text, with the purpose of
checking their predictions. Ask students to compare the
predictions in their ‘probable passage’ with the text –how
accurate were they?
5. Have students modify their probable passages so they
become a summary paragraph of the actual text.
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RECIPROCAL TEACHING
31
The ‘What’: A highly effective reading strategy that involves
students working collaboratively to talk and think their way through their
understanding of a text; involving predicting, clarifying, questioning and
summarising.
The ‘When’:
• Asking students to read a complex text they need support to
understand
Before and during reading
• Model first during the ‘Focused Instruction’ component of the
Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Student Reciprocal Teaching groups occur during the ‘Collaborative
Learning’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
The ‘Why’ :
Encourages active reading and monitoring of comprehension
• Provides an opportunity for improving comprehension through
collaborative learning and scaffolded dialogue
• Over time, provides multiple exposures to a thinking routine designed
to encourage students to think about their own thinking when they
read

The ‘How’:
(Note: These steps might occur across a number of lessons)
1. Explain the rationale and introduce the four comprehension strategies: First, explain to students that we learn best when we have the
opportunity to teach others. Next, identify the four strategies that students will learn and use to help themselves comprehend what they read:
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Predicting Clarifying Questioning Summarising
What it is: Using information from a text, text
structure, reader aids and background knowledge
to form a guess about where the text is ‘going.’
Prediction sets reading purpose.
Group leader language:
“After reading the heading and looking at the
images I predict that this part of is going to be
about…”
“Would anyone like to add something or make a
different prediction?”
Group member language:
• I think…
• I predict…
• I think I will learn…because…
• I think… will happen because…
What it is: Dealing with difficulties in the text by being alert to:
vocabulary, text structure, new or difficult concepts and loss of
meaning.
Employing fix-up strategies like: re-reading, using the context
of the passage, using language knowledge (vocabulary,
structure, grammar), using a dictionary or thesaurus to check
some words, using other references
Group leader language:
“Is there anything that anyone needs clarified?”
Group member language:
• I didn’t understand the part where…
• This is… is not clear
• I can’t figure out…
• We can try…
• What if we tried…?
What it is: Going deeper into the text by forming
questions about what you don’t know, what you
need to know, or what you are curious about. It
involves coming up with your own questions and
finding relevant information to answer them, rather
than waiting for the teacher to give you questions.
Group leader language:
“What questions does everyone have?”
Group member language:
• Who…?
• What…?
• Where/when…?
• Why do you think…?
• What was…about?
• How…?
• In what ways…?
What it is: Identifying and condensing the most
important parts of the text.
Group leader language:
“My summary of this part of the reading is…”
“The key points are…”
“Would anyone like to add anything further?”
Group member language:
• The most important ideas are…
• This part was mostly about…
• First...then…next…then…finally
• The story takes place..
• The main characters are…
• A problem occurs when…
2. Model how to apply the strategies with a familiar text: Choose a familiar text and read it aloud, thinking aloud to make predictions, clarify confusing
text, generate questions and summarise important points. Show students how you work through a sequence of these strategies with a short chunk of
a text, before inviting them to join in and help you with the next ‘chunk’ (see ‘Group language’)
3. Demonstrate reciprocal teaching with a group of four students in a ‘fishbowl’ format: Next, act as a the group leader with a group of four students
and model how to facilitate discussion (see ‘Group Leader Language’ in the table above). Students can use the ‘Group member language’ stems.
4. Students work in groups with a text: Students work in groups with their own group leaders. They might want to use the sentence stems above. ‘The
teacher monitors and circulates, supporting students and giving feedback. Students debrief the process each time, noting what they learned.

READING A VISUAL
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The ‘What’:
An activity that encourages students to actively read and interpret visual images elements or data.
The ‘When’:
• When engaging students in reading texts with visual elements (eg: paintings, sketches, cartoons, photographs,
graphics, diagrams, charts, graphs, etc.)
• When beginning a new unit (to build anticipation, curiosity and interest)
• Model how to actively read and interpret visual images or elements during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the
Gradual Release of Responsibility Model.
• During ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Guided Instruction’
The ‘Why’ :
• Engages students in noticing and asking questions about visual details, in order to interpret visual elements
• Encourages supportive, collaborative learning

The ‘How’:
1. Prepare and image in advance: Choose an image that has abundant detail throughout. Create a ‘projectable’ version of the image. Create a cut-out
that can frame one quadrant at a time, blocking the rest of the image from view:
If you’re using PowerPoint slides, your first and last slides will be entire image, while the middle four will reveal only one of the quadrants.
2. Students prepare for the activity: Make sure students know who their partner will be for the later discussion, and have them sit near each other.
Help students set up note taking forms by folding a sheet of paper in half and then in half again. Instruct them to unfold it to use for viewing
notes. During the lesson, they’ll jot notes in the same quadrant as the one you are showing.
3. Viewing the image: First, show students the whole image and give them one minute to study it. Ask them to look and see what they notice, but not to
write anything down.
4. View by quadrants: Next, show the image one quadrant at a time. Ask students to jot down their notes in the corresponding square on their sheet.
•
Ask them what they notice about:
the setting or backdrop(objects, labels, landscape, lighting, weather, foreground, background, edges)
objects or people (positioning of objects or people, labels, symbols, clothes, facial expressions, posture, positioning, lighting, colour)
• action and activities (what seems to be shown or happening here?, who is doing what?, who is active/inactive?, how are the objects in the image
relating to each other, what goals/emotions/information/motivations are shown?)
Ask them what questions they have as they look at each part of the image. Observe students as they write, and quietly confer with any who are struggling.
5. Reviewing the whole image: After students have taken notes on all quadrants, display the full image again. Let students take another few moments
to add to their notes. Ask students to turn and talk to their partner about the image. After three to five minutes, invite students to draw some
conclusions by engaging in the following questions: ‘What are the three most important details you and your partner noticed?’, ‘What conclusions
about the image can you draw from these details?’, ‘If you were to give this image a title, what would it be?’ Ask students to share their thinking
with the class, and connect the image with the content that’s going to be studied.
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READING WITH QUESTIONS IN MIND
35
The ‘What’: Students ask questions about a text before and during reading to read with purpose and focus.
The ‘When’:
• Begin the strategy before reading a text and continue the strategy during reading
• Model how to engage in this strategy during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Support and engage students in using this strategy during ‘Guided Instruction’, ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Independent Learning’
The ‘Why’ :
Stimulates student curiosity and interest
Provides purpose and focus for reading
Builds foundations for student-driven conversation about text
• Shifts the focus from compliance to comprehension
The ‘How’:
1. Introduce the topic and text: “Today we are going to read a ________ about ________ . That’s a topic you might have ideas,
opinions and questions about. One of the ways to read so you stay engaged with the text is to be constantly thinking of questions
that you’ll later use when you talk about the text with other people. However, some work better than others. Good questions are ones
that are intriguing, puzzling or can make others think about a text from different angles. They prompt you to go back and use the
text to defend your answer.”

2. Read aloud and model: Model some initial questions about the topic before reading the text. Then, read the title and first paragraph aloud as you
think aloud and annotate, and students make note of your examples. Eg: “Before you start writing your own questions, I’m going to show you how I
do it. Be sure to jot down the example questions I share with you.”
36
As you read, stop and pose some open-ended, text-based questions. Write them down so that students can see the projection and jot down your examples.
Here are some examples: Fiction text: “Why is the story called ‘Noel’? What night it mean beyond the obvious definition?’ or ‘Even though there are some
holiday decorations, why doesn’t this setting seem very welcoming?’ Non-fiction text: ‘The text says that fewer teens are attempting to go for their driver’s
licences – what might be the reasons for this?’ or ‘What role do state laws play in people’s decisions to go for their licences?’
3. Invite students to analyse the questions: “Take a look at the questions I just wrote down. What do you notice about them? Turn to your partner and
jot down some ideas.” Take a minute for a pair-share, and then list their suggestions. They might make the following observations: open-ended, based on
things in the text but you’ve got to think about how to answer –it’s not just ‘fill in the blank’, might have to read further before being able to answer,
makes you read between the lines, use imagination, ask for details, prompts you to make predictions or connections to what you know. Conclude by
summarising what these questions have in common – they all dig into the text, ask the reader to think about what the details mean and how they
interrelate.
4. Individual work: Students finish reading the text individually, and stop and write some discussion questions. Encourage them to use your examples
and the criteria for good questions the class established earlier as a guide. Ask students to aim for 3-6 questions and circulate, supporting students.
5. Question elimination and ranking: Ask students to review their questions and cross out any with ‘yes/no’ answers or which can be easily answered.
Ask students to rank their three most intriguing questions from 1 (most intriguing) to 3. Their ‘Top 3’ questions will be used in a discussion with a partner.
6. Partners meet, discuss and analyse questions: Partners discuss their questions, taking turns to ask a question and share some ideas, opinions and
thoughts, using evidence to support their answers.
7. Whole class share: Ask a few pairs to volunteer their best question and explain what made it work. Encourage students to share what they discussed.

REREADING PROSE
37
The ‘What’: Students reread challenging, complex text ‘like detectives’ after breaking it down into manageable
chunks.
The ‘When’:
• When reading difficult, complex, or subtle text that initially might not make sense to students
• Model how to apply this strategy during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibilty
model
• Students apply this strategy during ‘Independent Learning’ and ‘Collaborative Learning’
The ‘Why’ :
• Supports students to read closely and use clues from a text to make logical inferences about it
• Prompts students to carefully consider different aspects of the topic they are reading about
• Encourages students to use evidence from the text to support their thinking

The ‘How’:
1. Introduce the idea of reading like a detective: “Some texts that we read might be difficult to understand at first, and require us to pay
attention to all the details and put the clues together so we can understand. When we read texts like this, we have to put ourselves in the shoes
of a detective. A detective gathers clues and then puts them together like a puzzle. They keep looking for evidence and even return to the scene of
a crime lots of times in the hopes of noticing something they’ve missed. That’s what you’re going to do today.” Pass the text around and a 3-
column chart with categories related to what students will be reading about.
38
Fiction: Setting details Character details Plot events
Non-fiction: Vocabulary Main idea Key details
2. Give instructions for note taking: “Instead of trying to read this text looking for everything, I want you to examine the ‘crime scene’, looking for
only one kind of evidence at a time. Take your chart and fold it in thirds to so that just the first column is visible. The first time you read this
text, all I want you to do is look for setting clues/important vocabulary words or clues and jot them down in that column as you read. The clues
might be directly stated or just hints that will make you ‘read between the lines’ to fill in the missing details. I’ll model the first paragraph for
you.
3. Model the process: Read the first paragraph aloud and stop. As you think aloud, be sure to write your notes on the board or project them so
that students can jot down your details onto their charts as an example. Show students how you use clues from the text to determine important
details about setting or vocabulary.
4. Students read and take notes: Give students time to read the rest of the text and jot down their own notes in the first column.
5. Pair –share and complete other columns: Then bring the class together and add to the list. When a student shares, always ask them what
evidence made them think that (eg: “what makes you say that?” ). Repeat Steps 3—5 as you move through the other columns on the chart.
6. Class discussion: After students have reread the text for the third time, invite them to review their notes prior to talking about the ending or
the over-arching learning gained from the text and share. Advise students that whenever they encounter a confusing text, to break it down and
look for different aspects through multiple readings, rather than looking for everything all at once the first time they read it.

SQ3R (Survey, question, read, recite, review)
The ‘What’:
A reading strategy applied to informational text, involving:
• previewing a text to make predictions (Survey)
• setting a purpose for reading by generating questions about a topic (Question)
• actively reading and searching for answers to their questions (Read)
• monitoring their comprehension as they summarise main ideas and key points (Recite)
• evaluating their comprehension by reviewing what they have learned and summarising (Review)
The ‘When’:
• When reading non-fiction texts
• Model and demonstrate how to use the strategy during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility
model
• Support students to use this strategy during Guided Instruction
• Students can use this strategy collaboratively (during ‘Collaborative Learning’) or independently (‘Independent Learning’)
The ‘Why’ :
• Engages students during each part of the reading process
• Encourages strategic, purposeful reading
• Guides students in monitoring their comprehension
39

The ‘How’:
40
Source of
example SQ3R
organiser:
Vicki Urquhart
& Dana Frazee
(2012),
Teaching
Reading in the
Content Areas:
If Not Me,
Then Who? 3 rd
Ed.,
Moorabbin,
VIC: Hawker
Brownlow, p.
181.
1. Hand out copies of an SQ3R organiser like the one
on the right and model how you would respond to
each set of questions or tasks:
• Survey: Model skimming headings and asking yourself
questions
• Question: Model how you can turn headings into
questions
• Read: Actively read, looking for answers to questions
• Recite: Model how to answer questions you thought
of without looking at the text
• Review: Model summarising what you learned
2. Assign a text passage from the current lesson or unit
and have students practice this strategy in pairs or
small groups.
3. When students are familiar and comfortable with the
strategy, assign additional passages for students to
read individually.
4. Bring students back together and have them discuss in
pairs or small groups the questions and notes they
made for each stage of the organiser.

TEXT CODING AND JIGSAW
41
The ‘What’: A combination of reading strategies involving
searching for and categorising specific information in a text, followed by
collaboratively reading and then sharing information from several short texts
on the same topic.
The ‘When’:
• When you want students to synthesise information from a variety of
readings and sources
• When you want students to make sense of complex text
• During the ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Independent Learning’
components of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Instructional
Model
The ‘Why’ :
• Encourages students to monitor their developing comprehension
(through writing in the margins) while reading
Prompts students to categorise information in a text when reading
• Encourages students to collaborate, engage in dialogue and synthesise
their thinking about reading
What are the conditions that favour
the success of invasive species?
Arrive (A) Survive (S) Thrive (T)

The ‘How’:
1. Introduce the text and topic: Distribute a captivating news item related to what students are learning. Introduce the topic and raise
questions about the reading. Read the first three paragraphs or sections of the text to students, stopping strategically to think aloud,
verbalising your thoughts, reactions, questions and connections as you go.
2. Students read, reconvene and share: Engage students in reading the rest of the text quietly, then invite pairs to talk and react. Encourage
discussion and speculation by asking students what struck them the most and to jot down possibilities for discussion. Reconvene the whole
class and share thinking.
3. Distribute new articles: Arrange students in groups of 4-5 and distribute a stack of 4-5 engaging short texts or articles on the same topic,
each one addressing a different aspect (eg: if studying invasive species, each text will look at one type of species. If studying the causes of
WWII, each text will look at one particular cause). Students choose which short text they will read.
4. Break students up into groups and : Encourage students to read their texts looking for specific information related to the topic, encouraging
them to categorise and ‘code’ this information. Eg: if studying invasive species, students might look for how the species arrive (represented by
an ‘A’), what makes them survive (represented by an ‘S’) and what makes them thrive (represented by a ‘T’). They read their texts and
‘code’ them, marking them for specific information. Students can do this individually, or they can read it aloud in collaborative ‘expert groups’
with students who are reading the same text and code it together.
5. Invite discussion: Invite students to go back to their original groups and pool their notes, comparing information about each coding
category, one at a time.
6. Add a question and share findings with the class: Pose a question to the class that broadly addresses what they are trying to find out (eg:
if studying invasive species, the question might be ‘What are the conditions that favour success for invasive species?’ If studying the causes
of WWII, the question might be ‘Why did WWII occur?’ ). Create a chart with the question written at the top of the page and columns for
each text-coding category, inviting students to share their responses. Fill it in (see blank example on the previous page).
42

Think aloud (student to student)
The ‘What’:
In pairs, students share what they notice and think about a text out loud as they develop their understanding of it.
43
The ‘When’:
• When you want to demonstrate a thinking process to students they can apply to their own reading independently
• Model during the ‘Focused Instruction’ component of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Student think-alouds occur during the ‘Collaborative Learning’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility
Model
The ‘Why’ :
• Helps students learn to tune into and monitor their thinking as they read, improving comprehension
• Through thinking aloud, notice the thinking strategies they are using (or not using!) to make sense of what
they’re reading
• Encourages students to be metacognitive and purposeful while reading

The ‘How’:
1. Show text and explain thinking aloud: Project a copy of a text up
onto a screen and share copies with students. Explain to students
that whenever we read, we have an ‘inner reading voice’ in our
minds that’s trying to make sense of what we’re reading, and you’ll
be focusing on making that voice heard by thinking aloud with a
partner.
2. Model thinking aloud: Read a part of the text aloud, modelling
how to select a line of text. Think aloud, verbalising what you
notice, think or wonder about that line and link it to your lesson
purpose (eg: if my intention as a History teacher is to engage
students in source analysis, some goals might include to notice
author and source details, or wonder about the historical context
in which it was created). Ask students to select a line and
highlight what they notice or think about it: Does it remind them
of any other text they’ve read or problem they’ve encountered? Do
they need to clarify any unknown words or concepts? Students jot
down their points.
3. Share: ask students to share with a partner and to jot down
what they noticed or thought when they talked with their
partner.
4. Class share: Ask students to share insights from the activity.
Think-Aloud Sentence-starters:
• “I’d like you to watch me closely as I provide you
with a window into my mind as I read this first
part. Then, I’m going to ask you what you noticed
about what I was doing…
• “I’m thinking…”
• “Hmm… this makes me think…”
• “Okay, so the first thing I notice when I look at the
title is…”
• “So far, I’ve learned…”
• “This made me think of…”
• “That didn’t make sense…so I’ll try…”
• “I think this next part will be about…”
• “I reread that part because…”
• “I think the most important part here is…”
• “That is interesting because…”
• “I’m confused by…”
• “This reminds me of…”
• “I wonder why…”
• “I just thought of…”
44

thought-provoking statements
45
The ‘What’: Posing provocative statements to students which are relevant to the
content they will be reading about, that are likely to spark curiosity and lively discussion.
Students are encouraged to come up with two reasons for ‘yes’ and two reasons for ‘no’ in
response to the statements and to discuss their reasoning with peers, activating prior
knowledge, before reading the text to locate evidence in relation to the statements. See examples
of these statements in the box on the right.
The ‘When’ :
• Introduction to a new unit, topic or reading - ‘hook and hold’ students with this strategy
• Begin this strategy before reading, then use it to encourage purposeful reading and review
The ‘Why’:
• Activates prior knowledge
• Stimulates student curiosity and interest regarding the topic they will be reading about
• Prompts students to critically reconsider content-specific statements in light of new
evidence they encounter through reading
• Prompts students to consider areas for further inquiry or research
Eg #1: Food
Technology
Class
“Organic foods
are healthier
than nonorganic
foods”
Eg #2: Maths
class
“Is a square a
type of
rectangle?”

The ‘How’:
1. Consider the content students will be engaging with and select an appropriate reading/set of readings.
2. Think of some provocative statements that will spark lively conversation amongst students and jot them down. Choose one
statement to present to students.
3. Present the statement to students .
4. Ask students to draw up a T-chart with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ written on each side. Ask students to individually jot down two reasons for
‘Yes’ and two reasons for ‘No’ , if they can.
Yes
No
46
5. Next, ask students to elaborate on their ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ reasons with partners or in groups.
6. Ask students to share as a whole class and to add to their lists again.
7. Present students with text or a set of texts. Invite them to use the texts to locate evidence that does/does not support the
thought-provoking statement from the beginning of the lesson. They can highlight evidence for ‘Yes’ in one colour, and evidence for
‘No’ in another, annotating (See Strategy #1) their thinking as they go.
8. After reading, invite students to reconsider their ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ reasons and give them a chance to add to/modify their thinking.
9. As a whole class, invite students to pose questions or areas for further inquiry in order to develop a deeper understanding of the
topic.

two-column notes/DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL
The ‘What’:
When students take notes in two columns about a text. Usually they note quotations or paraphrased statements about a text in one column
and their own thinking in the other. Other categories can be used for the columns, including:
47
What I noticed/What I wondered
Film or video detail/text connection
Words /connotation
The author says/I say
Facts/opinions
Reasons to believe/reasons to doubt
Observations/inference
Mathematical terms or symbols/meaning
• What Source 1 says/What I know
The ‘When’:
• During reading
• Model how to do this during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Engage students in applying this during ‘Guided Instruction’, ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Independent Practice’
The ‘Why’ :
• Promotes active reading and monitoring of comprehension

48
The ‘How’:
1. Model how to use two-column notes first, jotting down a striking or thought-provoking quote in the
first column, and noting your thinking in the other (see example below).
2. Have a go as a class: Invite students to choose some quotes and together, note down your
thinking in the right column as a class.
3. Students have a go:
Engage students in having a go at using the
graphic organiser to record striking parts of
the text along with their thinking, either
independently or in groups.
4. Invite students to share their thinking
in small groups or as a class afterwards.

Tweet the text
49
The ‘What’: A reading procedure that prompts students to break a text up into manageable ‘chunks’ and write
a 140-character ‘tweet’ for each chunk, reacting to what they just read.
The ‘When’:
• You want students to strategically read a longer piece of text and to track their thinking about it
• During reading
• Model the strategy during the ‘Focused Instruction’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Support students to apply it during ‘Guided Instruction’
• Engage students in applying it during ‘Collaborative Learning’ and ‘Independent Learning’
The ‘Why’:
• Provides a simple, familiar process for students to determine important ideas and summarise and synthesise their
thinking
• Engages students in ‘chunking’ text and monitoring their understanding of it as they go

The ‘How’:
1. Preview and ‘chunk’ the text – look at the title, headings, text features and images and break it up into logical ‘chunks’ or parts,
explaining to students why you are breaking it up that way (eg: by sub-heading, paragraph, idea, etc.). Encourage students to do
the same on their copy of the text.
2. Explain synthesizing with a tweet: a short, concise piece of writing that brings together the reader’s ideas and thinking about a
section of text. If reading fiction, a possible focus is what the characters or speakers discover or experience. If reading nonfiction,
a possible focus is the new information the reader is discovering along the way.
3. Model tweeting the text: Read the text aloud up to the end of the first chunk, stop, and think aloud, modelling how you bring your
ideas together into a short, concise statement.
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Eg: Fiction text: “What has Caroline learned so far? It looks like Farfire has lots of things Earth does: roses, lemons, grass. The big
difference is that nothing gives off an aroma. The only exception is when someone is dying, and that aroma is incredibly pleasant. What
would Caroline tweet? Maybe something like this: ‘Fanfire resembles Earth, but nothing has an odour on this planet except for death.
People smell intoxicating just before they die. Odd.”’
4. Students tweet through the story: Give students time to read the rest of the text and to jot down a ‘tweet’ at the end of each
chunk of text.
5. Pairs compare tweets: Move students into pairs to compare and discuss their tweets. Encourage them to discuss and clarify parts
of the text that confused them.
6. Whole-class discussion: Bring the class together and ask pairs to share their ‘sweetest tweets.’ Give students the opportunity to
add to their own notes.

Written conversation
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The ‘What’: A post-reading activity where students respond in writing to a rich, open-ended prompt and then
respond to each other, building on their ideas and understanding.
The ‘When’:
• After reading
• When students have read
• During the ‘Collaborative Learning’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
The ‘Why’ :
• Encourages students to actively read and record their thoughts, feelings and questions in a low-stakes
environment
• Encourages total participation when sharing ideas about a text

The ‘How’:
1. Form groups: Place students in groups of three or four. Have each student get a full-size blank piece of paper and put their first name in the
upper left-hand margin.
2. Students read the text: Have students read a high-interest, topical, controversial text related to the content being studied.
3. Explain the written conversation: Invite students to engage in written conversation: “Today we are going to have a conversation in small groups.
We have done this plenty of times. But this time we are going to have that conversation in writing instead of out loud. We are going to write
notes about our thinking, pass them around, and write back to each other. Okay? There are three rules for this kind of conversation:
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• Use your best handwriting so people can read what you are saying
• Use all the time given for writing
• Don’t talk, even when passing notes to teach other –all energy goes to the writing!”
4. Begin the written conversation: “Now we are going to start our written conversation. Remember, you are just writing an informal note to the
people in your group. What did you think about while reading this? What are your thoughts, reactions, questions or feelings about the text or
topic? Write what is on your mind. You will have two minutes to write and then we will start exchanging papers.” As students write, circulate
and note when they have filled out a quarter of the page. Warn them it is almost time to stop writing and pass.
5. Call for the first pass: “Okay, in about ten seconds we are going to pass papers for the first time, so you might want to finish writing the
sentence you are working on right now. Ready? Pass to the right. Read the note your classmate wrote, and right beneath it, write an answer or
response. You might agree or disagree, jot down a connection, or raise a whole new idea. Just keep the conversation going!”
6. Call for additional passes: “Pass again, please. Now you have two notes to respond to. So I’m going to give you a little more time. You can respond
to one note, or the other one, or both. Just keep the conversation going.” Reiterate instructions if needed, repeat another round, and continue.
7. Return to sender and whole class share: When you are ready to stop, have the students pass back their papers so that everyone gets the paper
they started with. Students take a moment to scan the writing in front of them and are invited to share ideas with the whole class.

Wide reading
The ‘What’: Teachers identify topically-appropriate, appealing texts and provide students with
class time for reading texts of their choice about the topic they are learning about.
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The ‘When’:
• During a regular, routine timeslot during each lesson or across a week of learning, for a set amount
of time (eg: 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes)
• During the ‘‘Independent Learning’ part of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
• Can involve students reading a text together (Collaborative Learning)
The ‘Why’ :
• Enhances student engagement
• Helps students build background knowledge to support comprehension
• Helps students build their vocabulary incidentally
• Helps students build disciplinary knowledge

The ‘How’:
1. Identify highly-engaging, accessible texts relevant to the content students will be learning about. Texts can include articles, picture story
books (non-fiction or fiction), graphic novels, poems, songs, speech transcripts, interview transcripts, research-based blog posts, detailed
infographics and many more. Select texts that align with student interests and their contexts and spark curiosity.
2. Prepare for wide reading: The lesson before starting wide reading, explain to students that they will be reading texts of their choice about the
topics you will be learning about. Explain they can choose texts from your selection, or from outside of it (if they choose this option, they need
to bring their chosen text to class or ask you to print it for them). Present the texts from your selection to students and provide a quick
summary of each (title, text type, topics covered, ideal ‘match’ for this book – “Readers who enjoyed…are likely to enjoy this…”) before
encouraging them to jot down their choice and to hand this up to you. Use this as a guide to ensure there are enough copies of each text for
students. Have a few spare copies available for students in case they change their minds.
3. Norm-setting: Before beginning wide reading, establish some norms to build the environment for it. Ask students to jot down what an ideal
reading environment looks like, sounds like and feels like, and make a chart to help reinforce these positive behaviours. Ask all students to sign
it.
4. Start wide reading: Remind students of norms and invite them to select one of the texts from your selection, or to bring in their own, if this is
what they chose. Let students know that they can change their minds if they spend a session or two with a text and find it’s not for them.
They can always browse the selection of texts or work with the teacher to choose something more suitable. Provide protected time for students
to ‘just read’ and get lost in their texts.
5. Possible ungraded follow-up activities that allow students to share their ideas from their texts with others. Ideas could include:
• Think, Pair and Share in response to the prompt ‘What struck you the most/do you wonder about when it comes to what you just read?’ or
‘One thing everyone needs to know about [text or topic]’
• Sticky note share – Put up a chart with the name of the topic students are reading about in the middle and ask them to share either
questions or key learning from the texts they read on sticky notes
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References
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References and associated strategies:
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Beers, K (2003). When Kids Can't Read:
What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth:
Heinemann.
o It Says, I Say, and So… (Strategy #8)
Buehl, D. (2017). ‘Text Prep’, Educational
Leadership, Vol. 74, No. 5: pp.60—65.
o Thought-Provoking Statements
(Strategy #22)
Daniels, H, & Steineke, N. (2011). Texts and
Lessons for Content-Area Reading.
Portsmouth: Heinemann.
o Annotation (Strategy #1)
o Quotation Mingle (Strategy #13)
o Reading a Visual (Strategy #16)
o Reading with Questions in Mind
(Strategy #17)
o Text Coding and Jigsaw (Strategy
#20)
o Think aloud (Strategy #21)
o Two-Column Notes (Strategy #23)
o Written Conversation (#25)
Daniels, H, & Steineke, N. (2013). Texts and
Lessons for Teaching Literature, Portsmouth:
Heinemann.
Follow-Up Questions (Strategy #7)
One Minute Write (Strategy #12)
o Reading with Questions in Mind
(Strategy #17)
Rereading Prose (Strategy #17)
o Tweet the Text (Strategy #18)
Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2012), Improving
Adolescent Literacy: Content-Area Strategies
At Work, Boston: Pearson.
o Anticipation Guide (Strategy #2)
o KWL (Strategy #10)
Fisher, D. & Frey, N (2013). Rigorous Reading:
5 Access Points for Comprehending Complex
Texts, Corwin: Thousand Oaks.
o Wide Reading (Strategy #26)
Gallagher, K. (2009). Readicide: How Schools
are Killing Reading and What You Can Do
About It. Portland: Stenhouse.
o Article of the Week (Strategy #3)
Marzano, R.J (2010). ‘The Art and Science of
Teaching: Teaching Inference’, Educational
Leadership, Vol. 67, No. 7, pp. 80-81.
Marzano’s 4 Questions: Analysing the
Effectiveness of Inferences (Strategy #11).
Tovani, C. (2011). So What Do They Really
Know? Assessment That Informs Teaching,
Portland: Stenhouse.
o Annotation (Strategy #1)
Urquhart, T, & Frazee, D. (2012). Teaching
Reading in the Content Areas: If not me,
then who?, Moorabbin: Hawker Brownlow.
o Anticipation Guide (Strategy #2)
o Chapter Discussion Protocol (Strategy
#4)
o DR-TA (Strategy #5)
o Final Word Protocol (Strategy #6)
o KNFS (Strategy #9)
o Probable Passage (Strategy #14)
o Reciprocal Teaching (Strategy #15)
o SQ3R (Strategy #19)