Podcast #1: Strategies that Work

In our debut podcast, we discuss the first three chapters of "Strategies that Work" by Anne Goudvis. The chapters focus on comprehension strategies. We hope you enjoy listening!

"Read it! Think it! Write it! Do it!"

The podcast can be found Here

Talking Points:

Chapter 1: Reading is Thinking

o Good readers make connections to own life experiences

o Making connections through inner conversation

o Teach ABOUT thinking through awareness, strategy, and recognizing the power of thinking

tracking thoughts with sticky notes

• Awareness: as a teacher, let students see inner conversation

• Strategic: building strategies with reading

• Agency: leave school with a sense with strategy they can accomplish goals

Reciprocal nature of reading instruction: you have knowledge, then you act on that knowledge through using strategic reading which helps you to comprehend reading and pull out meaning, which builds your knowledge, and then the cycle continues.

o Reading with a purpose: readers are what matter to the writers, who want readers to question and think.

• Efferent reading: informational text- reading to learn

• Aesthetic reading: reading to “build the soul”- reading for fun.

Chapter 2: Reading is Strategic

o Types of learners:

• Tacit learners: decoding, but meaning and comprehension take a "back seat”- they don’t even realize when they begin to loose track of comprehension

• Aware learners: realize when meaning has broken down, use strategies to fix it (reread, etc)

• Strategic learners: use comprehension strategies or tools to find understanding and acquire knowledge (sticky notes)

• Reflective learners: use strategies, but can flexibly change the strategies they use (based on the when, why, and how) and then reflect on their reading afterwards

o All readers space out, EVEN TEACHERS! It is important to go back and reread when that happens.

o Strategies that work:

• Monitoring comprehension: by making connections, inferring, and synthesizing

• Activate and connect to background knowledge: background knowledge is the foundation of our thinking-helps students better comprehend if they have prior knowledge.

• Asking questions: teaches students to wonder, and propels their thinking. They begin to understand because they want to learn more.

• Infer and visualize meaning: using context clues, predictions,

• Determine importance: importance depends on purpose, why they are reading (annotating and sticky notes)

• Summarize and synthesize: using facts and parts to get the whole.

Chapter 3: Comprehension at the Core

o Reading it! Write it! Talk it! Do it!

o Comprehension Continuum:

• Answering literal questions (foundational)

• Retelling: short term recall (foundational)

• Merging thinking with content: when true comprehension begins (all strategies come together)

• Acquiring knowledge: turning new information into knowledge

• Actively using knowledge: through experiences and circumstances

o Finland: They use research from the U.S. to further develop their instructional practices, and they have a very successful education system.

o Close Reading should also include close listening and close viewing to keep up with our ever growing technological advances.