Think First, Then Ask

Reading to Learn

Rachael Elliott




Rationale: The rationale of this lesson is to teach students strategies that will help them read to learn and learn from their reading. This lesson focuses on question generation. It is intended to help teach students to question as they read. Asking questions will help them relate the text to their self, to the world, and to other texts.

 

Materials:

Book: Everglades by Jean Craighead George

KWL cards

Pencils

KWL chart/student

 

Procedures:

  1. Display the KWL cards and explain what each one means. First display the K card and tell the children that it stands for what we know about a text or think we know. Second display the W card and explain that it stands for what we want to know about a book or the questions we have. Third display the L card and explain that it stands for what we have learned or how our questions were answered.
  2. pass out the student charts of the KWL charts. Tell the students that on these charts you want them to fill out for the beginning of the book, for the middle of the book, and for the end of the book
  3. Show the students the cover of the Everglades and read the title. Ask them to fill out the KWL for the beginning of the book. Give them time to write down their answers and then discuss as a class.
  4. Read till about the middle of the book and stop. Ask them to fill out their KWL for what has happened so far. Give them time to respond. Then discuss as a class.
  5. Finish reading the book. Have them finish filling out their KWL charts. Give them time to respond.
  6. Ask them to look over their thoughts (i.e. KWL chart) about the book. Then discuss the book as a class.
  7. Also discuss how the KWL chart helped them think as they read.
  8. Finally have the students pick a book of their choice to read and give them silent reading time to read it. Also give them new KWL charts to fill out and tell them to use them just as they had done as a class only on their own. Walk around the class and assess each students use of the KWL charts.

 

Reference

Pressley, Michael, Johnson, Carla J., Symons, Sonya, McGoldrick, Jacqueline A., Kurita, Janice A. (1989). Strategies That Improve Children‰¥ús Memory and Comprehension of Text. The Elementary School Journal, Vol 90, Number 1. pgs 3-32. 


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