Effective Techniques for Teaching Reading Across the Content Areas
Taped Text for Scaffolding-
Taped text is an effective way for students to improve their comprehension and develop their listening skills. Teachers who decide to record themselves reading should make sure that they use speech appropriate for the students' proficiency levels, clearly enunciate words, and read at a slower reading rate.
Taped text is an effective way for students to improve their comprehension and develop their listening skills. Teachers who decide to record themselves reading should make sure that they use speech appropriate for the students' proficiency levels, clearly enunciate words, and read at a slower reading rate.
Group Response with Whiteboards-
Group Responses with Whiteboards allows students to demonstrate their knowledge about a particular topic. This strategy also promotes both individual as well as group accountability. Students will be placed in groups of four or five and the teacher will first begin by asking a question. Each student in the class will have a set amount of time to write down their response on a piece of paper or in their notebook. When time is called, students will discuss their individual answers in their group to come up with the best possible answer. When finished, the groups will write their answers on their whiteboard and hold it up for the teacher to check their answer. This strategy can also be used as a means of formative assessment.
Group Responses with Whiteboards allows students to demonstrate their knowledge about a particular topic. This strategy also promotes both individual as well as group accountability. Students will be placed in groups of four or five and the teacher will first begin by asking a question. Each student in the class will have a set amount of time to write down their response on a piece of paper or in their notebook. When time is called, students will discuss their individual answers in their group to come up with the best possible answer. When finished, the groups will write their answers on their whiteboard and hold it up for the teacher to check their answer. This strategy can also be used as a means of formative assessment.
Stop and Think-
Stop and Think is an activity that promotes reflection and personal connections to the text. While a student or teacher is reading, the teacher may stop at any point of the reading and ask students a question. Students will respond to this question by writing a few sentences to respond to the prompt in their notebook. When students have finished their response, they may turn and talk to a partner to discuss their response to the question.
Click on the video below for an example of the Stop and Think activity from a seventh grade English Language Arts class.
Stop and Think is an activity that promotes reflection and personal connections to the text. While a student or teacher is reading, the teacher may stop at any point of the reading and ask students a question. Students will respond to this question by writing a few sentences to respond to the prompt in their notebook. When students have finished their response, they may turn and talk to a partner to discuss their response to the question.
Click on the video below for an example of the Stop and Think activity from a seventh grade English Language Arts class.
Role Playing-
Role playing is an activity that promotes language use in a social setting. The teacher is directly involved with creating the scenarios, modeling, and prompting to promote language practice. Students will be grouped by mixed language abilities, although some students may need more scaffolding than others. Students will create a scenario about a topic and engage in conversation with the teacher and other students. This will help students to practice internalizing language structure.
Role playing is an activity that promotes language use in a social setting. The teacher is directly involved with creating the scenarios, modeling, and prompting to promote language practice. Students will be grouped by mixed language abilities, although some students may need more scaffolding than others. Students will create a scenario about a topic and engage in conversation with the teacher and other students. This will help students to practice internalizing language structure.
Great Performances-
In the activity, students will act out a sequence of events that led to the most important moment in history. Students will improvise a scene from the text and speak as if they were one of the characters in the event. This technique promotes comprehension of the text and important concepts/key ideas.
Click on the video below to watch an ELL social studies middle school class reenact scenes from American history.
In the activity, students will act out a sequence of events that led to the most important moment in history. Students will improvise a scene from the text and speak as if they were one of the characters in the event. This technique promotes comprehension of the text and important concepts/key ideas.
Click on the video below to watch an ELL social studies middle school class reenact scenes from American history.