English Developmental Continuum P-10 – Reading

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Text Level Knowledge: Scaffolding Learning From 0.5

• Indicators of progress
• Text characteristics
• Teaching strategies for Fiction texts
• Teaching Strategies for Non Fiction texts

 

Indicators of progress

• Students realise that print contains a constant message.
• Students decide the likely topic of a text and predict ideas and events that might be mentioned by using the front cover of the book.
• Students relate the illustrations to their existing knowledge of texts and the topic.
• Students select stories to which they can relate.
• Students read aloud repetitive phrases and sentences that have some high-frequency words and comparatively simple oral language patterns, for example, I am eating.
• Students show an awareness of some of the concepts of print. For example, they orient it correctly, run their finger over the text on a page as it is read to them, show left-to-right movement with return sweep and top-to-bottom movement, turn the page, and differentiate between the picture and the text.
• Students recall words and sentences in simple narratives they have heard and seen earlier, for example, Once upon a time …, and say these sentences with natural oral language fluency.
• Students read sentences that have repeated words and that rhyme, and predict words that rhyme with earlier words.
• Students answer literal questions about sentences they have read and complete spoken sentences, for example, What did the hen say? The hen said …. What would the hen feel when …?
• Students anticipate what might be said next in a narrative they are reading, for example, And they all lived happily ….
• Students infer how characters may have felt, for example, What would the hen feel when …?
• Students suggest possible reasons for an author or artist using particular features, for example, Why do you think the artist drew the hen looking like that?
• Students link events in the story and the characters’ feelings with events in their lives and feelings they have had, for example, When did you last feel like the hen felt?
• Students use texts and illustrations to tell main ideas in their own words

Text characteristics

• Texts have a predictable format
• Texts have varied, simple sentence patterns
• Texts have 2–3 lines of text per page, and repetition of phrases and refrains
• Texts have illustrations that provide a high level of support and represent the main ideas in the text
• Texts have a range of punctuation presented
• Texts include rhyme, rhythm and repetition
• Texts include print and non-print items
• Texts include rich narrative and engaging information texts
• Texts have consistent placement of text
• Texts increase the core of high-frequency words.

Teaching strategies for Fiction texts

Before reading: Getting your knowledge ready for reading

The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is The Best Pizza in the World by Jenny Feely, published by Horwitz Martin Education of Australia.

Students discuss what they see on the cover

Sample responses may include:

• A boy and his mum are eating pizza.
• The boy likes it.
• They are sitting at a table.

Teachers can ask questions to direct students’ attention to particular features, for example:

• Do you think the boy likes eating pizza?
• What do you think is on the pizza?
• How much have they eaten so far?
• What is behind them?

Literal comprehension – answering questions about the pictures

Readers answer questions about the pictures and suggest questions they could ask about the picture, for example:

• Who is eating the pizza?
• What is on the pizza?
• Where are they eating the pizza?
• What is behind them?

Responding to pictures – supporting comprehension

Students say in sentences what they see on the cover.  Initially they can hear a question and part of the answer, complete the sentence and then repeat the answer. Once one child has answered, the class can say the idea in a sentence, for example:

 

Question	Sentence prompt	Sentence
What is the boy eating?	The boy is ...	The boy is eating pizza.
Where is the boy?	The boy is sitting...	The boy is sitting at the table.

Considering and responding to questions - supporting comprehension

Students hear other questions and decide whether they do know the answers to them yet, for example

• How hot is it?
• Will they eat all of it?
• Who made the pizza?

During reading: Tuning in to the text

The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is The Best Pizza in the World by Jenny Feely, published by Horwitz Martin Education of Australia.

Comprehending strategies

Readers say in sentences what the pictures tell them, for example:

• A boy and his mother are in a supermarket.
• They are in the vegetable area.

Readers suggest questions they can ask about the story so far and answer these questions, for example:

• The teacher points to the little boy in the picture. What is his name?
• The teacher points to the woman. Who is she?
• The teacher points to Luke and his mum. Where are they?
• The teacher points to the basket carried by Luke’s mother. What is this called? Why is she carrying the basket?

Reviewing what they know

Students review and collate what they already know about the book:

• They describe the images they have in their minds from having read the cover and title page.
• They read some of the key words on the cards.
• They answer questions about what they know so far and say what things they might be told, for example. Who makes the pizza? What is the boy’s name?

After Reading: Consolidate and review the text

The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is The Best Pizza in the World by Jenny Feely, published by Horwitz Martin Education of Australia.

Review the text – impressions of their reading

The readers talk about their emotional response to the story.  Ask readers  "How did you like the story?  Was it funny / scary / exciting?"

Students could be encouraged to ask themselves:

• How did I feel while reading the story?
• What made me feel that way?
• How would I like to change the text so that it was more interesting?

Reviewing key vocabulary

The readers review key vocabulary and the new word meanings they learnt and suggest synonyms for them.

Cue cards: reviewing written words

The readers review reading the written words used in the text, particularly when these are arranged into sentences using word cards.  

Some of the key words are written on the whiteboard and /or on cards and students read them:

night

best

pizza

in

the

world

went

shopping

cheese

hot

home

olives

go

Luke

Phrasing in fluent reading

Readers automatise and practise reading similar text aloud and silently to achieve increased phrasing in fluent reading.

In later reading sessions students re-read this prose to achieve phrasing in fluent reading. Useful activities can include:

• Choral reading of the text. Reading the text as a play with some students taking the role of Luke and others his mother.
• Students can re-arrange the word cards into novel word strings and sentences for peers to read.
• In groups, students can write similar text for peers to read.

Teaching Strategies for Non Fiction Texts

Before Reading: Getting your knowledge ready for reading

The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is Wonderful Water by Sylvia Lee, published by Mimosa Publications.

Learn to ask questions from the text

Students say what they see on the cover page. For example, the girl is:

Visualise images in the text

Teachers ask questions to direct students’ attention to particular features, for example:

Teachers ask

• What does the back cover say?
• What does the front cover say?
• Why do you think water is wonderful? (It does lots of things).

Teachers tell the students to look at the cover and make a picture of it in your mind. Teachers hide the cover and ask the students questions about what it shows, for example:

• Who is in the picture?
• What is the girl doing?
• What is the colour of the girl’s T-shirt?
• Where is the girl?

During Reading: Tuning in to the text

The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is Wonderful Water by Sylvia Lee, published by Mimosa Publications.

Describe sentences in pictures

Students look at the pictures and say what they see in sentences, for example:

• A girl is washing her hands
• A lady is watering her garden
• A family is playing in a bath
• The baby is drinking water

Answer questions about pictures

Students answer and ask questions about the text. For example:

• Do the children in the bath look happy?
• What colours are the flowers in the garden?
• Where is the girl washing her hands? Why do you think she is doing this?

Make sentences from pictures

Students look at the pictures in the text and say what they see in sentences. For example:

• Two children are drinking.
• The boy is drinking from a tap.

Answer Questions about pictures

Students answer and ask questions about pictures on selected pages. For example:

• Why do you think the boy is drinking?
• What has he been doing?
• Is the girl happy drinking?

Retelling main ideas

Students use text and illustrations to tell main ideas in their own words. For example:

• How would you describe the lady watering the flowers?
• Does the writer make her seem happy or sad?
• How would you describe the children drinking?

Read the text independently

Students hear the sentence read and then one or more students read it. They point to each word as they say it.

After Reading: Consolidate and review the text

The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is Wonderful Water by Sylvia Lee, published by Mimosa Publications.

Emotional response to the text

Students are taught to ask themselves:

• How did I feel while reading the story?
• What made me feel that way?
• How would I like to change the text so that it was more interesting?