English Developmental Continuum P-10 – Reading
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Text Level Knowledge: Scaffolding Learning From Level 4
- Indicators of Progress
- Text Characteristics
- Teaching Strategies for Fiction texts
- Teaching Strategies for Non Fiction texts
Indicators of Progress
- Students describe their reading plan for these types of texts. For example, their plan explicitly mentions at least some of the following: (1) before beginning to read the text in depth they will skim it to decide its likely topic and how it fits with what they know, what it might tell them and questions it might answer; (2) they may also need to decide why the text was written, that is, what the author’s purpose or intention was; (3) what actions they might use while reading, what they might do if what they read does not make sense; (4) plan where they will pause and review what the text has said so far; (5) how they will keep track of key ideas as they read; and (6) the steps they will take to make sure they actually add new ideas to what they know.
- Students skim and scan the text, use the headings and subheadings and any illustrations to decide its likely topic.
- Students identify how a text is organised, distinguish between particular types of informative texts and use this to assist them to interpret texts that have unfamiliar ideas and information. They can: (1) distinguish between some of the following - simple types of explanatory text, descriptive texts, fiction, opinions and persuasive text; (2) say what they might know having read a particular type of text, for example, be able to describe how something happened or to explain why something happened; and (3) link this with actions they might take after reading the text, for example, tell someone else what happened or answer questions about why something happened.
- Students read the text independently, either silently or aloud as appropriate. They may switch from one mode to the other if necessary for comprehension or other communication purposes.
- Students use vocabulary enhancement strategies to work out the subject-specific meanings of unfamiliar topic words by noticing when each is first mentioned and other concepts they know that accompany it, for example, for biodiversity in the sentence “More than three million types of living things inhabit the earth. We refer to this range of life as biodiversity.” Students paraphrase and visualise the sentences and link the ideas with the new word and say what it might mean. They can use a dictionary or glossary to check or modify their understanding in the specific context.
- Students use sentence comprehending strategies such as combining visualising and paraphrasing to understand the meanings of general statements such as “Deserts are usually found in areas close to the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, that is, both north and south of the equator between latitudes of 15° and 30°.”
- Students use paragraph comprehending strategies to infer the main idea of a paragraph. For example, in using the topic sentence they read the topic sentence, paraphrase it and infer what the paragraph might mean.
- Students use underlining procedures to record the key ideas in the text as they read.
- Students use paragraph synthesis strategies. For example, they paraphrase the topic sentence of each paragraph and integrate these.
- Students consolidate and review what they read by describing in key words or sentences the synthesis of the paragraphs. They can suggest or select the summary sentence for a sequence of narrative sentences or a paragraph.
- Students show literal comprehension. They (1) retell the key ideas in the text; (2) answer questions about the key ideas, using several strategies to locate, select and record key information from texts; (3) support their interpretations with evidence drawn from the text; and (4) implement simple and direct action sequences.
- Students show inferential comprehension in a range of ways. They can: (1) infer possible antecedent motives and characteristics; (2) answer questions that ask readers to infer cause and effect across paragraphs; (3) read between the lines and infer the cause and nature of possible changes; (4) answer questions that ask readers to infer What would happen if......? by changing ideas in the text; (5) identify and synthesise concepts and events across several paragraphs, suggest why concepts, characters and events are described in particular ways and suggest what might be alternative ways of describing them; and (6) identify how sociocultural values, attitudes and beliefs are presented in particular texts.
- Students suggest the author’s purpose for writing the text, for example, the author’s point of view. Students suggest how well the text achieved its purpose, for example, Did a text help you to understand why X did Y?
- Students describe how texts they read are written for particular purposes. They: (1) analyse a writer’s imagery, characterisation, dialogue, plot and setting; and (2) identify how language is used in different ways by different writers to represent characters, people and events in different ways, for example, by comparing two reports about the same topic.
- Students talk about the actions they use while reading to learn, for example, to skim and scan using the headings and subheadings, to paraphrase and visualise, to plan where they will pause and review, to predict and to infer.
- Students describe how reading helps them and is a useful activity, for example, to discover what other people are thinking and to teach new ideas efficiently.
Text Characteristics
Students independently read and respond to an increasing range of text types and forms for different cultural purposes with associated linguistic structures and features.
Teaching Strategies for Fiction texts
During Reading: Tuning into the text
The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is Blabber Mouth by Morris Gleitzman, published by Pan MacMillan in 1992.
Inferring the author's purpose
The teacher explains: This book begins with Rowena, the main character, in a smelly dark cupboard on her first day in a new school. Rowena is not able to talk, but she wants her new class mates to believe she is normal in every other way.
The students are asked:
- Was this a good way for the author to begin this book?
- Could he have introduced readers to Rowena better in other ways?
After Reading: Consolidate and review the text
The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is Blabber Mouth by Morris Gleitzman, published by Pan MacMillan in 1992.
Describing the author’s style
Students talk about how the author presents the main ideas, why the author selected the words and language used and how the author could have written the text in other words.
They identify and infer the techniques used to influence or to persuade them to a particular interpretation for example, use of language.
Discussing the author’s purpose
Students discuss why the author has included certain things within their story. For example:
- People who have speech difficulties can communicate very effectively using their hands. They have feelings like anyone else.
- One technique the author uses is writing the novel through the eyes of Rowena and making her the narrator, although she can’t speak.
Identifying key actions used while reading the chapter
Students are asked: What things did you do to help you understand the chapter?
Students
- identify some of the key actions they used when reading the chapter
- identify new actions that helped them, add these to their list of “The actions I use / The things I do when I read” and gradually modify their reading plans, as below:
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Things I did while I read |
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Reflecting on new vocabulary
Students are encouraged to say what new language, words and literacy knowledge has been learnt.
Teaching Strategies for Non Fiction texts
Before Reading: Getting your knowledge ready
The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is Early days in Sydney Town (PDF - 35Kb).
Planning to skim and scan
The teacher explains :
When you open a page, skim and scan it to decide:
- Is it relevant to your questions?
- How is the information organized ? If it has several sources of information, for example, tables, maps, pictorial data, how will you combine them?
- What questions does it seem to answer?
- How will you manage and direct your reading?
After Reading: Consolidate and review the text
The text used to model these teaching and learning strategies is Early days in Sydney Town (PDF - 35Kb).
Understanding the text as a whole
Readers review understanding of the text as a whole by answering questions of the types: What did the text tell me? and The text didn’t say this but if...
Students respond to the questions that examine their understanding of the text as a whole. For example:
- How do you think the settlers decided the land around Sydney Cove was not good for growing crops?
- Why was it important for the settlement to become self-sufficient as soon as possible?
- Why do you think most of the First Fleet ships left the colony soon after arriving?
- How do you think the newcomers in Sydney learnt that the "Syrius" had been wrecked?
- The young colony did not have links with the outside world for several months while the two ships were away. How would you feel if you were in the colony at that time?
Reflecting on the purpose of the text
Readers reflect on and respond to the following questions:
- Why was the text written?
- Did it say what I expected it to say?
- How well did it achieve its purpose?
Interpreting the text
Readers describe how the text could be interpreted from different points of view or perspectives. What techniques were used to influence the reader to take a particular interpretation?
Readers can discuss the following types of questions:
- If you were a member of one of the indigenous communities living near Sydney Cove when the First Fleet arrives, what might you say?
- If you were a convict on the First Fleet, what might you have said about the first two years living in the settlement at Sydney Cove?
- Does the writer of the text Sydney: The First Two Years want you to think that the early settlement was a good idea or a bad idea? How does the language used in the text help you to decide this?
Reviewing and evaluating the reading strategies used
Students ask themselves:
- What reading actions helped me to read and comprehend the texts about the early European settlement at Sydney Cove?