Enhancing Reading Comprehension Skills

Pre-reading activities

Why am I reading this? e.g. An Inspector Calls Retrieve information to recall information you already know, or to fill in gaps in your knowledge Retrieve you will recall information about characterisation and dramatization. You will also recall information about social class, and how many writers criticise this capitalist way of organising society. Enjoy Priestley has structured the play as a series of revelations to create tension, and many audiences enjoy each dramatic surprise as they are shocked by how the Birling family are prepared to stoop to the depths of moral despicability. Enjoy to enjoy the narrative and appreciate the quality of writing Analyse to delve into the layers of meaning in the text Analyse we will analyse how Priestley has used language and structure to communicate his ideas about socialism and capitalism. This will help you to understand the texts you will encounter in your own lives. Link to connect ideas and information together Link you will link your reading to texts we have previously read (e.g. Animal Farm, Educating Rita), as well as to your own life experiences (e.g. is it fair that the minimum wage for 16+ is lower than that for 18+?)

Make predictions 2 minutes What does the title suggest about the focus of this novel? What does the colour- scheme suggest about the novel s atmosphere and themes? What might the image symbolise?

Reading Strategies: Give me 5 List 5 aspects of the text which are included to help you understand it. o Title o Blurb / summary o Glossary o Subheadings o Paragraph breaks o Punctuation 2 minutes

Reading Strategies

Reading strategies 1. Make predictions. 2. Activate prior knowledge. 3. Get the gist. 4. Clarify understanding. 5. Re-read. 6. Annotate 3 things about 3 things.

Reading Strategies: GASE Gist: we will read the whole text to get a general overview Analysis: we will zoom in on specific aspects of the text to understand it and the writer s intentions in more detail Synthesise: at this stage our ideas will be disorganised and chaotic. We will put them together by creating a summary of our reading Elaborate: now that we have a clearer and deeper understanding of the text, we will make connections to other reading

Skim the text Skimming means reading rapidly to get a general overview of the text. You might skim a new text to understand its overall narrative or point before reading it in more depth. You have 3 minutes to skim-read today s text. When you finish, you will write 2 sentences to summarise its content. 3 minutes

Scan the text Scanning a text means reading it rapidly to look for specific information. You might scan a text after you have read it more slowly. You might do this because you are looking for particular details to include in an essay. You have 3 minutes to scan the text to find Use a highlighter to mark the information. 3 minutes

Reread the text When you first read a text you might: o Get the gist o Stop to look up unfamiliar vocabulary o Stop to make a note or highlight a word or phrase o Look back to what you read earlier to check a piece of information Expert readers then reread the text to piece all this information together. You have 3 minutes to reread the text. Once the time is up, I will ask you to write a summary of your reading. 3 minutes

Cornell note-taking TITLE KEY WORDS, QUESTIONS NOTES SUMMARY

Clarifying your reading

Vocabulary: give me 3 Highlight 3 pieces of vocabulary which are new to you. Now use these strategies to work out the meaning of these new words: o Can you break the word down into sections? E.g. demolish starts with the prefix de, so I know it is a negative word. o Look at the whole sentence what is happening, and what does the word need to mean? E.g. Macbeth equivocated about killing Duncan because he did not want to murder such a moral, upstanding, and respected leader. = I know Macbeth doesn t really want to kill Duncan, but he does it anyway so perhaps equivocate means that he is unsure? 3 minutes

Ask questions of the text Expert readers ask questions while they are reading a text: o To clarify meaning e.g. What does this word mean? Why is this happening? What have I learnt? o To understand the writer s intentions e.g. What does this mean? Why did the writer include that detail? o To make predictions e.g. What do I expect to happen next? Create 3 questions about the text we have just read. What does mean? Why did the writer include ? What will happen to ? 2 minutes

Only connect Expert readers make links within and between texts. Consider the section we have just read. How does it connect to the previous chapter? How does it connect to a text you have previously studied? How does it connect to a text you have read in another subject? 2 minutes

Summarising

Summarise: because/but/so 1.Without a doubt, X is Y because 2.Without a doubt, X is Y but 3.Without a doubt, X is Y so 2 minutes

Summarise: sequencing o Before [add event], o After that, o When [this happens], it leads to o Even though [character] wants to, [pronoun] decides to o Since [character] makes this choice, [pronoun] must o While [event] is taking place, [character] considers 2 minutes

Summarise: build it ADD SIMPLE SENTENCE e.g. Hyde kills Danvers Carew 1. Who is involved? 2. What do they do? 3. When does this happen? 4. Where does this happen? 5. Why does this happen? 6. How does this happen? 2 minutes Now use this information to build a detailed sentence: e.g. Hyde tramples a girl. At around 3 in the morning, Hyde violently tramples a young girl in the desolate streets of London, because he is overtaken by an animalistic and brutal rage. Your turn: Hyde kills Danvers Carew.

Summarise: 3-2-1 Write down 3 facts or pieces of information you want to remember 2 pieces of vocabulary you have learned or want to remember 1 big idea explored in the text 3 minutes

Summarise: subheadings Write a subheading for each paragraph You could o keep it factual Renaissance Stereotypes of Women o make it creative Malevolent, murderous Lady Macbeth 3 minutes

Summarise: 6 words Summarise the text in exactly 6 words e.g. Fallen tragic hero: Macduff slays Macbeth 2 minutes

Summarise: 5Ws 1. Who is in the narrative? The characters are and 2. Where are they? The characters are in This place seems to be and because 3. What is being described? The writer is describing and It seems that 4. When is this happening? I think this might be happening in [Year? Month? Time period?] because 5. Why is this happening? This might be happening because and 3 minutes

Oracy activities

Think, pair, share 1. Think: how does WRITER present CHARACTER? 2. Pair: - Person closest to the door asks these questions. Person closest to the windows responds. Then we ll swap over. - What do you think about X? I think that WRITER presents X as and Why do you think that? I think this because and Where is your evidence for that idea? The evidence is when X says / is described as How would you summarise your understanding of X? Overall, X is presented as 3. Share your ideas with the class. - Speak in full sentences. - Always use your best vocabulary. - Include quotations or details from the text. 2 minutes

Think-Pair-Share Considering the text we have just read, how does X present Y? Think Pair Share Half a page Your ideas Add new ideas from your partner Add new ideas from your class 2 minutes

Explain: Just a Minute 1. Prepare: write a list of 20 words about X. 2. Practice: - Work with your partner. - The person closest to the door starts. - When I say go , I ll start the timer and you need to speak about X for 1 minute without hesitation, repetition or deviation. - I ll tell you to stop, and we ll swap over. 3. Perform: speak for 1 minute in front of the class. 1 minute

List, Group, Label 1. Take 1 minute to list as many words or phrases as you can about X. 2. Work with your partner to organise your words into groups. 3. Write a label for each group. 1 minute