Week 3: Reading Comprehension Strategies

Goal: Students will improve their reading comprehension by learning specific reading strategies and skills through the MyReadingLab (MRL) Pearson software and teacher-created study guides.

Learning Outcomes:

1)  Students will demonstrate a grade of 80% or higher on the MRL reading modules based on skills and strategies.

2) Students will be able to name the various types of reading comprehension strategies and skills on a teacher-made test. 

3) Students will demonstrate a lexile of 1330 range as a minimum, as this is the readability of the MCAT. Lexile growth will vary according to students’ incoming level. Your lexile (L) measures your level of reading comprehension.Everyone's long-term goal is to reach 1700L, which is the reading level of a college graduate.

          Phase I: Your short-term goal is to reach 1400L or better at the end of the session, as this would be the age-appropriate reading level of a college sophomore.          

          Phase II: Your short-term goal is to reach 1500L or better at the end of this session, as this is would be the age-appropriate reading level of a college junior.

Overview: What are your reading comprehension strategies?  Does your learning style conflict with the research on how best to read an article? How can you modify your learning---teach an old dog new tricks? Just being hyperaware of your personal approach to reading is the first step toward improvement. This lesson will focus on these strategies: activating prior knowledge (making connections with what you already know), asking questions, monitoring comprehension, repairing comprehension (clarifying), determining important ideas(selecting), synthesizing content, and drawing inferences. (See Figure 1 below)

I. Reading Comprehension Strategies & Study Aids: 

A. Use this online form to review, summarize, study, and think about your reading assignment: http://www.studygs.net/crtread.htm

B.  Are you familiar with these reading strategies for taking and reviewing your notes on reading assignments and lectures?

SQ4R: Survey! Question! Read! Recite! Review! Reflect! (This concept was first developed by Robinson in 1970.)   

Cornell Note-Taking (This concept was first developed by Pauk in 1950.) Use your notes to study for the IRAT. Ask your roommate or teammates to question you.

C. Learn how to read a scientific article:  http://www.studygs.net/science/readingtexts.htm  and http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/academic/exams/speedreading.html#science 

II.  Are you a strategic reader?

Pearson, Roehler, Dole, and Duffy (1992)      To activate prior knowledge, it's imperative to preview the chapter by skimming or scanning.  This provides you with a schemata or conceptual structure in which to apply the new information. Consequently, this will increase your reading rate even if it takes a few minutes away to preview.  Which of these strategies do you use the least and why? Which do you think are the most important? What is the difference between active reading strategies and passive ones? Give examples of each.

III.  A contrastive analysis of : Strategies listed above are good behaviors.  

Homework: 

• Study comprehension strategies, behaviors, and study aids highlighted in blue on this page for IRAT.
• Work on your group project as a team.  View the PowerPoint below for instructions.  This project is due next week.  You will post information to the wiki for Week 4.  
• It's time to do another Lexile test on MyReadingLab.  Try to improve your score! 
• Study characteristics of a critical thinker from last week's lesson.