‘Super Six’ comprehension strategies
Making connections
Description
Learners make personal connections from the text with:
• something in their own life (text to self)
• another text (text to text)
• something occurring in the world (text to world).
Example questions/statements
What do I/you think will happen next? What words/images do I/you expect to see or hear in this text?
What might happen next? Why do I/you think that? What helped me/you make that prediction? Were my/your predictions accurate? How did I/you confirm my/your predictions?
Have I/you read/seen/heard about this topic anywhere else?
Example teaching idea
Before and after chart: Students list predictions before and during reading. As they read students either confirm or reject their predictions.
Predicting
Description
Learners use information from graphics, text and experiences to anticipate what will be read/ viewed/heard and to actively adjust comprehension while reading/ viewing/listening.
Example questions/statements
What in the text helped me/you know that? How is this text making me/you feel? Why is that?
When you read/viewed/ listened to that text did it remind me/you of anything I/you know about? Why did it remind me/you of that? What did the composer of the text mean by ...? Whose point of view is this? What points of view are missing?
Example teaching idea
Wonderings: Using post-it notes, students list all the questions they have about the text. As they read students continue to write questions.When an answer is found for the wondering students remove the post-it note.
Questioning
Description
Learners pose and answer questions that clarify meaning and promote deeper understanding of the text. Questions can be generated by the learner, a peer or the teacher.
Example questions/statements
Is this making sense? What have I/you learned? Should I/you slow down? Speed up? Do I need to re-read/view/listen? What can help me/you fill in the missing information? What does this word mean? What can I use to help me understand what I’m/you’re reading/ viewing/hearing?
Example teaching idea
Coding: As they read students code the text with post-it notes
I understand I don’t understand I fixed it up myself
Monitoring
Description
Learners stop and think about the text and know what to do when meaning is disrupted.
Example questions/statements
What are the pictures I/you have in my/your head as I/you read/view/ listen to this text? Can I/you describe the picture or image you made while you read/ heard that part?
How did the pictures in my/your head help me/you to understand the text?
Example teaching idea
Sketch to stretch: As a passage/story is read students sketch their visualisation. In groups they share their sketches and discuss reasons for their interpretation.
Visualising
Description
Learners create a mental image from a text read/viewed/heard. Visualising brings the text to life, engages the imagination and uses all of the senses.
Example questions/statements
What things will help me/you summarise this text – list, mind map, note-taking, annotations, etc?
What are the main ideas and significant details from the reading/ viewing/listening?
If you were to tell another person about the text read/viewed/heard in a few sentences, what would you tell them?
What is the main theme? How is it connected to the world beyond the text?
In what significant ways does this text relate to/elaborate on the topic that you have been investigating?
Can you create a metaphor for the text that you have read?
Example teaching idea
Key words: Students highlight words they believe are key to understanding the passage.These words are written on post-it notes and placed on the page. After reading the students close the book and arrange the key words in an order that supports a cohesive summary.
Summarising
Description
Learners identify and accumulate the most important ideas and restate them in their own words.
State Literacy Strategy.
Description
Learners make personal connections from the text with:
• something in their own life (text to self)
• another text (text to text)
• something occurring in the world (text to world).
Example questions/statements
What do I/you think will happen next? What words/images do I/you expect to see or hear in this text?
What might happen next? Why do I/you think that? What helped me/you make that prediction? Were my/your predictions accurate? How did I/you confirm my/your predictions?
Have I/you read/seen/heard about this topic anywhere else?
Example teaching idea
Before and after chart: Students list predictions before and during reading. As they read students either confirm or reject their predictions.
Predicting
Description
Learners use information from graphics, text and experiences to anticipate what will be read/ viewed/heard and to actively adjust comprehension while reading/ viewing/listening.
Example questions/statements
What in the text helped me/you know that? How is this text making me/you feel? Why is that?
When you read/viewed/ listened to that text did it remind me/you of anything I/you know about? Why did it remind me/you of that? What did the composer of the text mean by ...? Whose point of view is this? What points of view are missing?
Example teaching idea
Wonderings: Using post-it notes, students list all the questions they have about the text. As they read students continue to write questions.When an answer is found for the wondering students remove the post-it note.
Questioning
Description
Learners pose and answer questions that clarify meaning and promote deeper understanding of the text. Questions can be generated by the learner, a peer or the teacher.
Example questions/statements
Is this making sense? What have I/you learned? Should I/you slow down? Speed up? Do I need to re-read/view/listen? What can help me/you fill in the missing information? What does this word mean? What can I use to help me understand what I’m/you’re reading/ viewing/hearing?
Example teaching idea
Coding: As they read students code the text with post-it notes
I understand I don’t understand I fixed it up myself
Monitoring
Description
Learners stop and think about the text and know what to do when meaning is disrupted.
Example questions/statements
What are the pictures I/you have in my/your head as I/you read/view/ listen to this text? Can I/you describe the picture or image you made while you read/ heard that part?
How did the pictures in my/your head help me/you to understand the text?
Example teaching idea
Sketch to stretch: As a passage/story is read students sketch their visualisation. In groups they share their sketches and discuss reasons for their interpretation.
Visualising
Description
Learners create a mental image from a text read/viewed/heard. Visualising brings the text to life, engages the imagination and uses all of the senses.
Example questions/statements
What things will help me/you summarise this text – list, mind map, note-taking, annotations, etc?
What are the main ideas and significant details from the reading/ viewing/listening?
If you were to tell another person about the text read/viewed/heard in a few sentences, what would you tell them?
What is the main theme? How is it connected to the world beyond the text?
In what significant ways does this text relate to/elaborate on the topic that you have been investigating?
Can you create a metaphor for the text that you have read?
Example teaching idea
Key words: Students highlight words they believe are key to understanding the passage.These words are written on post-it notes and placed on the page. After reading the students close the book and arrange the key words in an order that supports a cohesive summary.
Summarising
Description
Learners identify and accumulate the most important ideas and restate them in their own words.
State Literacy Strategy.