Strategies

In my lesson, Through the eyes of a slave, I focus on two specific strategies to increase my students understanding of the text, "My Bondage and My Freedom" by Frederick Douglass. In the During Reading portion of the lesson, I incorporate the "Think Aloud" strategy, and in the After Reading portion of the lesson, I engage students in the "RAFT" strategy. Both will greatly aid in student comprehension. The following is a short explanation of each strategy:

During Reading Strategy: "Think Aloud"

The purpose of the "Think Aloud" strategy is to help readers make meaning of the text while reading. In this strategy, students will get into partners. One student, the reader, will read aloud from the text, pausing frequently to "Think Aloud." In doing so, the student could: (1) make predictions, (2) make comments, (3) connect what he/she is reading to his/her own life, (4) ask any questions aloud that he/she may have, and (5) put what he/she has just read into his/her own words. Therefore, in example five, not only is the student engaging in the text, but the student is also summarizing what he/she has just read. Basically, students should say aloud whatever their thoughts are when reading the text (but make sure these thoughts are relevant to aiding in student comprehension). While the student is "Thinking Aloud," his/her partner, the recorder, is tallying the types of comments that were made by the reader. Partners should tally the comments according to the above five suggestions and also include a column entitled "other comments." See example below. Then students are to switch roles at the bottom of each page (or according to the teacher's discretion), so both students engage in the "Think Aloud" strategy and tally the types of comments made.

Here is an example of what the chart should look like when student's are tallying their partner's comments:

Predictions

Comments

Connections to one's own life

Questions

Summarizing

Other comments

After Reading Strategy: "RAFT"

The purpose of the "RAFT" strategy is to (1) assist students in understanding the relationship between literature and its historical, social, and cultural contexts and (2) analyze and interpret elements of character development. In this strategy, students are to take what they have read and create a new product that illustrates their understanding of the text. The "RAFT" strategy has four main steps:

Role: To develop their new product, what role will the students need to "take on;" possibilities include, but are not limited to: character, writer, artist, politician, scientist, mother, father, brother, sister, ghost, observer, etc.

Audience: Who is the audience of your product? Is it: other students, parents, the local community, the school board, other characters in the text, a friend, etc.

Format: What product will best demonstrate your in-depth understanding of your interactions with the text? Is it: something written (and if so, what?), art work, action plan, project, etc.?

Topic: This is the when, who or what that will be the focus/subject of the final product. Will it take place in the same time period as the text? Who will be the main focus of the product? What event will constitute the centerpiece of the action?

The above two strategies, are utilized in my lesson, Through the Eyes of a Slave. Besides these two strategies, there are a number of other strategies that are available online to assist students in text comprehension. The following links will provide you with just a small sampling of the strategies available to utilize within your lessons. Not only will reading strategies assist you in your lesson planning, but it will greatly assist in student comprehension and learning.

QAR (Question-Answer Relationship)

Structured Notes

GIST