Constructing Meaning Written by Nancy Boyles Southern Connecticut State University

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Constructing MeaningWritten by Nancy
BoylesSouthern Connecticut State University

• Created for Parkview Elementary School Teachers
• Mary Cooper, Literacy Specialist

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What we dont want our students thinking reading
is
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Instead

• If our students are to become good readers, if
  they are to improve as readers, we must teach
  them to think about how they think while they
  read.
• Found on pg. ix

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Welcome!

• Goals for this presentation
• Find out what kids say about these strategies
• Have an understanding of the kid-friendly
  comprehension strategies in Nancy Boyles book,
  Constructing Meaning
• Understand the importance of teaching all the
  comprehension strategies in an integrated fashion
• Recognize the ways our integration of these
  strategies will help all teachers and students

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What do kids Parkview students say about these
strategies?

• I like it when we use these strategies. 2nd
  grader
• Im going to tell you how I combined three of
  these strategies all at once! 3rd grader
• I never knew what I was supposed to be thinking
  about when I read. Now I really get it. 3rd
  grader
• These strategies really charge my brain. 4th
  grader

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Kid-friendly Comprehension Strategies

• The next six slides will define each of Nancy
  Boyles kid-friendly comprehension strategies

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Connecting

• Finding something that is connected
• To my life
• To another book
• To things in the world

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Picturing or Visualizing

• If I close my eyes,
• I can see. . . .
• I can hear. . . .
• I can feel. . . .
• I can smell. . . .
• I can taste. . . .

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Wondering or questioning

• What questions pop into my mind, such as
• What might happen next?
• How will the story end?
• Why did the author write this?
• What else do I want to know?

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Guessing or predicting

• What might happen next?
• How will the story end?
• What is the author trying
• to tell me?

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Noticing

• What are the important clues?
• Have I guessed right or wrong?
• Is there something I dont understand?
• Has the author done something crafty?

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Figuring Out

• How do all the clues fit together?
• When did that little light bulb go on in my
  head?
• What do I understand better after this reading?

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Why integrate comprehension strategies? (as
opposed to teaching each in isolation)

• Real readers dont read by isolating a single
  strategy
• Real readers dont use just one strategy while
  reading to construct meaning from everything they
  read for six or seven weeks.
• Competent readers have a repertoire of reading
  strategies available, strategies that they mix
  and match while they read.

Found on pg. xii and xiii
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How will we help our students if we all use these
strategies?

• Enhance student participation and engagement
• Improve student reading comprehension
• Teachers and students will share a common
  language
• The language wont change year to yearlearning
  picks up where it left off the year before

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Not an Add On

• Teaching reading comprehension strategies should
  not be something you add on to your regular
  curriculum.
• Rather, teaching these strategies can and should
  be an important part of what happens every day in
  your classroom during
• Shared reading
• Guided reading
• Independent reading
• Whether reading fiction or nonfiction
• Found on pg. xiv

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Special thanks to Nancy Boyles, who gave
permission to use her materials for this slide
show.
If youd like to email Nancy Boyles with your
questions or comments, you can email her at
boylesn1_at_southernct.edu