Verbal Reasoning

DataSTARS with Franciscan University of Steubenville

Knowledge Ratings

This strategy relies on the students to access their schema, or background knowledge. It is applied “before reading”.

Learning Tasks:

View video and read the checklist of how to use the strategy.
Rating your understanding of new vocabulary can be fun! Provide your students the chance to rate themselves in a survey format as prepared by the teacher on a given topic.
This strategy can be modified to be active and engaging! List three concrete ways this strategy can be modified to incorporate multisensory learning.

Discussion Questions:

How many terms can you present to your students on a new topic in Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Language Arts?
Connect this strategy to forming interdisciplinary connections by describing how this strategy can help to create common threads or concepts across the disciplines.

Fidelity Checklist

Citations

Discussion Web

In cooperative learning, students create “webs” of differing opinions regarding a specific issue. Students engage in discussion and thoughtful conversation while considering the issues presented.

Learning Tasks:

View video and read the checklist of how to use the strategy.
Use a visual or graphic of a “web” to depict information and to assist students in making inferences to the insights provided.

Discussion Questions:

Do you think students might enjoy listing “pro” and “con” responses and engaging in conversation around a discussion web prompt? Why or why not?
In your experience, do you believe students like to reach a consensus or try to “reason” their answers in class or group discussion? If so, how does this strategy assist in allowing students to support their consensus?

Fidelity Checklist

Citations

Questioning the Author (QtA) as Applied to Increasing Reading Comprehension

This activity (Questioning the Author: QtA) allows  students to be engaged with the text. The activity also assists in increasing reading comprehension.

Learning Tasks:

Students read a passage as far as they can for one minute.
Students count and record words read per minute (WPM).
Instructor asks guiding questions focusing on comprehension. Students question what the author is trying to convey.
Do a second one minute passage read and ask students to compare first and second reading attempts.
When incorporating the QtA strategy, teachers work with students to demonstrate or model for them through engaging in procedures or step-by-step guided practice before allowing students the time to engage in practicing and applying the strategy of pretending to question the author as to how or why he or she used the words that were used in the reading material. Draft a one paragraph lesson outline of how you could work with your students to have a hypothetical or pretend conversation with the author through the questions the students could ask of the author as they read the material.

Discussion Questions:

Did your students accurately record their WPM score?
Was the quality of comprehension the focus, or the number of words read per minute, or both; explain why you answered the way you did.
Is the technique motivational for your students as they try to improve their first and second attempts? Explain why you answered the question the way you did.

Fidelity Checklist

Citations

Extra Resources

Why Reading Fluency Should Be Hot