Here is a unit of study I compiled from various sources/expert authors.
It helped me to write it down step by step. It works well at the beginning
of the year.
Ginger W.
+++++++++++++++++
Metacognitive Overview/Introductory Unit of Study
adapted by Ginger Weincek 2005
A. INTRODUCING THE "INNER VOICE"
Kids need to be explicitly taught that they have two inner voices. The
reciting voice which reads the words and the conversation voice that talks
back to the text.
1. Modeled-step 1
· Teacher does the work/kids watch and listen.
· You need to decide what visual action/sign you will take when you
are no longer reading but are sharing your thinking. This is especially
crucial with younger students as they may not realize you have stopped
reading the words when you are sharing your thinking. Some people close the
book. Others set the book on their lap and look out to the kids when
sharing their thinking. Looking up to the ceiling can be a visual sign that
you are sharing your thinking. **Be sure to tell the kids you will be
reading the words and then stopping to share your thinking. Tell/show them
how they can recognize the difference. "Today when I am reading to you, I
will be holding the book like this. But I am going to stop along the way
and share my thinking. I will tell you what my inner voice inside is
saying. All readers have a reading voice that reads the words. This voice
is called our reciting voice. We have a second voice that talks in our
heads about what we are reading. That voice is called our conversation voice
(inner voice). When I am sharing my thinking it will look like this. I will
close the book and look out at you. That's how you'll know I am sharing my
thinking. Then I'll open the book back up, like this, and continue reading
the words."
· When reading aloud, read some text and then stop and set the book
down and talk out loud saying whatever thinking comes to your mind. Then
pick the book up and return to the text. Read until you have more thinking
and then stop, set the book down and share that thinking.
· It is helpful to start your sentences like this:
"I'm thinking that ......."
"Wow! After I read that ..... it made me think ......."
"Now I'm thinking ......."
· Do this for many days in different genres and in all subject areas.
(You can share your thinking about math for example.)
· Always remind them that careful readers think along the way when
they are reading the words. They don't just read the words. Reading is
thinking.
2. Modeled-step 2
· Once your students get used to hearing you explicitly say "I'm
thinking...", then you can mix in any wording you want.
"I'm wondering..."
"I can just smell those...."
"How come he just did that? I sure would have been more careful.."
"No way! They broke it? Oh my! What's going to happen next?"
· Whatever YOU are thinking as you are reading the words is what you
would share with the kids.
· Teach the kids the word "metacognition". Tell them that
metacognition means THINKING ABOUT YOUR THINKING. It is important that we
KNOW we have an inner thinking voice and that we LISTEN to that voice.
· Say- "See how I talk to myself as I read? I don't just read word
after word after word. Careful readers do more than that. They stop and
take time to "catch" the thinking in their heads and they MAKE SURE they
think ALONG THE WAY. I let my thinking bubble up and I have a discussion
with myself. I talk in my head about what I am reading. I am doing it out
loud so you can hear what my discussions sound like inside my brain. When I
do this I am being metacognitive."
· At this point you can simply suggest "Maybe you guys could try this
when
you are reading at home and at school. See if you can "catch" your thinking
AS you are reading. But you'll have to stop every once in a while so your
thinking can come out."
3. Shared-step 1
· The next step is to tell the kids that their job is to watch what
you are doing and listen to what you are saying. Say "Today when I am
reading I want you to watch what you see me doing and listen to what you
hear my saying. Be ready to turn and talk about this and then share back."
· Read through an interesting text and stop and think along the way.
Be sure to be obvious about when your reading the words and when you are
thinking.
· Say "O.K. Turn and talk with a partner about what you saw me doing
and heard me saying when I was reading this book."
· Call on several groups and have them start their sharing by saying:
"Mary and I saw......"
"We heard ........"
These are some sample responses you want:
"Mary and I saw you read a little bit and then you closed the book and
said what was in your head and then you went back to the book."
"We heard you stop reading after _____ and tell us what you were
thinking."
"Marty and I heard you ask a question after reading ........."
"Renni and I noticed you were not just reading the words and that's
it."
"Manuel and I heard you thinking about what you were reading."
"We heard you tell about how you thought _____ must be feeling."
"We heard you tell us that you how you thought the _______ sounded."
"We heard you say that you thought the author was really meaning ...."
If they don't come up with those types of responses, restate what it was you
were modeling for them.
4. Shared-step 2
· Tell the students that today you will invite them to share their
thinking as you read to them.
· Read an interesting picture book. Stop and share your own
thinking.
· Read on to the next best place for some thinking to bubble up.
Have your students turn and talk with a partner to share their thinking.
· Then call on a few groups. (always having them start out by saying,
"Steven and I think...")
· Work through the book this way. Reading to a good thinking place.
Stopping and having them turn and talk and then share back whole group.
· If you don't want to do turn and talk be sure to remind them to
start out their sharing back with "I'm thinking ..."
· Do this with many picture books and vary the genre.
5. Small Group Instruction
· Pull small groups and read a new text piece.
· Have them share what they hear their inner voice in their head
saying.
6. Independent Practice
· During independent reading have your student listen for their inner
voice.
· Say- "Today when you are reading I want you to try and catch your
inner voice talking to you as you are reading. Take 3-5 post its and when
you hear your inner voice I want you to write down what it is saying. Stick
the post it right where that thinking bubbled up in your head. Be ready to
meet with others to share how it was for you to catch that inner voice and
how it felt to you as you were reading."
· 10 minutes before the end of independent reading, put your students
in groups of three to share where in their books they had thinking. Next
ask them to talk about how it felt to read and then stop to think and then
go back to reading.
· Ask the students to keep track of their stopping and thinking when
reading at home.
B. RECOGNIZING CONFUSION
1. Modeled
· Teacher does the work/kids watch and listen.
· Students are not always AWARE if they are understanding what they
are reading or not so we must explicitly teach this and also what they can
do to repair that confusion.
· This builds on the "inner voice" work you have just completed.
· When reading aloud you need to find places in the text where you
are confused. (fake this if you have to!)
· Do the "finger one and finger two" idea talked about in the
professional book Mosaic of Thought, page 39.
· Before you actually teach it to your students start doing it
yourself as you
are reading aloud to them. Hold up one finger just next to the
book. When you get to a part that was confusing or where you found your
mind
wandering or that didn't make sense switch your finger to two fingers out.
· Talk out loud like this- "Oh, that doesn't make any sense. I need
to go back and reread that part."
· Reread where you became confused and if rereading helped you
understand that part put back up just one finger.
· If not, say, "Well, that didn't help. Now I am going to read on a
bit
and see if that helps me out."
· Read on a bit and if that helped you understand, put back up one
finger.
· If that didn't help you, (so you would be still holding up 2
fingers) say, "Well, rereading didn't help me, reading on didn't help me, so
now I am going to have to find someone to ask because I can't go on if I
don't understand this part."
· Then ask one of the students to explain that part to you (or
another adult if one is available).
· ***This is NOT used when coming across tricky words- words you
could not READ. This is just for passages you did not understand.
· Do this naturally for a few days as you are thinking aloud. Catch
your inner voice letting you know that you are confused and not
understanding what you are reading.
2. Shared
· Ask if anyone had noticed you doing anything unusual with your
fingers as you were reading these past few days. (Of course they had.)
· Have them tell you what they SAW you doing and what they HEARD you
saying.
· Talk about WHY you were doing it: because readers need to
understand what
they are reading to fully enjoy or learn from the words. A book will
be more rewarding if it makes sense to the reader. This is what CAREFUL
READERS DO!!! They don't just keep reading or put the book down when they
don't understand it. (Of course talk about exceptions!!!) Their inner
voices tell them they are confused and they stop and do something to repair
that confusion.
· From that point on invite them to hold out one finger when you are
reading aloud and switch it to two fingers when they become confused (when
they recognize confusion).
· Stop during those times and reread, read on, and then explain it to
them if need be.
3. Small Group Instruction
· Pull small groups and either read a challenging text piece or have
them bring their own self selected texts to the group.
· Have them show you when they recognize they are confused and what
they can do to repair that confusion.
4. Independent Reading
· Have them practice this on a whole group text and then
independently using post its to mark when they used the "HELP strategy"
(reread, read on, ask).
· Have them write HELP at the top of the post it. Under it they
write in a
list: reread, read on, ask. If they find themselves being confused or
distracted they should place the post it note at that point in the text and
cross off what they tried in that order and circle where they got back their
clarity/understanding.
C. STRATEGIES TO "FIX-UP" CONFUSION
1. Step 1
1. There are many other ways that readers can learn to help themselves
get unstuck.
2. Many of these strategies will be the main focus of upcoming strategy
studies, so at this time we are just introducing these fix-it strategies in
a very general way.
3. Either provide the following list or brainstorm with your students:
(list from Cris Tovani)
· Reread, read on, ask. (previously taught)
· Make a connection between the text and your life, another text, or
the world.
· Make a prediction.
· Stop and think about what you have already read.
· Ask yourself a question and try to answer it.
· Reflect in writing on what you have read.
· Use print conventions.
· Notice patterns about text structure.
· Create mental images.
· Retell what you've read.
· Adjust your reading rate: slow down or speed up.
2. Step 2
1. When a reader is confused, the above are all things he/she could try to
repair the confusion.
2. Below you will find an excerpt from the professional book, I Read It
But I Don't Get It by Cris Tovani (Stenhouse, 2000) explaining each "Fix It"
strategy.
Make a Connection Between the Text and Your Life, Your Knowledge of the
World, or Another Text
Sometimes a reader has information about a topic in his head that isn't
being used. When brought to bear, this background knowledge can be a
powerful tool, helping the reader repair meaning. Good readers know that
using knowledge to make a connection will help them understand their reading
better. They use memories, personal experiences, information about the
subject, the author's style, and textual organizations to help them
visualize, predict, ask questions infer, stay focused, and remember what
they have read.
Text connections can give a reader insights into a character's motive.
Sometimes recalling factual information helps the reader understand why an
event is taking place. Remembering another story with a similar plot
enables the reader to anticipate action. Identifying an author's writing
style or the organizational pattern of a text helps the reader understand
what the author is saying.
Make a Prediction
Good readers anticipate what's coming next. Based on what they've already
read, readers expect certain new events to occur. When an event doesn't
match a prediction, readers rethink and revise their thinking. More
important, they are alerted to possible confusions. Sometimes misreading
words throw the prediction off. When readers predict, they are aware meaning
is breaking down. Instead of ignoring an incorrect prediction, they get
back into the action by making a new guess. Predicting jolts readers back
on track. It keeps them involved so they aren't surprised by incorrect
conclusions.
Stop and Think About What You Have Already Read
This one is so easy most students ignore it. Yet it is one of the most
useful fix-up strategies of all. Good readers ponder what they have read.
They connect newly acquired knowledge with information they already have.
Stopping and thinking gives readers time to synthesize new information. It
allows opportunities to ask questions, visualize, and determine what is
important in the text.
Ask a Question
Good readers ask themselves questions when they read. Curious about the
answers, they continue reading. Sometimes these questions are answered
directly in the text, and meaning is clarified. Typically, clarifying
questions are about a character, setting, event, or process: who, what,
when, and where questions.
Other times, answers to readers' questions aren't found in the text. These
are pondering questions that don't always have simple answers. They ask how
and why. In these cases, the reader is forced to go beyond the words to find
the answer, either by drawing an inference or by going to another source.
Struggling readers sometimes expect to find all the answer to their
questions in the text. These readers often miss test questions like,
"What's
the best title for this piece?" or "What's the main idea?" They don't
realize that the answers can be found by using clues from the text and their
background knowledge to draw an inference. Many secondary students think
this is cheating or wasting time.
Readers who ask questions and know where the answers to their questions are
to be found are more likely to have a richer read, to infer, to draw
conclusions, and regain control of their reading.
Write About What You've Read
Writing down what they think about what they've read allows readers to
clarify their thinking. It is an opportunity to reflect. Readers better
understand their reading when they have written about it. The writing may
be a summary or a response. Sometimes just jotting a few notes will clarify
meaning.
Visualize
When meaning breaks down, good readers consciously create images in their
head to help them make sense of what they words are saying. They use
movies, television, and life to help them picture what is happening. When a
reader can visualize what is happening, comprehension improves. Secondary
students are bombarded with visual images. These images can help readers
make a video in their head. If they can "see it," they often understand it.
Use Print Conventions
Key words, bold print, italicized words, capital letters, and punctuation
are all used to enhance understanding. Conventions of print help the author
convey intent. They help the reader determine what is important and what
the author values. Conventions of print give the reader insight into voice
inflections and how the author wants the piece to sound. Poor readers often
ignore conventions because they are unaware of their function. Pointing out
conventions will not only improve reading comprehension but all will help
students use these same conventions to convey meaning when they write.
Retell What You've Read
Taking a moment to retell what has been read helps the reader reflect. It
activates background knowledge and also provides a check on whether the
reader is understanding. When readers can't retell what they read, it is an
indication that their minds have been wandering or confusion has set in.
Asking What have I just read? Refreshes the reader's memory and prepares her
to read the next part. This is a useful strategy when returning to reading
after some time has passed. Students frequently read something and then
don't
pick up the material again for several days. Teaching students to quickly
recall what they have already read before starting new material can save
time. Readers who don't recall what they have read before beginning new
text end up doing it while they are reading the new material and therefore
don't pay attention to it.
Reread
When meaning breaks down, readers can stop and decide whether there is
something in the text they can reread that will help them understand the
piece better. Since this is the one strategy most readers know
automatically, it needs little explaining. An important aspect to remember
is that a student doesn't have to reread everything for the strategy to be
helpful. Sometimes rereading portions of the text- a sentence, or even
just a word- can enhance comprehension. Struggling readers tend to think
rereading means they have to reread everything.
Notice Patterns in Text Structure
Genres have specific organizational patterns. Recognizing how a piece is
organized helps readers locate information more quickly.
Some struggling readers believe that they have to read everything from cover
to cover, even nonfiction. Taking time to explain how a piece is organized
helps students figure out where information is found. It helps them
determine what is important. When meaning breaks down, readers can stop and
think how the text is organized and see whether there is something in the
organizational pattern that will help them understand the piece.
Adjust Reading Rate: Slow Down or Speed Up
Contrary to what struggling readers think, good readers don't read
everything fast. They adjust their rate to meet the demands of the task.
Many secondary students read course textbooks at the same rate they read
their favorite magazine. Good readers slow down when something is difficult
or unfamiliar. They realize that in order to construct meaning, their rate
must decrease. They also know that it's okay to read faster when something
is familiar or boring. Reading faster sometimes forces the brain to stay
engaged. Good readers select a rate basked on the difficulty of the
material, their purpose in reading it, and their familiarity with the topic.
(Tovani, pp. 51-57)
3. Over several days find different text pieces to model each of these
fix-it strategies for your students.
4. Make an anchor chart listing these and put it up in your classroom so
the students can refer back to it to remind them what they can do when
confused.
3. Step 3
1. Comprehension Constructor (from Tovani, page 59)
2. Model your own confusion using the Comprehension Constructor to give
evidence of how you repaired the confusion.
I am confused by (copy directly from the text whatever your confusion is):
________________________________________________________ page _____
I am confused because (try to figure out why you are confused):
__________________________________________________________________
I will try (record different fix-up strategies you try):
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
I understand (explain how your understanding is deeper as a result of the
fix-up strategies you've used):
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Give the Comprehension Constructor to your students to complete when
reading during independent reading.
4. Be sure to stress that careful readers try other fix-up strategies if
one does not help them repair the confusion. This is called being flexible.
Trying more than one way rather than doing nothing.
Once kids can hear the voice in their head, and are thinking as they are
reading, they will be better able to do the strategy work because they will
be
metacognitive from this point forward. It becomes natural to hear that
inner voice and that is how they integrate the use of all the comprehension
strategies- letting questions come up as they have them, experiencing the
sensory images in their texts, inferring deeper meanings, connecting to
their own schema, synthesizing understanding as they read with stamina, and
determining the authors message/getting what is important. All of this is
metacognition. Metacognition is the umbrella over all the comprehension
strategies.
Adapted by Ginger Weincek 2005
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