So what are your students doing when they're reading?

This week I wanted to get a better sense of the thinking that my students do when reading. I also wanted to know if they are aware of their strategies and thinking processes when reading.  I began by asking them to think about teacher assigned reading. When a teacher gives them something to read what do they do?

The student responses were revealing.  We have spent so much time in Ontario developing critical thinking skills, reading strategies and meta-cognitive awareness.  To see so many students comfortably using the terminology of reading was rewarding.  This kind of activity is also a quick way to discover which students do not have a repertoire of strategies for reading.  They become the target group for guided reading.

We took some time to share responses and I went over a variety of reading strategies.  The tricky part with reading in middle school, though,  is to ensure that students are using strategies to improve their comprehension and thinking skills.  This requires practice.  Just as a hockey player practices drills to improve specific skills, readers must practice.

Students were asked to document their thinking as they read.  They were also asked to read the article three times, each time annotating the text in a different colour and to then reflect on how their understanding of the text changed with different readings.

Students are part way through this activity. Tomorrow they will finish marking their texts and reflect on their reading.