One point of contention when discussing reading comprehension is whether or not students should read questions or the passage first. Some advocate reading the passage first, and others advocate reading the questions first. Here are three reasons I advise reading the questions first.
Once there are questions to answer you are no longer reading for pleasure. There is a different purpose for reading at this point, and reading the questions first helps in focusing the reader. Consider it a part of pre-reading activities aimed at giving readers insight into the passage. Other pre-reading activities include reading the title and description of the passage. These help focus thinking on the content and activities at hand. It’s like a transition from the last section to this section.
Reading questions first also gives readers an idea of how they need to approach questions. It’s not expected that readers should try to memorize all the questions; all they need is to get a sense of how many questions are factual or inferential, and which require thought beyond the passage. It allows students to assess the situation and create a strategy for responding.
“In the passage” questions can be dealt with quickly, and a scan of the passage for keywords from the question will help students locate answers and respond effectively. This saves time that would be needed to answer questions that require more thinking.
Under exam conditions when time is a factor, this strategy makes a difference because it allows students to work with precision and accuracy. The strategy works best when students understand the different types of questions they may be asked, so identifying what questions are asking for is something that also must be taught.
There is a certain amount of truth in the statement “Nobody wants to read my writing.” People aren’t interested in your rhetoric, no matter how eloquent it is, unless it resonates with them somehow. People read what’s interesting to them. They read what will benefit them. In other words, if your writing doesn’t appeal to your audience or provide them with value, don’t expect anyone to line up for a chance to get a copy.
But that’s not the thing keeping most writers back. The ones who say (or feel deep inside) that nobody wants to read their writing are battling with something else.
Behind the words “Nobody wants to read my writing anyway” is a long list of fears that writers often don’t want to face. Writing is a communication activity that’s so closely entwined with who we are as individuals that any comment on our writing feels like a knife twisting in our heart. Yet these are fears that writers can learn to overcome to get started, to continue, and to get published.
Even though social media has made it possible for daggers to be thrown anonymously from behind computers located anywhere in the world, this is only a small portion of the fear lurking in the minds of many writers. While the fear of rejection and failure is real, it is fueled by the fear of not being good enough, which is far stronger than most of us would care to admit.
Many people undervalue their abilities and strengths. If you look around, the average person seems to be like this and it’s like the default way of living. We put ourselves down and make an event of laughing at what we consider flaws and failures.
All a person has to do is a quick search online for “fails” in order to be bombarded by video after video highlighting all different kinds of mishaps. We look at these and laugh because they’re entertainment, all the while nursing our own fears, secretly cringing inside as hopes and dreams fade.
For those of us who hide behind this lie, if we’re honest with the cause of our procrastination and hesitation, we’d realize that insecurity is by far the most dangerous challenge we face as writers. Insecurity feeds our fears, closes our minds to inspiration, cages our free spirit, and creates a chasm between us and our goals.
And when this happens, writers feel like they’re the only ones going through it. Obviously, anyone who has ever published has never felt this way, right?
I’m sure as you’re reading that, intellectually you’re thinking that isn’t true but in your chest is still tightening in defiance.
An awesome quote I stumbled upon said, “Stayafraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” (Carrie Fischer)
There’s even a book titled Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway (Susan Jeffers, PhD).
You’re not the only one who has these feelings, and the good news is that there’s something you can do to move beyond the fear to what you want to accomplish.
What can you do?
Here’s one thing you can do right now, at this moment. Schedule some writing time.
If you haven’t gotten started on that blog or novel or nonfiction book, schedule the time. If you’ve started but somehow can’t seem to complete it, schedule the time.
Many times writers think that they can only write at certain times when the conditions are right (another lie we’ll be discussing) but the truth is that we have it in our power to make the conditions as right as possible. And that means scheduling the time to ensure it gets done.
If it’s not on a schedule then it’s likely to keep getting shoved aside. One of the best ways to do this is to find a writing buddy. There’s nothing like someone else waiting for you to get you going. Just being in the presence of others who are working on their own writing is encouraging. If you don’t know anyone who would step into that role for you, why not sign up for a co-writing session?
At WERD Coach Creative, we offer co-writing sessions twice a week – Mondays 6 pm to 8 pm AST, and Thursdays 9 am to 11 am AST. The sessions are totally free. All you have to do is to click the link below to register, then turn up at the appointed time.
Let me say it once and for all, there are people out there who are not only willing to read what you’re writing, they’re actually waiting for it. So get started.
Today we continue with our discussion on how to improve reading comprehension. This post is about main ideas and purpose. I’ve also added in the concept of ‘topic’ because all three are connected when it comes to understanding what we read.
The first step toward figuring out main ideas and purpose, is to understand that writing is communication. There is a writer, the person composing the message. There is the text, which contains the message. And, there is a reader, the person deciphering the message. Readers should remember that there is another person at the other end of the experience who created the text for a reason.
Once readers recognize the role of the writer in creating the text, then we can ask ourselves a few questions regarding the writer’s intentions. Even before we think about main idea, we should ask ourselves why the writer created the text. Answering ‘why’ leads to identifying purpose. Why did the writer create this text? What were his or her intentions? What was he or she hoping to do? Remember, writing is communication, so think of what impact the writer hoped the text would have on the reader.
After identifying purpose, consider what the text is about. What is the topic? What is the text about? The topic of a text is what the writer is talking about. To find the topic, check each sentence to see what details are provided. Repeated words give an idea of the topic, although sometimes synonyms are used, so keep an eye out for those.
The main idea is what the writer is saying about the topic. It’s the writer’s opinion, main concern, or belief about the topic. Sometimes the main idea is stated in a sentence, and sometimes information is given that guides readers to an implied main idea. The main idea is often influenced by the purpose, so knowing purpose first helps in understanding and identifying the main idea, especially when the main idea is implied.
In short, the purpose is the reason the writer created the text. The topic is what the text is written about, and is often a single word or phrase. The main idea is what the writer wants us to know about the topic, and is usually expressed in one or two sentences.
Main idea, topic, and purpose are connected.
Teaching them together within an overall view of writing and reading as communication between a writer and a reader, allows students to place the concepts within a real-world context.
Two practical ways to decipher purpose:
1. Knowing the source of a text and its intended audience can assist in determining its purpose. This means thinking about who wrote the pamphlet, and who they wrote it for.
Government and academic sources are more likely to be informative than business or magazine sources.
2. Observe the language and the way content is delivered. Short and direct sentences usually mean some type of instruction. Longer sentences using adjectives and descriptive language, point toward description. Formal, impersonal language usually means an intent to explain or inform, and opinions supported by evidence, or an appeal to emotions is used to persuade.
NOTE: The three main purposes are Persuade, Inform, and Entertain. Instruct and Explain are often positioned under Inform. Describe can be placed under entertain.
Knowing the purpose of a text helps in figuring out the main idea. Here are a few variations to questions you can ask about purpose to help determine the main idea.
Inform – What is the main thing writer telling me about this topic?
Persuade – What does the writer want me to do or think? What’s the opinion the writer is trying to get me to agree with (or disagree with)?
Describe – What picture is the writer trying to get me to imagine? What is the writer saying about that picture?
Instruct – What is the writer trying to get me to accomplish?
Explain – What is the writer saying (opinion) about what happened, or how something works?
Entertain – What emotion is the writer trying to get me to feel?
NOTE: If the text is a poem, play, or story, chances are the purpose is to entertain. The main idea of these types of texts are often connected to themes, which go a bit beyond the obvious ideas to a message the writer is trying to convey. Theme will be discussed in another post, as it does not particularly apply to the SEA context.
Some children have difficulty understanding the abstract thinking required to determine main idea because they think quite literally. If the main idea isn’t stated explicitly, it’s often challenging to decipher it. To assist such children in grasping the concept, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic activities can be incorporated into the instruction.
Identifying the main idea is like putting a label on a group of similar ideas. So, getting children to work on grouping items, finding similarities between a group of objects they can see and manipulate, can assist them in moving toward the more abstract concept of main ideas in texts.
Option 1: asks the teacher to present photos of related objects.
For example, choose a game like cricket or football and present 5 to 7 photos of objects related to the game. The children have to guess what is the common idea/theme. Other possibilities include any sport, parts of a house, fruits, vegetables, and any group that can be represented with photos. Students may also be presented with several mixed photos and asked to group them, and label the group. Additionally, they may be asked to draw items to create their own groups.
Option 2 is an alternative to the photo activity which involves physical objects and a container, a bag, or box, to house the objects.
A class may be divided into teams, and each team has to go around the classroom and create a main idea concept using objects they find. The activity helps children group ideas into topics, and the concept of opinion can be introduced using emojis or other symbols. Students may even create their own emojis or symbols to express opinions on the topics represented by the objects in the box or bag.
In addition to creating and explaining their main idea box/bag contents, other teams may be asked to guess rather than being told. Students can then verbally express main ideas, recognize the difference between main ideas and topics, and understand that supporting details are important in establishing main ideas. This applies to both comprehension and writing.
After looking at figurative language last week, you probably realize that sometimes words don’t follow the rules. Even if you have a dictionary and can look up the definition of a word, you could still have a hard time figuring out what the word means in a reading passage. Enter “context clues” to save the day. This post explains what context clues are, how they help readers decipher the meaning of words and phrases without a dictionary or outside help, and how to get others using context clues effectively.
When we read, we sometimes come across words we don’t know. This is a great way to build vocabulary, especially if you have the internet or a dictionary at hand to tell you the meaning of the new word.
But we don’t always have that luxury, especially during an exam. It can be intimidating when we’re asked “What’s the meaning of X-Word” and that’s the first time you’ve seen “X-Word.” Some readers shut down, some panic, and the meaning of the passage is lost, all because of one word.
Sometimes, however, writers are aware that they’re using words readers might not be familiar with, and they helps us out by giving us clues to the meaning of the word right there in the passage. These clues are called Context Clues because they’re found in the context of the passage.
The thing to remember about context clues is that they’re not always in the same place.
Some context clues are found within the same sentence as the new word.
Some are found in the sentences before or after the one with the new word.
You can even figure out the meaning of a word by thinking about how the word is used in the sentence, whether it’s a noun or verb or adjective.
The trick is to always remember that context clues exist. Once children remember that they can get help with vocabulary words right there in the passage they’re reading, they won’t feel as anxious when they come across a new word. It’s all about building confidence by teaching strategies.
There are different types of context clues, and one way to remember them is to think of them as AIDES. Since context clues aide our understanding of meaning in a passage, this acronym is a good fit.
A – Antonyms. Sometimes, writers give us the opposite meaning of the word. Example: Our new teacher is cranky and unapproachable, but our last teacher was affable. The word ‘but’ indicates contrast, so we know affable is the opposite of cranky and unapproachable.
I – Inference. Sometimes the meaning of word is implied and meaning is derived from reading the sentences before and after. Example: My blouse is torn. When I pulled it over my head, it got caught on my earrings. In this sentence, there’s an explanation of how a blouse is used so you can guess it’s something you wear like a shirt.
D – Definition. Example: Sedentary individuals, people who are not very active, often have poor health. In that sentence, the word sedentary is defined. Usually, definitions are put within commas, or come after words such as ‘refer’, ‘be called’, ‘may be seen as’, or ‘which is’.
E – Example. Sometimes an example of the word is given, and this helps in figuring out what the word means. Example: She likes contact sports; for example rugby, football, and martial arts. From the examples given, we can guess that contact sports are those in which players get into physical contact with each other.
S – Synonyms. Sometimes writers use other words that have similar meaning to the new word. Example: Elephants are enormous. They are the largest land mammals. In this case another, more familiar word is used the same way the word enormous is used. By looking at the two sentences, we can guess that ‘largest’ means something similar to ‘enormous.’ They are synonyms, so ‘enormous’ would mean something large.
The main thing with teaching context clues, is to get children to understand that there is help with figuring out the meaning of new words. Many children get anxious when they meet words they don’t know, and don’t even try to figure them out. They either ask someone to give them the definition, or they check their dictionary, or they give up and skip the word altogether.
So, when teaching context clues, let children know that this isn’t a test in itself, but a way to help them when they’re reading and doing comprehension questions. Explain that “I don’t know” is not a suitable answer to “what does that word mean”. They should always try to figure out the meaning for themselves before checking the dictionary or asking for help.
One way to make this fun is to make it a game. Whenever doing comprehension exercises or reading and children come across a word they don’t know see who can figure it out first. Keep a tally of points and at the end of a set time period, the person who gets the most points wins. There need not be a tangible reward, just bragging rights as the person who figures out context clues.
As an added incentive to get everyone involved, have them work in groups and the group gets the points only when everyone has the correct answer. Make it so that the same person can’t always give the answer, and every time an answer is given it must be accompanied by “I figured out that meaning because…” So the person giving the definition must say how they came up with the answer.
For those students who are tactile learners, you can work ahead and identify words in the passage that may be challenging. Write or print easier synonyms that the children would know. Give them the synonyms and let them know that while reading they may come across words they don’t know. The meanings are on the slips and the context clues would help them know which words are the right ones to substitute. This gives students something to manipulate and move around while they’re reading.
The more children use context clues, the more at ease they will become with using them. This means such exercises should be done often. Skill development in this area is essential for faster reading, better comprehension, and reduced anxiety.
The best stories and poems are the ones that draw us in through the expert use of words. We love descriptions and expressions that make us feel we’re there experiencing life in the imaginary world along with the characters. Sometimes, however, figuring out what writers mean is a little more challenging. That’s because sometimes authors use words in ways they’re not normally used, and readers have to interpret them, almost as if reading a foreign language.
There are a few different definitions of ‘figurative language’, but all point to the same thing: figurative language refers to a specific type of language we use to heighten a reader’s experience. Ordinary statements take on a whole new life as we move from literal, exact meaning to abstract, creative meaning.
Pigs strap on jet packs and soar through the sky like eagles on steroids. Pampered pet pooches perch precariously on painted points. Then, BLAM! You’re a rooster in a rainstorm, soaked through to your bones! Nothing is as it seems.
The list of literary devices used as figures of speech is longer than most people realize, with the number going upwards of 20. The good news is that we often use various types of figurative language without knowing what they’re called, and the even better news is that there are only about 6 or so common ones that we should be familiar with.
This is probably the most common type of figurative language. We’ve all encountered expressions and sayings like: “as busy as a bee”, or “as strong as an ox”, and even “as stubborn as a mule.” Some similes also use the word ‘like’, for example “They fought like cats and dogs” or “That show was like watching paint dry.” A simile is a comparison. You’re comparing a specific quality in one item, with a similar quality in another item that people are familiar with. For example, paint takes some time to dry, and it’s not the most exciting thing to look at. Guess what we’re saying about the show? Yup, it’s boring and slow.
Personification
We do this with our pets all the time when we assign human attributes and thought processes to their behaviour. “Cats are devious animals trying to take over the world.” Sometimes we even assign human characteristics and intentions to inanimate objects. “I swear that spoon was trying to kill me!” Anytime we add human meaning to the actions of non-human creatures or objects, we’re using personification.
Alliteration
This one uses our fascination with sound to create peculiar and interesting reactions. By repeating initial consonants, we create tongue-twisters and amusing statements. One of the more famous expressions of alliteration is: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. It’s fun to create your own too, especially if you use words that would not normally come together in a sentence and still try to have the sentence make sense.
Onomatopoeia
This one is a favorite of mine for two reasons. First, the word itself has to be one of the coolest sounding real words in the English language. Say it out loud three times fast and you’ll understand what I mean. The second reason I love this type of figurative language is because of what it is. There are times in writing that you want to conjour a feeling in your audience and conventional words just don’t work well. Enter the word that sounds like the noise you’re describing! How else can you describe a whooshing wind, or a tinkling bell, or the sound of a closing door? Doesn’t BLADAM give you a different response altogether from SLAM or CLICK?
Metaphor
This one is related to similes because it is also used for making a comparison. A metaphor can be considered a simile that has been intensified or strengthened. Instead of saying the two things you’re comparing are similar, like or as, you remove those words to say that the two things are each other. So, instead of “roaring like a lion” you’re now “a roaring lion”. And instead of being “hungry as a bear” you’re now “a hungry bear”. The comparison is the same, but writers are now saying that it’s more than just a similarity, the behaviour is so strong the two things might as well be the same.
Hyperbole
Parents and teachers are often guilty of using hyperbole with children, “I’ve told you a million times to clean up your room!” or “Why do you always ask that question?” These exaggerated statements are not meant to be taken literally, but are meant to highlight something. So, I may not have told you a million times, I don’t actually know because I haven’t been counting, but it feels like a million because it’s quite a lot and I’m tired of saying it.
When writers use figurative language, they’re saying one thing when they really mean something else. This is one of the reasons many people have trouble understanding the meaning associated with some expressions. While many are so common they’ve become integrated into our system of language as idiomatic expressions, many writers create their own, and that requires some thinking on the reader’s part.
The first step in being able to decipher figurative language is to understand the various types there are. For SEA, those described on the other photos in this post are the main ones children need to know. Make sure they know the definitions and are able to recognize examples.
In addition to reading many different types of texts in which figurative language is used, have kids create their own. Encourage them to have fun with this, to make up the craziest, or wackiest metaphor, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, personification, alliteration, or simile.
One word of caution, however. Children should be reminded that when they are in the role of writer, the language they use should be reasonable and understandable. In other words, readers should not feel exasperated trying to figure out what they mean. At this level, readability is paramount.
To teach recognition of figurative language in a fun way, children can play matching games where they have tabs with sentences and tabs with labels they must match. They can work in groups or on their own.
To add some movement into the mix, children can play a twister-style game with the figurative language. Circles can be drawn on the ground, each labeled for a type of figurative language. The teacher reads a sentence and students have to touch the circle that correctly identifies the example with either a hand or a foot. For example, if the teacher says, “He’s as slippery as a snake. Right hand.” Then the children would have to stretch to touch the circle labeled ‘Simile’ with their right hand. There should be several circles labeled ‘Simile’ to choose from. This is ideal for groups of 3 or 4 children.
A modification of that game for larger groups would have larger circles drawn and labeled, and children have to run to the circle they think is the correct answer. Incorrect answers can be monitored and corrected, plus a winner could be determined. After three chances of incorrect answers, a child would be out of the game. Those who have the correct answers remain. A single winner or group of winners could emerge after several rounds.
For children who love art and play dough, these activities can also be integrated into a lesson on figurative language. After discussing and practicing with one of the literary devices, ask the children to select one sentence from a list given, or write their own, and create a piece of art to illustrate the sentence. They can paint, draw, use play dough, or any other material they have at their disposal. Afterward, each child would need to explain their concept.
Teaching figurative language is an opportunity to have a fun and exciting class. What other ideas can you think of to make your lesson enjoyable?
