Post-reading activities support students’ comprehension and retention of information from texts. Additional exposure to and practice with passages can help students develop fluency, or the ability to read texts quickly with accuracy. Fluent readers are better able to focus on meaning because they do not spend time or attention decoding and they are not hindered by halted pacing and lack of intonation and phrasing (Samuels, 2002). Additional practice with language and content will help learners boost confidence reading aloud and discussing what they have read. These tasks can be daunting for those whose reading skills are developing. References Breiseth, Lydia. “Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners.” Colorín Colorado, Colorín Colorado, 19 Dec. 2019, www.colorincolorado. org/article/reading-comprehension-strategies-englishlanguage-learners. Opitz, M. & Rasinski, T. (2008). Goodbye Round Robin: 25 Effective Oral Reading Strategies, Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Samuels, S. (2002). Reading fluency: Its development and assessment. Fastrup, A. & Samuels. (Eds), What research has to say about reading instruction (3rd ed., pp. 166183). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Instructional routine • Explore and learn Review with students the comprehension and self-monitoring strategies they used during the reading process. Help them establish a routine of reflecting on what worked to support their understanding of new words and of the central idea and relevant details of the text. • Practice Following the reading of the text, students should complete activities to reinforce comprehension and fluency. • Strategies to reinforce comprehension include: Oral Summarizing Have students orally summarize the central idea and relevant details. Remind them to look back in the text to support their recall. Provide written sentence frames, as appropriate. Written Summarizing Provide sentence starters, paragraph frames, or word banks as needed to support students as they write brief summaries of what they have read. Answering Wh- Questions Give students basic Who, What, Where, When, and Why questions to answer based on their reading of the text. Graphic Organizers Match text structures with graphic organizers for students to complete. • Strategies to reinforce comprehension include: Choral Reading Students read aloud a text as a small group or class. Echo Reading A teacher or fluent student reader reads first and then the group repeats chorally, replicating pace, intonation, and expression. Ping-Pong Reading Students take turns reading a sentence out loud. Reader’s Choir One student begins reading aloud, then the person sitting next to her joins in on the following sentence. This routine is repeated until the entire class is reading chorally. Oral Cloze Read aloud and leave out a word for phrase. Have students supply the missing words chorally. • Communicate Have students discuss the readings by completing the activities in each unit. These activities are structured to provide students with opportunities to apply new terms and to further explore new concepts. Encourage generalization and mastery by using new terms in conversation with students in formal and informal settings. Give students as many opportunities as possible to use and master new vocabulary (Breiseth, 2016). • Assess Gather data from all post-reading activities to gauge students’ comprehension of texts and their abilities to apply reading strategies. Use information to assess students’ language and reading levels and to inform not only small group and 1:1 instruction, but also students’ placement in pairings and small groups. AFTER YOU READ Txxvi
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjUyNzA0NQ==