Reflections from a Third-Grade Classroom

How can teachers facilitate….

QUESTIONING

• Read a story aloud and give students an index card to jot down questions.  Have students share ideas and compare questions
• Question Web
• Color-coded index card

SCHEMA

• Pick a topic and have students think of three things that come to mind
• Read Chrysanthemum and talk about Text-Self connections
• Stress that everyone has their own strengths

MONITORING

• Have teacher show how she monitors
• KWL charts
• Higher-level thinking questions (Ex:  What part of reading are you best at?) to help push kids into metacognition

IMPORTANCE

• Modeling for the students how to think about the main ideas
• Graphic organizers
• Breaking down story writing
• Class story
• Class theatre

INFERRING

• Guided reading
• Show an image and write about it
• Read an excerpt and draw a picture of what it means

SENSORY and EMOTIONAL IMAGES

• Draw a picture and THEN write
• Read aloud and let students draw what they are hearing as they hear it
• Emotional and cultural background
• Cross curricular connections
• Class skits/plays

SYNTHESIZING (laid out chronologically)

• Model thinking
• Discussion
• Big Ideas (explicit/implicit)
• Concept Maps
• Graphic organizer
• Background knowledge
• Revisit text/lesson
• Ordering key points of texts/writing
• Summary: finished product