The following questions will be helpful as we begin a conversation about Strategies That Work:                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

How do you currently teach comprehension strategies in your classroom?

Are students challenged and excited by their reading? Do they recognize how important the reader is to the text?

Do students understand and think critically about what they read? Why? Why not?

Do students engage with and discuss important issues and ideas in literature? In social studies, science, and other curricular areas?

Do you model how to think out loud for students as a means of instruction?

Do you give students time to practice using strategies in their own reading? How much time?

How are students reading to learn from informational text, including textbooks and other materials? Can students sustain their interest in this information over time?

How do you support students to keep track of their thinking when they read? How do you keep track of their thinking? How do you assess their understanding?

In what ways do student recognize and discuss their thinking about reading? Do students hold inner conversations about their reading as well as share their thoughts with others?

What evidence do you have that students are understanding and learning from their reading?

Are there sme terms you use to descibe how readers think when they read? Should your school use a standardized terminology for comprehension instruction?

How do your students use written as well as other kinds of responses to show their evolving thinking?

What resources do you have/need to support comprehension instruction?

Do you have the necessary resources for comprehension instruction? Plenty of books, sticky notes, clipboards, and so on? What are some ways to get these into your classrooms without breaking the bank?

Do you teach with a wide variety of genres?

Do you introduce and use a variety of text forms, including short stories, poetry, essays, feature articles, and so on?

How do you create a learning community that promotes thinking in your classrooms/schools?

Do students feel free to share their ideas, opinions, and tastes in reading? Take stock of the times when you and your students share your thinking about books (i.e., read-alouds, discussions, informal sharing times, and so on) and remember to build in time daily to talk about reading.

What implications do time, scheduling and room arrangements have for your instruction? What changes to scheduling, room arrangement, or procedures might be needed to ensure an environment that promotes thinking?

Do you have an ongoing reader's workshop in your classroom? Effective strategy instruction requires that students have long blocks or time for reading and responding.

How do you support students in their comprehension of content-area textbooks?

How do you help students prepare for the reading they're required to do on standardized tests?

                                                     Study Guide for Strategies That Work, Second Edition  Copyright @2007 by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis