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This page is intended to give teachers a resource for obtaining class-wide or individual interventions that have been found to meet the criteria for “evidence-based” as required in the determination of a student’s responsiveness to intervention. Interventions are provided below in a variety of categories to meet your needs. For example, you might search according to the level of intensiveness. A low intensity intervention might be one that could be used as part of your universal instruction to an entire class. A moderate intensity intervention would be perhaps targeted to a subset or small group of students within your class. High intensity might be best-suited for one-to-one administration. Additionally, there are interventions that are searchable by appropriateness to grade level.
Academic
Interventions
By area and intensity
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Intensity Area |
Low
(Class-wide) |
Moderate
(Supported) |
High |
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- Comprehension |
Keyword: Memorization Strategy Student Comprehension Self-Check |
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- Decoding |
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- Fluency |
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- General Instruction |
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NA |
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- Phonemic Awareness |
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Phonological Awareness |
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Vocabulary Development |
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Math |
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- Computation |
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- General Instruction |
NA |
NA |
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Reasoning |
Four-Step Problem-Solving Approach |
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Written Language |
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- General Instruction |
Memorize a Story Grammar Checklist |
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- Spelling |
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- Written Expression |
PROJECT strategy (adolescents) SCORE A: research paper writing |
PROJECT strategy (adolescents) |
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- Writing Fluency |
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General Academic
Strategies |
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- Test Taking |
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- Non-participation |
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By grade level and skill area
(Note: These links are to manuals in .PDF format from the
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Grades Area |
Kindergarten-First |
Second-Third |
Fourth-Fifth |
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Phonological Awareness |
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Sentence Segmentation, Syllables, Onset & Rime |
Phoneme Matching and Isolating |
NA |
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Phonics |
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Fluency |
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(Includes: Letter
Recognition, Letter-Sound Correspondence, High Frequency Words, and Oral |
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Comprehension |
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(Includes Sentence Structure and Meaning, Monitoring for Meaning, Story Structure, and Main Idea/Summarizing) |
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Vocabulary |
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(Includes Word Identification/Words in Context, Word Categorization/Word Knowledge, Words that Describe/Word meaning, and Word Structure/Word Analysis) |
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Behavioral
Interventions
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Goal Area |
Desired Behavior |
¯ Problem Behavior |
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- Disruptive Behavior |
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- Dropping out/School Refusal |
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General Strategies |
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Links
to Sites with Evidence-Based Interventions
If you aren’t quite finding what you need in the lists above, then browse some of the sites below. They provide extensive information about evidence-based interventions as well as tools that might be helpful in creating materials for interventions.
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Independent Practice:
Set Up Reading Centers (
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
When students have mastered a reading skill, they can work
independently at reading centers to practice and become more fluent in that
skill under the watchful eye of the teacher.
The reading center is set up with fun and engaging
activities designed to extend and reinforce literacy content presented by the
teacher. Students work on independent reading-related activities individually
or in pairs or groups. As examples of reading center choices, students may
listen to taped books, read alone or to each other, use magnetic letters to
spell a specified list of words, or create storyboards or comic strips that
incorporate pictures and words. Each reading center activity is tied to
specific student literacy goals. The activities in reading centers may change
often to give children a chance to practice new skills and to keep the content
of these centers fresh and engaging.
References
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
Activating Prior
Knowledge (Hansen, & Pearson, 1983)
School-Based Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
The instructor demonstrates to students how they can access their
prior knowledge about a topic to improve comprehension of an article or story.
The instructor first explains the benefit of
using prior knowledge. The instructor tells students that recalling their prior
experiences (“their own life”) can help them to understand the content of their
reading--because new facts make sense only when we connect them to what we
already know. Next, the instructor demonstrates the text prediction strategy to
the class by selecting a sample passage (displayed as an overhead) and using a
“think-aloud” approach to illustrate the strategy steps: STEP 1: THINK ABOUT
WHAT AND WHY: The teacher connects the article to be read with the instructor's
own prior knowledge about the topic. The teacher might say, for example, “I am
about to read a short article about [topic]. Before I read the article, though,
I should think about my life experiences and what they might tell me about
[topic]. By thinking about my own life, I will better understand the article.”
STEP 2: SELECT MAIN IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE TO POSE PRIOR-KNOWLEDGE AND
PREDICTION QUESTIONS. The teacher chooses up to 3 main ideas that appear in the
article or story. For each key idea, the instructor poses one question
requiring that readers tap their own prior knowledge of the idea (e.g., “What
are your own attitudes and experiences about [idea]?”) and another that prompts
them to predict how the article or story might deal with the idea (e.g., "What
do you think the article will say about [idea]?"). STEP 3: HAVE STUDENTS
READ THE ARTICLE INDEPENDENTLY. Once the teacher has primed students' prior
knowledge by having them respond to the series of prior-knowledge and
prediction questions, students read the selection independently.
References
Hansen, J. & Pearson, P.D. (1983). An instructional study:
Improving the inferential comprehension of good and poor fourth-grade readers.
Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 821-829.
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Students are taught to use a basic 'Story
Grammar' to map out, identify and analyze significant components of narrative
text (e.g., fiction, biographies, and historical accounts). Reserve at least a
full instructional session to introduce this comprehension strategy. (For
effective-teaching tips, consult the guidelines presented in Introducing
Academic Strategies to Students: A Direct-Instruction Approach).
Materials:
- Overhead transparencies of short stories or other
narrative texts, transparency markers
- Student copies of Advanced
Story Map Worksheet, and practice narrative passages (optional) or
reading/text books
Preparation:
- · Prepare
overheads of sample narrative passages.
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: Introduce
the concept of a Story Grammar to students and preview main elements. (Refer to
the Advanced Story Map Worksheet as a guide.) Tell students that a Story Grammar
can help them to better understand a story's characters and events.
Step 2: Set aside
at least four successive instructional days to introduce the major components
of the Story Grammar: (A) Identifying important characters and their
personalities and motivation, (B) Identifying main problem and significant plot
developments, (C) Noting characters' attempts to solve problems, and (D)
Identifying a narrative's overarching theme.
Interactive Instruction: Make the instruction of each story component highly
interactive, with clear teacher demonstration and use of examples. 'Think
aloud' as you read through a story with the class to illustrate to students how
you arrive at your conclusions. Elicit student discussion about the story. As
you fill out sections of the Advanced
Story Map Worksheet on the
overhead, have students write responses on their own copies of the worksheet.
Step 3: Error
Correction: When students commit errors, direct them to the appropriate section
of the narrative to reread it for the correct answer. Use guiding questions and
modeling as necessary to help students to come up with an appropriate response.
Step 4: After
students have been introduced to the key Story Grammar elements, the group is
now ready to use the Grammar to analyze a sample narrative passage. Have
students read independently through a story. Pause at pre-determined points to
ask the group key questions (e.g., "Who is the main character? What is she
like?"). After discussion, encourage students to write their answers on
the Advanced Story Map
Worksheet while you fill out
the same worksheet as an overhead. Give specific praise to students for
appropriately identifying Story Grammar elements.
Step 5: When
students are able to use the Story Grammar independently, have them read
through selected stories and complete the Advanced
Story Map Worksheet on their
own. Check students' responses and conference individually with those students
requiring additional guidance and support.
Troubleshooting:
Students do not seem motivated to use the Story Grammar framework. To make a Story Grammar
analysis more inviting, consider screening a video of a popular movie or
television program. At key points, stop the tape, have students complete
relevant sections of the Advanced Story Map Worksheet, and discuss the results.
This exercise can be highly motivating and also makes clear to students that a
Story Grammar is a universal tool that helps us understand narratives presented
in any medium.
Some students do not appear to be successful in using the Story Grammar
independently. Pull
aside individuals or small groups of students who might be having similar
problems mastering the Story Grammar. As you read together through a story,
have students "think aloud" the strategies that they follow to
identify Story Grammar elements. If you discover that a student is using a
faulty approach (e.g., rotely selecting the first character named in the story
as the main character) you can gently correct the student by modeling and
demonstrating more appropriate strategies.
References
Gardill, M.C. & Jitendra, A.K. (1999). Advanced story map instruction: Effects on the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 28, 2-17.
Anticipation Reading
Guide (Duffelmeyer, 1994; Merkley, 1996)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
To activate their prior knowledge of a topic, students complete a
brief questionnaire on which they must express agreement or disagreement with
'opinion' questions tied to the selection to be read; students then engage in a
class discussion of their responses.
The instructor first constructs the questionnaire. Each item on
the questionnaire is linked to the content of the article or story that the
students will read. All questionnaire items use a 'forced-choice' format in
which the student must simply agree or disagree with the item. After students
have completed the questionnaire, the teacher reviews responses with the class,
allowing students an opportunity to explain their rationale for their answers.
Then students read the article or story.
References
Duffelmeyer, F.A. (1994). Effective anticipation guide statements
for learning from expository prose. Journal of
Merkley, D.J. (1996). Modified anticipation guide. Reading
Teacher, 50, 365-368.
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
Building Comprehension of Textbook
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Students grasp a greater amount of content from their textbook
readings when they use the highly structured SQ3R ('Survey, Question, Read,
Recite, Review') process.
(1) SURVEY: Prior to reading a section of the
textbook, the reader surveys the selection by examining charts, tables, or
pictures, looking over chapter headings and subheadings, and reading any
individual words or blocks of text highlighted by the publisher. (2) QUESTION:
In preparation for reading, the reader next generates and writes down a series
of key 'questions' about the content based on the material that he or she has
surveyed. (3) READ: As the reader reads through the selection, he or she seeks
answers to the questions posed. (4) RECITE: After finishing the selection, the
reader attempts to recite from memory the answers to the questions posed. If
stuck on a question, the reader scans the text to find the answer. (5) REVIEW:
At the end of a study session, the reader reviews the list of key questions and
again recites the answers. If the reader is unable to recall an answer, he or
she goes back to the text to find it.
References
Robinson, F. P. (1946). Effective study.
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
Conversing With the
Writer Through Text Annotation (Harris, 1990; Sarkisian, Toscano, Tomkins-Tinch, & Casey,
2003)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Students are likely to increase their retention of information
when they interact actively with their reading by jotting comments in the
margin of the text.
Students are taught to engage in an ongoing
'conversation' with the writer by recording a running series of brief comments
in the margins of the text. Students may write annotations to record their
opinions of points raised by the writer, questions triggered by the reading, or
vocabulary words that the reader does not know and must look up. NOTE: Because
this strategy requires that students write in the margins of a book or
periodical, text annotation is suitable for courses in which students have
either purchased the textbook or have photocopies of the reading available on
which to write.
References
Harris, Jane (1990). Text annotation and underlining as
metacognitive strategies to improve comprehension and retention of expository
text. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference
(
Sarkisian V., Toscano, M., Tomkins-Tinch, K., & Casey, K.
(2003). Reading strategies and critical thinking. Retrieved October 15, 2006,
from http://www.academic.marist.edu/alcuin/ssk/stratthink.html
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
Mining Information from
the Text Book (Garner, Hare, Alexander, Haynes, & Vinograd, 1984)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
With ‘text lookback’ the student increases recall of information
by skimming previously read material in the text in a structured manner to look
that information up.
First, define for the student the difference
between ‘lookback’ and ‘think’ questions. ‘Lookback’ questions are those that
tell us that the answer can be found right in the article, while ‘think’
questions are those that ask you to give your own opinion, belief, or ideas.
When faced with a lookback question, readers may need to look back in the
article to find the information that they need. But readers can save time by
first skimming the article to get to the general section where the answer to
the question is probably located. To skim efficiently, the student should (1)
read the text-lookback question carefully and highlight the section that tells
the reader what to look for (e.g., “What does the article say are the FIVE MOST
ENDANGERED SPECIES of whales today?”), (2) look for titles, headings, or
illustrations in the article that might tell the reader where the information
that he or she is looking for is probably located, (3) read the beginning and
end sentences in individual paragraphs to see if that paragraph might contain
the desired information.
References
Garner, R., Hare, V.C., Alexander, P., Haynes, J., & Vinograd,
P. (1984). Inducing use of a text lookback strategy among unsuccessful readers.
American Educational Research Journal, 21, 789-798.
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
Previewing the Chapter (Gleason,
Archer, & Colvin, 2002)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
The student who systematically previews the contents of a chapter before
reading it increases comprehension--by creating a mental map of its contents,
activating prior knowledge about the topic, and actively forming predictions
about what he or she is about to read.
In the previewing technique, the student browses the chapter
headings and subheadings. The reader also studies any important graphics and
looks over review questions at the conclusion of the chapter. Only then does
the student begin reading the selection.
References
Gleason, M. M., Archer, A. L., & Colvin, G. (2002).
Interventions for improving study skills. In M. A. Shinn, H. M. Walker & G.
Stoner (Eds.), Interventions for academic and behavior problems II: Preventive
and remedial approaches (pp.651-680).
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
Question-Answer Relationships (QAR) (Raphael, 1982; Raphael, 1986)
School-Based Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Students are taught to identify 'question-answer relationships',
matching the appropriate strategy to comprehension questions based on whether a
question is based on fact, requires inferential thinking, or draws upon the
reader's own experience.
Students learn that answers to RIGHT THERE
questions are fact-based and can be found in a single sentence, often
accompanied by 'clue' words that also appear in the question. Students are
informed that they will also find answers to THINK AND SEARCH questions in the
text--but must piece those answers together by scanning the text and making
connections between different pieces of factual information. AUTHOR AND YOU
questions require that students take information or opinions that appear in the
text and combine them with the reader's own experiences or opinions to
formulate an answer. ON MY OWN questions are based on the students' own
experiences and do not require knowledge of the text to answer. Students are
taught to identify question-answer relationships in class discussion and
demonstration. They are then given specific questions and directed to identify
the question type and to use the appropriate strategy to answer.
References
Raphael, T. (1982). Question-answering strategies for children.
The
Raphael, T. (1986). Teaching question answer relationships,
revisited. The
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
Reading Actively (Gleason,
Archer, & Colvin, 2002)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
By reading, recalling, and reviewing the contents of every
paragraph, the student improves comprehension of the longer passage.
The instructor teaches students to first read through
the paragraph, paying particular attention to the topic and important details
and facts. The instructor then directs students to cover the paragraph and
state (or silently recall) the key details of the passage from memory. Finally,
the instructor prompts students to uncover the passage and read it again to see
how much of the information in the paragraph the student had been able to
accurately recall. This process is repeated with all paragraphs in the passage.
References
Gleason, M. M., Archer, A. L., & Colvin, G. (2002).
Interventions for improving study skills. In M. A. Shinn, H. M. Walker & G.
Stoner (Eds.), Interventions for academic and behavior problems II: Preventive
and remedial approaches (pp.651-680).
Copyright ©2008 Jim Wright
"Click or
Clunk?": A Student Comprehension Self-Check
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Students periodically check their understanding of sentences, paragraphs,
and pages of text as they read. When students encounter problems with vocabulary or comprehension, they
use a checklist to apply simple strategies to solve those reading difficulties.
Reserve at least a full instructional session to introduce this comprehension
strategy. (For effective-teaching tips, consult the guidelines presented in Introducing
Academic Strategies to Students: A Direct-Instruction Approach).
Materials:
- Overhead transparencies of practice reading passages
and My Reading Check
Sheet, transparency markers
- Student copies of practice reading passages (optional)
or reading/text books, My
Reading Check Sheet
Preparation:
- Prepare overheads of sample passages.
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: Tell
students that they will be learning ways to read more carefully. Hand out
student copies of My Reading Check Sheet.
Review all of the reading strategies on the student handout.
Instruct students that, during any reading assignment, when they come to:
- the end of each sentence, they
should ask the question, "Did I understand this sentence?" If
students understand the sentence, they say "Click!" and
continue reading. If they do not understand, they say "Clunk!"
and refer to the strategy sheet My
Reading Check Sheet to
correct the problem.
- the end of each paragraph, they
should ask the question, "What did the paragraph say?" If they
do not know the main idea(s) of the paragraph, students refer to the
strategy sheet My
Reading Check Sheet to
correct the problem.
- the end of each page, they should
ask the question, "What do I remember?" If they do not remember
sufficient information, students refer to the strategy sheet My Reading Check Sheet to correct the problem.
Read through a sample passage with the class. At the end of each sentence,
paragraph, and page, "think aloud" as you model use of the
comprehension checks. (As you read each sentence, be sure to call out
"Click!" when you and the class understand a sentence and
"Clunk!" when you do not.)
Step 2: When
students have learned to use the "Click or Clunk?" strategy, have
them use it in independent reading assignments.
References
Anderson, T. (1980). Study
strategies and adjunct aids. In R. J. Spiro, B. C. Bruce, & W. F. Brewer
(Eds.) Theoretical Issues in Reading
Comprehension, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Babbs, P. J. (1984). Monitoring cards help improve comprehension. The
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Text lookback is a simple strategy that students can use to boost their
recall of expository prose by looking back in the text for important
information.
Reserve several instructional sessions to introduce the steps in this
comprehension strategy. (For effective-teaching tips, consult the guidelines
presented in Introducing Academic Strategies to Students: A
Direct-Instruction Approach).
Materials:
- Overhead transparencies of short (100-200 word) passages from
expository text and teacher-prepared text and lookback/think questions,
transparency markers
- Student copies of expository text passages and text-lookback /think
questions
Preparation:
- Create at least 3 lookback questions and one think
question for each expository text passage selected
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: Introduce the text-lookback strategy by telling students that
people cannot always remember everything that they read. If we read an article
or book chapter, though, and are asked a 'fact' question about it that we
cannot answer, we can always look back in the article to find the information that
we need.
Step 2: Describe for the class
the difference between lookback and think questions. An example of an
explanation that you might use is:
"When we are asked questions about an article, sometimes the answer can
be found directly in the article and sometimes it cannot be found
directly."
"Lookback questions are those that tell us that the answer can be
found right in the article. For example, if a question uses phrases such as in
the article or in the author's words, these phrases would be clues that the
question is a lookup question and that we can find the answer in the
article."
"Think questions are those that ask you to give your own opinion,
beliefs, or ideas. Our answers to these questions are based on our own ideas or
thoughts about the topic. For example, if a question uses phrases such as in
your opinion or what do you think, these phrases would be clues that the
question is a think question and that the answer cannot be found in the
article."
Step 3: Read aloud through the sample expository passage. Then read the
series of 4 text-lookback/think questions to the class. As you read each
question, highlight for students the word clues that indicate whether the
question is a think or text-lookback question.
Step 4: Tell students that they must reread carefully to find the answer
to a text-lookback question. However, they can save time by first skimming the
article to get to the general section where the answer to the question is
probably located. To skim, the student should:
- read the text-lookback question carefully and
underline the section that tells the reader what to look for (e.g.,
"What does the article say are the five
most endangered species of whales today?").
- look for titles, headings, or illustrations in
the article that might tell the reader where the information that he or
she is looking for is probably located
- look at the beginning and end sentences in
individual paragraphs to see if that paragraph might contain the desired
information.
Step 5: "Thinking aloud", demonstrate for students how to skim
the example article to locate efficiently the answer to each text-lookback
question.
Step 6: Present additional example articles with text-lookback questions
and monitor student mastery of the technique. Assign students to use the
strategy independently when, under your supervision, they can distinguish
reliably between think and text-lookback questions and are able to find the
answers to text-lookback questions in the text.
Reference
Garner, R., Hare, V.C., Alexander, P., Haynes, J., & Vinograd, P. (1984). Inducing use of a text lookback strategy among unsuccessful readers. American Educational Research Journal, 21, 789-798.
Keywords: A Memorization
Strategy
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
In this mnemonic (memorization) technique, students select the central idea
of a passage and summarize it as a 'keyword'. Next, they recode the keyword as a mental picture and use
additional mental imagery to relate other important facts to the keyword. They
can then recall the keyword when needed, retrieving the related information.
Reserve at least a full instructional session to introduce this comprehension
strategy. (For effective-teaching tips, consult the guidelines presented in Introducing
Academic Strategies to Students: A Direct-Instruction Approach).
Materials:
- Overhead transparencies of sample
passages taken from expository texts, transparency markers
- Student copies of Memorizing
Facts: The Keyword Strategy and practice expository passages
(optional) or text books
Preparation:
- Prepare overheads of sample
expository passages.
- Review the procedures in the
worksheet Memorizing
Facts: The Keyword Strategy
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: Tell students that a good way to remember lots of facts is to use keywords. With the keyword approach, students:
- highlight important facts or ideas
in a passage
- write a "gist" sentence
that summarizes the highlighted ideas or facts
- select a 'keyword' that will help
them to recall a central idea about the article or passage.
- create a mental picture to remember
the keyword, and then
- add details to the mental picture
or create a story around the keyword to memorize additional facts or
ideas.
If you have younger students (e.g., 5th grade or below),
read through several sample passages with the group. Then display a drawing or
collage that represents your own representation of the passage's main ideas as
mental imagery. Using a "think-aloud" approach, explain the mental
imagery of the picture and show how it encapsulates the main facts of the
original passage. Show students how they can more easily recall facts using
this approach.
If you have older students (e.g., 6th grade or above),
read through several sample passages with the group. Write a description of the
mental imagery that you used to memorize the keyword and related facts. Using a
"think-aloud" approach, explain the mental imagery of your keyword
and related story and show how the imagery encapsulates the main facts of the
original passage. Show students how they can more easily recall facts using
this approach.
Step 2: Pair
students off and give them a sample passage. Assign each pair of students to:
- identify the main idea of the
passage
- write a "gist" sentence
to summarize the passage's main idea and related important facts
- select a keyword based on the main
idea
- write out a description (or draw a
picture) of the mental imagery that they will use to recall the main idea
and important facts of the passage.
Step 3: When
students are able to use the keyword strategy independently, have them use the
technique when reading through expository passages. Monitor students' use of
the method and their accuracy in recalling key facts. Conference individually
with those students needing additional guidance and support.
References
Levin, J.R., Levin, M.E.,
Glasman, L.D., & Nordwall, M.B. (1992). Mnemonic vocabulary instruction:
Additional effectiveness evidence. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 17,
156-174.
Levin, J.R., Shriberg, L.K., & Berry, J.K. (1983). A concrete strategy for
remembering abstract prose. American Educational Research Journal, 20, 277-290.
Peters, E.E. & Levin, J.R. (1986). Effects of a mnemonic imagery on good
and poor readers' prose recall. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 179-192.
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
This simple strategy teaches students to generate a graphic organizer containing the main ideas of an expository passage.
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Reserve at least a full instructional session to introduce this
comprehension strategy. (For effective-teaching tips, consult the guidelines
presented in Introducing
Academic Strategies to Students: A Direct-Instruction Approach).
Materials:
- Overhead transparencies of practice expository
passages, transparency markers
- Student copies of practice
expository passages (optional) or reading/text books, Main Idea
Graphic Organizer sheet or blank paper
Preparation:
- Prepare overheads of sample
passages.
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: Introduce
the strategy by telling students that we can draw pictures, or Main Idea Maps,
that help us to understand how the ideas of a multi-paragraph passage fit
together. Present these three steps for mapping out the main ideas of an
expository:
Locating the Main Ideas of Paragraphs. Read
through a short (2-6 paragraph) practice expository passage with students.
On a blank overhead transparency or chart paper, begin building a graphic
organizer by writing the title of the passage in the center. Draw a box around
the title. (If the passage has no title, query the class and make up a suitable
title based on their suggestions.) NOTE: Instead of drawing your own map, you
can use the pre-formatted Main Idea Graphic Organizer that is included with
this strategy.
Tell students that some paragraphs have summary sentences that state the main
idea or "gist" of the paragraph or passage. Other paragraphs have
implied main ideas, which the reader must figure out, based on key facts or
ideas that they contain.
Go through each paragraph in the practice passage and identify the
paragraph's main idea. Demonstrate how to summarize that main idea as a single,
succinct phrase.
Building the Main Idea Graphic Organizer. As
you summarize each paragraph's main idea, write the number of the paragraph and
main-idea summary phrase on the graphic organizer. (Start writing at the upper
left corner of the organizer sheet and continue clockwise around the page.
Space the summary phrases to allow space to write under each. See the sample
"Main Idea Graphic Organizer.").
Adding Key Facts. When you
have written the main idea for all of the paragraphs onto the graphic
organizer, return to the passage. For each paragraph, pull out 2-3 important
facts, ideas, or supporting details. On the graphic organizer, write these key
pieces of additional information under the main-idea phrase for that paragraph.
Then draw a box around the main-idea and supporting details and move on to the
next paragraph.
Step 2: Practice Using the
Graphic Organizer as a Study Tool. Demonstrate how the completed Main Idea
Graphic Organizer can be a useful method to summarize and review the content of
expository passages. Give students new practice passages and have them create
their own graphic organizers. Provide feedback and encouragement as needed.
References
Berkowitz, S.J. (1986).
Effects of instruction in text organization on sixth-grade students' memory for
expository reading. Reading
Research Quarterly, 21, 161-178.
Mental
Imagery: Improving Text Recall
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
By constructing "mental pictures" of what they are reading and closely studying text illustrations, students increase their reading comprehension.
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Reserve at least a full instructional session to introduce this comprehension
strategy. (For effective-teaching tips, consult the guidelines presented in Introducing
Academic Strategies to Students: A Direct-Instruction Approach).
Materials:
- Overhead transparencies of sample
passages taken from expository or narrative texts, transparency markers
- Student copies of practice
expository or narrative passages (optional) or reading/text books
Preparation:
- Prepare overheads of sample
expository or narrative passages.
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: Tell students that they can remember more of what they read by:
- making pictures in their mind of what they are reading
- carefully studying pictures or illustrations that appear
in their reading or text books
Step 2: Using a
"think-aloud" approach, read through a short sample narrative or
expository passage. Pause at several points to tell the class what "mental
pictures" come to your mind as you read; ask students to describe their
own mental imagery as they react to the same passage. As you come across
pictures or illustrations in the passage, study them and reflect aloud on what
clues they give you about the passage's meaning.
Step 3: Read aloud from
additional passages. Stop at key points in the passage and call on students to
relate their mental imagery evoked by the passage or to give their
interpretation of the significance of illustrations or pictures.
Step 4: When students are
able to use mental imagery independently, use a prompt at the start of reading
assignments to cue them to use the strategy. You might say, for example,
"Now we are going to read about what life is like in a country village in
References
Gambrell, L.B. & Bales,
R.B. (1986). Mental imagery and the comprehension-monitoring performance of
fourth- and fifth-grade poor readers. Reading
Research Quarterly, 21, 454-464.
Gambrell, L.B. & Jawitz, P.B. (1993). Mental imagery, text illustrations,
and children's story comprehension and recall. Reading Research Quarterly, 23,
265-273.
School-Based Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
This intervention builds student motivation and interest by having them
participate along with the teacher in repeated public readings of a story across several
days. Throughout the process, the entire class discusses the work as
literature.
Reserve several instructional sessions to introduce the steps in this
comprehension strategy. (For effective-teaching tips, consult the guidelines
presented in Introducing
Academic Strategies
to Students: A Direct-Instruction Approach).
Materials:
- Teacher and student copies of
reading series or literature books
Preparation:
- Select and become familiar with a
story to be read by the class across multiple days.
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: On day 1, introduce the story, giving general information about the characters, setting, and plot. Engage students in a discussion about what they predict might happen in the story.
Read the entire story aloud to the class while
students follow along in their own books. Read in an expressive manner (e.g.,
using a dramatic voice to emphasize dire or urgent situations, changing
inflection and tone of voice to reflect the dialog of various characters,
etc.). Stop periodically in your reading to ask reaction questions ("How
do you feel about the predicament that Mr. Blaha finds himself in? Has anything
like that ever happened to you?") and prediction questions ("OK, we
know that Mr. Blaha is in trouble because he is lost in the cave with no
flashlight. What do you think he will do next?").
At the conclusion of the story, discuss its narrative elements with the class.
For example, you might ask students to:
- describe the personality of the
main character
- talk about other important
characters in the story and their foibles or qualities
- give details about the time and
setting of the story
- pinpoint the central problem(s) or
challenge(s) that the main character faces
- describe how the main character
responded to various plot developments
- decide what overarching theme or
lesson the story might convey.
Wrap up the lesson by summarizing the story. Be sure to fold into your summary key points that came up in class discussion. Use this opportunity to highlight and define new vocabulary that appeared in the story.
Step 2: On day 2, give
a thumbnail review of the story that you read to the class on Day 1.
Inform students that in this session they will have the chance to practice
reading the story aloud. Their goal is to read selections from the story with
fluency, and feeling.
Read an opening passage from the story. As you read, stop occasionally to point
out to students how you use expressive qualities of your voice to make the
story "come alive."
Read another short passage. Then direct the entire class to read the same
passage aloud. Next, select a single student to read the passage, directing him
or her to use an expressive voice. If the student reader has difficulty, model
by reading the passage aloud again. At the end of the student's reading, gently
correct any reading mistakes that interfere with the story's meaning and praise
the student. Ask other students to read additional passages aloud as time
allows.
Assign each student in the class a short passage from the story that they will
be responsible for reading aloud at the next session. (Day 3). Allow them time
to practice their passage (or assign as homework).
Step 3: On day 3, read an
introductory passage from the story aloud, again with expression. As you come
to a passage assigned to a student, ask that student to read his or her section
aloud. Provide supportive feedback to the student about his or her performance
and ask other students to comment on the reading as well. Continue through the
story until all students have read their assigned selections.
References
Hoffman, J.R. (1987).
Rethinking the role of oral reading in basal instruction. The Elementary School Journal,
87, 367-373.
Reutzel, D.R. & Hollingsworth, P.M. (1993). Effects of fluency training on
second graders' reading comprehension. Journal
of Educational Research, 86, 325-331.
Prior Knowledge:
Activating the 'Known'
School-Based Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Through a series of guided questions, the instructor helps students activate
their prior knowledge of a specific topic to help them comprehend the content of a story
or article on the same topic. Linking new facts to prior knowledge increases a
student's inferential comprehension (ability to place novel information in a
meaningful context by comparing it to already-learned information).
Reserve at least a full instructional session to introduce this comprehension
strategy. (For effective-teaching tips, consult the guidelines presented in Introducing
Academic Strategies to Students: A Direct-Instruction Approach).
Materials:
- Overhead transparencies of practice
reading passages and sample Text Prediction questions, transparency
markers
- Student copies of practice reading
passages (optional) or reading/text books, blank paper and pencil or pen
Preparation:
- Prepare overheads of sample
passages.
- Locate 3 main ideas per passage
and-for each idea-develop a prior knowledge question and a prediction
question (see below).
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: Introduce this strategy to the class:
Explain the Benefit of Using Prior Knowledge to
Understand a
Demonstrate the Text Prediction Strategy. Select a sample passage and use a
"think-aloud" approach to show students how to use the
text-prediction strategy. (Note: To illustrate how the strategy is used, this
intervention script uses the attached example,Attending
- "The
article that we are going to read describes how different the writing
system used in Japanese schools is from our own writing system" [A
main idea from the passage].
- "What
are your own attitudes and experiences about writing?" [prior
knowledge question] Answer this question aloud, and then encourage
students to respond.
- "What
do you think that the article will say about the Japanese writing
system?" [prediction question] Answer this question aloud, and then
seek student responses.
- "Now,
write down your own ideas about what you think the article will say about
the Japanese writing system." [student written response] As students
write their own responses, model for them by writing out your answer to
the question on the overhead transparency.
School-Based Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
- Overhead
transparencies of practice reading passages, transparency markers
- Student
copies of practice reading passages (optional) or reading/text books
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Step 1: Introduce this strategy to the class:
- Locating
Explicit Main Idea: Tell students that some passages have summary sentences that
state the main idea or "gist" of the paragraph or passage.
Using examples of passages with explicit main ideas, train students to
identify and underline main-idea sentences.
- Finding
Key Facts. In some
passages, the main idea is implied rather than explicitly stated. Readers
must first identify the key facts or ideas of the passage before they can
summarize the passage's main idea. Using examples of passages with
implied main ideas, locate and circle key facts or ideas. Describe to
students how you distinguished this central information from less
important details. Have students practice this skill on additional
practice passages.
- Writing
a "Gist" Sentence. Show students a passage with an implied main idea. Circle all key
ideas or facts. Demonstrate how to write a "gist" sentence (one
that is built from the identified key ideas and summarizes the
paragraph's main idea). Emphasize that the reader may have link
information from different sections of the passage to build a gist
sentence. Have students practice this skill on additional practice
passages.
- Generating
Questions. Tell students that careful readers often
construct questions about what they are reading to help them learn. Put
up a list of 'signal words' that can be used as question-starters: e.g.,
who, what, where, when, why, how. Using sample passages, show students
how to convert explicit main-idea sentences or reader-created
"gist" sentences into questions. Point out that these questions
can be a good study tool because they are linked to answers that the
student has already located in the passage.
Reciprocal Teaching: A Reading Comprehension Package
School-Based Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
- Overhead
transparencies of practice reading passages, transparency markers
- Student
copies of Be a Careful Reader!: Four
Strategies to Better Understand What You Are Reading, Reciprocal Teaching Strategies
Worksheet, and practice reading passages (optional)
or reading/text books
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
- Day
1: Prediction,
- Day
2: Summarization ("list main ideas"),
- Day
3: Question Generation,
- Day
4: Clarifying.
Listening,
Reading, And Receiving Corrective Feedback (Rose
& Sherry, 1984; Van Bon, Boksebeld, Font Freide, & Van den Hurk, J.M.,
1991)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Paired
Reading (Topping,
1987)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Repeated
Reading (Herman,
1985; Rashotte & Torgesen, 1985; Rasinski, 1990)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Kids as Reading Helpers: A Peer Tutor
Training Manual
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
- selecting
peer tutoring activities that supplement classroom instruction. Peer tutors are not reading teachers, so they do
not teach new reading skills. However, peer tutors are ideal for the role
of 'reading helpers', who motivate and encourage struggling readers to
practice reading skills that were previously taught. Just as important,
the tutor can give immediate corrective feedback whenever the child being
tutored makes a reading error.
- providing
thorough training to peer tutors in the essential elements of the tutoring
process. Peer tutors cannot carry out the key components
of their tutoring assignment unless they have been carefully trained
beforehand. Schools organizing a peer tutor training should assume that
tutors require lessons in behavioral expectations (e.g., how to move
politely and respectfully through the hallway to and from tutoring
sessions), use of praise (e.g., congratulating the tutee on having read a
difficult passage), and simple academic intervention strategies (e.g.,
paired reading).
- ensuring
that peer tutors have mastered the essentials of tutoring before allowing
them to meet with their tutees. When training tutors, schools should give them
opportunities to practice, and to demonstrate their mastery of, the
various skills taught. Trainers can exercise their imaginations to come up
with fun ways that tutors can practice skills under the watchful eye of
the trainer. Group responding, pairing off students to complete
cooperative learning activities, and use of role-play are only some of the
strategies that students can be invited to 'show what they know'.
- adopting
research-based treatments to improve the reading skills of tutees.Peer tutors can be especially useful in helping
their tutees to develop fluency in reading. The peer-tutoring program
outlined in this manual trains tutors to use either paired reading
(Topping, 1987) or 'listening while reading'. Both approaches are simple
rehearsal techniques with corrective feedback that have been shown to
increase reading fluency.
The importance of reading fluency to literacy skills was underscored in the recent report issued by the National Reading Panel (2000). In a comprehensive review of effective techniques for teaching students to read, the NRP concluded that "classroom practices that encourage repeated oral reading with feedback and guidance leads to meaningful improvements in reading expertise for students-for good readers as well as those who are experiencing difficulties (NRP, 2000, p.3-3). - conducting
periodic 'tutoring integrity checks'. The active treatment components of most peer
tutoring programs consist of (1) activities that give the tutee lots of
opportunities to practice targeted academic skills. (2) praise, and (3)
the timely use of corrective feedback. Adults who supervise peer tutors
should occasionally drop in to observe tutoring session, using a
structured 'integrity checklist' to rate the quality of the tutoring.
These periodic integrity checks can inform the supervisor of any tutors
who are lapsing from the prescribed tutoring format and need additional
'refresher' training to improve their tutoring skills.
- monitoring
the effectiveness of peer tutoring. The purpose of peer tutoring is to improve the reading skills of
tutees and tutors alike. Schools should select academic measures to use to
track students' reading levels both before tutoring begins (baseline) and
during the tutoring program (ongoing progress monitoring). An ideal,
research-based method for tracking student growth in reading fluency is
Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM). CBM is an ideal measure for peer
tutoring programs and can be used to monitor reading growth in both tutors
and tutees. For a free online manual with guidelines on how to use CBM,
view Curriculum-Based Measurement: A
Manual for Teachers (Wright, 1992).
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Steps in Implementing This Intervention:
Drilling
Error Words (Jenkins & Larson, 1979)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Tackling
Multi-Syllabic Words (Gleason, Archer, & Colvin, 2002)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Teach
a Hierarchy of Strategies (Haring, Lovitt, Eaton & Hansen, 1978)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
SMART - Start Making a Reader Today
(Volunteer tutoring program for at-risk
readers in early elementary school)
Click here for the SMART website.
PALS
(Peer
Assisted Learning Strategies)
High
School PALS has only been validated in special
education and remedial settings.
Program:
PALS (Peer Assisted Learning Strategies)
Publisher/Source:
Vanderbilt University
Educational
level: K, 1, 2-6, 7-12
5. Modeling
fluent reading by teacher model.
Source/Publisher:
Pearson Learning
Educational
Level: 2nd – 4th
grade and remedial 5th – 7th
Educational
Level: 2nd – 4th
grade and remedial 5th – 7th
REWARDS
(Reading Excellence: Word Attack and Rate Development Strategies)
Program:
REWARDS (Reading Excellence: Word Attack and Rate Development Strate3gies)
Tutoring with the Lindamood Phonemic
Sequencing Reading Curriculum
(An
intervention for at-risk readers in grades K-2)
Click here for the
curriculum's website.
Teaching
Phonemic Awareness: Phonemic Awareness programs and materials
Phonemic Awareness materials should:
The
Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing® Program
Strategies
for Phonemic/Phonological Awareness Instruction
Encourage
Students to Draw to Clarify Understanding
(Van Essen & Hamaker, 1990)
Materials: Math worksheet containing at
least six word problems.
Math
Vocabulary: Preteach, Model, and Use Standard Math Terms
Materials: key math vocabulary
Improving
Performance Through a 4-Step Problem-Solving Approach (Pólya, 1957; Williams, 2003)
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
Materials: 4-step plan – Understand the
problem, Devise a plan, Carry out the plan, Look back
Using
Question-Answer Relationships (QARs) to Interpret Math Graphics
School-Based
Intervention Idea from www.interventioncentral.org
- RIGHT
THERE questions are fact-based and can be found in a single sentence,
often accompanied by 'clue' words that also appear in the question.
- THINK
AND SEARCH questions can be answered by information in the text--but
require the scanning of text and the making of connections between
disparate pieces of factual information found in different sections of the
reading.
- AUTHOR
AND YOU questions require that students take information or opinions that
appear in the text and combine them with the reader's own experiences or
opinions to formulate an answer.
- ON
MY OWN questions are based on the students' own experiences and do not
require knowledge of the text to answer.
·
Examples
of different types of graphics.
·
Series
of data questions and correct answers.
Raphael,
T. (1982). Question-answering strategies for children. The Reading Teacher, 36,
186-190.
- Distinguishing
Among Different Kinds of Graphics
Students are first taught to differentiate between five common types of math graphics: table (grid with information contained in cells), chart (boxes with possible connecting lines or arrows), picture (figure with labels), line graph, bar graph.
Students note significant differences between the various types of graphics, while the teacher records those observations on a wall chart. Next students are shown examples of graphics and directed to identify the general graphic type (table, chart, picture, line graph, bar graph) that each sample represents.
As homework, students are assigned to go on a 'graphics hunt', locating graphics in magazines and newspapers, labeling them, and bringing them to class to review. - Interpreting
Information in Graphics
3. Linking the Use of Question-Answer Relations (QARs) to Graphics
4. Using Question-Answer Relationships (QARs) Independently to Interpret Math Graphics
Raphael,
T. (1982). Question-answering strategies for children. The Reading Teacher, 36,
186-190.