Knowledge and Skills Statement
Have students select a text for a specified purpose, such as a book report or reading for pleasure and explain the purpose for choosing a self-selected text.
Questions to Ask:
- What do you want to get from your reading experience with this text?
- Why are you reading today? (self-selected text)
- How does reading this text benefit me as a reader?
Further Explanation
For this assessment, students will self-select a text to read and will self-identify their purpose for reading. Students answer the question, why am I reading this text? This understanding is acquired through experience with choosing texts that tell a story, provide facts, explain a concept, and describe an experience.
Research
1. Scharlach, T. D. (2008). START comprehending: students and teachers actively reading text: the START framework can improve students' reading-comprehension achievement and instruction through the modeling and scaffolding of eight comprehension strategies during teacher read-aloud. The Reading Teacher, 62(1), 20+. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A185544333/PROF?u=tea&sid=PROF&xid=3a16e02a
Summary: This study included five third grade classrooms and examined classroom instruction designed to use scaffolded reading comprehension strategies. The study gave students the opportunity to select texts and emphasized the importance of self-selected texts for greater gains in reading comprehension.
2. Daniels, E., & Steres, M. (2011). Examining the effects of a school-wide reading culture on the engagement of middle school students. Research in Middle Level Education, 35(2), 1-13. Accessed online at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ951779.pdf
Summary: In this study, middle school educational leadership identifies reading as a priority. Students were given choice over what they read and time to read on their own. Student engagement increased because reading was a school priority, but creating time and space to read was meaningless for students who didn't have easy access to books at home. In response, teachers amassed books and created a reading network for students. The results were increased student engagement and the belief, among students, that reading mattered.