English Language Arts and Reading.3.6.A

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The student is expected to

establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts;

comprehension TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Comprehension skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

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.

When students establish purpose for reading, they set their goals, or intentions, for reading a particular text. They answer the question “Why am I reading this text?” In assigned texts, the purpose is usually established by the teacher or other adult: retell a story, write a book report, or compose an argumentative essay in response to a text. However, in self-selected texts, students must define for themselves the specific reason(s) to read a given text. For example, the purpose for reading a text might be to learn a new recipe, to be entertained, or to learn about an event or person.
texts that a student identifies and chooses to read for independent reading

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.