Research
1. Barth, A. E., & Elleman, A. (2017). Evaluating the impact of a multi-strategy inference intervention for middle-grade struggling readers. Language, Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 48(1), 31–41. doi: 10.1044/2016_LSHSS-16-0041
Summary: This study examines the effectiveness of multiple inference intervention strategies that were designed to increase inference-making and reading comprehension for struggling readers. The study focused on using text clues, activating and integrating prior knowledge, understanding character and author's purpose, and responding to inference questions. Details and lesson examples are available in the Appendix.
2. Olson, C.B., Land, R., Anselmi,T, & AuBuchon, C. (2010). Teaching secondary English learners to understand, analyze, and write interpretive essays about theme. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(4), 245–256. doi:10.1598/JA AL.54.4.2
Summary: This study reveals the results of a collaborative project with the California Writing Project and large, urban, low‐SES school districts where 93% of the students speak English as a second language and 69% are designated Limited English Proficient. The article describes a longitudinal study related to the impact of ongoing professional development centered on strategies used to teach students to comprehend, analyze, and write interpretive essays about themes. Students showed significant improvement in comprehending and analyzing themes.