Responding to a comprehension question is a surprisingly complex task.
It draws on multiple skills: students must be able to read and analyze a
text passage; consider what aspect of the text the question addresses;
and then quickly and concisely write about their ideas, citing evidence
to support them. Hence the prominence of constructed-response questions
in standardized testing.
In this refreshingly clear and upbeat guide, literacy consultant Nancy
Boyles gives a step-by-step demonstration of how to help students
achieve success with this task--and in the process of unpacking the
steps involved, demonstrates how the instruction can inspire teachers'
creativity as well as deepen students' literacy skills.
Filled with ready-to-use scaffolds for every stage of instruction--sets
of sample questions, anchor charts, cue cards, answer frames--this is a
one-stop resource for teaching students how to organize their thoughts
about what they've read, and then set them down in writing.