2017 07 21 memb resource Reciprocal reading
Reciprocal reading: how to structure and run a session A National Literacy Trust membership resource Reciprocal reading is a guided reading comprehension strategy, designed to develop the four skills that effective readers use and apply automatically in response to what they are reading. Students work in groups of four or five with a common/shared text to co-construct meaning. In reciprocal reading sessions, students read a text together, pausing to use the four explicit strategies for comprehension. The students take on roles related to the strategies:
Predictor –Encourages those in the group to make logical predictions and use information from their wider knowledge and personal experiences to predict what will be in the text Clarifier – Clarifies (or asks for clarification about) ideas and information in the text. Helps the group to identify problematic or confusing words, sentences and ideas. Encourages the group to reach a shared understanding of the text Questioner –Asks questions which encourage full understanding of the text; allows the group to analyse the text and helps them to evaluate the text and its effectiveness/impact Summariser – Helps the group to identify the most important ideas in the text using identified summarising strategies
Reciprocal reading works by:
Engaging every student in problem solving and discussion of the text Following a framework to support active participation and scaffold learners Encouraging students to transfer specific reading strategies to independent reading of new texts
Allocating Roles: When introducing the strategy for the first time, the teacher should allocate roles directly to students.
Each student is given an individual role, but the whole group should contribute during each of the sections If a leader role is allocated, the leader should ensure that all students participate at all times Prompt cards/bookmarks are useful reminders of the requirements of each role and the kinds of questions to ask
All text © The National Literacy Trust 2017 T: 020 7587 1842 W: www.literacytrust.org.uk Twitter: @Literacy_Trust Facebook: nationalliteracytrust The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260 and a company limited by guarantee no. 5836486 registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in Scotland no. SC042944. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL
Once pupils are familiar with the process, they could be given a choice of roles. If this reading strategy is used regularly, students should become familiar with the roles very quickly. The more often they participate, the better they will become in adopting each role.
Teacher modelling and support: The first time reciprocal reading is undertaken, students will need detailed guidance and modelling by the teacher. The teacher can demonstrate each strategy by reading a text aloud and then show how they would lead, predict, question, summarise and clarify. Modelling these roles will also involve modelling the language that students will need to use in discussion with their group. The students then copy the modelled process in their groups. Once they are comfortable with this, they should be able to work independently of the teacher. This allows the teacher to move around and support a targeted group during a lesson, confident that the other groups of students are developing a deep understanding of the text. At the end of the session, the teacher can lead a whole class discussion about the text that is based on the findings of each group, to check understanding and ensure that all learners have met the success criteria.
All text © The National Literacy Trust 2017
Predictor –Encourages those in the group to make logical predictions and use information from their wider knowledge and personal experiences to predict what will be in the text Clarifier – Clarifies (or asks for clarification about) ideas and information in the text. Helps the group to identify problematic or confusing words, sentences and ideas. Encourages the group to reach a shared understanding of the text Questioner –Asks questions which encourage full understanding of the text; allows the group to analyse the text and helps them to evaluate the text and its effectiveness/impact Summariser – Helps the group to identify the most important ideas in the text using identified summarising strategies
Reciprocal reading works by:
Engaging every student in problem solving and discussion of the text Following a framework to support active participation and scaffold learners Encouraging students to transfer specific reading strategies to independent reading of new texts
Allocating Roles: When introducing the strategy for the first time, the teacher should allocate roles directly to students.
Each student is given an individual role, but the whole group should contribute during each of the sections If a leader role is allocated, the leader should ensure that all students participate at all times Prompt cards/bookmarks are useful reminders of the requirements of each role and the kinds of questions to ask
All text © The National Literacy Trust 2017 T: 020 7587 1842 W: www.literacytrust.org.uk Twitter: @Literacy_Trust Facebook: nationalliteracytrust The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260 and a company limited by guarantee no. 5836486 registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in Scotland no. SC042944. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL
Once pupils are familiar with the process, they could be given a choice of roles. If this reading strategy is used regularly, students should become familiar with the roles very quickly. The more often they participate, the better they will become in adopting each role.
Teacher modelling and support: The first time reciprocal reading is undertaken, students will need detailed guidance and modelling by the teacher. The teacher can demonstrate each strategy by reading a text aloud and then show how they would lead, predict, question, summarise and clarify. Modelling these roles will also involve modelling the language that students will need to use in discussion with their group. The students then copy the modelled process in their groups. Once they are comfortable with this, they should be able to work independently of the teacher. This allows the teacher to move around and support a targeted group during a lesson, confident that the other groups of students are developing a deep understanding of the text. At the end of the session, the teacher can lead a whole class discussion about the text that is based on the findings of each group, to check understanding and ensure that all learners have met the success criteria.
All text © The National Literacy Trust 2017
