| The structure of a text is a key to | | | | familiar plot structure of stories, tends to be |
| comprehension. Good readers "naturally" recognize | | | | relatively easy for students to grasp, graphic |
| and respond to cues about the nature of a text | | | | organizers such as story maps may help students |
| and adjust comprehension strategies | | | | keep track of characters, settings, and other |
| accordingly—most of the time without even | | | | information. |
| realizing they are doing so. This may work well | | | | Initially, during the direct instruction and modeling |
| for them, but invisible acts are not useful for | | | | phases of lessons, teachers do most of the work. |
| struggling readers or for teachers who wish to | | | | As students become more proficient, teachers |
| assist them. In fact, identifying and explicitly | | | | progressively expect students to identify and |
| applying comprehension strategies helps all readers | | | | analyze text structures independently. This |
| because even skilled readers benefit from | | | | approach is known as the cheap d&g jewelry |
| understanding the met cognitive processes that | | | | "Gradual Release of Responsibility" framework |
| they are spontaneously using to comprehend | | | | described by Harvey and Goudvis as a |
| texts. | | | | combination of modeling and guided practice that |
| Students may know that reading their biology | | | | requires a "delicate balance" between releasing |
| textbook is more difficult than reading Of Mice | | | | responsibility too soon—resulting in |
| and Men, but they may not understand Like | | | | frustration—and providing excessive |
| talented athletes, we probably became fluent | | | | instruction—resulting in boredom and |
| readers and writers almost effortlessly, our skills | | | | disengagement. Harvey and Goudvis identify five |
| fostered by our passion for the Replica Cartier | | | | phases of the Gradual Release of Responsibility |
| Jewelry worlds we discovered and created | | | | model: 1. Teacher modeling 2. Guided practice 3. |
| through language. Why; they are unlikely to | | | | Collaborative practice 4. Independent practice 5. |
| recognize features of the text structure that | | | | Application of the strategy in authentic reading |
| change their experiences of reading. In Strategies | | | | situations |
| That Work; Teaching Comprehension for | | | | Harvey and Goudvis emphasize the point that |
| Understanding and Engagement, Stephanie Harvey | | | | teacher modeling should be brief and clear; the |
| and Anne Goudvis explain that Poetry has its | | | | preponderance of instructional time should be |
| white space, fiction its characters, and nonfiction | | | | devoted to students' practicing strategies as |
| its bold print. In fact, every literary genre or form | | | | teachers guide them through the process, |
| has certain features that define it. When we | | | | constantly providing assistance, assessing |
| explore fiction, we teach our students about | | | | progress, and modifying instruction. The crux of |
| character, setting, problem and solution. When we | | | | the gradual release of responsibility model is that |
| investigate nonfiction, we share expository text | | | | metacognition shifts from teacher-directed to |
| structures, such as "compare and contrast" and | | | | student-directed. Initially, teachers provide explicit |
| "cause and effect." We teach visual and text | | | | instruction and supervise guided practice. Text |
| features so that students will have the | | | | structure and comprehension strategies are |
| background knowledge to better comprehend a | | | | explicitly taught, just like any other content, and |
| specific genre or form when they read and write. | | | | students are held accountable (through formative |
| In short, Harvey and Goudvis use research about | | | | and summative assessments) for their use of |
| what good readers do intuitively to recommend | | | | comprehension strategies as much as they are |
| that teachers explicate text structures and | | | | for their knowledge of content. After |
| provide strategies to help students engage with | | | | assessments indicate that students are capable of |
| different types of texts. Graphic organizers can | | | | applying comprehension strategies independently, |
| be particularly valuable tools for facilitating text | | | | responsibility for doing so shifts to them. |
| comprehension. Even though narrative text, the | | | | |