Strategies Together
Educator Definition:
Readers combine strategies as needed to come to a fuller understanding of text. Strategies interact with each other, overlap, and are recursive. They are not "stand alones."
Readers combine strategies as needed to come to a fuller understanding of text. Strategies interact with each other, overlap, and are recursive. They are not "stand alones."
Student Definition:
Use strategies together to understand what I read.
Students use an eyedropper of magic fluid to make invisible ink on a page visible in this activity. Since they do not have enough fluid to reveal the entire text, they must
actively use the comprehension strategies together to understand the passage in such depth that they can make predictions about the rest of the text. They type and draw to fill in the missing parts
and complete the text.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
This activity meets the following grade 3 Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts:
Print Version (PDF)
Foundational Skills
Phonics and Word Recognition
3.RF.3
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
- Decode multisyllable words.
Fluency
3.RF.4
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
- Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
- Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Literature
Key Ideas and Details
3.RL.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Craft and Structure
3.RL.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.
3.RL.5
Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part
builds on earlier sections.
3.RL.6
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
3.RL.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
3.RL.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently
and proficiently.
Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details
3.RI.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Craft and Structure
3.RI.6
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
3.RI.7
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
3.RI.8
Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
3.RI.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
Writing
Production and Distribution of Writing
3.W.6
With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
Language
Conventions of Standard English
3.L.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
- Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
3.L.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
3.L.5
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
- Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).
- Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful).
Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration
3.SL.2
Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Download these short, lesson plans to practice the strategy.
Strategies Together Booklist
Ada, Alma Flor. My Name Is María Isabel. Illustrated by K. Dyble Thompson. Atheneum, 1998. 56 pages
Arnold, Caroline. Birds: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines. Illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne. Charlesbridge, 2003. 32 pages
Ahlberg, Alan. The Cat Who Got Carried Away. Illustrated by Catherine McEwan. Candlewick, 2003. 79 pages
Bechtold, Lisze. Buster, The Very Shy Dog. Houghton Mifflin, 1999. 48 pages
Browne, Anthony. Voices in the Park. DK, 1998. 32 pages
Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses. Illustrated by Bruce Degen. Scholastic Press, 1999. 48 pages
French, Vivian. T. Rex. Illustrated by Allison Bartlett. Candlewick, 2004. 32 pages
Gerstein, Mordicai. What Charlie Heard. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002, 32 pages
Lester, Julius. John Henry. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Dial, 1994. 40 pages
Look, Lenore. Ruby Lu, Brave and True. Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Atheneum, 2004. 105 pages
Macaulay, David. Black and White. Houghton Mifflin, 1990. 32 pages
Sís, Peter. The Three Golden Keys. Doubleday, 1994. 56 pages
Sobol, Richard. Adelina's Whales. Dutton, 2003. 32 pages
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Indian Shoes. Illustrated by Jim Madsen. HarperCollins, 2002. 66 pages
Williams, Vera B. Scooter. Greenwillow, 1993. 147 pages
Into the Book has nine 15-minute educational videos that help teach children how to use eight different reading strategies.
In this episode, Mrs. Pingel's students demonstrate their expertise with learning comprehension strategies during small group book discussions. Persuaded that they are now strategic readers, Mrs. Pingel herself leads the whole class into her own version of Hansel and Gretel for a surprise finale to the series. The students demonstrate their proficiency with the strategies by rescuing a theatre performance from disaster.
Watch the Full Video
Video Clips
Practice using Strategies Together
Apply the Strategy
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Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin Extension
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin Extension