2.
While Reading Stage:
Definition:
The while-reading stage is the core of the lesson, focusing on the actual reading of the text.
Students engage directly with the material, applying various strategies such as close reading,
annotation, and note-taking.
The while-reading stage is where students actively apply the reading strategies they’ve
learned. Explicitly teach and encourage the use of strategies such as skimming to get an
overview of the text, scanning to locate specific information, and making connections
between the text and their prior knowledge. Guided practice during this stage reinforces the
application of these strategies in real-time, enhancing comprehension and fostering
independent reading skills.
Importance:
This stage is crucial for developing active reading skills. Students learn to extract meaning,
identify main ideas, and comprehend details. Teachers can guide students through the text,
encouraging them to ask questions, make predictions, and connect new information with
their existing knowledge.
While-reading stage
As students transition from the preparatory phase of pre-reading to the heart of the reading
process, the while-reading stage takes center stage. This crucial phase involves the active
exploration of the text itself.
It is during this stage that readers apply specific strategies to comprehend, analyze, and
extract meaning from the material. The while-reading stage is a dynamic period of
interaction with the text, where students hone skills such as close reading, annotation, and
note-taking.
In this section, we will delve into the significance of the while-reading stage and explore how
educators can guide students to navigate and derive meaning from the text in real-time.
1. Choosing the Best Title:
Activity: Present students with multiple titles, and have them select the one that best
fits the text.
Implementation: Before reading, distribute the titles and ask students to make their
choice. After reading, discuss with the class why they chose their particular title and
whether it accurately represents the text’s content.
2. True or False:
Activity: Students determine whether statements are true or false based on the text,
providing justifications.
Implementation: Introduce statements related to the text’s content. Students read
the statements first. Then, they read and determine whether the statements are true
or false. Encourage students to justify their true or false responses using evidence
from the text. This helps students critically assess their comprehension.
3. Questions:
Activity: Students answer questions about the information in the text.
Implementation: Provide a set of questions that require students to extract
information from the text. They initially read the questions and subsequently try to
answer them while reading the text. This activity ensures students actively engage
with the material and understand key points.
4. Locating Referents:
Activity: Students identify what specific words (e.g., he, they, we) in the text refer to.
Implementation: While reading, ask students to underline or highlight pronouns in
the text and identify their antecedents. Discuss the significance of these referents in
understanding the text.
5. Information Transfer:
Activity: Students complete a chart with information from the text.
Implementation: Provide students with a chart template related to the text’s content.
As they read, they fill in the chart with information they gather from the text. This
helps students organize and synthesize the material.
6. Inferring Author’s Opinion:
Activity: Students choose the author’s opinion from a list of options.
Implementation: While reading, present students with a list of opinions, and ask
them to tick the one they believe best reflects the author’s viewpoint. Encourage
students to support their choice with text-based evidence.
7. Text Annotation:
Activity: Encourage students to annotate the text as they read by highlighting key
points, underlining details, and making margin notes.
Implementation: Provide guidelines for effective annotation, such as highlighting
main ideas, underlining unfamiliar vocabulary, and jotting down questions.
Annotation engages students actively with the text.
8. Character Analysis:
Activity: Students analyze the development of characters while reading and track
character traits, changes, and motivations.
Implementation: Assign students to track character development by providing
character profiles or templates. They update these profiles as they read, noting
changes and motivations.
9. Plot Mapping:
Activity: Students create visual plot representations using timelines, flowcharts, or
diagrams as they read.
Implementation: Before reading, introduce the concept of plot mapping. As students
read, they update their visual representations to reflect the sequence of events,
helping them understand the narrative structure.
10. Text Prediction:
Activity: At pivotal moments, students predict what will happen next in the text.
Implementation: Encourage students to pause and make predictions at key points in
the text. After reading, discuss whether their predictions were accurate, fostering
predictive reading skills.
11. Summarization:
Activity: At intervals during reading, students pause to summarize what they’ve read
in a sentence or two.
Implementation: Set designated points in the text where students pause and
summarize. Emphasize the importance of capturing key ideas and main points.
12. Compare and Contrast:
Activity: Students compare and contrast characters, themes, or events using Venn
diagrams or graphic organizers as they read.
Implementation: Provide graphic organizers and ask students to fill them in as they
read. This activity encourages critical thinking and analysis.
13. Peer Discussion:
Activity: At specific points in the text, students engage in peer discussions to share
thoughts, questions, or insights.
Implementation: Designate discussion points or questions that prompt student
conversations. Pair or group students for discussions that enhance understanding and
engagement.
