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The Mosaic Group is a featured resource for literacy teachers. In addition to their email list, you will find many great tools and resources for classroom teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators. |
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To Understand List The "To Understand List" is a forum for discussing Ellin Keene's latest book To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension. The discussion is progressing chapter by chapter with approximately two weeks for each chapter.
Join the list. View the discussion archive. |
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OWL OWL (Observe, Wonder, Life)I find that many of the thoughts of how to teach comprehension have permeated my thought processes. As I am reading and talking about thinking I will find myself quoting KEENE's ideas as outlined in Mosaic of Thought. I include the text to text; text to self; and text to world within the first few weeks of school.I approach her ideas using the OWL method though.
I have the kids sit in a circle. I read aloud a book then open up to a page and "observe" something. Then I give the one copy of the book to the next person and they open to a page to observe something in the book. The book travels all the way around the circle. Each child has an opportunity to share an observation. Then I pass the book around again and do the "wonder". The kids open back to the page where they shared their observation. Now they wonder about their page. I model first then the kids wonder about their page. Once again, everyone has a chance. Then I read aloud the book to the class. OR if the book is at a class reading level, the kids read for the purpose of finding a link to their life. IF the book is a read aloud I read. If the book is a book for guided reading then they read. For the follow up after reading ----- We'll pass the book again and do "link" to your life. When I introduce this model of thinking while reading, we share just observations then for a couple more times I add the wonder then links. Sometimes I do this during the SSR story, sometimes during guided reading. It depends on the day and the material we are reading. Zanada Maleki wrote: I teach grade 5 and have used the OWLing for comprehension checks during the reading of the longer chapter books the students read in their Book Clubs or Reading Clubs. It is important that the students not have finished the book when they start the OWLing. That way she can really demonstrate thru the W sector that she has made connections in the story line, thus far, and is making predictions about what might happen next. The students write out their OWLing onto a paper plate, attach head and wings. These OWLs fly in the ceiling (looking like dead birds) until the Book Club reading deadline has come due. After everyone in the Book Club has finished that book by the deadline, they answer someone else's Wonderings. They have to pinpoint proof in the book with page numbers about the predictions being realistic, highly probable or not, based on the evidence they cite. Then the oral debates begin as discussion groups, debate with the yeah-but societies. Since the Upper Grades 4 Blocks is still congealing, this sounds like a neat strategy because it works. BTW, be sure to do lots of guided reading before you reach this point of the sharing of the OWLs. Submitted by Deb Smith Donna Baker has created a poster to aid in teaching this strategy - OWL Strategy Poster (PDF)
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