Problem Solving & Comprehension


Book Description

This popular book shows students how to increase their power to analyze problems and to comprehend what they read. First, it outlines and illustrates the method that good problem solvers use in attacking complex ideas. Then, it provides practice in applying these methods to a variety of comprehension and reasoning questions. Books on the improvement of thinking processes have tended to be complicated and less than useful, but the authors of this renowned text emphasize a simple but effective approach. The "Whimbey Method" of teaching problem solving is now recognized as an invaluable means of teaching people to think. Problems are followed by their solutions, presented in easy-to-follow steps. This feature permits students to work without supervision, outside the classroom. As students work through the book they will see a steady improvement in their analytical thinking skills, and will develop confidence in their ability to solve problems--on tests; in academic courses; and in any occupations that involve analyzing, untangling, or comprehending knotty ideas. By helping students to become better problem solvers, this book can assist students in achieving higher scores on tests commonly used for college and job selection, such as: * Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) * Graduate Record Examination (GRE) * ACT Work Keys * Terra Nova * Law School Admission Test (LSAT) * Wonderlic Personnel Test * United States Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery * Civil Service Examination New in the 6th edition: A totally new chapter--"Meeting Academic and Workplace Standards: How This Book Can Help"--describes changes in the educational system in the past 20 years and shows how the techniques taught in this book relate to the new educational standards and tests. Changes throughout the book reflect current educational and social realities: the names of some characters have been changed to represent more accurately the cross-section of students attending today's schools; dates in some problems have been changed; in other problems the technology referred to has been updated.







Rethinking Reading Comprehension


Book Description

This practical book grows out of a recent report written by the RAND Reading Study Group (RRSG), which proposed a national research agenda in the area of reading comprehension. Here, RRSG members have expanded on their findings and translated them into clear recommendations to inform practice. Teachers gain the latest knowledge about how students learn to comprehend texts and what can be done to improve the quality of instruction in this essential domain. From leading literacy scholars, the book explains research-based ways to: *Plan effective instruction for students at all grade levels *Meet the comprehension needs of English-language learners *Promote adolescents' comprehension of subject-area texts *Understand the complexities of comprehension assessment *Get optimal benefits from instructional technologies *And much more!




Reading for Meaning


Book Description

When you and your colleagues want to explore more ways to help students understand what they read, make inferences, and support their thinking with evidence, this book is your ideal tool.




Comprehension Process Instruction


Book Description

Filling a crucial gap in the literature, this immensely practical volume presents innovative tools for helping K-3 students significantly increase their ability to make meaning from texts. The focus is on teaching the comprehension processes employed by expert readers, using a carefully sequenced combination of whole-class activities, specially designed kinesthetic movements, metacognitive strategies, and independent reading. Teachers are taken step by step through implementing the authors' research-based approach with diverse students, including English-language learners and children with special needs. Designed in a convenient, large-size format, the book features clear lesson plans and reproducible activities and visual aids, together with fiction and nonfiction book lists. An invaluable resource for helping teachers meet the mandates of No Child Left Behind, the volume is also ideal for use in preservice and inservice training. Every chapter concludes with thought-provoking exercises, activities, and discussion topics.




Fostering Comprehension in English Classes


Book Description

This valuable, research-based guide gives middle and secondary English teachers the tools they need to improve the comprehension skills of all their students. Core chapters explain specific practices for fostering learning from texts; leading students to a thorough, lasting understanding of subject matter; nurturing meaningful responses to literature; explicitly teaching comprehension strategies; and engaging students in higher-order thinking. An additional chapter highlights vocabulary instruction. Throughout, attention is given to building comprehension skills in a diverse range of students, from high achievers to struggling readers and English language learners. A wealth of hands-on materials are featured, including lesson plans, scaffolded reading experiences, and a richly detailed example of a teaching unit that shows how all facets of comprehension instruction can be brought together in the classroom.




Comprehension [Grades K-12]


Book Description

Radically change the way students learn from texts, extending beyond comprehension to critical reasoning and problem solving. Is your reading comprehension instruction just a pile of strategies? There is no evidence that teaching one strategy at a time, especially with pieces of text that require that readers use a variety of strategies to successfully negotiate meaning, is effective. And how can we extend comprehension beyond simple meaning? Bestselling authors Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Nicole Law propose a new, comprehensive model of reading instruction that goes beyond teaching skills to fostering engagement and motivation. Using a structured, three-pronged approach—skill, will, and thrill—students learn to experience reading as a purposeful act and embrace struggle as a natural part of the reading process. Instruction occurs in three phases: Skill. Holistically developing skills and strategies necessary for students to comprehend text, such as monitoring, predicting, summarizing, questioning, and inferring. Will. Creating the mindsets, motivations, and habits, including goal setting and choice, necessary for students to engage fully with texts. Thrill. Fostering the thrill of comprehension, so that students share their thinking with others or use their knowledge for something else. Comprehension is the structured framework you need to empower students to comprehend text and take action in the world.




Intelligence Can be Taught


Book Description




Comprehension Across the Curriculum


Book Description

Successful students use comprehension skills and strategies throughout the school day. In this timely book, leading scholars present innovative ways to support reading comprehension across content areas and the full K?12 grade range. Chapters provide specific, practical guidance for selecting rewarding texts and promoting engagement and understanding in social studies, math, and science, as well as language arts and English classrooms. Cutting-edge theoretical perspectives and research findings are clearly explained. Special attention is given to integrating out-of-school literacies into instruction and developing comprehension in English language learners.




The Strategic Teacher


Book Description

Are you looking for high-impact, research-based strategies to transform your students into high-achieving and inspired learners? In The Strategic Teacher, you'll find a repertoire of strategies designed and proven to meet today's high standards and reach diverse learners. Twenty reliable, flexible strategies (along with dozens of variations) are organized into these groups of instruction: *mastery style to emphasize the development of student memory; *understanding style to expand students' capacities to reason and explain; *self-expressive style to stimulate and nourish students' imaginations and creativity; *interpersonal style to help students find meaning in the relationships they forge as partners and team members, united in the act of learning; and *four-style strategies that integrate all four styles. To guide teachers in delivering content to students, the authors started with the best research-based teaching and learning strategies and created a tool called the Strategic Dashboard. The dashboard provides information about each teaching strategy in a concise, visual profile; it is also designed to document how you incorporate current, highly respected research into your instructional plans. For each strategy, you'll find the following information: *a brief introduction to the strategy; *an example of a teacher using the strategy in the classroom; *the research base supporting the strategy and how the strategy benefits students; *how to implement the strategy using a list of clear steps; *guidance through the planning process, providing steps, examples, and suggestions for designing superior lessons; and *additional tools, strategies, and resources for adapting and expanding the use of each strategy. The authors have combined their years of research and practice to deliver reliable, high-impact, flexible teaching and learning strategies grounded in current, highly regarded research to teachers at all levels of experience.