Reading+Rate

=**Topic or Focus:**= Reading Rate - Strategies for Working with Challenging Texts

Subject:
English Language Arts

Level:
High School

==Key Standard(s): (From //Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts//)==
 * CCR 10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
 * RL.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Text/Resources to be Used (Optional):
Any grade level text

//Rationale://
//Many struggling high school readers cannot finish text-based assessments on time because they read the passages too slowly. These students read every word of the passage, and do not use strategies to identify important information as they read.//

//Directions://
//Students complete a daily series of small, timed exercises that focus on specific skills that good readers use to establish a purpose for reading, thereby making the reading of the passage more efficient.// 1. The first exercises are small (5-10 minutes) and very specific:
 * "Read the question. Then read the passage. Highlight all the names."
 * "Read the question. Then read the passage. Highlight all dialog."
 * "Read the question. Then read the passage. Highlight all adjectives."
 * "Read the question. Then read the passage. Highlight all figurative language."
 * "Read the question. Then read the passage. Highlight any metaphors and similes."

2. Begin with shorter passages (1-2 pages), then gradually work up to a 10-page article.

3. Follow each activity with an appropriate open-ended question.

//Example://
 * //"In the above passage, which character is the **protagonist**? Which one is the **antagonist**? Explain the relationship between these two charcters,and how it changes throughout the story. Use specific text evidence to support your answer."//

4. The time and passage length gradually increase until students are applying the strategies to a full length reading assessment.

//Scoring://

 * //One point for each correctly highlighted piece of information.//
 * //One point for each correct answer to the question.//
 * //One point for each appropriate piece of text evidence.//

//[Editor's Note: Keeping the total score to a convenient number, such as 10 pts, makes quick determination of general proficiency possible.]//

//Analysis://
This formative assessment will help distinguish among the following:
 * Students who can identify a certain type of evidence in increasingly long grade-level texts.
 * Students who can correctly answer a question based on increasingly long grade-level texts.
 * Students who can select and use appropriate pieces of evidence to substantiate their answers.

//Contributor://
//Bethany Follett, English Teacher, A. I. Prince Technical High School, Hartford, CT// //Edited by: Kim M. Bennett, Consultant, Northside Consulting, Hartford, CT// //Submission Date: 02/29/2012//