Literacy Professional Learning Resource – Teaching Strategies

Literacy to Learn: Getting students knowledge ready for literacy learning

Literacy to Learn 2C- Transcript

Voiceover: Students can also be asked to suggest questions the text might answer. See how Vivian does this. Al has his students read questions that could be asked about the text and paraphrase them. This activity will assist the students to comprehend the text better. They can use the questions to help them organise the knowledge they gain from the text as they read it.

Teacher: Now, can you tell me what questions you think this text might answer. Ok? What questions, do you think could be answered in what we’re going to read later on?

Student: What do whales eat?

Teacher: Very good.

Student: Are whales endangered?

Teacher: Since you thought of that question can you explain to the class what the word endangered means?

Student: Like, there’s not much left in the world

Teacher: Okay? So what does that mean then?

Student: People kill them.

Teacher: Okay. So they become…

Student: Extinct.

Teacher: Answer some questions about this picture to find out more about the gold rush, and the gold fields and life on the goldfields. Could someone please read the first question?

Student: Where do you think people went to the toilet?

Teacher: Good. Now, who can think of another way of asking that question? Who can paraphrase that question?

Student: Like, where would the toilet be?

Teacher: Excellent. Where would the toilet be?

Teacher: So, another way of asking the same question. Who can tell me, what’s another way of saying ‘what is everyone doing?’

Student: What can you see is happening in the picture?

Teacher: Excellent