When early elementary teachers help students learn study skills, through modeling and practice, developing effective processes can help improve students’ overall reading comprehension and help them take ownership of their own learning. According to Guskey and Anderman (2008), “Research suggests that students actually become more engaged and more task focused when they are allowed to make responsible decisions” (p. 11). Educators who teach independent study skills, and provide opportunities for practice, increase students’ ownership and self-direction in their own learning.
This article offers four study skill strategies for lower elementary students to learn how to develop their study skills habits and better understand expository text: Preview Strategy for Early Readers of Expository Text,
Study Log Strategy, Supporting
Early Readers’ Vocabulary–A
Self-Sort Strategy, and Graphic
Organizer for Emerging
Student Research.
Preview Strategy for Early
Readers of Expository Text
Where once primary-grade
students learned to read only
narrative text, they are now
learning to read expository text.
When reading narrative text, early
readers negotiate a single, consistent format known as story grammar (Mandler & Johnson, 1977; Williams, 2005); however, with expository text, they are faced with five basic formats such as description/ enumeration, sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and problem solution (Dechant, 1991; Meyer & Freedle, 1984). Also, comprehending expository text is highly dependent on the reader using background knowledge to form logical relationships among the presented ideas (Williams, 2005). Consequently, for many young readers, expository text can be more challenging to read and understand than narrative text (Dechant, 1991; Flood, Lapp, & Farnan, 1986). Nevertheless, there is a pre-reading strategy that can be utilized by the teacher to assist young readers to become effective, and later, independent readers of expository text.
The proposed prereading strategy is referred to as a preview. A preview is a teacher-directed strategy consisting of three general characteristics (Dole, Valencia, Greer, & Wardrop, 1991). First, the teacher provides an activity that frames and introduces the upcoming text. Second, verbal and/or written interaction occurs among the students about text content. Third, the teacher provides both specific and general information about the text including definitions of key vocabulary terms. According to Dechant (1991), an effective preview strategy includes classroom discussions with the purpose of confirming existing knowledge, adding additional information, and developing new vocabulary.
While the overall organizational characteristics
of expository text may vary consider-
ably, there are format consistencies
common to lower-grade level
expository materials that can
be used by the teacher to
present information
effectively. These format
consistencies can be used
to aid young readers in
understanding and
remembering the content of
the material. Two format
consistencies are external
features: the use of pictures on
most pages to complement the
information being presented and
the use of bold-faced words to
highlight key vocabulary terms. Additionally, two organizational consistencies are internal features: each section of expository text begins with a paragraph that informs readers what to expect from the upcoming text and the last paragraph that summarizes the contents of the section; and in most paragraphs, the first sentence is considered the topic sentence, with subsequent sentences in the paragraph offering supporting and clarifying details.
A goal is to teach an effective prereading strategy that becomes automatically used by readers. To teach this previewing strategy, the teacher will:
Comprehending expository text is highly dependent on the reader using background knowledge to form logical relationships among the presented ideas (Williams, 2005).
49