Comprehension:
DAR Mastery Level 4
Introduction:
The TTS for Comprehension at Levels 3–6 assess a student’s ability to benefit from
instruction that uses active engagement with text and instruction that generates main idea questions.
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Strategy: Active Engagement with Text
Materials Needed:
TTS-Comp-DAR 4-Active.pdf
Say: We’re going to try some different ways to help you understand what you
read. This selection is about ________. I’m going to ask you to read it and tell
me what it’s about. Before we do that, however, let’s find out what you
already know about ________.
Let’s use this chart. (Give the student the three-column chart that accompanies
this TTS.)
In this column (point to the column labeled “What I Know”), I want you to
write down what you already know about ________.
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If the student can’t think of anything, use the title and/or passage topic to suggest
something for the student to write down.
Say: Can you think of anything else that you know about ________?
For students who have difficulty with writing tasks, offer to record for the student. |
Once the student has written in the first column,
Say: Now I’d like you to write down some things that you’d like to know about
________. In this column (point to the column labeled “What I’d Like to
Know”), write down some of those things.
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If the student can’t think of anything, provide a prompt based on the topic and have the
student write it down in the second column.
Say: Can you write down anything else you’d like to know?
For students who have difficulty with writing tasks, offer to record for the student. |
Once the student has written in the second column,
Say: Good. Now I want you to read the selection. When you’re done, I’ll ask
you to write down what you learned.
Have the student read the selection silently and record what was learned in the remaining
column (“What I Learned”).
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For students who have difficulty with writing tasks, offer to record for the student. |
Once the student has written,
Say: Tell me what you learned from reading this selection.
On the Student Record Form, note any important information that the student leaves
out.
Interpreting and Using TTS Results:
If the student has difficulty telling you what he or she learned, continue to work with a
variety of readings on a level above the level at which he or she can read independently.
Help the student to engage more purposefully with text by activating what is already
known, setting goals for learning from what is read, and evaluating what has been
learned.
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Strategy: Generating Main Idea Questions
Materials Needed:
TTS-Comp-DAR 4-MainIdea.pdf
Say: The next selection is about ________. We’re both going to read it to
ourselves. When we’re done reading, I want you to ask me some questions to
see how well I understood what it was about. After the student reads the selection,
Say: Now ask me some questions to see if I understood what the selection was
about.
On the Classifying Questions Chart, record each question the student asks.
Answer each question the student asks.
If the student can’t come up with a question, suggest a possible question and write it down. Say: Can you come up with some more questions for me to answer? If necessary, help the student come up with a list of questions. |
Say: Let’s look more closely at these questions. Some ask about important ideas in
the selection. Others ask about details. After I read each question, tell me
which you think it is: a main idea question or a detail question.
On the Classifying Questions Chart, record whether the student thought the question
was a main idea question or a detail question.
Interpreting and Using TTS Results:
If the student has difficulty asking questions, continue to provide him or her with a
variety of readings on a level above the level at which he or she can read independently.
Work with the student to generate questions based on information contained in different
parts of the text. Help the student to distinguish between main ideas and details.
