Self-talk Strategies

[Lecka]

Is anybody doing self-talk strategies?

I am doing some self-questioning strategies with reading comprehension, I think they count. 

Specifically I am doing “I wonder what this book is about” and “I wonder what will happen next.”  

Anyway, I hadn’t really thought of that as teaching a self-talk strategy, but I think it is, because if my son is asking and answering those questions on his own as I read to him, or just thinking of it and saying it as I read to him with his comments, I think that is self-talk.  

Or is self-talk more just about thinking silently?  Is it something different?  

I am curious because I would like to be doing it, and I think I am, I guess, with modeling.  

 

[displace]

This is a fairly common reading strategy and discussion technique.  A lot of guides for literature that I like to look at are similar questions to that.  For instance, at the end of the chapter, asking what may happen in the next chapter.  Or changing the characters around to see if it would change the story (if Nancy and Joe were switched, how would that situation be different?).  It's common if you're doing formal comprehension questions to read them ahead of time to help improve comprehension.  Other questions could be: how would the story be different if it were in (different time period, different location, future time, fantasy world, etc)?  There can be specific guides depending on what you're reading, too.  I buy some if I want it spelled out, but Teachers pay Teachers may have good literature questions, or even free guides on the internet.  Once you read a guide based on something you're reading, it's easy to come up with questions yourself.  

Here's a document of general questions:  https://www.brun.k12.va.us/ourpages/auto/2013/10/7/39862158/Reader Response Questions Grades 2-12.doc

Even for younger grades I see a lot of "support your thoughts with evidence", using quotes or something from the reading.  It's easy to say a book made me feel anxious or happy, but to explain exactly why may be more difficult in subtle works.

 

 

[Lecka]

Thanks!

[Lecka]

It’s one of those things, I do this with two of my kids and it’s no problem for them, then for one of my kids it is so hard.  

[displace]

7 hours ago, Lecka said:

It’s one of those things, I do this with two of my kids and it’s no problem for them, then for one of my kids it is so hard.  

Is explicit reading comprehension difficult?  Can they do things if they head a story instead of reading it.  I’d work on “basic” comprehension questions first (where did the scene take place, who is the main/supporting character).  If that is good, move on to implicit comprehension- where answers are implied from what is happening.  For example, a character brings an umbrella but the author doesn’t state it’s raining- what do you think the weather is like.  General questions about thinking what the story could be are possible after you understand what the story was about.  Maybe asking them to retell what happened, then rewrite the story (verbally), using animals as characters instead.  

Is there a reading disability in place?  Do you use a reading comprehension program?  

Readworks is free with short reading passages and can work on skill sets-

https://www.readworks.org/find-content#!s0:1,45/q:/g:/t:0/s:/k:45/cid:/f:0/pt:/features:/staff_picks:/sel:/

Edited August 8, 2018 by displace

[Lecka]

He is working on retells.  He has a language delay and he is at the same level with retelling a story and describing his day.  

He does have quality stuff in place, but there is room for more.  

Right now all his gains in reading/listening comprehension are tied to gains in his daily speech, so I want to do more, but he’s also making progress and I need to see what else he can do now, or can benefit from exposure.  

[PeterPan]

nt

Edited August 8, 2018 by PeterPan

[Lecka]

He has done visualization strategies.  He is engaged.  He can answer factual questions (depending on difficulty level).  

He really is at the point where expressive language and reading comprehension come together, and he can start understanding the harder open-ended questions like from Displace’s link.  

I think I want to expose him more by talking with him about some of those harder comprehension questions.  He is ready for the exposure. 

As far as him really formulating sentences to answer, I am probably more leaving that to therapy.  He does get that from other people.  

But they don’t have the time to sit and read books with him!  

I agree about background knowledge being important and especially for my son I see that with vocabulary.  

I think the people in favor of background knowledge have a point, but frankly my son has major needs in the area of meta cognitive reading strategies.  He doesn’t just pick them up.  Not at all.  It’s clearly a high priority for him right now.  It’s also clearly helping his expressive language.  

I don’t think anybody is saying it’s unnecessary for kids with language delays who do show weakness.  

[Lecka]

Really I do have very natural conversations with my other two kids, and easily know what to talk with them about.  But they are doing their share of the conversation!  

I am always looking for specific ideas and what to say or what questions to — not ask, but discuss, with him, because it is just not obvious to me.  

When he is commenting it is much easier, and he does comment, but I want to give him exposure beyond his expressive language level, too.  

[Lecka]

I think too, this is just the kind of thing that kids don’t get enough of when they have a delay or need remediation, and aren’t having this kind of exposure or these kinds of conversations.  I really want to do it!  I am doing it, but it helps to see what kinds of things there are.

Whenever I have seen guides I have thought they looked too hard, but I am realizing I do want the guide kinds of things.  I hadn’t put that together.  

I want that, but I want to let him pick what I read so that he will be engaged and motivated to listen, so I doubt I could use a pre-made guide right now.  

But maybe soon — I think it’s time for me to have them in mind.  

 

[displace]

I bet you’d be surprised at the free guides available that teachers put on the internet for their students.  Depending on the book popularity you can google teacher guide (book).  Most guides I just glance through and pick out things I like.  I don’t go through thoroughly.  And definitely start with books he’s interested in.  Or tie in different things.  The creative LEGO people could create a scene (or scenes) of the chapter and then describe what is happening.  Art people could model a scene or paint something.  It doesn’t have to be literal but could be figurative: for example: draw a new character who listened in to the conflict and what do they think?

[Lecka]

Thanks, I will try googling the book guides.  I have never done that.  

I did look at Magic Tree House guides though and I should look back at them.

My son doesn’t like them as much as I would like him to, though.  It was such a good series to read together with my older son, sigh.  He did like the Sabertooth one, though, and then he wanted the next book (the moon) but then we stopped halfway through.  

Edit:  duh maybe I could look at the Sabertooth guide for Magic Tree House.  

Edited August 8, 2018 by Lecka

[Lecka]

There are book guides on TPT, close enough to his level if we do them together!  

Exciting!

[displace]

Maybe a different series would catch his interest better?  DS never really liked that series but loved some Branches books by ?scholastic.

[Guest]

In the Houghton Mifflin Reading program, one of the many things they do that I like is to bring books together into a theme. They will bring together about 5 stories that all fall under the same theme (this can make it a bit easier to incorporate background knowledge too) and in the end it gives you lots of room for comparison discussions. You can talk about which was your son's favorite of the five stories, which was yours, and why. What did they have in common and what was different. Tons more room for discussion! You can check out the themes on Amazon (the listed HM books will often mention the themes) or post here if you are interested and I can list the themes by grade for you. You can then pick the books yourself with your son. I did not find out about the Houghton Mifflin Reading program till my oldest was in 3rd grade and doing Calvert. I then bought all the books for my youngest and we love them. 

My oldest read the entire MTH series in 2nd grade (some in 3rd as he kept up with the new titles for a while as they were coming out). My youngest is more interested in some of the guides (those connected to animals or history). He is not into books like that and is more drawn to classics. I have no problem with that; even though we own a good part of the MTH collection (some paperback and some on Kindle). I am much happier with the books he is more drawn towards.

Edited August 8, 2018 by Guest

[kbutton]

5 hours ago, Lecka said:

I agree about background knowledge being important and especially for my son I see that with vocabulary.  

I think the people in favor of background knowledge have a point, but frankly my son has major needs in the area of meta cognitive reading strategies.  He doesn’t just pick them up.  Not at all.  It’s clearly a high priority for him right now.  It’s also clearly helping his expressive language.  

 

5 hours ago, Lecka said:

Really I do have very natural conversations with my other two kids, and easily know what to talk with them about.  But they are doing their share of the conversation!  

I am always looking for specific ideas and what to say or what questions to — not ask, but discuss, with him, because it is just not obvious to me.  

When he is commenting it is much easier, and he does comment, but I want to give him exposure beyond his expressive language level, too.  

So, would background factual knowledge help at all? Like, could you read a book at his level about something factual that happens in the story, and then pair it with fiction that you are trying to connect to? A lot of literature guides I've seen focus on background information, but I don't know about guides at his level.

Are you comfortable just sharing your thoughts out loud about what you are doing? I don't really like to just talk like this endlessly, but if I can see that a kid is engaged and wanting information but not very expressive, I sometimes do this. My son wanted me to tell him everything I was doing when he was little, but his language delays were not apparent at that point, and I wasn't working on exactly the same things. But I would tell why I did something a certain way, for instance. If we went to the store, I might talk about why we shopped a certain way--like trying to get the frozen food last. 

I don't know if any of this would help, and it would rely on direct experience not just things in books, and I know you are trying to use books because they are connecting so well right now.

[Lecka]

For factual stuff, I tend to look for themes after he has expressed an interest in something (anything), or watched and enjoyed a tv show.  The new Magic School Bus Returns on Netflix has a lot of episodes that are very accessible (not every episode and then I fast forward to the next episode) and they talk a lot more slowly than in the original series.  

He tends to like animals.  I have done bees, there is a lot about bees and I think both Magic School Bus series have a bee episode (?), and we read a lot of books.  It definitely helped build up his vocabulary and background knowledge, and let him go to a deeper level.  

He has also been interested in dogs, frogs, toads, and butterflies lately.  

But what happens is it’s hard to get started.  He will just be bored and stop paying attention if it’s not accessible to him.  

He is still doing good with fiction that is kind-of too easy to connect with non-fiction.  It’s kind-of still that “everyday life experiences” level.  He is close but he’s not there.  

The thing with a lot of fiction (for younger kids) is that — maybe the setting has changed and there are a few setting-specific vocabulary words ——— but overall it is like an “everyday experience” moved into a different setting.  

He can do those and learn some about the different setting and learn some new vocabulary words.  

But these don’t go very deep into the setting!  And then non-fiction that is all about that setting is a bit too much of a leap, it is not accessible.  

So it’s still just building up.  

He is getting into more “everyday experience” type stuff, that has more of a plot, than he is getting into stuff that needs understanding of a different setting/vocabulary.  That is also good, it’s good for him and helpful; but he needs easier things for setting/vocabulary — that is more challenging to him.  

I have found a seller on TPT who has book guides for 2nd grade books, that have a comprehension or vocabulary activity to go with every chapter, and I think it is what I am looking for, to be able to do something every day, have a variety, and then also — it’s a set amount.  And then I think it will be good to look back in it to review what happened in earlier chapters and that can help his understanding of the story as a whole.  

And then still leave time to do other things.  And also — if he is not that interested in a chapter and I model it to him, that is fine, and it takes just a certain amount of time and then we move on to something that can be exactly what he picks at that moment.  

Plus it is stressful to only come up with things on the fly and feel like I am covering every area!  

The book guides rotate through different comprehension activities, so that looks very nice!  

[Lecka]

I think I have been looking more at speech therapy materials/strategies lately.

The positive is they can be adjusted and individualized, for when pre-made things are too hard or don’t spend enough time on a certain skill.

But pre-made will be so much easier for me.

This is just the first time I have looked at pre-made things and found things at a good level!  It is very nice, and it was not on my radar ?

[Guest]

Themes in HM are looked at a bit differently. Since you spoke about 2nd grade and appear to be working at that level, the 2nd grade HM books (2008 printing) have the following themes: 

- Theme 1: Silly Stories

- Theme 2: Nature Walk

- Theme 3: Around Town

- Theme 4: Amazing Animals

-Theme 5: Family Time

- Theme 6: Talent Show

Within the themes they incorporate science links, music links, health links, art links, etc. Bringing in all these things plus written activities, background knowledge, poetry activities, etc. boosts comprehension and generalization, and gives me tons more ideas to build on. I also build in a lot of what Displace mentioned into our reading (I have tons of resources for ideas) along with my own comprehension strategies. I teach and have taught my kids how I read, the things I notice, how I connect things, etc. This is something I do with everything we read. I don't like the term self-talk. I call it observation and critical thinking. Using your brain; a term very popular in our home and we all use it.

I get that some people work better with resources and TPT is a good place for finding what works for any teaching style and child's level. I have looked at some materials myself, but I make my own materials too, so most times something will just trigger an idea that may end up completely different than what the TPT teacher was trying to do. This is why I pin resources (thousands of them) for ideas. I'm a tweaker and do things my own way.

Glad you are finding resources that will work for you and your boy. That's the most important thing!