| This study examined the effectiveness of an instructional model in which sixth grade students prepared for and participated in literature discussion groups using guides correlated to six comprehension strategies—visualization, connections, questions, inference, determining importance, and synthesis. The teacher/researcher took the practice of comprehension strategies in a structured way beyond what had formerly been done in two ways: examining all six strategies in one study and using them in combination with literature circles. Groups of students participated in two series of six discussions. In the first, the students used six different role sheets based on comprehension strategies. Two months later, students prepared for discussions using response logs. Analysis of the data confirmed that within this model students utilized all six comprehension strategies to different degrees while discussing narrative text. Evidence suggests that students become more independent in using comprehension strategies with continued practice. |
