PURPOSE:  The DLTA is used to engage students in text which is above their independent and/or instructional reading level.  It is used to 1). determine the purpose for reading, 2). extract, comprehend, and assimilate information, 3). examine reading material based on the purpose for reading, 4). suspend judgments, and 5). make decisions based on information gleaned from the reading material. 

RATIONALE:  As students develop strategies for actively engaging in text, they become increasingly independent in their own reading and are empowered to monitor and control their own reading behaviors to enhance their comprehension of the text as they have read. 

PROCEDURE: 

1. The teacher reads the title to the student and asks what the story might be about.  Record predictions on a chart or blackboard. 
2. Read first paragraph or the first section of the text and telling students that their predictions will be confirmed, rejected, or modified.  Ask the students if they still think the same as they did earlier. 
3. Continue through the text - predicting, reading to students, and reacting to their predictions. 
4. After reading the story, the focus is on specific skill development and vocabulary.  Students are invited to focus on words and phrases which puzzle or intrigue them. 

Strengths: 
1. Develops early critical reading skills. 
2. Helps students develop metacognition of their own reading comprehension. 
3. Engages students in text which is too difficult for their current reading ability. 

Weaknesses: 
1. Students who have already read or heard the text are not able to engage in the strategy as effectively. 
2. Classroom management can be problematic. 
 

Purpose:  This strategy is used to help students: 
1.  determine the purpose for reading 
2.  Use prediction when reading text 
3.  Make decisions based on readings. 

Rationale:  As students develop more strategies for reading, the more independent readers they will become. 
Procedure: 

1.  Direct students to read the title and brainstorm what the story might be about.  Record the answers on the board. 
2.  Read first section.  Ask the students if their prediction was confirmed, rejected or modified.  Only the student that made the prediction may change their answers. 
3.  Repeat step 2 until the class has finished with the reading. 
4.  Have the students justify their predictions by having them think aloud. 

Strengths: 
1. This helps develop critical reading skills. 
2. Also helps students develop reading comprehension. 

Weaknesses: 
1. Only useful if students have not read or heard the text being used. 
2. Classroom management may become a problem. 

The K-W-L-H teaching technique is a good method to help students activate prior knowledge. It is a group instruction activity developed by Donna Ogle (1986) that serves as a model for active thinking during reading. 
 

• K - Stands for helping students recall what they KNOW about the subject. 

• W - Stands for helping students determine what they WANT to learn. 

• L - Stands for helping students identify what they LEARN as they read. 

• H - Stands for HOW we can learn more (other sources where additional information on the topic can be found).

Students complete the "categories" section at the bottom of the graphic organizer by 

asking themselves what each statement in the "L" section (What We Learned) describes. 

They use these categories and the information in the "H" section (How Can We Learn 

More) to learn more about the topic. Students also can use the categories to create 

additional graphic organizers. They can use the organizers to review and write about 

what they've learned. 
 

Purpose:  To help students develop a study strategy to help read and remember content area reading assignments. 

Rationale:  When students apply strategies to reading, they retain more information. 
 

Procedure: 

1.  SURVEY-- Students preview the reading assignments, noting heading and skimming introduction and the summary. 
2.  QUESTION-- Turn in heading into a question before reading the section. 

3.  READ--  The students then read each section so they many learn the answer to the question they are asking. 

4.  RECITE--  After reading each section, the students should answer the question posed from memory. 

5.  REVIEW-- After finishing the entire assignment, review each question from memory. 
 

Strengths:  Effective when applied correctly. 
Weaknesses:  Time consuming.