How Written Mental Representations Helps Reading Comprehension
Grade
K-2
3-5
6-8
9-12
Construct/Component
Higher Order Cognition
Subject
Area
Reading
Objectives
Estimated Time Needed
90 minutes
Teacher
Preparation
· Transparency with the portrait of the character to be used in the modeling activity, and with the open-mind portrait of the character
· Transparency with the thinking strategy (set of four questions) to be used to fill-in the open-mind portrait in the modeling activity
· Four 8 x 11 sheets of paper: one sheet with the portrait of the main character already drawn; and three sheets with open-mind portraits of the main character (The open-mind portraits will be used by the student to visually represent the character’s thoughts and feelings at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.)
· Transparency with the questions that will be addressed to the students
· Transparency with the definition of Mental Representation
· Copy of the simple story to be used in the modeling activity
· Copy of the story to be read aloud to the students
Materials
Lesson Procedure
Teacher Strategy and Rationale: According to G. Tompkins (1998), the Open-Mind Portrait strategy is used “to help students think more deeply about a character and reflect on story events from the character’s viewpoint”. The portraits have the face of the main character on ˝ of a sheet of paper and the mind of the character on the other. As the story is read, the students have to visually represent –with words, pictures, webs, etc.- the feelings and thoughts of the character at pivotal points in the story.
1. The teacher will establish the objectives of the lesson:
1) learn and use a reading comprehension strategy called the “open-mind portrait”; 2) discuss the strategy in terms of how and why it helps thinking while reading; 3) discuss what can be learned about our brains from this activity.
2. The teacher will model the strategy by reading a simple story and completing the open-mind portrait of the feelings and thoughts of the character at the end of the story.
3. The teacher will hand out to each student four sheets of paper with the portrait and three open-mind portraits of the main character.
4. The teacher will read aloud a short story pausing at three pivotal points in order for the students to complete each mind-portrait at the pauses.
5. The students will share individually the information of their portraits at the end of the story.
6. As the students share their portraits, the teacher will identify the types of mental representation made by the students -written version, graphic of the concept, example of the concept, mapped out concept, or other.
7. The teacher will stimulate a dialogue asking the students the following questions:
- Based on your own portraits, what happened to Viveca (main character) throughout the story, did she change or remain the same? Explain.
- Do you think you were able to understand the character better by representing her thoughts and feelings through the open-mind portraits? Why do you think so?
- Do you think this way in every day life? Give me some examples.
- Do you think it is easy for the brain to make mental representations? Why? What can we learn then about our brains?
- Do you think that visualizing mentally is as effective as doing it by some kind of written form? Why?
- Which of the forms of mental representation do you think is more effective, words or images? Why do you think so?
8. Teacher will ask the students to write a definition of mental representation and explain how it is helpfull.
9. Using a transparency with a working definition of mental representation, the teacher will ask the students to read the definition and compare it with their own in order to clarify the concept.
10. Assignment: Select a story to read and use an open-mind portrait to identify the way the main character is thinking and feeling at pivotal points in the story (application of the strategy).
Did you try this activity
and want to make a comment? Did you think of a new way to use this lesson?
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