Aiding Reading Comprehension With Post-Its — from edutopia.org by Judy Willis
Excerpt:
Sample Post-it Prompts
In these prompts, the students address the text directly—by calling it “you”—as though they were having a conversation with it.
To be completed before reading for prediction and preview:
- I think you’ll be telling me…
- I already know things about you, so I predict…
To be completed after briefly skimming the assigned pages:
- What does the heading for this section suggest about what will come?
- What does this picture (graph, diagram, etc.) suggest about this reading topic?
To be completed during reading as a response to what is read:
- You’re similar to what I’ve learned before, because you remind me of…
- I would have preferred a picture of… (Students can also sketch, describe, or download a picture, graph, or diagram)
- This is not what I expected, which was…
- This gives me an idea for…
- I want to know more about…
- This information could be useful to me because I’m interested in…
- I think this will be on the test because…
…
The use of Post-its increases memory pattern linkages, understanding, and the pleasure of reading. As students become more skilled readers through strategies that promote pattern seeking and linking, they build their independent skills about how to think actively about the text—their metacognitive skills.