MODULE 3
Utilizing Metacognition
An Effective Reading Process: Student Strategies
Metacognition involves thinking about what is said and why it is said. It also involves self- monitoring for comprehension. Whereas
capable readers often do this automatically, others can benefit from learning strategies that will help them self-monitor and selfcorrect as they read. They need to build confidence in their ability to understand a reading, and it may sometimes take more than one
approach to accomplish this. The strategies included in this handout can help you develop your metacognitive abilities for better reading
comprehension.
STRATEGY #1: Using Puzzles To Understand Metacognition
There are good reasons for having you complete puzzles to develop your metacognitive abilities, particularly to understand what
metacognition means. Puzzle solving sharpens the mind and engages you in thinking about your thinking.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you work through the puzzles provided:
1. What were your reactions to solving the puzzle?
2. How did you talk yourself through solving the puzzle?
3. What was your reaction when you saw the answer?
PUZZLES
1.
Solve the puzzle.
2.
What common saying can you make out of this text?
Solve the puzzle.
What common saying can you make out of this text?
H2O + NaCl + H2O + NaCl
--------------------------------CCCCCCC
AgeBeauty
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3.
Utilizing Metacognition
Solve the puzzle:
What can you make out of this text?
R/e/a/d/i/n/g
4.
Solve the puzzle.
A farmer has to get a sack of corn, a chicken, and a fox across a river. The farmer is able to bring only one of the items
along with him at a time. The problem is that if he leaves the fox alone with the chicken, the fox will eat the chicken, and if
he leaves the chicken alone with the corn sack, then the chicken will eat the corn sack. How does the farmer get all 3 items
across safely?
If you are having trouble, use the hints below.
Hint
The farmer can bring items across the river both ways.
Hint
The farmer brings the chicken across the river first.
5.
Solve the puzzle.
Imagine the following square grid of nine dots below drawn on a sheet of paper. Your task is to join all nine dots using only
four (or fewer) straight lines, without lifting your pencil from the paper and without retracing the lines
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Utilizing Metacognition
ANSWER SHEET
1.
3.
What common saying can you make out
of this text?
What can you make out of this text?
R/e/a/d/i/n/g
AgeBeauty
Answer:
Reading between the lines (you better have got that one!)
Answer:
Age before Beauty
4.
A farmer has to get a sack of corn, a chicken, and a fox
across a river. The farmer is able to bring only one of the
items along with him at a time. The problem is that if he
leaves the fox alone with the chicken, the fox will eat the
chicken, and if he leaves the chicken alone with the corn
sack, then the chicken will eat the corn sack. How does
the farmer get all 3 items across safely?
2.
What common saying can you make out of this
text?
H2O + NaCl + H2O + NaCl
--------------------------------CCCCCCC
Answer:
The farmer brings the chicken across. He goes back and brings the fox
across, but he brings the chicken back with him to the other side of the
river and drops it off. Then he brings the sack across. Finally, he goes
back for the chicken and brings it across.
Answer:
Sailing (Saline--get
it?) over the 7 seas
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Utilizing Metacognition
ANSWER SHEET 2
5.
Imagine the following square grid of nine dots below drawn on a sheet of paper. Your task is to join
all nine dots using only four (or fewer) straight lines, without lifting your pencil from the paper and
without retracing the lines
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Utilizing Metacognition
STRATEGY #2: Using Self-Talk
Metacognition involves the self-talk that occurs when a person reads. Self-talk is effective in helping you recognize both
moments of confusion as well as moments of understanding. Examples include internal statements such as: “This is an
interesting idea. It seems to relate to _____ in the previous chapter. I’ll have to flip back and see how much the two are the
same,” or “Because this says ___, I predict the next section will be about ____.”
Self-talk also occurs when you don’t understand a reading. Statements such as: “I’m confused. I do not completely understand _____. I will re-read, look up vocabulary, and/or write a question and find the answer” will help you pause and
rethink what you have read.
Here are some directions you can follow to help with self-talk, such as asking questions and making predictions:
1. When you reach a point when your reading is confusing to you, stop for a moment, and mark this on
your text. Think to yourself, “What is this trying to tell me? How does this relate to the previous information?”
2. Begin re-reading the previous passage, followed by the one you are struggling with. Does it make sense
now?
3. Reflect for a moment and consider, “What might the writer tell me next?” Look for clues to identify where
you believe the reading might be heading.
4. Read the next section of your text to see if your prediction was correct. If it wasn’t, how was it different?
Why was it different? Review your clues.
5. Return to the confusing passage and write a short summary of the content.
While working through these strategies, you may realize that you need to adjust your reading rate by reading slower, and
you may need to repeat this process as you work through the entire reading assignment. In any case, “self-talk”--this process of asking questions, considering process and strategy, and gauging learning--should take place throughout the reading.
By employing these strategies you can self-correct and become a stronger reader.
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STRATEGY #3: Using Self-Monitoring
While self-talk can be helpful, self-monitoring is most productive when combined with an active reading strategy to help
reinforce or test comprehension. You should be sure to pick the strategies that are most appropriate to the reading situation,
not just the easiest. Here are some directions you can follow.
1. Stop after every section of the assigned reading in a textbook--often a textbook will separate major
ideas with boldfaced headings--and summarize what you read. Write down the main idea--stated or
implied--and key supporting ideas. If this is done with ease, you might not need to continue. If you
struggle to complete this, move to the strategies in number 2.
2. If you have difficulty with the summary, do one or more of the following, and then write the summary of
the reading selection.
•
Re-read the section again, paying attention to the development of one or more main ideas.
(Sometimes identifying the supporting examples and evidence first will help you identify the main
idea.)
•
Look up unfamiliar vocabulary before or during re-reading.
•
Stop and picture examples or explanations.
•
Outline difficult paragraphs or do a concept map or a process diagram.
•
Do some internet research on ideas or concepts with which the author seems to assume a
familiarity.
•
Connect the reading to ideas presented in class.
•
Work with a classmate. Two heads may be better than one.
If one or more of these strategies has improved your understanding, you should be ready to write the
summary or outline.
3. Share your results in groups, either in class, or on a course website, wiki, or blog.
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Utilizing Metacognition
Useful Resources
Brainbashers.
http://www.brainbashers.com/
This website includes puzzles, games illusions and other fun stuff. Answers are provided.
Expand your mind.
http://www.expandyourmind.com
This website includes both classical and visual logic problems, lateral thinking puzzles, and a bonus section of other puzzles to try. Using these in class is a good way to get students to stretch and test their thinking skills. Solutions are provided.
My favorite logic puzzles.
http://www.johnpratt.com/items/puzzles/logic_puzzles.html
This web page by astronomer and computer analyst John Pratt includes difficult elimination puzzles and illustrates how to solve them
using a table.
**Please bear in mind that documents on the web might change location or go away. If a link provided here does not work,
try searching the key terms in a search engine or locating more of your own resources.
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