How the Instruction and Use of Three Metacognitve Reading Strategies Helped Fourth Graders Find Success and Enjoyment in Reading Informational Text

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore what would happen when I provided my students with metacognitive reading strategies in order to promote their engagement with and understanding of expository texts. To do so, I focused on three metacognitive strategies that I explicitly instructed in a series of small group settings; connecting, imaging, and predicting. I provided the students with time to practice the strategies independently using expository texts such as magazines, textbooks, and nonfiction books. I wanted to make a difference in the way my students read nonfiction information. I wanted them to see the value in reading such texts, and teach them ways to make sense of what they read.