Directed Reading Activity

Description: A directed reading activity (DRA) is an instructional format for teaching reading where the
teacher assumes the major instructional role. She develops background knowledge introduces new words
and gives the students a purpose for reading . !hen she directs the discussion with "uestions to develop
reading comprehension.
Text: #raded stories in basal readers or content area te$tbooks.
Focus of Instruction:
%. &rocessing focus ' print ( meaning
). *nstructional phase' before ( after reading
+. Response mode emphasi,ed' oral discussion
-. Strategy emphasi,ed' elaboration
.. Skill emphasi,ed' word identification and literal comprehension
/. Source of information' te$t0based
1. !ype of instruction' implicit
2. !ype of cognitive processing' successive
Procedure:
%. !he teacher develops readiness for reading.
a. she presents new vocab words in oral and written conte$t. 3hildren are asked what these
new words mean and directed to remember the words by their distinctive visual features.
b. She develops appropriate background knowledge so that students will understand the
general setting of the story.
c. She gives the students a purpose for reading by telling them to read to find out a
particular thing or concept. She develops purposes that re"uire students to read an entire
story before an answer is resolved.
). !he students read the story silently.
a. *f necessary the teacher divides the story into sections. After readinga section the
teacher asks a variety of "uestions emphasi,ing literal and nonliteral story understanding.
b. !he teacher asks the students to support their answers by reading the appropriate sections
in te$t.
+. !he teacher reinforces and e$tends concepts introduced in the story.
a. activities reinforce word recognition and word meanings are used to develop
independence in reading.
b. Activities that develop a creative response to the story are assigned.
c. Activities that re"uire students to relate the story to their own e$periences and to other
stories are used.
Modification:
Learner Patterns That Produce a High Success Rate:
%. !he active reader who needs new words presented before she reads so that word recognition does
not interfere with story comprehension. !his approach introduces new words to facilitate story
comprehension.
). !he passive reader who needs the teacher to direct his attention to important word recognition and
comprehension cues. !he teacher can begin with this format but should phase as "uickly as
possible to strategies that re"uire a more active stance from the reader.
Further Diagnostic Appications:
Patterns of Strengths and Strategies: Direct Reading Activity is a fle$ible approach for instructing young
children to read stories. 4ollowing this format the te$t can be narrative or e$pository short or long
interrupted or whole. !his is reading directed by the teacher not student. *t is most appropriate for students
who need teacher direction in order to understand stories.
!sing the Techni"ue as a Diagnostic Teaching Lesson: 4or the direct reading to be effective a majority
of the following statements must be answered in the affirmative.
5es 6o
%. !he student comprehends story and is fairly active when he reads..
). !he student needs his attention directed to recogni,ing words in isolation and conte$t.
+. !he student is more comfortable answering "uestions than retelling the story..