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From the discussion above, DR-TA, then, can be defined as a teaching technique that focuses student attention on the purpose for reading which
encourages the students to make predictions while they are reading to make the students become actively engaged with the text.
b. The Teaching Steps of Directed Reading-Thinking Activity
The DR-TA procedure involves having students make predictions about what is going to happen next in the story. They will then read up to a designated
stopping point, and determine whether or not their predictions were correct based on what they have read. The DR-TA technique is done in several steps Schultz,
2010. 1
Prepare the students for reading by introducing the book or chapter. Ask students to predict what they think the story will be about based on the
picture on the cover and title of the book if it is a picture book, or title of the first chapter and any illustrations if it is a chapter book. Write down students
predictions on the board or overhead. Ask them to explain why they think these things will happen. Students can also write down their predictions in a
reading journal. Make sure all students are engaged. If they do not all have a chance to suggest a prediction, you can have the class vote on which
predictions they prefer so that everyone has a chance to be involved. 2
Either read aloud or have students read silently up to a certain designated stopping point in the book.
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3 After reading, lead a discussion in which students will evaluate their
predictions as to whether they were correct or not. They should justify their answers by citing specific examples from the reading to confirm or disprove
the predictions. Ask students why they think the things happened as they did. 4
Repeat the predicting process for the next section of text. Guide students by asking questions about what they think will happen next, and why.
5 Repeat the discussion process after each section. Continue to ask students to
justify their reasoning with examples. Older students can be divided into small groups for the prediction and
discussion steps, and write down their predictions and justifications for each section.
Other step of DR-TA is as follows: 1
Choose a text. This technique works well with both fiction and expository texts.
2 Activate students’ prior knowledge. Have students read the title of the text, or
tell them the topic of the text. Ask students to brainstorm a list of ideas that come to mind when they think about the title or topic. Write those ideas on
the board. When using this strategy with a piece of fiction, you might have students brainstorm a list of ideas that they associate with an overriding
theme of the story, the story’s setting, or the author of the story if the author is someone with whom your students are familiar. Students will be making
predictions about what they will read about in the text, so it is important that
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you activate their prior knowledge on a topic that will allow them to make predictions about what might be included in the text.
3 Have students make predictions about what they will read about in the text.
Use all available clues, including the index, table of contents pictures, charts, and tables in the text. Ask students to explain how they came up with their
predictions. Do not accept “I don’t know” answers. 4
Have students read a section of the text. Either have student volunteers read aloud, or have students read silently to themselves. If students are reading to
themselves, be sure to indicate where students should stop reading. The teacher should predetermine stopping points. They should be points in the
text that lend themselves to making predictions. In expository texts, good stopping points are often right after students have read a new heading or
subheading in the text. 5
Ask students to confirm or revise prior predictions, and make new predictions. Students should be encouraged to explain what in the text is
causing them to confirm andor revise prior predictions, and what is causing them to make the new predictions they are making.
6 Continue steps 4 and 5 until students have finished reading.
7 When students have finished reading, ask questions that promote thinking and
discussion. Sample questions:
·
What is the main point the author is making in this storyarticle? What supports your answer?
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·
Do you agree with the author’s ideas or the character’s actions? Explain why or why not.
·
What is the mood of this piece and how does the author develop it?
·
What would you tell someone about this articlestory if the person did not have time to read it?
·
Is this like something else you have read? Explain. National Education Association, 2002.
In addition, there are some steps that teachers should follow when creating a DR-TA.
1 Determine the text to be used and pre-select points for students to pause
during the reading process. 2
Introduce the text, the purpose of the DR-TA, and provide examples of how to make predictions.
Note: Be aware of the reading levels of each student, and be prepared to provide appropriate questions, prompts, and support as needed.
3 Use the following outline to guide the procedure:
D = DIRECT. Teachers direct and activate students thinking prior to reading a passage by scanning the title, chapter headings, illustrations, and other
materials. Teachers should use open-ended questions to direct students as they make predictions about the content or perspective of the text e.g.,
Given this title, what do you think the passage will be about?. R = READING. Students read up to the first pre-selected stopping point. The
teacher then prompts the students with questions about specific information
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and asks them to evaluate their predictions and refine them if necessary. This process should be continued until students have read each section of the
passage. T = THINKING. At the end of each section, students go back through the text
and think about their predictions. Students should verify or modify their predictions by finding supporting statements in the text. The teacher asks
questions such as:
·
What do you think about your predictions now?
·
What did you find in the text to prove your predictions?
·
What did you we read in the text that made you change your predictions? NOTE: Writing may be included as part of the DR-TA. As students become more
comfortable with this strategy, have each student write predictions in a learning log or on a piece of paper. Then, in small groups, students can discuss their
predictions and share their thinking processes. Next ask students to write summary statements about how their predictions compared to the passage
Reading Rockets, 2009. In line with those procedures above, there are some processes that a
teacher needs to follow of using DR-TA. 1
Before presenting the text to the class:
·
Select an appropriate text.
·
Chunk that text at its predictive points, and type it onto an overhead
or into a word program if you have access to a projector and a screen
.
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·
Prepare a list of comprehension questions that can be asked throughout the activity.
2 When presenting the text to the class:
·
Introduce the title
and perhaps a supporting image from the text
and ask the students to make predictions about what they think the text is about.
Ask students to support their claims.
·
Begin to read each of the “chunked” sections, one at a time.
Note: When doing this activity for the first time, read the text aloud to the students.
However, once they gain experience with this strategy, have them read the sections silently. Provide ample time for every reader to finish the text
.
·
At the end of every “chunked” section, ask both predictive questions
“ Were your predictions correct?” , What has changed since your last prediction?” , “ What do you think will happen next?”
and comprehension questions
“ who is…?” , “ why do you think the character did that?” , “ what would you do if you were in that situation?”
·
Repeat instruction 2 and 3 until you reach the end of the text.
·
Reflect on how the students’ predictions changed. Reviewing the students’ past predictions serves as a comprehension check. Encourage the students
to look at how their predictions changed and ask them what made them change their predictions. Depending on the level of your students, you can
ask them to consider the author’s role in their predictions and encourage them to look at the strategies that the author used to keep them guessing or
to make them change their predictions Literacy Strategies, 2011.
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In Bowman-Khrum 2009, it is stated the summary of steps of DR-TA
technique as follows: 1
Prepare for reading. Refer students to text or a section of text. -
Activate prior knowledge, arouse interest, develop vocabulary. -
Preview material. Ask students to survey title, subheads, illustrations, pictures, etc.
- Ask: What do you think this story chapter, section, or passage will be
about? Encourage predictions. Ask: Why do you think so? -
Establish purposes for reading; e.g., to reach some conclusion, to grasp general ideas, to understand sequence of events, to predict events, to
follow directions, etc. 2
Read. Ask students to read silently to a predetermined place. 3
Check comprehension vocabulary. Ask questions from Step 1. Some predictions will be refined or reformulated. Ask students How do you
know? to encourage substantiation. Ask students to re-read silently or orally as appropriate.
Repeat steps 2 3 to end of material. Feel free to skip less important passages or summarize for them. Do a Think-Aloud to let them know why;
i.e., model your thinking process as you read a section of the story or text. 4
Check comprehension based on original purposes set prior to reading. Questions should be of varying types text-explicit, text-implicit, critical
thinking.
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5 Follow-up with activities or assignment.
Moreover, the step to a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity is also stated as follows:
1 Ask students to skim a reading selection prior to reading it. Have them note
titles, subheadings, illustrations, captions, sidebars, etc. From this preliminary overview, ask students to predict the content or perspective of the text
passage. More importantly, ask them to identify why they reached these conclusions.
2 Pick a reasonable break point in the reading selection and have students
read up to this point. Challenge students to evaluate their predictions and refine them if necessary. Press students who change their predictions to
explain why and offer specific evidencereasons for the change. 3
Repeat the process in steps 1 and 2 throughout all the logical break points in the text until the selection is completed Just Read Now, 2011.
In this research, the researcher arranges the procedure of DR-TA as follows.
1 Teacher showsgives a reading text and asks students to read the first sentence
in the first paragraph and to predict what they think the text will be about based on first sentence before they read the whole reading text. Teacher is
suggested to cover the other parts of reading text and uncover it gradually 2
Write down students predictions on the board or overhead. Ask them to explain why they think these things will happen. Students can also write
down their predictions in a reading journal. Make sure all students are
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engaged. If they do not all have a chance to suggest a prediction, you can have the class vote on which predictions they prefer so that everyone has a
chance to be involved. 3
Students form pairs, at the teacher’s direction or by choosing partners. 4
Students read the following sentences up to a certain designated stopping point point 1, determined by the teacher to confirm their prediction.
5 After reading, lead a discussion in which students will evaluate their
predictions as to whether they were correct or not. They should justify their answers by citing specific examples from the reading to confirm or disprove
the predictions. Ask students why they think the things happened as they did. 6
Students continue their prediction for the next sentences. 7
Students read the following sentences up to a certain designated stopping point point 2, determined by the teacher to confirm their prediction.
8 Repeat the discussion process after each section. Continue to ask students to
justify their reasoning with examples. Guide students by asking questions about what they think will happen next, and why. Students continue the
activity predicting and confirming with the text until the last part of the reading text.
9 Students express what kinds of information they can get with this reading
technique.
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c. The Advantages of Directed Reading-Thinking Activity
