Self Assessments for Reading/Anecdotal notes

I have posted the last couple of weeks on using anecdotal notes from teacher observations in the classroom. When I opened my IRA Reading Today magazine for this month, I found an article by Peter Afflerbach, "Self Assessment and Reading Success". The article states that self assessment is a major contributor to reading development and can benefit students as they read and monitor their comprehension. Students, who self assess, can become more efficient at planning their work, stepping back, and sizing up a task. As I read the article, I thought that these self assessments could be a great tool for students to use and could even provide some anecdotal notes for teachers on their students' learning. To use these, teachers would need to choose a starting place and begin by modeling. Think alouds could be particularly beneficial in helping students learn how to effectively use self assessments. Providing questions can also be very helpful. We must be mindful that these metacognitive tasks can be hard work. However, by supporting our students, they will be able to approach all reading tasks with the metacognitive awareness to complete them more strategically and more reflectively to be successful.

Some possible questions for self-assessment and metacognitive thinking.

As I start reading

• What is my reading task?
• What kind of text is this?
• What am I expected to do with my reading?
• Do I have sufficient prior knowledge for this text?
• What do I need to succeed a this reading task?

As I read and construct meaning

• Does that make sense?
• Is there a problem?
• What is the problem?
• Can I fix the problem?
• How can I fix the problem?
• What do I need to do?
• Did I fix it?
• How can I get back on track?

As I check my progress

• What are my goals for reading?
• What is my understanding so far?
• How is my progress toward my goal?
• Should I adjust my goals?

As I finish reading

• Have I met the goals I set when I began reading
• What did I do to help succeed at reading?
• Has my reading of this text prepared me for the reading-related task?

As I reflect on my reading

• Did I apply sufficient effort while I read?
• What did I learn about my reading today?
• What did I do well?
• What do I need to work on?