What is the Scales Strategy?
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Videos |
The Scales Strategy asks students to make comparisons, recognize contrasts, draw conclusions, and distinguish between facts and opinions. This strategy works great for students who need help organizing their thoughts, or who benefit from seeing information in a graphically organized way.
Author of When Kids Can't Read, Kylene Beers discusses two main scales. Likert Scales and Semantic Differential Scales. "Likert scales require students to read a statement, decide how much they agree or disagree with it, and then mark or circle the term that indicates that level of agreement. Likert scales often focus on generalizations about characters, themes, conflicts, or symbolism" (2003). Students see this strategy as a fun and interesting way to indicate their opinion or position on a specific character or issue. A strategy that is very similar to scales is Literary Report Cards, as described by Ruth Helen Yopp and Hallie Kay Yopp in Literature-Based Reading Activities. In this strategy, students choose a character, and grade or assess them on a variety of categories. For example, a student could choose Wilbur, from Charlotte's Web and assess him in categories such as "trustworthy", "Adventurous", "Obedient" and so on. Students could use letter grades or other forms of grading. This strategy pushes students, "Selection of subject areas requires higher-level thinking, as the students reflect on the character, analyze his or her qualities and behavior, and label the qualaties. In addition to awarding the grades, students comment on or cite evidence for each grade" (2010). |
In the video below, students are seen completing a scales reading strategy. The teacher begins the lesson by describing the activity and modeling a few together. While it is difficult to see the strategy on students' desks, this video does a good job of showing how you could use the strategy in a classroom.
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How can I use this Strategy?
Use this strategy after finishing a story-- or in a History class, use if after reading about a famous politician, and grade them in different "subjects"!
Resources
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Incorporate Writing
To incorporate writing into this strategy, ask students to write comments or find a place from the text to support or cite the grade they gave. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1 standard states, "Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence" (English language Arts n.d.).
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Examples
Resources
Beers, K. (2003). When kids can't read, what teachers can do: A guide for teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 6. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2015, from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/6/
Yopp, R., & Yopp, H. (2010). Literature-based reading activities (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Beers, K. (2003). When kids can't read, what teachers can do: A guide for teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 6. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2015, from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/6/
Yopp, R., & Yopp, H. (2010). Literature-based reading activities (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.