Wide vocabulary knowledge is associated with proficiency in reading comprehension and scores on tests involving comprehension. Yet assessments show that U.S. students at various grade levels have demonstrated no improvement in their vocabulary knowledge since 2009. Literacy expert Timothy Rasinski and colleagues argue that students need improved…

Retelling and summarizing are great ways to get children involved in what they're reading--and thinking about what they understand in texts. Summarizing is a more complex task than retelling. Creating a formal summary usually involves reducing a text by about a third, writing a topic statement, eliminating redundant and unimportant details, and…

The Metacognitive Teaching Framework (MTF) is explained from the initial teacher-directed think-aloud through to students' independent use of cognitive strategies. The four stages of the MTF are described and tips for implementation are offered. Using questioning as an example, the authors work through what this looks like from stage 1 through…