Random thoughts: Adapting and Applying MTV Word-Phrase-Sentence

 I have diffficulty teaching pupils to answer open ended questions in reading comprehension.

At such, I decided to try a different way. 

First of all, I type a shorter text, consisting of new vocabulary learnt. 

Before I ask pupils to read the text, I ask an Oral Question, and get pupils to write down what they think are logical and possible answer to that question. 

Then, I ask them to read the text, and write down whatever words and phrases (I combined the 2), that they think they can use in the oral question. 

The oral frame is prior knowledge which was taught much earlier for them to elaborate on what they want to say. 

They differentiate the 2 answers by writing them in different colors. What is surprising is everyone can identify key words and some pupils can identify "all" key words related to the question. (I always have a problem of having comprehension answers that made sweeping statements that are too short or generic)

The sentence phase of MTV is adapted. Instead of looking at which sentence is meaningful or captured the essence of the text, I ask pupils to write out their key words in sentences in coherence way using connectors such as "because, if, for example, but" and making sure they are aswering the question directly. 

I just completed marking the answers to the question, this is the first time I saw many different rehrasing of answers to 1 question, and at the same time, making sense to the question. 

Why I think the process works:

1) There is a step of activating self-knowledge or prior knowledge in their daily life, and then connecting that to the text. When the pupils junp into the text without any thinking frame, the idenitification process of key words, is more difficult. 

2) The text is shorter, about 30% shorter, and I gave them time to ask questions to decode. 

3) They are familiar to the oral text, and frame to use, the transfer to knowledge hence become easier. Instead of a 1 answer frame, the pupils are allowed the paraphrase the key words into sentences in whatever ways that make sense to them 

What didn't work:

1) Some pupils have the key words identified, yet they did not write it dowm. The process broken down is the sentence making process. 

2) Some make sentences without making any reference to the question at all. 

What can be further done:

1) Simply asking pupils to be mindful of using all key words identfied. Ask them to tell me what words have they not use? 

How the process can be differentiated?

1) The environment, helping the weaker pupils. Products is standardized, an written answer. Content is already scaldfolded. Maybe, better pupils should have the scaldfold removed, to start the transistion.

2) It can be done for comprehension questions for my P5, when they do corrections. Stronger pupils do their corrections, weaker pupils have the scaldfolding diagram