WEBVTT

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[Music Plays]

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It is October, and Mr. Dupree, a sixth-grade science teacher at
Washington Middle School, is growing concerned about his students'

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performance. Although they generally seem interested in science and
participate in group projects and lab assignments, lately he has

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begun to notice that many of his students are reluctant to take part
in class discussions after an independent reading assignment.

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Additionally, many perform poorly on the pop quizzes that cover
those independent assignments. Most of Mr. Dupree's students read

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fluently when asked to do so in class, but some of them have
difficulty grasping main ideas and are frequently unable to answer

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higher-order questions about what they've read. Having spoken with
his colleagues and independently researched possible explanations

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for his students' performance, Mr. Dupree concludes that many of his
students are having trouble understanding the science textbook.

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During the course of his research, Mr. Dupree also learns that
reading comprehension skills are not routinely taught beyond the

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third grade. He wonders whether he should teach reading
comprehension strategies to his students. As a science teacher,

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Mr. Dupree has mixed feelings about doing so, and anyway he has no
idea where he would even begin.

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Here's Your Challenge: