Reading for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Fall, 2011

I analyzed the lesson plan “Reading Informational Text Using the 3-2-1 Strategy” which is based on the article “Engaging Students with Text: The 3-2-1 Strategy,” featured in The Reading Teacher (2004). After reading a nonfiction text, students record 3 things they discovered, 2 interesting things and one question they still have. I chose this lesson because I used this strategy in my fifth-grade classroom about six years ago. In the version I used, students recorded 3 things they discovered, 2 questions and 1 connection. Originally, I liked this strategy because it is simple; it requires students to use multiple reading strategies and can be used with any nonfiction text. I decided to take another look at it to see if I still think it is a valuable strategy to use with my current students.

The lesson procedures are clear and easy to follow. The teacher models the 3-2-1 strategy during an interactive reading experience. Then students read an article independently and complete a 3-2-1 chart. Finally, students share their charts with the rest of the class.
Limited materials are required for this lesson and there is little preparation time. The teacher only needs to choose an article to use when modeling the lesson and provide a variety of articles for students to read independently. Students can create their 3-2-1 chart on paper or they can use the electronic chart included in the lesson. Older students could use the electronic chart, save their work and send the chart to the teacher as an attachment. The lesson author also includes electronic sources for informational texts, which provides greater options and incorporates technology.

The lesson author also includes a rubric to assess how the students did on the assignment (1 = Exemplary - The student’s ideas and question are relevant to the topic read. 2 = Sufficient - Some of the student’s ideas and question are related to the topic. 3 = Insufficient - The student’s ideas and question are unrelated to the topic.), along with a self- assessment for students to use. The self-assessment includes the following questions (I discovered three things about this topic. I found two interesting things about this topic. I thought of one question I still have about this topic. I liked reading about this topic. I want to read more about this topic. I think this strategy helped me understand the article. I will use this strategy when reading another article.)

I feel the strategy helps the students interact with the text and sets some purposes for reading, but I am not convinced that it is a powerful tool for deepening understanding. The stated learning objective for the lesson is “Students will demonstrate comprehension of an informational article read from a magazine using the 3-2-1 strategy.” The creators of the strategy also claim that the strategy will help students comprehend what they read. I feel the low-level tasks do not demonstrate understanding. Furthermore, I am not sure there is a clear distinction between 3 things learned and 2 interesting facts.

The writers of the article state that identifying 3 things discovered requires students to “summarize …by identifying key facts and sharing their understandings of the text by writing and explaining meaning in their own words.” I can see how this task might require students to paraphrase, but I do not consider it summarizing. Summarizing is a high-level process in which students to identify key ideas and details and synthesize them.

The second task- record two interesting facts is meant to allow students to share what they enjoyed, which reflects their personal attitudes about the text. I can see how this is engaging, but do not see how it furthers understanding or requires deep thinking.

Questioning is a powerful strategy, but the rubric does not consider the quality of the question being asked. Furthermore, I feel that questioning is most powerful before and during reading because it sets a purpose for reading and helps readers clarify as they interact with the text. The lesson author suggested that students conduct additional research to answer their lingering question as an extension activity, which can be a useful research strategy and further understanding of the original text. It would also be a motivating assignment for many students.

The lesson plan does not seem aligned to all the stated standards, which includes 37 NCSCOS objectives across grades 1-3 and 12 national standards for English Language Arts. Examples include the following: 1.) Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types. 2.) Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

The appeal of 3-2-1 is that it is a universal strategy that can be used with any informational text, but the 3-2-1 strategy can be modified to a specific text- Identify 3 steps in the water cycle. I feel it can be modified to incorporate higher-level thinking- Identify the 3 most important details and be prepared to explain why you chose them. I think it can also be modified to focus on a specific strategy- After tracking your wonderings, identify 3 questions that were answered right in the text, identify 2 questions that required you to make an inference and identify a question that went unanswered.