Stop N Say!

Stop N Say (AKA- Say Something) is my favorite reading strategy. This strategy is an active reading strategy- meaning students DO something while they read. This active reading helps in comprehension, especially with the upper grades when phonics no longer work.

 This is how it works: Teach and model: Connections, Questioning, Clarifying and Predicting. Make an anchor chart to remind students what to "say" when they stop reading.

Pair off students and have them reading a text in predetermined sections (every two paragraphs, every page, every other page). When one student is reading, the other student is responsible for listening and following along, and they also need to "Say Something" either make a connection, ask a question, clarify or predict. They can do this on a sticky note, notebook paper, or graphic organizer.

Students alternate roles- for example if Sue and Sandy are partners, Sue reads a page in the assigned text, Sandy "says something" when Sue is finished. Sandy reads the text, Sue "says something". They keep alternating roles until the text is read. At any point, if a student can't "say something" they need to re-read the text! (This is a great way to teach students to monitor their own comprehension).

So, what do you think? Is this something you can use in your own classroom? Answer in the comments below.

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