Tom Sawyer: Reading Comprehension Questions

1) Describe what happened in this class session. What was done by the faculty member and/or the students?

Ms. Datillo is working in the library with a small group of 8th grade students with their responses to the reading comprehension questions over the story of Tom Sawyer. Ms. Datillo began by rereading the passage for the first set of questions and asked students to follow along while she read. One student said he did not have his copy of the reading so Ms. Datillo provided him with an extra copy she brought with her. Ms. Datillo then asked the students to discuss the responses they wrote to the comprehension questions to this section. Each student was given the opportunity to respond with their answers. Ms. Datillo used question prompts to help students think about their responses so they could make corrections or

This allowed students to develop a better and deeper understanding of what they were learning.

2) What worked particularly well during the observation?

You kept students engaged through question probes and didn’t let them off the hook when they said “I didn’t answer that question” or “I don’t know”. You also encourage students to respond by stating you know they can do it and celebrated their success when they did.

3) Was there a point during this class session when students were not engaged?

Students were engaged the entire session and all students had multiple opportunities to participate.

4) How did the physical surroundings or environment of the class session affect the learning experience, if at all? (For example, the temperature or set up of the classroom, the time of day)

The physical surroundings of tutoring in the Library did not affect the learning experience for your students.

5) What suggestions do you have for the faculty member you