Are your students THIEVES?

Education uses acronyms to describe everything from mandated programs and procedures (SIP, FCIM, DA, FCAT) to instructional strategies (GIST, SQPL, RAFT). Let me introduce (or reintroduce) you to another educational acronym: THIEVES. THIEVES is an excellent strategy to use in building background knowledge and previewing textbooks in any content area class. The strategy also works well in reviewing chapter material. Here are the steps involved in helping your students become THIEVES.

Title·The title gives students a general idea of the material to be covered in the chapter and establishes the context. What is the title? What do I already know about this topic? What does it have to do with the preceding chapter? Does it express a point of view? What do I think we will be reading about?

Headings·Headings serve as visible organizers of the material and can assist students in summarizing the chapter before reading it. What does this heading let me know I will be reading about? What is the topic of the paragraph beneath it? How can I turn this heading into a question that is likely to be answered in the actual content?

Introduction·The introduction lays the foundation for the chapter and usually states chapter goals and objectives. Is there an opening, perhaps italicized? Does the first paragraph introduce the chapter? What does the introduction let me know I will be reading about? Do I know anything about this already?

Every first sentence in a paragraph·These sentences often reveal the topic and, sometimes, the main idea.

Visuals and vocabulary·Visuals help students activate background knowledge and engage learning of the content prior to reading. Are there photographs, drawings, maps, charts, graphs? What can I learn from them? How do the captions help me better understand the meaning? Highlighted vocabulary words indicate key concepts and enable students to focus on important terms. Is there a list of key vocabulary terms and definitions? Are there important words in boldface type throughout the chapter? Do I know what they mean? Can I tell the meaning from the sentences in which they are embedded?

End-of-chapter questions help establish a purpose for reading and guide students in understanding key points in the text. What do the questions ask? What information do they earmark as important? What information do I learn from the question? Let me keep in mind the questions I am to answer so that I may annotate my text where pertinent information is located.

Summary·The summary gives students a complete overview of the chapter.

Reference:

Manz, Suzanne Liff. (2002). A strategy for previewing textbooks: Teaching readers to become THIEVES. The Reading Teacher, 55, 5.

Important Links:

Florida Online Reading Professional Development-Reading Strategy of the Month Archives

FAIR Testing Schedule-April 2010 (pdf file)

Real-Time Teaching (pdf file)

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