Constructing Meaning from Expository Texts: Strategies for Vocabulary, Inference Generation, and Text Structure Amy Elleman, Ph.D.

Amy Elleman is currently an assistant professor in the Ph.D. in Literacy Studies Program at Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University where she became interested in designing interventions to improve comprehension, especially for children at risk of developing late emerging reading difficulties. Dr. Elleman has expertise in meta-analyses, assessment development, and designing innovative comprehension interventions. As a researcher with extensive practical experience as a teacher and administrator, Dr. Elleman is often invited to speak for audiences of educators interested in bridging the research to practice gap. Her current research focuses on understanding the most effective methods for increasing comprehension through knowledge building, vocabulary acquisition, and inference generation.

Independently learning from text becomes increasingly important as students get older. In this session, participants will learn evidence-based methods for improving students' comprehension of expository texts. This session will cover the importance of meta-cognitive strategies for increasing students' 'standards of coherence' while reading. In addition, participants will learn strategies for teaching students to construct meaning at both the micro-level and macro-level of informational texts through teaching vocabulary, promoting inference generation, and supporting text structure knowledge using graphic organizers.

ALTA offers its members 2.0 hours for this video.