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Coteaching Reading Comprehension Strategies in Elementary School Libraries: Maximizing Your Impact

Chapter 8: Using Fix-up Options: Emerging Lesson


Photograph of Judi  and Denise team teaching
This is photograph shows an example of the team teaching approach.

This lesson was field tested by reading teacher Denise Webb and Judi Moreillon, serving in the role of teacher-librarian. Denise teaches at Blenman Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona. In April 2007, she had fifteen struggle readers in her tutoring class.

Denise and Judi divided the class in half for the presentation and guided practice (identifying and using fix-up options). This allowed students to have many more opportunities to share their ideas.

The educators brought the class back together as a group to compare their use of fix-up options. When they compared their charts, students saw that different readers use different options in order to make meaning with a difficult text. Both groups identified using visualization as support for comprehension as the least often used option and one that they could work on in the future.

Denise's group completed a shared writing response to the story and a shared writing piece about using fix-up options. They shared their work with Judi's group that didn't have time to complete these two tasks.

Denise extended the lesson by organizing students in groups of four to write and illustrate stories similar to Anthony Browne's book Voices in the Park, the anchor text for this lesson. Marissa wrote and illustrated the story below. Her group mates Brooke, Uriel, and Zoe included each other in their stories as well.

Marissa's drawwing of the swings

Zoe and I were the first ones at the park.
First we played on the swings.

Marissa's drawing of the mountain

Then we went up a mountain.

Marissa's drawing of the swings

We saw our friends Uriel and Brooke.

Marissa's drawing of a limousine

Then we went home in a limo.


AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner:

  • Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning. (1.1.6)
  • Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding. (1.1.9)
  • Monitor gathered information and assess for gaps and weaknesses. (1.4.3)
  • Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres. (4.1.3)


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Launched: March 2007
Updated: 5 June 2013