Reciprocal Teaching
The goals of reciprocal teaching are:

To improve student’s reading comprehension using four
comprehension strategies: predicting, questioning, clarifying, and
summarizing;

To scaffold the four strategies by modeling, guiding, and applying
the strategies while reading;

To guide students to become metacognitive and reflective in their
strategy use;

To help students monitor their reading comprehension using the four
strategies;

To use the social nature of learning to improve and scaffold reading
comprehension;

To strengthen instruction in a variety of classroom settings – wholeclass sessions, guided reading groups, and literature circles; and

To be part of the broader framework of comprehension strategies
that comprises previewing, self-questioning, making connections;
visualizing, knowing how words work, monitoring, summarizing, and
evaluating.
(McLaughlin & Allen, 2002; Pearson, Roehler, Dole, & Duffy, 1992)
What the Research Says About Reciprocal Teaching
“Palincsar and Brown (1986) found that when reciprocal
teaching was used with a group of students for just 15-20 days, the
students’ reading on a comprehension assessment increased from
30% to 80%. According to a study by Palincsar and Klenk (1991),
students not only improved their comprehension skills almost
immediately, but they also maintained the improved
comprehension skills when tested a year later. This powerful
teaching technique is especially effective when incorporated as
part of an intervention for struggling readers (Cooper et al., 2000)
and when used with low-performing students in urban settings
(Carter, 1997). Although originally designed for small-group
instruction with struggling middle school students, reciprocal
teaching has proved to yield positive and consistent results with
primary- and upper grade elementary students who are taught in
large-group, teacher-led settings and in peer groups (Cooper et al.,
2000; Palincsar & Brown, 1984, 1986; Palincsar & Klenk, 1991, 1992).
Rosenshine and Meister (1994) reviewed 16 studies of reciprocal
teaching and concluded that reciprocal teaching is a technique
that improves reading comprehension.
“Lubliner (2001) points out that reciprocal teaching is an
effective teaching technique that can improve on the kind o
reading comprehension that is necessary not only for improved test
scores but also for an information age. A growing need exists for
students to learn sophisticated reading skills that they can employ in
the workforce and in a world that is bursting with print materials and
data. Students should be prepared to comprehend and evaluate
a wide variety of complicated texts from books to electronic
sources, and reciprocal teaching strategies can help them achieve
that goal.”
~ excerpts from Lori D. Ockus (2003)
The objective is to have students work in collaborative
small groups using the following processes:
In groups, students will read and discuss the text. Each
student takes a different role.
Strategy
Predict
Activity
Predictor predicts with evidence:
My prediction is…
My evidence is…
Other students agree or disagree and
Give evidence.
Read
Students read the section silently or in
unison.
Question
Questioner poses questions for the
group to discuss:
My on-the-surface question is…
My under-the-surface question is…
Other students answer questions.
Clarify
Clarifier asks for or gives clarification:
I need to have __________ clarified.
Do you need anything clarified?
Talk about parts that were confusing
and discuss unknown words.
Summarize
Summarizer summarizes:
Here’s what I think is the most
important
My summary is…
Other students add to summary.
Each student keeps his other job for the entire
Reciprocal Teaching discussion. They change jobs the
next time they meet to read.
CLARIFIER
You will first ask the group to help you clarify any
words or ideas that you did not understand.
You will then ask anyone in the group if they need
any words or ideas clarified. Work with the group
to determine meanings of unknown vocabulary or
unclear ideas. Make sure the group feels
comfortable asking for clarification.
CLARIFIER
I need to have ____________ clarified.
Do any of you need anything clarified?
Remember to make groups members feel
comfortable enough to state what they don’t
understand.
PREDICTOR
You will tell the group what you think you will read
about next. What is the writer going to say now?
Preview the section and think about the main
ideas. Consider topics you think will be covered
and key vocabulary you might expect to come
across. Share your predictions first and then
encourage all group members to share their
predictions with reasons for them.
PREDICTOR
My prediction is…
My evidence is…
Ask group members if they agree or disagree and
to give their evidence.
QUESTIONER
You will ask two questions about the reading.
One is an on-the-surface question-who, what, when, or
where. The other is an under-the-surface question-why,
how, should, could, or would. Work with the group to
decide where the answer to these questions might be-in
the reading, in the clues, in another source, or in the
reader’s mind. Make sure the group attempts to answer
the questions.
QUESTIONER
My on-the-surface question is…
Who? What? When? Where?
My under-the-surface question is…
Why? How? Could? Should? Would?
Ask anyone else if they have a question.
Ask group members if they agree or disagree and
to give their evidence.
SUMMARIZER
You will write a summary of the most important
information from the reading. You need to be able to
explain the reading in two or three sentences. Think
about the main idea(s) and the most important details.
Use the headings and boldface print to help you create
a strong summary for this passage. Think like the author
and try to figure out what he or she wanted to tell you.
The others in the group will help you if you get stuck or if
they think you forgot something.
SUMMARIZER
Here’s what I think is most important from the
text…
My summary is…
Ask group members for additional input.
Reciprocal Teaching LINKS
Los Angeles County Office of Education
What is Reciprocal Teaching?
http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/patti/23/teacher/resources/reciprocal.html
Intervention Central
Reciprocal Teaching: A Reading Comprehension Package
http://www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/interventions/rdngcompr/reciptchng.php
Dade-Monroe Teacher Education Center
Reciprocal Teaching: Model Lesson Plan
http://pers.dadeschools.net/prodev/model_lesson_.htm
LikeToRead.com
Reciprocal Teaching
http://www.liketoread.com/struct_talk_recip_teaching.php
Bookmark for Reciprocal Teaching
http://www.miamisci.org/tec/back.html
Jim Wright, “Be a Careful Reader!: Four Strategies to Better Understand What You Are
Reading”
www.interventioncentral.org
References
Carter, C.J. (1997). “Why Reciprocal Teaching?” Educational Leadership,
Vol. 54(6), p. 64-68.
Cooper, J.D., Boschken, I., McWilliams, J., & Pistochini, L. (2000). “A Study
of the Effectiveness of an Intervention Program Designed to
Accelerate Reading for Struggling Readers in the Upper Grades,” In
T. Shananhan & F.V. Rodriguez-Brown (Eds.), 49th Yearbook of the
National Reading Conference (pp. 477-486). Chicago: National
Reading Conference.
Hoyt, Linda. (2005). Spotlight on Comprehension. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Lubliner, S. (2001). A Practical Guide to Reciprocal Teaching. Bothell, WA:
Wright Group.
McLaughlin, M., & Allen, M.B. (2002). Guided Comprehension: A Teaching
Model for Grades 3-8. Newark, DE: International Reading
Association.
Oczkus, Lori D. (2003). Reciprocal Teaching at Work. Newark, DE:
International Reading Association.
Palincsar, A.S., & Brown, A.L. (1984). “Reciprocal Teaching of
Comprehension-fostering and Comprehension-monitoring Activities.
Cognition and Instruction, Vol. 2, pp. 117-175.
Palincsar, A.S., & Brown, A.L. (1986). “Interactive Teaching to Promote
Independent Learning from Text,” The Reading Teacher, Vol. 29, pp.
771-777.
Palincsar, A.S., & Klenk, L. (1991). Learning Dialogues to Promote Text
Comprehension (PHS Grant 059). Bethesda, MD: National Institute
of Health and Human Development.
Palincsar, A.S., & Klenk, L. (1992). “Fostering Literacy Learning in Supportive
Contexts,” Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 25(4), pp. 211-225.
Pearson, P.D., Roehler, L.R., Dole, J.A., & Duffy, G.G. (1992). “Developing
Expertise in Reading Comprehension”. In S.J. Samuels & A.E.
Farstrup (Eds.), What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction
(2nd ed., pp. 145-199). Newark, DE: International Reading
Association.
Rosenshine, B., & Meister, C. (1994). “Reciprocal Teaching: A Review of
Nineteen Experimental Studies,” Review of Educational Research,
Vol. 64, pp. 479-530.