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Teaching Methods and Management > Teaching Methods and Strategies > Skill Builder (432 resources)
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Directed Reading-Thinking Activity

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What Is It?
Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DR-TA) is a teaching strategy that guides students in making predictions about a text a
to confirm or refute their predictions. This strategy encourages students to be active and thoughtful readers, enhancing the
comprehension.
The following steps outline the DR-TA process.
1. Introduction
○ What do you already know about this subject?
2. Predict
○ Looking at the title, what do you think the story is about? Why?
○ Looking at the pictures, what do you think the story will be about? Why?
3. Prove or Modify Predictions
After reading each section, answer the following:
 ○ What do you think now?
○ Can you prove your predictions, or do you need to modify them?
○ What do you think will happen next? Why?
4. Reflect
After reading the entire selection, answer the following:
○ What did you find in the text to prove your predictions?
○ What did you find in the text that caused you to modify your predictions?
Why Is It Important?
Most students require explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies (Tierney 1982).
Good readers make predictions and verify or refute them as they read. They also make adjustments to what they think will
based on the text. DR-TA is a strategy that explicitly teaches students to good reading habits.
How Can You Make It Happen?
Before using this strategy with students, create a classroom climate in which students are free to state their ideas and shar
This is especially necessary for students who are not risk-takers. Because these students want to be correct the first time t
question, DR-TA can be challenging for them. DR-TA asks students to predict the unknown in a text, and at times students
incorrect. For some students, you may want to consider having them write their predictions in a journal rather than posting t
overhead transparency or the chalkboard. Encourage students not to be intimidated by taking a risk and not to feel pressur
correct predictions.
As an introductory lesson to DR-TA, select a reading passage, and determine several appropriate stopping points within it
make, verify, or modify predictions. Use sticky notes to mark students' copies of the text in advance to prevent students fro
far ahead. Be cautious not to interrupt the flow of the text too many times, as this will adversely affect comprehension.
When you use this strategy, guide and stimulate students' thinking through the use of questions. Pose open-ended questio
encourage students to state their predictions, valuing and supporting all ideas. Wait a few seconds after asking a question,
students to process the information and form a prediction.
At the beginning of the lesson, write the title of the book or passage on an overhead transparency or the chalkboard. Ask s
this title, what do you think the passage will be about?" Accept and record all predictions on the transparency or chalkboard
"Why do you think that?" to encourage them to justify their responses and activate prior knowledge.
Preview the illustrations and/or headings of the passage. Ask students to revise their predictions based on this new informa
changes to the predictions on the transparency or chalkboard.
Have students read silently. Stop them after the first section of the passage, and lead a class discussion to verify or modify
Ask students to cite the text which caused them to confirm or change a prediction. Ask students, "What in the passage mak
that? Can you prove it?" Make changes to the predictions on the transparency or chalkboard.
Repeat this process until students have read each section of the passage. Verify or modify the predictions made at the beg
lesson.
As students become more comfortable with this process, have each student write predictions in alearning log or on a piece
in small groups, students can discuss their predictions and share their thinking processes. Next ask students to write summ
about how their predictions compared to the passage.
Using DR-TA in a heterogeneous group can be a challenge due to the range of reading levels that may be present. In this c
want to select two passages on the same topic – one higher-level and one lower-level. Divide the class into groups to read
appropriate for them. These groups should share information as described in the previous parargraph.
If your students are not yet readers, the strategy is referred to as Directed Listening-Thinking Activity (DL-TA) and proceed
way, except you read the text to the class. To use DL-TA for challenged readers, have a taped version of the passage avai
to text read aloud provides challenged readers with opportunities to attend to and comprehend material that they would be
for themselves (Gillet and Temple 1994).

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Home » Classroom Strategies » Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA)

Classroom Strategies

Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA)

Background
The Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) is a strategy that guides students in asking
questions about a text, making predictions, and then reading to confirm or refute their
predictions. The DRTA process encourages students to be active and thoughtful readers,
enhancing their comprehension.
Benefits
A DRTA may be used with an individual, a small group, or a whole class. This activity can be
easily adapted for a variety of subjects and reading levels. This strategy helps strengthen reading
and critical thinking skills. As the teacher guides the process, the DRTA teaches students to
determine the purpose for reading and make adjustments to what they think will come next based
on the text.
Create and use the strategy
Determine the text to be used and pre-select points for students to pause during the reading
process. The reading should be broken into small sections so that the students have time to think
about and process information. The amount of reading should be adjusted to fit the purpose and
the difficulty of the text. Introduce the text, the purpose of the DRTA and gives examples of how
to make predictions. Be aware of the reading levels of each student, and be prepared to provide
appropriate questions, prompts, and support as needed. Encourage students not to be intimidated
by taking a risk with predictions and not to feel pressure to state only correct predictions.
D - DIRECT - Teachers direct and stimulate students' thinking prior to reading a passage by
scanning the title, chapter headings, illustrations, and other explanatory materials. Then teachers
should use open-ended questions to direct students as they make predictions about the content or
perspective of the text (e.g., "Given this title, what do you think the passage will be about?").
Students should be encouraged to justify their responses and activate prior knowledge.
R - READING - Teachers should have students read up to the first pre-selected stopping point in
the text. The teacher then prompts the students with questions about specific information and
asks them to evaluate their predictions and refine them if necessary. This process should be
continued until students have read each section of the passage.
T - THINKING - At the end of the reading, teachers should have students go back through the
text and think about their predictions. Students should verify or modify the accuracy of their
predictions by finding supporting statements in the text. The teacher deepens the thinking
process by asking questions such as:
• What do you think about your predictions now?
• What did you find in the text to prove your predictions?
• What did you find in the text that caused you to modify your predictions?
NOTE: Writing may be included as part of the DRTA. As students become more comfortable
with this strategy, have each student write predictions in a learning log or on a piece of paper.
Then, in small groups, students can discuss their predictions and share their thinking processes.
Next ask students to write summary statements about how their predictions compared to the
passage.
Further reading
• http://www.teachervision.fen.com/skill-builder/reading/48610.html?
for_printing=1
• http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/English/shared/Directed%20Reading
%20Thinking.pdf
• http://www.justreadnow.com/strategies/drta.htm
Research citations
Jennings, C. & Shepherd, J. (1998). Literacy and the key learning areas: successful classroom
strategies. Eleanor Curtain Publishing.
Lenski, Susan D., Wham, Mary Ann, & Johns, Jerry L. (1999). Reading and learning strategies
for middle and high school students. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
Murdoch, K. (1998). Classroom Connections: Strategies for Integrated Learning. Eleanor
Curtain Publishing.
Stauffer, R. G. (1969). Directing reading maturity as a cognitive process. New York: Harper &
Row.
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