Effective ways to teach reading

After analyzing our Reading comprehension data from the start of the year; many students in my class were achieving at a low level. We talked about them maybe skipping through the test or not understanding certian questions. ( As when I am working with them in class they are thinking at a higher level) The data has made me re-evaluate my reading planning. It is my first year teaching year 5-6 so I am still 'finding my feet'. I have recently looked at blooms taxonomy and have started to incorporate that into my planning. BUT I still want to know what a great reading lesson looks like at a year 5-6 level. 

This sits in well with my Inquiry which has a strong focus to develop critical thinking. 

Something I tried today was evaluating a poem. Many of my students scored low when working with a poem in the test ( This indicated to me that maybe they aren't being exposed to that type of text as often)  We read a poem together and then talked about the different features within the poem and figurative language. I used teacher talk aloud to help the students understand the text at a deeper level. This was a great first step and I am wanting to do this every week with a follow up that helps the students consolidate any new learning. I am hoping that this will increase their vocabulary knowledge and their understandings about poems/ the choices writers make to convey meaning or ideas. 

Readings 

Readings: Effective Literacy Practice Year 5-8 

Explicit teaching of the strategy  teacher think aloud) 

Scaffolding the students to use the strategy 

Encourage students to articulate how they are using that strategy 

Encourage them to apply this new strategy to their reading. 

"thoughtful, active, proficient readers are metacognitive; they think about their own reading during reading" 

Comprehension Strategies - What can teachers do to support learners?

Making connections - What do you already know about that? What do you remember about persuasive texts? 

Forming and testing hypotheses about texts - ( Predicting ) - I noticed that the author used lots of adjectives to imply the character is said, do you think the author is suggesting a gloomy outcome for that character?

Asking Questions- We can see the author has a strong view about this topic. I wonder how he might try to affect our thinking as we read. 

Inferring- find the words that suggest that?

Identifying the writer's purpose and point of view-

Main idea - I think the text is giving us the message that.... because... 

Summarising- Does your summary give you a clear overview of the text?