How are online reading comprehension practices integrated into classroom instructional routines? In this session, Julie explains how curriculum-based information challenges and performance-based online reading comprehension measures can be used to capture the skills and practices of more and less skilled online readers. Then, she reviews practical examples of how to support elementary and secondary students as developing online readers using a model of Internet Reciprocal Teaching. She also shares research-based ideas for how to move readers through three phases of online inquiry while fostering higher-level thinking, critical evaluation, productive dialogue, and skillful argumentation practices across all grade levels.

1. Planning for and Supporting
Productive Online Inquiry
Julie Coiro, University of Rhode Island
jcoiro@mail.uri.edu
http://uri.academia.edu/JulieCoiro/Papers
http://www.slideshare.net/jcoiro
http://www.lite.iwarp.com/CoiroCritEval.html

2. Where are we headed
• What do skilled online readers know and what can they
do?
• How are we learning about what online readers know and
are able to do?
– The TICA Project (2005-2008) > Teaching/Assessment
– The ORCA Project (2009-2014) > Assessment
– Studies of Collaborative Online Reading (2009-present)
• How can we support developing online readers?
– Internet Reciprocal Teaching
– Practicing Productive Conversations
– Digital Scaffolds for Supporting Argumentation
– http://www.lite.iwarp.com/CoiroCritEval.html

3. The Teacher Still Matters… A Lot!
• The role of the teacher is changing but still critical in
classrooms with new technologies
– Make explicit the similarities and differences between
offline and online reading practices
– Honor the literacies students bring to school from their
daily lives
– Clarify expectations and new roles/relationships
– Use self, peer, and teacher assessments as inquiry to
inform reading strategy use and classroom instruction
Coiro, J. (2009). Promising practices for supporting adolescents’ online literacy
development. In K.D. Wood and W.E. Blanton (Eds.). Literacy instruction for
adolescents: Research-based practice (pp. 442-471). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
.

4. Preparing Students to Read on the Internet
What are the challenges?
Asking Questions:
- What would I like to know
more about?
- Which search words do
I use?
Synthesizing and
Locating:
Communicating
- Which search tools
- How do I come up with an
should I use?
original idea?
- Where do I read first?
- How do I share it with
others?
Evaluating:
- Which link is most useful?
- How do I know it’s true?
-What is the author’s purpose?

5. What do skilled readers do
when faced with these
online reading challenges?

6. Examples of what good online
readers know
I. Asking Questions
 I know what a really good question is.
 I know that revising the question, when I get
new information, often makes it better.
 I know that I need to remember my question and
not get distracted.

7. II. Reading to Locate Information...
 I know how different search engines
work.
 I know simple strategies for making my
search more specific.
 I know advanced search strategies and
when they could be useful.

8. III. Reading to Evaluate Information...

Understanding - I know when information
makes sense to me.
 Relevancy - I know when information meets
my needs.
 Accuracy - I know how
to verify information with
another source.
8

9. III.Reading to Evaluate Information...
 Reliability - I know how to tell when
information can be trusted.
 Bias - I know that everyone “shapes”
information and how to evaluate this.
 Stance - I am a “healthy skeptic” about
online information.

10. IV. Reading to Synthesize Information...
 I know how to construct the information I need
as I read selected information (by the links that I
follow).
 I know which information to ignore when I read.
 I know how to put information together, and
make inferences when it is missing, to answer
my question.
 I know when I have my answer.

11. V. Reading to Communicate Information...
 I think about my audience and purpose as I read
and write/create.
 I know how to construct a clear and unambiguous
message so that the reader knows what I mean.
 I know how NOT to make people upset
with me from the way I write/create my message.
 I know how to use a range of technologies to
construct and share/publish my message.

12. Taxonomy Of Online Reading
Comprehension
Skills, Strategies, Practices, and
Dispositions
• Seehttp://goo.gl/3Ms68y
Leu, D. J., Coiro, J., Castek, J., Hartman, D., Henry, L.A., & Reinking, D.
(2008). Research on instruction and assessment in the new literacies of
online reading comprehension. In Cathy Collins Block, Sherri Parris, &
Peter Afflerbach (Eds.). Comprehension instruction: Research-based best
practices. New York: Guilford Press.

13. How do we know what
online readers know and are
able to do?

14. Teaching Internet Comprehension
to Adolescents (TICA) [2005-2008]
Informal Assessments: Curriculum-Based
Online Information Challenges
• Students work in small groups to solve
information problems.
• Exchange strategies as they do so.
• Debrief at the end of the lesson.
• Lessons designed to minimize teacher talk and
maximize student engagement and strategy
exchange (with small group > large group)
Leu & Reinking, 2005-2008, US Department of Education

15. Teaching Internet Comprehension
to Adolescents (TICA) [2005-2008]
Informal Assessments: Curriculum-Based
Online Information Challenges
• Jeopardy style blog challenges while studying
biographies or sharing evaluation strategies
• Informational website about the Holocaust to
prompt inferential reasoning from hyperlinks
• Wikipedia activities to share new information
about respiratory scientists with a global audience
• Mystery email challenge to build
descriptive/narrative writing skills
Leu & Reinking, 2005-2008, US Department of Education

16. Online Reading Comprehension
Assessment (ORCA) Project [2009-2014]
Eight Scenario-Based Performance Assessments:
EX. Are energy drinks dangerous to teen heart health?
 The president of a school board sends an email to
students indicating she is considering a ban on
energy drinks sold in school. Students conduct
online research and email the school board with
findings about how energy drinks
affect hearth health.
Leu, Kulikowich, Sedransk, & Coiro, 2009-2014, US Department of Education

18. Reading to Understand
The Problem and Locate
Relevant Details About
the Problem
18

19. Reading to Locate
Information Online
19

20. Reading to Locate
Information Online
(generate search terms;
infer from search results)
20

21. Reading to Synthesize Information Online –
NOT copy/paste, but YES integrate
21

22. Reading to Evaluate
Information Online
22

23. 23

24. Corresponding
Multiple Choice Version
24

25. Watch an ORCA Video
http://goo.gl/TxeeeD
25

26. How can we teach and
support developing online
readers?
http://uri.academia.edu/JulieCoiro/Papers
http://www.slideshare.net/jcoiro
http://www.lite.iwarp.com/CoiroCritEval.html

27. One idea…
Internet Reciprocal Teaching
Teaching Internet Comprehension to Adolescents (TICA)
Leu & Reinking, 2005-2008, US Department of Education

28. Internet Reciprocal Teaching
Reciprocal Teaching
Internet Reciprocal Teaching
Greater Teacher Modeling
with one text
Greater Student Modeling with
several texts
Skills:
1. Predicting
2. Questioning
3. Clarifying
4. Summarizing
Skills:
1. Questioning
2. Locating
3. Critically Evaluating
4. Synthesizing
5. Communicating
A single phase
Three phases:
1. Teacher-led basic skills
2. Collaborative modeling of
more complex skills
3. Independent Inquiry

30. Internet Reciprocal Teaching
Instructional Phases…
• Phase I
– Model/Practice online reading skills
– Cooperative learning strategies
• Phase II
– Authentic online information problems to solve
– Authentic communication toolsto select from and use
• Phase III
– Inquiry initially within class
– Then with others around the world

31. IRT: Phase I
Teacher-led Basic Skills
• Teacher-led demonstrations of basic Internet
use skills and cooperative learning
strategies
• Explicit modeling by teacher
• Largely whole class instruction
• Mini-lessons as transition to Phase II (as
quickly as possible to contextualize skills
practice in an authentic problem to solve)

33. Internet Inquiry Baskets
I wonder…
PLANNING:
• Collect questions and strategically pick one
• Over the weekend.. do a search, highlight 2-3
websites, and be prepared to model and discuss:
•
•
•
•
Keywords used
Search enginesused
Your searching/locating process
Website title and website address (URL)

34. Internet Inquiry
Baskets K-2 (Part 1)
MODELED READING AND GROUP DISCUSSION:
• Think-aloud while locating, skimming, reading
• Summarizing 1– The key idea is…
• Summarizing 2 – Across these sites, we found
that…
• Evaluating: The Internet helped us to learn…
• Communicating: Compiling into a classroom
book (and share with the community/library,
etc.)

35. Internet Inquiry Baskets K-2
Part 2
• A parent volunteer or
teacher’s aide works with
the children who asked the
question…
• Reflect on what they
learned
• Type their answers
• Add their photo
• Publish their page
• Share with the class

36. Phase 1 Information Challenge

37. http://www.wired.com/business/2013
/10/free-thinkers/all/

38. IRT: Phase II
Posing Problems Within An
Information Challenge
• Students presented with information problems to
solve: “Information Challenge”
– Initially: Locating and Communicating
– Later: Critical Evaluation andSynthesis
• Work in small groups to solve those problems.
• Exchange strategies as they do so.
• In early stages, the teacher models a few approaches.
Over time, students take control.
• Debrief at the end of the lesson.
• Lessons designed to minimize teacher talk and
maximize student engagement and strategy exchange
(with small group > large group)

39. A Phase II Information Challenge
(Elementary)
SKILLS: Locate,
evaluate relevancy, and
communicate
Kids Web Japan: Work with
a partner to locate an
example of something that
was created in Japan that is
important to people living
in our country. Identify this
item and explain how it
helps or affects Americans.
Post your answers on our
class Voicethread.

40. A Phase II Information
Challenge (Elementary)
SKILLS: Critically evaluate and communicate
My family would like to take a dog friendly
vacation. Are these places real or do they just want
our money? Post your decision on our class blog.
Site A: Dog Paddling Adventures
Site B: Dog Island
Site C: Camp Winnaribbun

41. Question: Teacher generated or Student generated
(modeled > structured > guided > open)
Locate 1 &
Share/Communicate
Locate 1, Evaluate Relevancy,
Share/Communicate
Locate 2, Evaluate Relevancy,
Synthesize, and Communicate
Designing
Gradually
More Complex
Inquiry Tasks in
Grades 5-12
(Coiro & Dobler,
in process)
Locate 2 or more conflicting claims, Evaluate Accuracy of Info
and Reliability of source, Synthesize, and Communicate
Locate 2 or more conflicting claims, Evaluate Relevancy, Accuracy,
Reliability and Purpose/Stance, Synthesize, and Communicate

42. A Phase II Information Challenge
(Secondary)
SKILLS: Locate, evaluate relevancy, and communicate
Locate the name of one American who might be considered a
hero of the Civil War. Provide an explanation of what makes that
person a hero. Send your partner an email with the name you
located, evidence from the text that supports your opinion, and
the address of the website(s) where you found the information.
SKILLS: Locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate
What is the main cause of global warming? Find a different
answer to this same question. Which answer do you think is most
accurate and how did you determine that it was? Post your
answers on your classroom blog.
Discuss solutions while exchanging online reading strategies; first in small
groups and later in large groups (Apple Remote Desktop) – Then begin to
work across classrooms as part of Internet Project.

43. A Phase II Task in Middle School

46. Structured Inquiry Partners
in Grades 3-7
• Design an authentic inquiry task with an
authentic response
• Design an informational overview page
• Provide a safe-search interface
• Include multimodal sources
• Provide a partner and a sequenced list of
steps to move through the process

47. Structured Inquiry Task

48. Structured Inquiry Task:
Overview Page

49. Structured Inquiry Partners
• How might these structured inquiry tasks be
used to foster productive talk experiences
where students co-construct and build on each
other’s ideas (CCSS Speaking and Listening:
Comprehension and Collaboration) while engaged in
online reading and writing activities (CCSS
Reading: Integrate knowledge and ideas; CCSS Writing:
Research to build and present knowledge)?

50. Evan & William – Gr. 5
Productive Talk:
7:00
Monitor understanding, request & give information
Strategic Reading: Read, question, monitor, repair,
infer, connect, clarify, and interpret

51. Less productive talk: take turns giving information;
(Jack requests clarification; Jill replies with shallow
reactions and twice ignores Jack’s requests before
continuing on)
Jack &
Jill – Gr. 5
Less strategic reading: reading aloud, taking separate notes
(Jack rereading, monitoring, asking questions, attempts to interpret;
Jill supports erroneous interpretation)

52. Noticing Strengths and Difficulties in
Social & Cognitive Engagement
S
O
C
I
A
L
COGNITIVE

53. Fostering Productive Talk Patterns to
Support Higher-Level Thinking (CCSS)
• Teach students how to collaboratively
build on partner’s ideas and jointly
construct new insights rather than
individually compiling facts
• Teach students when and how to apply
Internet reciprocal teaching strategies
• Teach students how to monitor and
stay focused on their purpose and
relevant texts as well as when and how
to think critically
See http://coiroira2013.wikispaces.com/ for ideas

54. A Higher Level Phase II Information Challenge
for Secondary Students: Critical
Evaluation, Synthesis, Multiple Answers,
and Student Opinions
How do different authors
portray the Japanese
Internment Camp Experience
to readers?
Coiro J. (2011). Talking about reading as thinking: Modeling the hidden complexities
of online reading comprehension. Theory Into Practice, 50, 107-115.
https://sites.google.com/site/tiponlinethinkaloudlessons/

55. An Information Challenge For You:
How do different authors portray the Japanese
Internment Camp experience to readers?

56. How do different authors portray the Japanese
Internment Camp Experience to readers?

57. How do different authors portray the Japanese
Internment Camp Experience?

58. Synthesis Tool for Argumentative Online Texts
Kiili, C.& Coiro, J. (forthcoming).

59. Phase III Internet Inquiry
Online Reading Comprehension Practices Fully
Integrated Into Online Inquiry
• Question
– The most important, least
taught, element
• Search
• Critical evaluation
– More important with the Internet
• Synthesize
– We construct texts as we read
online
• Communicate
– New tools, new skills, and new
audiences

61. Sharing Communities – www.epals.com

62. Sharing Communities – www.epals.com

63. http://www.ciese.org/collabprojs.html

64. All while practicing positive dispositions…

65. In Conclusion
• We know quite a bit about what skilled and less skilled
online readers know and what can they do.
– The TICA Project (2005-2008)
– The ORCA Project (2009-2014)
– Studies of Collaborative Online Reading (2009-present)
• We are working on ways to support developing online
readers and their teachers across the grade levels.
– Exploring the Challenges of Internet Reciprocal Teaching
– Practicing Productive Conversations
– Building Digital Scaffolds for Supporting Argumentation
– http://www.lite.iwarp.com/CoiroCritEval.html
• As new technologies continue to redefine literacy, can
we keep up with the challenge?

66. Planning for and Supporting
Productive Online Inquiry
Julie Coiro, PhD
University of Rhode Island
jcoiro@mail.uri.edu
http://uri.academia.edu/JulieCoiro/Papers