Subscribe to our YouTube channel for free access to over 250 classroom videos.

  • Grammatical Building Blocks Skill Explainer

Teaching Strategy Demo: Scooping for Meaning

Video thumbnail for Teaching Strategy Demo: Scooping for Meaning
Produced by Reading Universe, a partnership of WETA, Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book
Hide Video Transcript Show Video Transcript

Carla Stanford: You can say, "We are going to scoop these together. I'm going to model for you how we're going to scoop them. So we're going to keep our who or what together. So we're going to say, 'the flock of ducks.' We're going to scoop that together. That's the who or what in the sentence. Next we're going to scoop in splash. That's the did whatsplash. So now we have, 'the flock of ducks splash.' Where did they splash? In the pond. Let's do it together. Eyes up here reading, 'the flock of ducks splash in the pond.'" The way we scooped was very intentional. We worked really hard to emphasize the who or what, did what. This is a great way to build in that understanding of the way sentences are built intentionally in order to communicate. We're scooping up our namer and our action. And then we also had our when and where and why in our sentences.

Narrator: Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim and Donna Barksdale; the Hastings Quillen Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; the AFT; the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation; and anonymous donors. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @RUTeaching. Reading Universe is a service of WETA Washington D.C., the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book.

Carla Stanford: This is Reading Universe.

What did you notice?

Support Materials

Example Slide for Scooping for Meaning

Scooping for Meaning Slide Deck

Download these slides to scoop for meaning using your own sentences.

Download Slides

Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (opens in new window); the AFT (opens in new window); the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation (opens in new window); and several anonymous donors.