Reciprocal Teaching Prompt Card
The Reciprocal Teaching Prompt Card is a tool to assist with the active involvement of students in reading discussion.
Promoting active involvement and increasing student participation improves outcomes in reading. Supporting students to actively engage and assume increased responsibility for their learning is paramount to the shift required from primary to secondary learning contexts. For this reason, the Guided Reading/Reciprocal Teaching Framework and other cooperative and collaborative approaches should be introduced by mid-primary.
To facilitate a smooth transition, the roles of adult and learner should gradually shift during teacher led guided reading, so that guided reading feels less “lesson-like” (adult directed) and more like a discussion or authentic conversation (group directed).
Supports or scaffolds, such as a prompt card, chart or bookmark, may assist students to foster conversations and apply reciprocal teaching strategies as students take turns as leader or facilitator. The leader predicts what the text/section of the text will be about, instructs the group to read, invites students to clarify tricky words or ideas, invites questions, sharing and reflection around the text read and sums up the main ideas. The role of leader is then passed to the next person. A dictionary is a useful resource for students involved in reciprocal teaching.
Read more about this in the Guided Reading / Reciprocal Teaching Fact Sheet and Framework