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WHAT IT IS:
Reading comprehension is the construction of meaning
based on the interaction between the author's words and the reader's
language knowledge and life experiences.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO TEACH:
The main goal of reading is for students to gain meaning
from the text. To fully comprehend a text, students need to be able
to: establish a purpose for their reading; compare and contrast story
elements; make inferences and predictions interpret the author's and
characters' points of view; use personal and classroom experiences and
background knowledge to interpret text: identify the main idea and locate
specific information: and think and reflect on what is learned.
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Some important considerations:
- Comprehension is a process, not a product of reading.
Comprehension is not the act of answering a series of questions at
the end of a text.
- Proficient readers are active, thoughtful problem
solvers who can identify when and why the meaning of text may be unclear
and incorporate a variety of strategies to extend their understanding
of text.
- Explicit and in-depth instruction using high quality
children’s literature and well-written nonfiction should focus on
developing proficiencies in using the following cognitive strategies
to deepen comprehension:
- Activating relevant prior knowledge before, during
and after reading text.
- Determining the most important ideas and themes
in a text.
- Creating visual and other sensory images from
text during and after reading.
- Drawing inferences (conclusions, predictions
or new ideas) from text.
- Retelling or synthesizing what has been read.
- Utilizing a variety of strategies to repair the
comprehension process when it breaks down.
Classroom practices that support
the acquisition of comprehension strategies:
- Practice the most authentic application of comprehension
strategies in the context of book clubs where a small group of children
meet regularly to discuss books they have read and strategies they
have used to deepen their understandings. For K/1 children book club
discussions may revolve around read alouds. (Before K/1 students can
use book clubs independently they will need to have the process modeled
for them and practice with teacher support.)
- Read a carefully chosen piece aloud to children all
the way through. Go back and reread stopping and "thinking aloud"
to make meaningful connections. During the "think aloud" close the
book or look up at the ceiling to model and distinguish your thinking
from your reading behavior.
- Help children develop a system for monitoring their
comprehension. It may be as simple as signaling the teacher with a
raised finger when they are no longer understanding a read aloud.
When the teacher sees the signal, she knows to stop reading and discuss
the text until a meaning can be agreed upon.
- Use carefully planned book introductions and discussions
to activate prior knowledge and pose questions before reading. If
necessary, create new schema for comprehending concepts that are key
to understanding the text but are not part of students’ current experiences.
- Teach children to write question marks on small sticky
notes and place them in their books wherever words or an illustration
cause them to ask a mental question. Pause several times during the
reading time and ask the children to share one question they had marked
with another student.
- Use story maps or webs to build visual representations
of key themes, questions, important ideas, images, conclusions, story
elements, etc. Story maps can help children organize, connect, categorize,
and prioritize key concepts in fiction or nonfiction.
- Use K/W/L charts to record what children Know (prior
knowledge), what they Want to know (their questions as they read)
and what they Learned (from reading the text). These charts can be
compiled before, during, and after reading a book or article.
- Use Venn diagrams to show relationships between story
elements in one text or between texts. Venn diagrams can be used to
compare and contrast characters, settings, plots or different versions
of the same story.
- Practice Think/Pair/Share in which children record
their thoughts about a strategy or a book and share with a partner.
That pair shares with another pair, then with eight children and eventually
with the whole class.
- Write letters to authors, illustrators, characters
or other readers to help children understand the stance or point of
view an author or a character within a book has taken.
- Use individual reading conferences to monitor progress
and personalize instruction in the development of comprehension strategies.
Primary
Literacy Instruction
Focus on Reading
Language
Arts | Teaching and Learning |
MMSD
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