Comprehension Strategies for Narrative and Informational Text

Dr. Kevin Flanigan

West Chester Universitykflanigan@wcupa.edu

Transactional Comprehension Strategies Instruction

(Pressley, 1998)

• Dynamic “give and take” between teachers and students

• Coordinated and flexible use of multiple strategies “in the throes” of reading

• Meaning constructed among teachers and students as they consider text content in light of previous knowledge/experiences.

Transactional Comprehension Strategies Instruction

(Pressley, 1998)

• Teacher explanation and modeling of strategies

• Scaffolded student practice over time (small group reading instruction)

• Internalization of strategies

Transactional Comprehension Strategies Instruction

(Pressley, 1998)

• TSI students outperformed “controls” on standardized measures of comprehension and interpretive measures

• (Anderson, 1992; Brown et al., 1996; Collins, 1991)

DRTA(Directed Reading/Thinking Activity)

• Purpose: to develop “young scholars” who are actively engaged in critical thinking and decision-making during reading

• Coined and developed by Russell Stauffer

• Comprehension as hypothesis-testing

DRTA

• Teacher selects approximately 3 stopping points

• During these stopping points, teacher facilitates discussion through questioning

• Three types of questions – Prediction– Confirmation– Exploration

DRTA

• Prediction Questions– What do you think is going to happen next?– Why do you think so?– What have you read that supports your

prediction?

DRTA

• Confirmation Questions – Were you close?

• Exploration Questions – Did he love her?– Has any character changed?– What does this tell you about this character?– What is this story mostly about right now?

DRTA

• Steady and faithful use of the DR-TA will develop your students into young scholars

• The teacher’s role is one of agitator

• “Stir up” the discussion and move in or back out as needed

• It should look and feel more like a discussion rather than a formal lesson

Strategies/Thinking Processes

• Predicting• Confirming/Modifying Predictions• Clarifying• Summarizing• Making inferences• Justifying• Responding to text based on prior knowledge

Power Thinking (Santa, Havens, & Valdes, 2004)

• Purpose: to provide students a framework for organizing information that is hierarchical in nature

• Main ideas, subtopics, details

• An alternative to roman numeral outlining

Power Thinking

• Power 1 – Main Ideas

• Power 2 – Subtopics

• Power 3 – Details

Power Thinking

• Power Mapping – use with a graphic organizer

• Power Reading – use in conjunction with reading

• Power Writing – use as a framework for organizing essays, reports, etc.

Power Mapping

• Introduce this strategy with something the students know well – (movies, fast food)

• Use shapes and/or colors consistently to differentiate power 1, 2, and 3 ideas

• Before reading, have students create power 1 and 2’s as a previewing technique

Pattern Puzzles/Concept Sorts

• Take any set of concepts, vocabulary words, sentences, story events, and mix them up!

• Students must reorganize them.

• Promotes understanding of the “pieces” and how the pieces “relate” to each other – the structure.

Selected Resources

Pressley, M. (1998). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching. New York: The Guilford Press.

• Santa, C. M., Havens, L. T., & Valdes, B. J. (2004). Project CRISS: Creating independence through student-owned strategies.

• Stauffer, R. G. (1975). Directing the reading-thinking process. New York: Harper & Row.