By Anna Strole

ResearchRAND: Reading Study Group Report on

reading comprehensionShows that there are 3 domains to

comprehension:InstructionTeacher preparation

Community, cultural differences, the school and classroom culture, curriculum design, instructional activities, and teacher-student interactions

Assessment

• All reading programs should include:• Phonological Awareness• Phonics• Fluency• Vocabulary• Comprehension

Classroom organization, appropriate and interesting texts, choice of reading and collaboration with peers, writing, and expert tutoring also affect comprehension

Comprehension Strategies“guide students to become aware of how well

they comprehend as they attempt to read and write”

Interactive process: involves the reader and the text

The ReaderThe teacher needs to make sure that each

student has the appropriate amount of background knowledge to understand the text

It is important to eliminate biases in readingCultural Context for students is important,

especially ESL studentsProper motivation for reading is necessary

along with a specific purpose

ScaffoldingThe teacher must include scaffolding,

especially for young readersScaffolding can be provided through pictures,

other resources, or booksDr. Seuss is an example of predictable

language books, i.e. rhymingSchema theory: prepares children for new

knowledge, builds on previous knowledge

The Reading Comprehension ActivityIncludes:

Decoding WordsRecognizing VocabularyUsing Higher Order Thinking SkillsApplying Comprehension Strategies

Purpose:Increase KnowledgeFind Solutions to Real or Imagined ProblemsEngage in the textPredict outcomes

Strategies to Develop Schemata for StudentsDiscussionBackground-generating activityPrequestions and Stating objectivesStory previewsField tripsSemantic mapping/brainstormingVideo, Film, PicturesQuick WriteRole-playing

Fluency

Fluency builds comprehensionBuilds vocabularyHelps make the story clearer Reading is more efficient and effective

Metacognition and Comprehension Strategies“thinking about thinking”Students become aware of how they read, learn, and strategies that work for them

PredictionMonitoring

comprehensionUsing graphic and

semantic organizersGenerate student

questionsRecognize story

structures

SummarizeSequence eventsIndentify main ideasUse context cluesCompare and

contrastDraw conclusions

Pre-reading ActivitiesActivate prior knowledgeBuild background knowledgePreteach vocabularyMotivate and interestPredictPrequestionDirection set

During Reading ActivitiesMap the storyMake connections

Text-to-textText-to-selfText-to-world

Guide readingTeacher modelingModify texts

Post Reading ActivitiesRetellSummarizeSynthesizeMake connectionsHands on activitiesDiscussionWriting

Teaching StrategiesSQ3R: Survey, Question, Read, Retell, ReviewDR-TA: Directed Reading and Thinking

ActivityQAR: Question-Answer RelationshipP-L-A-N: Predict, Locate, Add, Note

TechnologyNon-linear hypertextMultimedia textInteractive textsOnline communication networking texts

Strategies:Activate prior knowledgeMonitor comprehensionIdentify the main ideaSynthesize textInferGenerate student questionsNavigate the text

Key WordsComprehension

strategiesInteractive processAutomaticitySchemataVisual literacySocial Cultural

ContextSchema theoryFluency

Metacognitive Strategies

Cohen, V.L., & Cowen, J.E. (2008). Literacy for children in an information age: teaching reading, writing, and thinking.. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.