Comprehension: What every teacher needs to know
How can we assess students' comprehension?
Why should students be reading multiple type of levels of text?
it provides students with knowledge of numerous text structures and improves their text-driven processing.
Why is explicit instruction so important?
This is where teachers interact with students and take an active role in their acquisition of strategies by explaining, demonstrating, and guiding.
Why are motivation and engagement so integral to comprehension?
Engagement holds their interest. Inspires students to want to understand.
choices about what to read and how to respond to reading
interest in topic
goals for reading
Motivation is the driving force that gets students to read.
emotional satisfaction
social interchange
involvement
Curiousity
What is reading comprehension?
comprehension is when readers make connections between what they know and what they are reading.
learning takes place when new info is integrated with what is already known.
How can we and our students comprehend at deeper levels?
Why should we integrate multiple representations of thinking into our teaching?
How are vocabulary and comprehension related?
Learning new concepts and words that encode them is essential to comprehension development.
■ An environment that fosters word
consciousness—“the awareness of
and interest in learning and using
new words and becoming more
skillful and precise in word usage”
(Graves and Watts-Taffe, 2002, p. 144)
■ Students who actively participate in
the process
■ Instruction that integrates
vocabulary with the curriculum
and word learning throughout the
day and across subject areas
■ Instruction that provides both
definitional and contextual
information
■ Teachers who provide multiple
exposures to words
■ Teachers who provide numerous,
ongoing opportunities to use the
words
What are examples of comprehension strategies?
evaluating
summarizing
monitoring
knowing how words work
visualizing
making connections
Self-questioning
Previewing
What is the role of influential teachers?
■ Believe that all children can learn
■ Differentiate instruction and know
that motivation and multiple kinds
of text are essential elements of
teaching and learning
■ Understand that reading is a
social constructivist process
that functions best in authentic
situations
■ Teach in print-rich, concept-rich
environments
■ Have in-depth knowledge of various aspects of literacy, including
reading, writing, speaking, and
listening
■ Provide myriad opportunities for
students to read, write, and discuss
■ Teach for a variety of purposes,
using diverse methods, materials, and grouping patterns to focus
on individual needs, interests, and
learning styles
■ Understand the skills and strategies
good readers use and can teach students how to use them
■ Use the information gleaned from
formative assessments to increase
understanding of individual student’s strengths and needs
■ Monitor student learning and
adjust teaching as needed to ensure
the success of all learners
Teacher's role in the reading process is to create experiences and environments that introduce, nurture, or extend students' abilities to engage with text.
Explicit Instruction
participating
facilitating
scaffolding
modeling
What is the role of a good reader?
Good readers read widely, monitor their understanding, and negotiate meaning. When good readers fail to understand they use "fix up" strategies.
Fix Up Strategies
cross-checking cueing systems
using context clues
rereading
