Comprehension
What is it and how does it work?
Comprehension is the ability to extract knowledge and understanding from the reading process. A student who is unsuccessful at comprehending does not automatically relate the text to herself, to other texts or to the world in general.
Research Based Intervention Strategies
Graphic Organizers
These organizers can be used before, during or after the reading has been completed, depending on the organizer used. A successful organizer would be based on the different types of text structures, the students’ needs and the outcomes expected of the student.
Metacognition
Students display metacognition in comprehension when they ask themselves text-based or knowledge-based questions to clarify their understanding. With these strategies the students become actively involved in asking themselves questions like: Who are the main characters and what are their importance in this text? What are the significant events? When is this story taking place and what does it say about the current events of that time? How does this story relate to myself, other texts, or concepts we are learning about or the world in general? By providing a multitude of strategies, introduced slowly over time to facilitate confidence and success, good readers have the strategies necessary to monitor and change tactics to better their comprehension.
Reciprocal Teaching
Reciprocal teaching occurs when students peer mentor each other, and research shows that it is beneficial in any academic area. When students become the instructors, students report that they read and comprehend more. This happens because it focuses their attention, requires them to make decisions on how to categorize information, fosters opportunities for them to check their understanding, encourages them to back up their comprehension with direct examples from the text, provides an opportunity to model good comprehension strategies, and requires them to master the text and internalize their understanding for the sake of their peers.
Visual Attention
Comprehension consists of extracting information from a text and creating an understanding of it in a meaningful way. Having students take the time to creatively represent the images that the reading has evoked from them can aid the students in recalling details and requires them to extract information for a purpose. Having the students create their own images is one form of visual attention that teachers use to help students internalize and start discussions using their interpretations of the text.
Another form of visual attention is when the teacher instructs the students on the visual features of the various types of text. This is done when a teacher points out titles, bold words and subheadings to activate a student’s prior knowledge. This helps students make sense of the layout of books, take the time to internalize illustrations and incorporate captions into their knowledge base.
Three Minute Pause and Reflect
Many authors emphasize having students summarize, predict, and describe the main idea and details of the text. These skills can be implemented in a variety of ways, such as using graphic organizers, having verbal discussions or by giving them time to write down their thoughts in a structured way. One specific strategy is to allow the students three minutes to reflect, to promote higher-level thinking, and allow for well thought-out answers. Verbalizations are a quick way to assess who needs help and who is on track, but written responses are valuable for proof of formative assessment results and provide resources for students to reference.
These organizers can be used before, during or after the reading has been completed, depending on the organizer used. A successful organizer would be based on the different types of text structures, the students’ needs and the outcomes expected of the student.
Metacognition
Students display metacognition in comprehension when they ask themselves text-based or knowledge-based questions to clarify their understanding. With these strategies the students become actively involved in asking themselves questions like: Who are the main characters and what are their importance in this text? What are the significant events? When is this story taking place and what does it say about the current events of that time? How does this story relate to myself, other texts, or concepts we are learning about or the world in general? By providing a multitude of strategies, introduced slowly over time to facilitate confidence and success, good readers have the strategies necessary to monitor and change tactics to better their comprehension.
Reciprocal Teaching
Reciprocal teaching occurs when students peer mentor each other, and research shows that it is beneficial in any academic area. When students become the instructors, students report that they read and comprehend more. This happens because it focuses their attention, requires them to make decisions on how to categorize information, fosters opportunities for them to check their understanding, encourages them to back up their comprehension with direct examples from the text, provides an opportunity to model good comprehension strategies, and requires them to master the text and internalize their understanding for the sake of their peers.
Visual Attention
Comprehension consists of extracting information from a text and creating an understanding of it in a meaningful way. Having students take the time to creatively represent the images that the reading has evoked from them can aid the students in recalling details and requires them to extract information for a purpose. Having the students create their own images is one form of visual attention that teachers use to help students internalize and start discussions using their interpretations of the text.
Another form of visual attention is when the teacher instructs the students on the visual features of the various types of text. This is done when a teacher points out titles, bold words and subheadings to activate a student’s prior knowledge. This helps students make sense of the layout of books, take the time to internalize illustrations and incorporate captions into their knowledge base.
Three Minute Pause and Reflect
Many authors emphasize having students summarize, predict, and describe the main idea and details of the text. These skills can be implemented in a variety of ways, such as using graphic organizers, having verbal discussions or by giving them time to write down their thoughts in a structured way. One specific strategy is to allow the students three minutes to reflect, to promote higher-level thinking, and allow for well thought-out answers. Verbalizations are a quick way to assess who needs help and who is on track, but written responses are valuable for proof of formative assessment results and provide resources for students to reference.
Links for Teachers and Parents
Chris Biffle offers a game called The Crazy Professor to actively engage students in reading. This method employs peer assistance, providing experiences, 3 minute pause and reflect, self-monitoring, metacognition and repeated readings.
RHL School Comp features free reading comprehension worksheets for teachers and parents to copy for their kids. They include original stories, poems, essays, and articles. They are most appropriate for upper elementary through the middle school years.
Teaching Tips:Graphic Organizers have printable and interactive graphic organizers to be used in the classroom. Includes KWL charts, webs, clusters, time lines, outlines, fish diagrams, story maps, comparing charts, cause and effect charts, and more. Some sites explain how and why to use graphic organizers in the classroom.
Teaching Tips: Guided Reading offer information about guided reading for primary and upper elementary grade levels. You can read a case study, and see how those teaching strategies and tips have been implemented in different classrooms. The various topics include the Four Blocks teaching method with emphasis on the guided reading and self-selected reading blocks. Also, you can learn how to assign levels to books.
Reading Online is the official site for free access to a scholarly journal sponsored by the International Reading Association. Read these articles for the latest studies on reading.
Reading Rockets provides seven strategies to teach students text comprehension and it includes graphic organizer downloads.
Scholastic Think Alouds offers several strategies called "general reading processes," which researchers have discovered readers use every time they read anything. If your students don't do these things, this is the place to start your think-aloud modeling since these strategies will have the greatest pay-off for them across all reading tasks.
Reading Quest has a plethora of strategies for reading comprehension that include instructions and downloads.
Reading Strategies Video is provided by youtube and models six reading strategies to explicitly teach students.
Reciprocal Teaching Video is provided by Reading Rockets, and shows how a teacher initiates reciprocal teaching and encourages the students to have their own discussions about text.
RHL School Comp features free reading comprehension worksheets for teachers and parents to copy for their kids. They include original stories, poems, essays, and articles. They are most appropriate for upper elementary through the middle school years.
Teaching Tips:Graphic Organizers have printable and interactive graphic organizers to be used in the classroom. Includes KWL charts, webs, clusters, time lines, outlines, fish diagrams, story maps, comparing charts, cause and effect charts, and more. Some sites explain how and why to use graphic organizers in the classroom.
Teaching Tips: Guided Reading offer information about guided reading for primary and upper elementary grade levels. You can read a case study, and see how those teaching strategies and tips have been implemented in different classrooms. The various topics include the Four Blocks teaching method with emphasis on the guided reading and self-selected reading blocks. Also, you can learn how to assign levels to books.
Reading Online is the official site for free access to a scholarly journal sponsored by the International Reading Association. Read these articles for the latest studies on reading.
Reading Rockets provides seven strategies to teach students text comprehension and it includes graphic organizer downloads.
Scholastic Think Alouds offers several strategies called "general reading processes," which researchers have discovered readers use every time they read anything. If your students don't do these things, this is the place to start your think-aloud modeling since these strategies will have the greatest pay-off for them across all reading tasks.
Reading Quest has a plethora of strategies for reading comprehension that include instructions and downloads.
Reading Strategies Video is provided by youtube and models six reading strategies to explicitly teach students.
Reciprocal Teaching Video is provided by Reading Rockets, and shows how a teacher initiates reciprocal teaching and encourages the students to have their own discussions about text.
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