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UnderstandingtheRelationshipBetweenReadingComprehensionSkillsandStrategies

Strategiesaregenerallymorecomplexthanskillsbecausetheyrequiretheorchestrationofseveralskillstoeffectivelyusethestrategy.Inordertousethestrategyofsummarizing,studentshavetoapplyseveralskillsincludingsequencingofevents,makingjudgments,notingdetails,makinggeneralizations,andusingstorystructureortextorganization.Effectiveinstructionlinkscomprehensionskillstostrategiestopromotestrategicreading.

TeachingChildrentoRead:TheReportoftheNationalReadingPanel2000)concludedthatstrategiesemployedbyeffectivereaderscanbeexplicitlytaughttoimprovereadingcomprehension. TheNRPanalyzed203studiesofcomprehensionstrategyinstructionandfoundthattherewasresearchevidentforthedirect,explicitinstructionof8strategies.Explanationofeachstrategyandtheresearchsupportingtheuseofthestrategiesislistedinthefirstsection.Itisimportanttoinfuseinformationaltextintocommunicationartsclassroomsand,itisalsoimportanttointegratecomprehensioninstructionintocontentareaclassrooms,especiallyforadolescentlearners(Sadler2001;AlvermannandEakle2003;FisherandFrey2004).Doingsohelpsimprovethelearningofthecontentandstudent’scomprehensionabilities.Torgenson(2007)providesfiverecommendationsforimprovingcontentareainstruction:Recommendation1:Provideexplicitinstructionandsupportivepracticeintheuseofeffectivecomprehensionstrategiesthroughouttheschoolday.Recommendation2:Increasetheamountandqualityofopen,sustaineddiscussionofreadingcontent.Recommendation3:Setandmaintainhighstandardsfortext,conversation,questions,andvocabulary.Recommendation4:Increasestudents’motivationandengagementwithreading.Recommendation5:Teachessentialcontentknowledgesothatallstudentsmastercriticalconcepts.Thefollowingchart,basedonresearchbyPressleyandAfflerback(1995),outlineshowstrategiesareusedbystudentsandcanbetaughtandsupportedbyteachersbeforereading,duringreading,andafterreading.

WhatGoodReadersDo

Before,During,andAfterReadingWhatTeacher’sCanDotoSupportAllReaders

Before,During,andAfterReading

BeforeReading BeforeReading

SetagoalPreviewthetextPredictwhatthetextwillsay

IntroduceandteachkeyvocabularyActivatepriorknowledgeBuildcriticalbackgroundinformation

DuringReadingReadingsequentially,skimmingsomeparts,focusingonothersRereadingsomesectionsMakenotesTuneintomainideasandideasrelatedtogoalCheckandadaptpredictionsMonitorandrepaircomprehensionConnecttoworldknowledgetomakeinferencesParaphraseandsummarizepassagesRespondtoandevaluatetext

DuringReadingModel“goodreader”strategiesTeachstudentshowtomonitortheircomprehensionthroughdemonstrationsandthink‐aloudsDevelopandguidestudentsthroughdeepquestionsandhigherlevelthinkingTeachstudentshowtodrawinferencesthroughthinkaloudsandinitialandfollowupquestionsduringandafterreadingTeachstudentshowtosummarizethemainideaofselectedparagraphsAskstudentstostudentstoconfirm,disconfirm,orextendpredictionsandquestionsgeneratedpriortoreadingknowledgetomakeinferences.

AfterReadingRereadselectivelySummarizeReflectThinksabouthowinformationmightbeusedinthefuture

AfterReadingTeachstudentstoreflectuponwhattheyhavereadTeachstudentstorereadcriticalsectionsofthetextTeachstudentshowtosummarizewhattheyhavereadTeachstudentstothinkabouthowtheymightusetheinformationinthefuture

Source:Diamond,Gutlohn,Honig,TeachingReadingSourcebook,2008,p.613