ALYSE SCHWARTZCAPITAL UNIVERSITY

ADVISOR: DR. CHERYL DOBROKA

Comprehension Strategies: Emergent and Young

Readers

My Experience

*Charter School

*Content Area Reading Strategies

*Three Students

*Literacy at home

*Individualized Education Plans (IEP)

*Computer Based Learning

Goal

Increase reading comprehension through use of comprehension strategies

Key Terms

Scaffolding Modeling Explicit Instruction Active EngagementAccommodation and Assimilation Encoding and Decoding Differentiation

Encoding and Decoding

Decoding-Ability to read

Encoding-Comprehending what is read

Differentiation

Each student is an individual-make the classroom work for everyone

High Quality Instruction!

Example of Differentiation

Accomodation and Assimilation

Accomodation-Changing what we know to add new information

Assimiliation-Adding information to what we already know

Active Engagement

Involving students

Hands-on

Not lecture based

Scaffolding

Providing support to a student and slowly moving away from the amount of support given as student acquires skill

Explicit Instruction

Direct

Engaging

Modeling

Setting purpose

Comprehension Strategies

Using Resources Note-taking Graphic Organizers Reading Guides Multiple Modalities Read Alouds High 5! Making Connections Games

Comprehension Strategies Continued

Using Resources

Vocabulary Acquisition-DIRECT INSTRUCTION

Examples: Thesaurus, glossary, “fact finder”

Pros Cons/Consideration

*Independence

*Teach each resource one at a time

Note Taking

Remember and RecallDirectly teach and practiceExamples: Guided Notes

Pros Cons/Considerations

* Reference tool

*Teach paraphrasing

Modeling

How to take good notes! 1. Write the date at the top of your paper2. Write the subject (Social Studies, Math, etc.)3. Write what you are learning about in each subject4. Write down key words and their definitions*Many times key words are words that are highlighted or in bold font. Other times,

you can find key words by looking for words that are in the book more than one time.

5. Write neatly and give spaces in between each definition and word.6. Write down examples to help you remember how to complete a problem (This is

especially helpful in math!) Different ways to take notes:1. Number or letter your notes2. Highlight words in your notes3. Use bullets or stars in your notes4. Use charts

*There are lots of different ways to take notes, try different ways and see what you like best! 

 

Graphic Organizers

Visually organizing informationExamples: Timelines, Venn Diagrams,

Semantic Maps

Pros Cons/Considerations

*Makes abstract concrete

*Select appropriate organizer

Example of Graphic Organizer

Reading Guides and Questioning

Follow along with text-active processKey informationReview and Discuss

Pros Cons/Considerations

*Own words*Combine reading and writing

*Literal Questions*Guided Notes

Example of Pre-Reading Guide

Example of During-Reading Guide

Multiple Modalities & Making Connections

Text to….Prior knowledgeExperiencesText/Pictures/Videos

Pros Cons*Attention*Engagement

*None

Read Alouds & Shared Reading

Young and emergent readers who are unable or in the early stages of learning to read

Pros Cons/Considerations

*Oral Language*Vocabulary*Print Awareness*Phonological Awareness

*Dependency on others or computer

High 5!

Background knowledge QuestioningText structure Mental Images “Making pictures in our head!” Summarizing

Pros Cons/Considerations

*Combination of strategies

*Mental imagery is difficult

High 5! Strategy Continued

1. Activate background knowledge

2. Questioning 

3. Analyzing text structure

4. Creating mental images 

5. Summarizing 

Making comprehension fun

Reiterates previously learned conceptsExamples: Games, Online Books

Pros Cons/Considerations

*Engaging*All ability levels

*Overuse

Effectiveness of Strategies with my students

What I Learned

Use multiple strategies!

Teach one strategy at a time

Consider Zone of Proximal Development

Each strategy will work differently for each student and each text

Future Planning: What I still want to learn

Other fun methods to teach and incorporate comprehension strategies

Objectively assess reading comprehension

Increase parent-involvement

Creating a print-rich environment

Key to Reading Comprehension

Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand”-Chinese Proverb