Comprehension: To Understand

Making Instructional Adaptations in Comprehension Instruction

Presented by Pam Jones COPESDMiBLSi Conference 2008

Ellin Keene’s Definition of Comprehension

• “To understand: When we truly understand a concept we are able to remember it, revise it and reapply it later.”

• Going beyond retelling, answering questions and learning vocabulary is to understand or make sense.

•Read aloud Jamika pg.2, To Understand

Multiple Factors Influence Comprehension

Text Comprehension

Language

Knowledge

Metecognition

Fluency

Oral language Sentence structure

VocabularyCultural Influences

Life experiencesContent knowledge

Text structure

EngagementMotivation

Self-monitoringstrategies

AccuracyAutomaticity

Text levelProsody

Strategies Used by Strategic and Metecognitive Readers

Handout 3

• Strategic readers know how to use comprehension strategies when they need them, before, during and after reading.

• Metacognitive readers are conscious of their understanding of text and use fix-up strategies when having trouble understanding

How Do We Assess and Diagnose Struggling Reader’s

Comprehension (Cooper Pg. 24)

1. What is the student’s reading levels?2. What is the student’s listening level?3. What types of comprehension

difficulties does the student have?4. Which key comprehension strategies is the student able to use?

Handout 5 a

Types of Questions for Narrative Text

See Chart ( 5b)

• Remember• Understand• Apply• Analyze• Evaluate• Create

Scaffolding Reading Comprehension for

Struggling Readers (Handout 7d)

• Incorporate small-group discussions• Model different ways to respond to

questions.• Use questions and prompts.• Paraphrase and expand what students say.• Request clarification• Provide appropriate feedback• Give sufficient time for response

Handout 10a

Use the Adaptations Framework Worksheet

Make adaptations for Activity 10A

Task:Previewing

IC IA

DI M/AT

Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR)

Activities• Created to assist teachers in differentiating

instruction• Encompass the Five Components of Reading• Organized in a developmental sequence

based on the difficulty of skill from simple to complex.

• Include a design center management system• Are a free resource available online:• WWW.fcrr.org

Phonemic Awareness

Phonics Fluency Vocabulary Comprehension(See Note Below)

Phoneme Matching -students practice matching initial, medial and final sounds in words.

Letter-sound Correspondence- students practice matching phonemes and digraphs to letters, blending word parts and segmenting sounds in words.

Letter-sound Correspondence-students use timed practice to recognize letters and sounds.

Word Knowledge-Students practice identifying contractions, synonyms, antonyms, abbreviations, homophones and homographs.

Narrative Text Structure- students practice identifying story elements (character, setting, event sequence, problems, solutions, plot and theme.

Phoneme Isolation-Students practice isolating initial, medial and final sounds in words.

High Frequency Words- students practice high frequency words to meet state benchmarks.

Word Parts- students use timed practice to identify word parts.

Morpheme Elements- students practice identifying the meaning of affixes.

Expository Text Structure- students practice identifying details, main idea, and important information.

Phoneme Blending-Students practice blending sounds in words.

Syllable Patterns-Students practice blending, segmenting and identifying syllables in words.

Words- students use timed practice to recognize real words.

Word Meaning-Students practice identifying and producing the meaning of words.

Text Analysis- students practice organizing text.Monitoring for Understanding- Student practice comprehension strategies to understand text.

Phoneme Segmenting- students practice segmenting sounds in words.

Variant Correspondences-Students practice variant correspondences in words: form or spelling that differs from the standard.

Phrases- students use timed practice to practice phrases with prosody.

Word Analysis- students practice identifying similarities and differences between meanings.

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      Constructing Meaning

using Comprehension

StrategiesVisualizing

Inferring

Making Connections

Asking QuestionsSynthesizing

Repairing Comprehension

Determining Important Ideas

    

                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                    

            

           

  

      

      

Stack the Deck Activity for Good Reading Comprehension

• Think about yourself as a reader. • Think about the strategies you use• Read: In Response to Executive

Order 9066• Read the directions and play the

game with a partner.