Reading Comprehension

“Understanding reading comprehension is a journey of understanding the human

mind.” Siegal

What is a RAC…really?

Read and keep track on the side of some of the reading skills or processes that you use to read and comprehend this fascinating article about something that is more than its name.

You already know a lot!

The Comprehension Process

Research

Best Practices

Questions &Trends in Research

Today’s Goal

Comprehension-thinking about and responding to what you are reading is what it is all about. Comprehension is the reason and prime motivator for engaging in reading. Cunningham and Allington

Historical Overview Literacy Timeline

Take notes on discoveries you make on our journey.

Possesses positive habits and attitudes

Read fluently enough to focus on meaning

Read a variety of text for a variety of purposes

Use schema

Use a variety of skills and strategies flexibly and strategically

What good readers do

Card Sort

Activate prior knowledge

Make connections

Categorize Select for importance

A Reader’s Tool BoxSkills, strategies and cognitive processes

• Attend, monitor accuracy, adjust pace, recall,

• Sustained effort, fluency, Micro Processes

• Building connections within the textIntegrative

• Get the ‘gist’, see patterns of organization• Seeing the big picture, summarizing

Macro Processes

• Using schema, visualization, asking questions, determining importance, making inferences. Monitoring and repairing confusions, synthesizing

Elaborative

• monitoring their thinking, qualitative thought

• self-initiated ‘fix up’ strategiesMeta-cognitive

Comprehension Processes

Effective Strategies that Boost Reading Comprehension

Evidence based recommendations on best practices from the Dept. of Education

http://dww.ed.gov/

Seven Powerful Strategies

Use Multiple Strategies at

once

Ongoing assessment

Integrate across curriculum

Recommendations

Model of Instruction• demonstrate,

explain, model, implement interaction

Choose texts carefully

Model for instruction

Elaborate rich conversations

Gradual release of control

• Mini lesson• Activate prior knowledge• Front load knowledge

Explain

• Think a loudsModel

• Scaffold• Support thinking• Teacher feedback

Guide

• Reciprocal teaching, CSR• Continued modeling with genre

changes• Develop meta-cognition

Independent Practice

• IndependenceApplication to new situations

Process based Ability to interrelate processesComplex, flexible

Questioning the author

Build motivation and engagementAssessment to reveal thinking

Resources

Additional Considerations

ComprehensionStrategiesMonitoring Comprehension

Metacognition

Graphic & Semantic Organizers

Answering Questions

Recognizing Story Structure

Generating Questions

Summarizing

Tools for Direct and Explicit Instruction

Assessment Best Practice

Intentionality is Everything

Consider the purpose of the assessment carefullyMaking thinking visible

RetellingFountas and Pinnel Benchmark Conferring

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/adlit_pg_082608.pdf

Integrated, Inquiry-based

Intervention

Visual literacy

Hypertext literacy

Current Trends

What trends have you noticed in your reading?

How do we promote independent thinking ?

How do we promote a more generative use of strategies?

What is the right mix of interventions for struggling readers?

How do we encourage and support engagement and motivation?

How do we support sustained, systemic improvement?

Questions for Further Research

Assessment McKenna, Stahl. (2003) Assessment for reading instruction Shea, M. (2006 ) Where’s the glitch?: How to use running records with older readers, Grades 5-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Instructional Strategies Beers, K. (2003) When kids can’t read: What teachers can do: A guide for Teachers 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Dorfman, Capelli. (200 ) Nonfiction Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature, K-6. Gallagher, K. (2004) Deeper reading: Comprehending challenging texts,4-12. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Gallagher, K. (2000) Reading Reasons: Motivational Mini Lessons for Middle and High School. Portland, ME: Stenhouse. Harvey, S., Gouvis, A. Strategies that work 2: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Mc Gregor, T. (2007) Comprehension connections: Bridges to strategic reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Keene, E, Zimmermann, S. (1997) Mosaic of thought: Teaching comprehension in a reader’s workshop. Portsmouth, NH:

Heinemann. Thinking Maps http://www.thinkingmaps.com/products.php Rene’s Comprehension Binder – Comprehension section http://www.readinglady.com/

Intervention Beers, K. (2003) When kids can’t read: What teachers can do: A guide for Teachers 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Pinnel, G, Fountas, I. (2009) When readers struggle: teaching that works. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Shea, M. (2006 ) Where’s the glitch?: How to use running records with older readers, Grades 5-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

International Reading Association Reading Teacher http://readwritethink.org Clearinghouse of what works http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/adlit_pg_082608.pdf

Resources

Take five minutes to discuss, contemplate nd play with what has been covered today.

Create ◦ Analogy◦ Visual◦ Song

◦ You will not have to share if you don’t want to.

Summing up