DEFINING COMPREHENSION AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Dimitra CollierRead – 6707-0-4, Fall 2014

Reading and Literacy GrowthNovember 16, 2014

Dr. Casey Stoll

WAYS READING COMPREHENSION IS IDENTIFIED IN STUDENTS

Connections with Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-World

Visualization Inferences (Ability to read between the lines) Ability to determine the main idea by using key

details from the text Create a product to demonstrate their

understanding of the text

Reutzel, D. R., & Cooter, R. B., Jr. (2011). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction: Helping every child succeed (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

HOW DO STUDENTS MAKE CONNECTIONS?

The main goal in reading is the ability to comprehend. Students are able to make connections to what they

are reading by their background knowledge and metacognition.

Other factors that affect their ability to comprehend and make connections is the learning environment (home, school, cultural background)

The type of text that the student reads is also vital. Connections are made based on the type of vocabulary used in the book, the content and how its organized.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014i). Metacognition: Thinking about thinking [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

READING COMPREHENSION TAKES PLACE WHEN STUDENTS

ARE ABLE TO… Think about how the story remind them of

something that has occurred in their lives. Compare the text that they are reading to

other texts that they have read and make connections.

Understand what is happening in the text and relate it to things that are going on in the world around them.

HOW DOES READING COMPREHENSION HELP

STUDENTS AS A READER?

Reading comprehension helps students become better readers.

As I think about the things occurring in the story, I am able to gain a better concept of the main idea by using key details, such as the setting and characters.

When I understand what the story is about, I am able to easily recall and share information about it. It also becomes easier for me to write and draw pictures to illustrate my understanding.

WHY IS VISUALIZING IMPORTANT?Students must be able to create a mental image of what is happening in the story. They should information that they already know tohelp increase their understanding ofwhat is going on in the text.

Students must use prior Knowledge, key details, Connections and inferences to helpThem create this mental picture (Hollenbeck & Saternus, 2013).

Hollenbeck, A. F., & Saternus, K. (2013). Mind the comprehension iceberg: Avoiding titanic mistakes with the CCSS. The Reading Teacher, 66(7), 558–568. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STUDENTS VISUALIZE?

Students create pictures in their head

The words in the text become real to the students and they are concrete

Students create a movie of the text in their minds

Students are able to construct meaning of the text

Students use their senses to help them create images about the text

VISUALIZING HELPS STUDENTS THINK AS THEY

READ BY…

Helping them to increase meaning by their mental images

Allowing students to connect the words and images from the text to their previous experiences

Encouraging them to put themselves in the story as a character

Stimulating their imagination Engaging them in the text Bringing enjoyment/interest to them while reading Allowing the words that they are reading to come alive Laureate Education (Producer). (2014i). Metacognition: Thinking about thinking [Multimedia file]. Baltimore,

MD: Author.

MAKING INFERENCES

I wonder…

Could it be?

WAYS THAT STUDENTS MAKE INFERENCES…

Read between the lines

Discover things on their own without the author specifically stating/giving the information

By creating questions to create an ending or conclusion about the story, using previously acquired knowledge, and using context clues

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MAKING INFERENCES? Conclusions are made based on the clues

given in the text Predictions are made. They also help

students to gain understanding about the story

Themes are created and understood Comprehension is gained before, during

and after reading the text They gain meaning by looking at the

pictures

WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA? WHAT IS THIS TEXT TELLING ME?

I understand that reading comprehension is increased when students are interested in what they are reading (Reutzel & Cooter,

2011). Also, when students are intererested in what they are reading, it

helps to shape the focus of the students’ comprehension.

HOW DO STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE MAIN

IDEA?

Themes Context clues and special features in the text

Headings, words written in italics, pictures, key words When students browse through and read the text from

front to back, searching for information to gain meaning Highlighting key details as they go through the text

STUDENT APPLICATION

Effective instructional strategies help students retell information from the text, reflect on text ideas to decide if they are sensible, construct summaries and synthesize

(Laureate Education, Inc., 2014i).

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES HELP STUDENTS TO…

Combine previous and new knowledge to gain reading comprehension

Acquire new knowledge from the text Make predictions Identify different perspectives from peers

and the text Summarize the information, make

inferences, make connections, visualize and ask questions

Share information in drawings and/or writing to demonstrate their reading comprehension

EFFECTIVE COMPREHENSION AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES HELP

STUDENTS…

Educating our children today starts with knowing the background knowledge of our students, and then using the sources of various ideas and models to increase academic success for all learners (Reutzel & Cooter, 2011).

Make Connections Visualize

Make inferences Discover the main idea from the text

Complete tasks to demonstrate reading comprehension

Reutzel, D. R., & Cooter, R. B., Jr. (2011). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction: Helping every child succeed (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

REFENCES Afflerbach, P., Cho, B.-Y., Kim, J.-Y., Crassas, M. E., & Doyle, B. (2013). Reading:

What else matters besides strategies and skills? The Reading Teacher, 66(6), 440–448. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Hollenbeck, A. F., & Saternus, K. (2013). Mind the comprehension iceberg: Avoiding titanic mistakes with the CCSS. The Reading Teacher, 66(7), 558–568. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014i). Metacognition: Thinking about thinking [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Reutzel, D. R., & Cooter, R. B., Jr. (2011). Strategies for reading assessment and instruction: Helping every child succeed (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.