THE STRUGGLING READER

Chapter 7ComprehensionAllyson Dewar

What is comprehension? Comprehension is the process of

constructing meaning by interacting with the text.

Why do some readers struggle

with comprehension?

Students may struggle with…

Word Recognition Oral Language Meaning Vocabulary Prior Knowledge and Concepts Interests and Motivation Text Factors

How do you address these student struggles in your

classroom?

Research has shown that one of the most effective ways to help

students improve their comprehension is to teach them

strategies.

What are some strategies you teach your students?

8 Strategies that are useful to students

1. Identifying Important Information2. Inferring/Predicting3. Monitoring/Clarifying4. Questioning5. Visualizing6. Summarizing7. Synthesizing8. Evaluating

How do you assess and diagnose a struggling reader’s comprehension? Begin the assessment process by asking

yourself these four questions: What are the student’s reading levels? What is the student’s listening level? What types of comprehension difficulties does

the student have? Which key comprehension strategies is the

student able to use?

What are the student’s reading levels?

Gather information needed to determine a student’s reading levels by giving an informal reading inventory or informally during daily teaching.

Reading Levels: Independent Instructional Frustration

What is a student’s listening level?

Determine a student’s listening level by using an alternate set of graded or leveled passages from IRI. Passages are read aloud and the students answer comprehension questions orally.

WHAT TYPES OF COMPREHENSION DIFFICULTIES DOES THE STUDENT HAVE?

WHICH KEY COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES IS THE STUDENT ABLE TO USE?

Examine the types of questions students answered correctly and incorrectly.

Look for a pattern of mistakes.

Look at how the students used the 8 major comprehension strategies.

"Teaching reading IS rocket science." — Louisa Moats