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COMPREHENSION
Crystal Clark, Amy Moua, Ethan Pendergraft, Michelle Terry

What is Comprehension?
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Comprehension is defined as the action or capability of understanding something. The process of reading is understanding the meaning of written text by using the eyes to interpret its characters.

Why is Comprehension Important?

Curiosity spawns questions and questions are the key to understanding.

I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious Albert Einstein.

Teachers Should:
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Build on students interests

Tea

Parties

Help students build bridges

Self-to-Text

before

Text-to-Self

Help students make connections Build Communities Model Provide multiple variety of books

Remember: It is never to early to start developing comprehension!

Students Goal of Comprehension

Get a better understanding Use your schema Monitor your own understanding Develop insight

Terms/Ideas Students Should Learn:

Schema Make connections Metacognition Visualizing Ask questions/Make inferences Synthesize information

Schema
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Prior background knowledge Schema theoryis the basis for all comprehension instruction. Accommodation Assimilation

Make Connections
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First 3 months should be spent on making connections Self-to-text first

Start

with students life experiences and make connections with literacy

Eventually move to text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections

Metacognition
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Metacognition is thinking about thinking.

I

understand and I dont understand

Help students identify where they misinterpreted in the reading process

Whats

confusing?

Extension: make a picture in your head

Starts

a process of visualizing

Making Inferences/ Asking Questions

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Inferences are vital in comprehending because it goes beyond a literal interpretation Questions at first will be answered simply with a yes or no, then build to something more complex. Ask questions before, during, and after

Synthesize Information
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Readers monitor overall meaning, important concepts, and themes in text as they read, understanding that their thinking evolves in the process Readers extend their synthesis of the literal meaning of a text to the inferential level

Show kids how verses telling them

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Modeling

Gradual release

First gather for instruction and explain the strategy Demonstrate how to apply the strategyread to the class and do think aloud to show students what you are thinking. Let them practice Come back together and share thinking

Its a lot like learning to ride a bike. 1st watch the adult 2nd training wheels 3rd ride by themselves

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There are Four Types of Readers

1. 2.

3.

4.

Tactic Readers: not aware of what they are reading Aware Readers: confused and do not know how to fix the problem. Strategic Readers: use strategies for understanding and develop meaning with unfamiliar situations Reflective Readers: apply strategies for different purposes for reading.

Strategies of Proficient Readers

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Looks for connections Ask themselves questions Make inferences Pick out important ideas Monitor their understanding Visualize while reading

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Things to Consider when Choosing Books for Comprehension Instruction:

Poems Genres Authors Purpose Audience Song Books Text patterns Writing quality

Connection Strategies
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Text-to-Self T-S

Text-to-Text T-T

Text-to-World T-W

Read books that have characters around their age with similar problems and experiences.
Ex:

Read books by Read books the same about our author. country and other countries Ex: Eve Bunting to foster Read different diversity Ex: versions of a Grandfathers story
Ex:

Cinderella.

Journey

Questioning Strategies
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Ways to Respond:

Codes

Discussions focuses on finding answers to specific questions. Verbal response stop and ask questions

C- confusion ?-question

I wonder, How come, and Why?

Written responses

Visualizing Strategies
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Ways to respond

Coding

Discuss how words create a mental image Give a verbal response

Ex:

V-visualizing T-taste Tch- feeling Sm-smelling

While reading, stop and share what you are visualizing I can see a picture of a

Using Charts/Organizers to Visualize

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Provide Information

Examples

Need to be taught how to use charts and diagrams. Teach students to preview charts prior to reading informational text. Greatly increases comprehension Accompany with Graphic Organizers to assess understanding.

Charts/Diagrams
Bar,

Pie, Line, Circle, Scatter Plot, Venn, Dot and Whisker. Sequence, Story Web.

Graphic Organizers
K-W-L,

Predicting Strategies
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Ways to respond

Codes

Talk about what you think will happen next.

Ex:

While reading the book Tight Times stop and make comments I think, maybe, and I predict.

P-prediction + prediction confirmed - prediction is contradicted by the text

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Instruments to Increase Predictions

Prediction Charts

Sample

Used before and after reading to activate students prior knowledge. Gives clues about story and structure (Narrative, Informational, Poem) Students determine if statements are true or false to assess

This is one possible prediction chart. Another example would be to have the students preview the story and identify an issue and then confirm or deny it after reading.

Synthesizing Strategies
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Ways to respond

Codes

Discussions of evolving thinking Verbal responses

Aha!

I get it, Yes!!

Timeline of our thinking is the evolution of our thought.

SZ- Synthesize 2+2- Put it all together, finally makes sense. Light Bulb- New idea or confusion is clarified.

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Tools to Develop Comprehension

Several Resources/Tools can be utilized to encourage and promote understanding.

Scaffolding Steps: Model tool/resource. Students use with some help Independent
Post-It

Samples:

notes, Highlighter tape, Utilizing Graphic Organizers, Organization skills

Tool Link

Technology Application
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The utilization of technology in the classroom is a hot topic in todays classroom.

Numerous devices and software programs can be integrated into literacy instruction to develop skills. Draft:Build: it builds comprehension skills and it offers various presentations of texts and diagrams that are interactive. It allows you to add notes inside the text to refer to along with highlighting. Livescribe Pulse Smartpen: records as student reads or writes by following along in text. Also records lectures or stories read by teacher. Great tool to foster comprehension development. Using the Livescribe Pen

Assessing Comprehension
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Teachers need to constantly assess students ability to comprehend. Key: Focus on students Instructional Level. Avoid frustration level at all cost.

Several ways to assess (formal and informal) Focus on authentic forms Vary types of assessment Monitor comprehension during guided or shared reading activities. Use multiples types and modes of presentation Utilized applications on Livescribe and IPAD

ASSESSING COMPREHENSION: CONT.

FIND OUT WHAT YOUR STUDENTS ARE THINKING
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Listen to your students. Give them a chance to talk. Listen in on conversations they have with their peers. Observe facial expressions and body language when students are reading. Talk one on one with students.

Teachers Should Not:

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Assume all students are comprehending material. Underestimate students ability to utilize comprehension strategies Wait to assess comprehension until the end of the lesson, story, unit.