FAQ: Exactly what is reading comprehension and how can I implement different strategies in my classroom?
What is reading comprehension?
An interesting way to think about reading comprehension is “being thoughtful about what you are reading” (Peregoy and Boyle, 2005). As teachers, so much of our time with students is spent reading: textbooks, articles, websites, worksheets, the list goes on and on. From a young age, it is essential that students be taught to be thoughtful about what they reading. Paired with reading fluency and decoding, a thoughtful reader knows what they are reading, why they are reading it, and can make meaningful connections to other topics.
Learn more about reading comprehension here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/atoz/reading_comprehension/
What are some reading strategies to use with my students?
Comprehension strategies should be broken into three areas: pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading. Within each area, there are an abundance of activities that can be tied to any subject area. Here is a list of just some reading strategies to use with your students. Feel free to differentiate or modify each as needed for your students’ needs.
Pre-Reading:
Anticipation Guides: Students make predictions (yes/no, true/false, etc) based on a set of statements provided by the teacher related to the book.
KWL Chart: Students fill-in a chart about what they know about a topic, as well as what they want to learn from reading the book.
Develop Vocabulary with pictures: Students are given images/pictures of important vocabulary words in the story. They look at the pictures to decide on a meaning for each word.
Video/Sound clips: Students are shown a video clip or sound byte related to the story. Using prediction skills, they guess how/why this is related to the story. This can also be used to build background knowledge.
During Reading:
Questioning Strategies: Students are given a list of comprehension questions to stop and ask themselves while they are reading. They may self-question or ask a partner these questions.
Learning Logs: Students have a specified notebook where they keep track of thoughts, questions, or connections they make while reading. It is there own personal space to keep track of what they read.
Jigsaw: Students work in groups. Each student is responsible for a portion of a reading passage. They then report back to their group members about what they read in their section. The groups then report out to the whole class about what each of them has read.
Post-Reading:
Re-write the ending: Students re-think and re-write the ending to a story.
Character Mapping: Students create an electronic or paper version of a character map or web. Their graphic focuses on the characters and their relationships with one another.
Write a song/create a game/make a comic strip: Students can get creative with their story! They can write a song about the book, create a board game to play with their classmates, or any other artistic project that suits them.
Re-tell the story: Students can write a script for Readers’ Theater or re-enact a scene from the book.
An interesting way to think about reading comprehension is “being thoughtful about what you are reading” (Peregoy and Boyle, 2005). As teachers, so much of our time with students is spent reading: textbooks, articles, websites, worksheets, the list goes on and on. From a young age, it is essential that students be taught to be thoughtful about what they reading. Paired with reading fluency and decoding, a thoughtful reader knows what they are reading, why they are reading it, and can make meaningful connections to other topics.
Learn more about reading comprehension here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/atoz/reading_comprehension/
What are some reading strategies to use with my students?
Comprehension strategies should be broken into three areas: pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading. Within each area, there are an abundance of activities that can be tied to any subject area. Here is a list of just some reading strategies to use with your students. Feel free to differentiate or modify each as needed for your students’ needs.
Pre-Reading:
Anticipation Guides: Students make predictions (yes/no, true/false, etc) based on a set of statements provided by the teacher related to the book.
KWL Chart: Students fill-in a chart about what they know about a topic, as well as what they want to learn from reading the book.
Develop Vocabulary with pictures: Students are given images/pictures of important vocabulary words in the story. They look at the pictures to decide on a meaning for each word.
Video/Sound clips: Students are shown a video clip or sound byte related to the story. Using prediction skills, they guess how/why this is related to the story. This can also be used to build background knowledge.
During Reading:
Questioning Strategies: Students are given a list of comprehension questions to stop and ask themselves while they are reading. They may self-question or ask a partner these questions.
Learning Logs: Students have a specified notebook where they keep track of thoughts, questions, or connections they make while reading. It is there own personal space to keep track of what they read.
Jigsaw: Students work in groups. Each student is responsible for a portion of a reading passage. They then report back to their group members about what they read in their section. The groups then report out to the whole class about what each of them has read.
Post-Reading:
Re-write the ending: Students re-think and re-write the ending to a story.
Character Mapping: Students create an electronic or paper version of a character map or web. Their graphic focuses on the characters and their relationships with one another.
Write a song/create a game/make a comic strip: Students can get creative with their story! They can write a song about the book, create a board game to play with their classmates, or any other artistic project that suits them.
Re-tell the story: Students can write a script for Readers’ Theater or re-enact a scene from the book.