Comprehension.
Navigating the rough seas of reading comprehension involves daily intention.
As a reading teacher in the Bronx for over a decade, I have noticed that consistency with daily reading routines is KEY ! These familiar structures that students get used to applying everyday provides them with comprehension tools that they can eventually believe in and ultimately rely on when they struggle. Comprehension has various moving parts that must all work together such as activating background knowledge (frontloading), daily practice in vocabulary, fluency (diagnostics, read aloud etc) active reading skills and critical thinking activities.
4 Necessities for understanding text ( what and how)
1.What’s the Purpose ? why might students be reading this text ? how will students use what will be learned.
Bottom line, students need to know where to focus their knowledge that they are bringing to the table. It may be for the purpose of entertainment, persuasion, or to acquire specific information. At times understanding the purpose for reading a text may be for entertainment and fun and students need to be reminded that learning and reading is fun.
My middle school students would appear excited and confused when I would announce that reading today is for fun I would eagerly say ” hi readers, today we are reading for fun ! “- this could be a read aloud or independent reading session for short story, a mystery, a narrative text , etc. In the content areas of science and social studies their may be times when students need to be informed about an essential topic. ” hi reader’s today its time to put on your thinking cap , we are reading to be informed about …” Acknowledgement that they are now learning about a major historical event or current events around the community and the world is key to setting the intention of the reading climate.
2. Procedural Knowledge helps students organize what they are reading by providing a list of text of the 5 text structures so that there is a coherent pattern of meaning such as :
- definition/description
- problem-solution
- sequence/time
- comparison and contrast
- cause and effects
Students need to know where their strengths are and what they need to improve on in the area of are of organizing the text they are reading, this will build confidence and eventually these skills will transfer over into writing skills.
3. Procedural knowledge of substance help students to activate and find background knowledge and past experiences that relates to the text, this is so necessary for comprehending.
Across the content areas especially in science and social studies all teachers can practice procedural knowledge of substance this may include the following daily task BEFORE READING the challenging text:
- 2 to 3 minute quick writes related to the topic
- identify topic and important details in text
- open class discussion related to the topic-predictions, photos, real life connections
- turn and talk at desk to activate schema
- Jamboard/turn and talk remotely to activate schema
- Kahoot to activate schema
- movie clips to activate schema
4.Declarative knowledge: help students to name the text structure before and during reading. Discuss how each structure leads to communicating meaning.
Across the content areas especially in science and social studies all teachers can practice declarative knowledge of substance this may include the following daily task BEFORE , During and AFTER reading of challenging text:
- Graphic organizer to Identify Central idea and 4 details
- Graphic organizer to summarize a text
- Graphic organizer to make inferences ( what I learned from reading -what I already Know = Inference)
- Graphic organizer chart to make predictions (Story clues /What I know /Prediction/was I right? )
- Graphic organizer to Draw Conclusions (facts facts =Conclusion)
- Graphic organizer to Read Critically : Analyze ( Question + Evidence + Analysis)
- Read Critically : Evaluate (Question + Evidence valid/not valid /Reason
- Read Critically: Synthesize ( Question Source #1 evidence Source #2 Evidence =Analysis)
Sarat
June 23, 2024 - 6:11 pm ·Great article! I appreciate the clear and insightful perspective you’ve shared. It’s fascinating to see how this topic is developing. For those interested in diving deeper, I found an excellent resource that expands on these ideas: check it out here. Looking forward to hearing others’ thoughts and continuing the discussion!