Comprehension Factors: Comprehension Factors: The ReaderThe Reader

Five Factors of Comprehension Five Factors of Comprehension

Comprehension

Reader/Learner

Text

TaskTeacher/Teaching

Context

The ReaderThe ReaderThe Simple View of ReadingThe Simple View of Reading

Accurate, fluent word readingAccurate, fluent word reading

Language comprehension skillsLanguage comprehension skills

D X LC = Reading ComprehensionD X LC = Reading Comprehension Gough, 1996Gough, 1996

Decoding Decoding

Phonemic awarenessPhonemic awareness PhonicsPhonics Sight word recognition; Word reading Sight word recognition; Word reading

fluencyfluency Orthographic knowledgeOrthographic knowledge

LanguageLanguage

Three Interactive Forms

Bloom and Lahey’s Taxonomy of Language

Content(semantics)

Form(phonology, morphology, syntax)

Use(pragmatics)

In the context of literacy, these components do not operate independently

Levels of Language: Mapping Speech to PrintLevels of Language: Mapping Speech to PrintPhonologyPhonology The language sound The language sound

system: awareness, system: awareness, reception, memory, reception, memory, manipulationmanipulation

MorphologyMorphology The smallest meaningful The smallest meaningful units in languageunits in language

Semantics (Vocabulary)Semantics (Vocabulary) Word meaningsWord meanings

Syntax Syntax

(Sentence Structure) (Sentence Structure) Sentence construction, Sentence construction, effects of word ordering effects of word ordering on meaningon meaning

DiscourseDiscourse Language that goes Language that goes beyond the boundary of beyond the boundary of a sentencea sentence

Levels……Levels……

PragmaticsPragmatics Goals or functions of Goals or functions of language; the use of language; the use of context; rules for context; rules for converstionsconverstions

MetalinguisticsMetalinguistics Awareness of the Awareness of the workings and workings and rationale of language; rationale of language; thinking about thinking about language and how it language and how it worksworks

Levels of Language: Mapping Speech to PrintLevels of Language: Mapping Speech to PrintPhonologyPhonology The language sound The language sound

system: awareness, system: awareness, reception, memory, reception, memory, manipulationmanipulation

Essential for speech, Essential for speech, reading decoding, reading decoding, spelling, second language spelling, second language mastery,mastery,

vocabulary developmentvocabulary development

MorphologyMorphology The smallest meaningful The smallest meaningful units in languageunits in language

Supports decoding/ word Supports decoding/ word recognition, spelling recognition, spelling (orthographic units) (orthographic units) vocabulary acquisition; vocabulary acquisition; understanding of wordsunderstanding of words

SemanticsSemantics Word meaningsWord meanings Critical for building a Critical for building a lexicon of individual words lexicon of individual words and relational and relational connections; shades of connections; shades of meaning; literal, figurative meaning; literal, figurative meanings, similes, meanings, similes, metaphors, etc.; word metaphors, etc.; word retrieval difficulties retrieval difficulties impacting fluency, writingimpacting fluency, writing

SyntaxSyntax Sentence construction, Sentence construction, effects of word ordering effects of word ordering on meaningon meaning

Critical to reading Critical to reading comprehension and comprehension and written expressionwritten expression

Levels……Levels……

DiscourseDiscourse Language that goes beyond Language that goes beyond the boundary of a sentencethe boundary of a sentence

The language of the The language of the classroom and curriculum; classroom and curriculum; students must integrate students must integrate form, content, use; the form, content, use; the language of the classroom language of the classroom is decontexualized; text is decontexualized; text structures and paragraphs; structures and paragraphs; interacts with active interacts with active working memory and working memory and requires active processingrequires active processing

PragmaticsPragmatics Rules for conversational speech Rules for conversational speech and discourseand discourse

Writing for a variety of Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences; purposes and audiences; understanding point of viewunderstanding point of view

Metalinguistic Metalinguistic

AwarenessAwarenessTo use language to talk about To use language to talk about language; think and talk about language; think and talk about languagelanguage

An essential component in An essential component in literacy development; stronger literacy development; stronger in students who have strong in students who have strong language skillslanguage skills

Warning Signs….Warning Signs….

RECEPTIVE LANGUAGERECEPTIVE LANGUAGE– Difficulty with directionsDifficulty with directions– Slow in responding to questionsSlow in responding to questions– Difficulty with concepts, vocabularyDifficulty with concepts, vocabulary– Memory difficultiesMemory difficulties– Discourse comprehensionDiscourse comprehension

Warnings….Warnings…. EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGEEXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE

– Limited phonetic inventory; more sound errors; atypical Limited phonetic inventory; more sound errors; atypical errors such as unusual substitutions (d / h); vowel errorserrors such as unusual substitutions (d / h); vowel errors

– Rarely initiates verbal interactions or activitiesRarely initiates verbal interactions or activities– Does not respond to questions/ commentsDoes not respond to questions/ comments– Simple syllable structuresSimple syllable structures– Shorter, less complex syntaxShorter, less complex syntax– Smaller vocabulariesSmaller vocabularies– Relies on gesturesRelies on gestures– Does not repair communication breakdownDoes not repair communication breakdown– Does not verbally request helpDoes not verbally request help– Empty speech with meaningless words (‘thing”)Empty speech with meaningless words (‘thing”)– Difficulty understanding the child’s speechDifficulty understanding the child’s speech

Background KnowledgeBackground Knowledge

Readers may have inadequate experiences, Readers may have inadequate experiences, knowledge baseknowledge base

Students may have difficulty in processing Students may have difficulty in processing new information more deeply and making new information more deeply and making significant connections between what is new significant connections between what is new and what is knownand what is known

Significant impact on inferencingSignificant impact on inferencing– A character who has “met his Waterloo”A character who has “met his Waterloo”

Rich content information, read-alouds, Rich content information, read-alouds, audiovisual supports, kinesthetic input, audiovisual supports, kinesthetic input, engaging discussionengaging discussion

Struggling with Language and Background Struggling with Language and Background KnowledgeKnowledge

Level 3 with a 5Level 3 with a 5thth grader grader

Where could this student struggle with Where could this student struggle with comprehension?:comprehension?:– The small brown head of an animal with bright The small brown head of an animal with bright

eyes pops out of a hole in the hot dirt of Africa.eyes pops out of a hole in the hot dirt of Africa.– It is a meerkat, only one foot long, out to catch It is a meerkat, only one foot long, out to catch

some warm sun.some warm sun.– The cute meerkats lay on the sand to soak up The cute meerkats lay on the sand to soak up

the heat from the sun. the heat from the sun. – They take turns hopping up to sniff the air for They take turns hopping up to sniff the air for

danger.danger.– It sleeps cuddled with its large family in a small It sleeps cuddled with its large family in a small

safe burrow.safe burrow.

Sentence by sentence analysisSentence by sentence analysis

1. The 1. The small brown headsmall brown head of an animal with of an animal with bright eyesbright eyes pops pops out of a hole in the out of a hole in the hot dirt of Africa.hot dirt of Africa.– Processing multiple modifiers; vocabulary; distance between the Processing multiple modifiers; vocabulary; distance between the

subject and verb; knowledge of Africa to be able to visualizesubject and verb; knowledge of Africa to be able to visualize 2. It is a 2. It is a meerkat,meerkat, only one foot long, out only one foot long, out to catch some warm to catch some warm

sun.sun.– Knowledge of meerkats; figurative expressionKnowledge of meerkats; figurative expression

3. The cute meerkats3. The cute meerkats lay lay on the sand on the sand to soak up the heatto soak up the heat from from the sun.the sun.– Processing the verb; figurative expression; multiple phrases; Processing the verb; figurative expression; multiple phrases;

background knowledge of animals warming upbackground knowledge of animals warming up 4. They take turns 4. They take turns hopping up to sniff the air for danger.hopping up to sniff the air for danger.

– Concept of predators and protecting behavior; background Concept of predators and protecting behavior; background knowledge; taking turns and integration with sentence 3.knowledge; taking turns and integration with sentence 3.

5. It sleeps cuddled with its large family in a small 5. It sleeps cuddled with its large family in a small safe burrow.safe burrow.– Vocabulary and background knowledgeVocabulary and background knowledge

Literacy KnowledgeLiteracy Knowledge– Print concepts, genres, text structure…Print concepts, genres, text structure…

Verbal Reasoning Verbal Reasoning – Inference, metaphor, etc.Inference, metaphor, etc.

Memory Memory

Short-term memory: a small amount of Short-term memory: a small amount of information is held passively and information is held passively and reproduced in untransformed fashion ; a reproduced in untransformed fashion ; a telephone number is remembered for the telephone number is remembered for the time it takes to dial the number (Swanson, time it takes to dial the number (Swanson, 1993)1993)

Working memory: holding a small amount Working memory: holding a small amount of material in mind for a short time, while of material in mind for a short time, while simultaneously carringing out further simultaneously carringing out further operations; performing mental math operations; performing mental math (Swanson, 1993)(Swanson, 1993)

Memory Problems Memory Problems

Children and adults with language and Children and adults with language and literacy difficulties often show considerable literacy difficulties often show considerable difficulty with short-term memorydifficulty with short-term memory

Deficits in STM/WM will impact any task:Deficits in STM/WM will impact any task:– Listening and comprehensionListening and comprehension– Understanding directions, stories or videosUnderstanding directions, stories or videos– Remembering strings of phonemesRemembering strings of phonemes– Remembering strings of lettersRemembering strings of letters– Remembering previous information when Remembering previous information when

readingreading– Remembering ideas when writingRemembering ideas when writing

Knowledge and Use of StrategiesKnowledge and Use of Strategies

Struggling students may lack of a Struggling students may lack of a diverse set of tools to support the diverse set of tools to support the construction of meaningconstruction of meaning

They may approach reading They may approach reading passively passively

Motivation and EngagementMotivation and Engagement

Comprehension and motivation are Comprehension and motivation are interconnectedinterconnected

Intrinsically motivated readers…Intrinsically motivated readers…– are more proficient; use strategies more are more proficient; use strategies more

effectivelyeffectively– are more knowledgeable; more likely to are more knowledgeable; more likely to

understand new textsunderstand new texts– are purposeful and goal-directedare purposeful and goal-directed– see learning as funsee learning as fun– are willing to work hard; learning is a challengeare willing to work hard; learning is a challenge

Motivation and EngagementMotivation and Engagement

Animoto exampleAnimoto example Survey MonkeySurvey Monkey Pg. 173Pg. 173 Pick a motivational factor that Pick a motivational factor that

inspires you; provide an exampleinspires you; provide an example Pg. 177-178Pg. 177-178 Technology: select one, research, Technology: select one, research,

present present