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Comprehension – Thinking Guided by Print

(Perfetti, 1985)

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Outcomes for this Session

•learn the components of text comprehension.

•differentiate between metacognitive strategies and comprehension skills.

•learn about research-based strategies for comprehension instruction in the classroom.

Participants will…

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Why is Comprehension Important?

The educational careers of 25 to 40 percent of American children are imperiled because they do not read well enough, quickly enough, or easily enough to ensure comprehension in their content courses in middle and secondary school.

(Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998)

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What Does the Research Say?

Reading Comprehension as a synthesis of complex skills cannot be understood without examining the critical role and importance of vocabulary instruction.

(National Reading Panel, 2000)

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What Does the Research Say?

• Recent data clearly indicate that comprehension is

dependent on active and thoughtful interaction between the text and the reader. (National Reading Panel, 2000)

• Once thought of as …decoding plus oral language, comprehension is now viewed as a much more complex process involving knowledge, experience, thinking, and teaching. (Fielding & Pearson, 1994)

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Text ComprehensionWhat is it?

Definition - intentional thinking during which meaning is constructed through interactions between text and reader. (Durkin, D., 1993)

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Text Comprehension

• Text comprehension can be improved by instruction that helps readers use specific comprehension strategies.

• Effective comprehension strategy instruction is explicit, or direct.

(Put Reading First, pp. 49, 53)

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Text Comprehension

Text comprehension is a thinking process using both metacognitive strategies and comprehension skills.

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Metacognitive Strategies

Strategies students use while they are reading that help them engage deeply in the meanings of a text.

(Moats, L. 2004)

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Instruction of metacognitive strategies is a way for teachers to break through students’ passivity and involve them in their own learning.

(National Reading Panel, 2000)

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Metacognitive strategies that need to be taught directly are:

•Questioning (Answering and Generating)

•Summarization

•Multiple Strategy Instruction

•Comprehension Monitoring Making Connections Inferring

Questioning Determining Importance

Visualizing Synthesizing

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1. An awareness and understanding of the reader’s own cognitive processes.

2. A teacher guiding the reader or modeling for the reader these strategies.

3. The reader practicing these strategies with the teacher assisting until the reader achieves internalization and independent mastery.

(National Reading Panel, 2000)

Instruction of metacognitive strategies includes:

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What Comprehension Instruction Looks Like

Instruction is explicit

• setting a purpose for learning

• telling students what to do

• showing them how to do it • guiding their hands-on application of

the new learning

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Three-Step Process

Often the explicit instruction is referred to as the three-step process of:

1. I do

2. We do

3. You do

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What Comprehension Instruction Looks Like

Scientifically-based research supports the use of:

• cooperative learning

• graphic and semantic organizers

• understanding story structure(National Reading Panel, 2000)

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Critical Elements in Comprehension Instruction of Both Skills and Strategies

•Teach multiple strategies and skills.

•Teach rather than mention.

•Teach students to become strategic readers.

•Actively involve students in the instruction.

(National Reading Panel, 2000)

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Some comprehension skills that need to be taught directly are:

• Cause and effect

• Inferences

• Summarization

• Author’s viewpoint

• Identifying characters, setting, plot

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Comprehension occurs:

• Before reading

• During reading

• After reading

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“Before Reading”

• Discuss key vocabulary• K-W-L• Preview, browse with a purpose• Supply background• Give personal connection to theme• Use story structure chart to supply setting and

characters• Read once through without stopping

(Moats, 2004)

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“During Reading” • Pose queries at critical junctures in text.• Model the thoughts and questions of an inquiring reader

by thinking aloud.• Teach children to: a) ask for clarification, b) summarize,

c) anticipate, and d) ask questions of the author as they read.

• Visualize or construct a mental image of settings, events, concepts.

(Moats, 2004)

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“After Reading”

• Complete an appropriate graphic organizer.• Write a summary.• Retell a narrative or sequence of events, with visual

prompts available.• Act out or illustrate the content.• Respond to key questions in writing, then discuss with

others.• Extend to other projects, products.

(Moats, 2004)

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• Text comprehension is important because comprehension is the reason for reading.

• Text comprehension is purposeful and active.• Text comprehension can be developed by teaching

comprehension skills and metacognitive strategies.

• Text comprehension strategies can be taught through explicit instruction, cooperative learning, and by helping readers use strategies flexibly and in combination. (Put Reading First, 2001)

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Want to Know More?Anderson, R.C., & Pearson, P.D. (1984). A Schema-Theoretic View of Basic

Processes in Reading. In P.D. Pearson (Ed.), Handbook of Reading Research (pp. 255-291.) New York: Longman.

Armbruster, B., Lehr, F. & Osborn, J. (2001). Put Reading first: the Research Building Blocks for Teaching children to Read: Kindergarten through Grade 3. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy.

Baumann, J.F., Seifert-Kessell, N. & Jones, L.A. (1992). Effect of Think-Aloud Instruction on Elementary Students’ Comprehension Monitoring Abilities. Journal of Reading Behavior, 24(2), 142-172.

Beck, I.L., & McKeown, M.G. (`983). Learning Words Well- A Program to Enhance Vocabulary and Comprehension. The Reading Teachers, 36, 622-625.

Durkin, D. (1993). Teaching Them to Read. (6th edition) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Farstrup, A., & Samuels, S. (2002). Evidence-based Reading Instruction: Putting the National Reading Panel Report into Practice. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Fielding, Linda, & Pearson, P. David. (1994) “Reading Comprehension: What Works?” Educational Leadership 51, 5: 62-67.

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Gersten, R., Fuchs, L.S., Williams, J.P., & Baker, S. (200`). Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies to Students with Learning Disabilities: A Review of Research. Review of Educational Research, 71, 279-320.

Good, R.H., Gruba, J., & Kaminski, R.A. (2001.) Best Practices in Using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) in an Outcomes-Driven Model. In A. Thomas 7 J. Grimes (Eds.), Best Practices in School Psychology IV (pp.679-700). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2002). Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2002). Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding and Engagement – 2nd Edition. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Keene, Ellin O., & Zimmermann, Susan. (2007.) Mosaic of Thought: The Power of Comprehension 2nd Edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

LINKS Project (2000). Comprehension: Participant’s & Facilitator’s Manual. Olympia, WA: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

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McKeown, M.G., Beck, I.L., Omanson, R.C., & Perfertti, C.A. (1983). The Effects of Long-Term Vocabulary Instruction on Reading Comprehension: A replication. Journal of Reading Behavior, 15(1), 3-18.

Miller, Debbie (2002). Reading With Meaning. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Moats, L. (2004). LETRS: Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, Modules 1-9. Longmont, CIO: Sopris West.

National Reading Panel (2000). Teaching Children to Read: An Evidenced-based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on reading and its Implications for reading Instruction: Reports of the Subgroups. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human development.

RAND Reading Study Group (2002). Reading for Understanding: Toward a Research and Development Program in Reading comprehension. http://www.rand.org/multi/achievemenforall/reading/readreport.html.com

Rose, Mary (1998). Reading comprehension and Fluency. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Shore, R. (19997). Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development. New York: Families and Work Institute.

Snow, C.E., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1998). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.