Parent Involvement:Written Comprehension

What is Comprehension

Constructing meaning from a text. Understanding the who, what, where, when, and why of a story or text. The act of grasping with the mind.

• Oral- Verbally explaining what one has read.• Written- Being able to write one’s ideas on paper in a clear

and organized fashion.

Building blocks of Comprehension

• These areas need to be strong before children can comprehend text……..

– Speed and Accuracy of Decoding – Reading Fluency– Vocabulary– World Knowledge– Comprehension Strategies

Steps a Good Reader takes• Before Reading• During Reading• After Reading

http://www.workingfamilyresourcecenter.org/wfrc/imgu/J0409107.JPG

Before Reading

• Set a Goal- For what someone hopes to gain from the text

• Look over the text- To note the structure and skim for main ideas

• Predict- What the text will tell someone and will this help them reach their goal?

During Reading

• Monitor Comprehension- Is the person understanding what he/she is reading?

• Skimming- Is the text helping the person achieve their goal?

• Concentrating- Are their predictions correct?• Rereading- If someone does not understand go,

back and read it again, great repair strategy that “everyone” uses.

• Making Notes- Take notes on important material that may be confusing and requires more research.

After Reading

• Reread- If a section was confusing go back and reread it, “everyone” uses this repair strategy.

• Summarize- What was the message? Did it help that person reach their goal?

• Think- Which ways can that person use the information they have just learned.

• Ask Questions- Was the text good or bad and why? What else may need further research?

Our Goal

• Help parents become more aware of how to instruct their children at home in writing responses to text.

Connecticut Mastery Test 2009 Results

4th Grade

Types of Open Ended QuestionsQuestions organized under CMT Strands

• Forming a General Understanding– i.e. What lesson does ______ learn in this story?

• Developing an Interpretation– i.e. Compare these two characters: ____ & ____.

• Making Reader/Text Connections– i.e. Which part of the story do you think was most important? Use

information from the story to support your answer.

• Examining Content and Structure– i.e. Imagine you are going to give a talk to your class about _____.

What two points would you be sure to include in your speech?

What makes a good response?• A response that earns a “0”:

– Inaccurate – Poorly organized– No elaboration

• A response that earns a “1”:– Correct information– Fluency of response is adequate – Mix of specific and generalities– Little evidence of support

• A response that earns a “2”: – Accurate– Well organized– Elaborated with sufficient, specific text references – Fluent enough to be read/understood easily– Completed independently

How to write a “2” answer response• Restate question in the answer• Correct information• Two supporting details from the text– Example- The Cat in the Hat– Which part of the story was the most important?

(use information from the text to support your answer)

– The most important part of the story was when Sally and Conrad told the cat in the hat to leave. This was important because the kids knew the cat was messing up their house and their mother would not be happy. Another reason this was important was because they did not want to disappoint their mother.

Answer Organizer

*Please refer to your handouts.*

– Types of questions to practice with at home.

– An structured layout that helps students organize their thoughts in order to write a strong response.

Writing at Home!!!Suggestions that you could try at

home• Have your child write instructions for taking care of the family

pet. These will be useful as you plan your summer vacations!• Write a letter or thank you note to a relative. Talk through what

your child wants to say before writing begins.• Make a shopping list before going to the grocery store.• Write an online review of a book or an item you recently

purchased or a recipe you tried. • Talk about the presidential election and write a description of

the kind of president you want.• Find a picture in the newspaper and write an article to

accompany it.• Start keeping a personal diary, a household guestbook, or a

baby book for a younger sibling.

Beneficial websites

• www.readingrockets.org

• www.reading.uoregon.edu

• www.fcrr.org

• http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/club.html

Work Cited

Caldwell. JoAnne, (2008). Reading Assessment: A Primer for Teachers and Coaches. New York: Guilford.

Carmen, M. & Melguizo, P. (2010) A Proactive Recommendation system for writing in the Internet Age. Retrieved April 17, 2010, From http://jowr.org/current.html

Honig, B., Diamond, L., & Gutlon, L. (2008). Teaching Reading Sourcebook. California: Arena Press.

Work Cited (Cont.)Klein, P. & Kirkpatrick, L. (2010) A Framework for Content

Area Writing: Mediators and Moderators. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://jowr.org/current.html

Reading Rockets (2008) Developing Writing and Spelling at Home: K-3. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/22758

Silva, M. & Borzone, A. (2010) Subordinated clauses usage and assessment of syntactic maturity: A comparison of oral and written retellings in beginning writers. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://jowr.org/current.html