Tara Bauman
Comprehension content knowledge summary
Comprehension is knowing what was read and the ability to understand the text at a deeper level. To improve comprehension, the reading cycle should be implemented. Starting with pre-reading and activating prior knowledge, then during reading there should be many questions that are asked from both the student teacher, and lastly post reading includes a summary or comprehension discussion. There can be many factors that affect a student’s ability to comprehend a text which could be their fluency and making sure the books are at the appropriate level.
Vocabulary Terms
Comprehension: Understanding what was read at a deep level
Quantitative: Level of meaning structure, language conventions, clarity in the background knowledge, language demands
Qualitative: Readability measures
Readability: Sentence length, syllables or length of words
Text Complexity: measures how difficult a text is
Reading Cycle
Cycle that designed for students to fully understand what was read.
Pre-Reading:
Activate prior knowledge
-KWL chart
-Book Walk
-Text structure
-Introduce vocabulary
During Reading:
-Ask questions
-Use click or clunk
-Fix-ups
Post Reading:
-Summarize the text
-Comprehension discussion
-Reading response
-Graphic organizers
Text Complexity
Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity:
-Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands
Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity:
-Word frequency and sentence length, usually measured by computer software
Reader and Task Considerations:
-Students’ knowledge, interest, and motivation
Readability and Book leveling
Raygor:
-Take 100 words from throughout the passage or book selected (Don’t count numerals)
-Count the number of sentences in each passage
-Count (highlight to make easier) the number of words in each passage that contains 6 or more letters
-Use Raygor Graph to find the level (Pictured to the left)
-Find the total number of sentences in the passage on the vertical axis and place a dot. Next, look on the horizontal axis and place a dot depending on the number of words with 6 or more letters.
-The grade level of the book would be where the two dots intersect
Flesch-Kincaid:
Formula used: FKRA= (0.39 x Average Sentence Length)) + (11.8 x Average word in a sentence))- 15.59
-Microsoft Word calculates Flesch-Kincaid by going to toolsà spelling and grammarà Click through till end until box pops up.
Text Structure and organization
Text Structure: refers to how the author organizes information in a text.
-Teaching students how to look for the text structure can improve their comprehension through focusing the student’s attention on the key concepts and how the text lays out information.
-Text structure will differ in fiction and non-fiction
Text Structure
Fiction
Story Elements
Characters
Setting
Problem/Solution
Plot
Non-Fiction
Cause and Effect
Sequence
Problem/Solution
Description
Compare/Contrast
Text features help students navigate their way through a text.
Text Features
Fiction
Title
Chapter Index (for chapter books)
Illustrations
Bold print
Continuous Text
Paragraphing
Dialogue
Non-Fiction
Title
Table of Contents
Index
Photos
Captions
Diagrams
Glossary
Data line (periodicals)
Bold Print
Headings
Sub-titles
Comprehension Process
Make connections to prior knowledge- What do they already know about themselves, about other text, and about the world?
Ask Questions- Ask themselves questions about text, reactions, and authors purpose
Visualize- Creating a “movie” of the text in their minds (mental images)
Determine text importance:
Distinguish essential vs. interesting
Distinguish between fact and opinion
Determine cause-and- effect relationships
Compare and contrast ideas or information
Discern themes, opinions, or perspectives
Pinpoint problems and solutions
Name steps in a process
Locate information that answers specific questions
Summarize
Make inferences:
-text clues + prior knowledge = answers to question
-Leads to conclusion about underlying themes or ideas
Synthesize- Combine new information with existing knowledge to form original ideas, new lines of thinking or new creations. (meaningful summaries)
Comprehension Skills
All Text Structures:
-Summarize
-Draw conclusions/inferring
-Graphic source
-Make predictions
-Classify/categorize
-Vocabulary to context
General Skills:
-Authors purpose
-Genre
-Genre studies
-Point of View
-Recognize text structure
Narrative:
-Character
-Setting
-Plot
-Sequencing
-Figurative Language
-Pronoun reference
-Theme
-Voice
Informational:
-Explicit information
-Generalize
-Main idea & details
-Cause/effect
-Fact/opinion
-Compare/Contrast
Raygor Graph
Readability on Microsoft Word
Artifact
Close Reading Steps for Narrative and Expository
Retrieved From: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/investigating-nonfiction-part-2-digging-deeper-close-reading/
Comprehension Instrucional Strategies
Question Answer Response Strategy (QAR)
QAR is a strategy designed for after students have read to support comprehension. The teacher explains to the students that there are four different types of questions that the students should be thinking about when reading. Students then read the story and differentiate what types of questions they are being asked and where to find the answers. -Eventually, students should be able to create their own questions.
Direct Reading Thinking Activity
This strategy can be used in whole group, small groups, or pairs. First, the teacher would introduce this activity through a book walk so students are able to see what they are going to be reading. Then have students or groups brainstorm a list of what they think the book is going to be about. Predict and discuss in sections. At the end of each section, discuss predictions and have students circle correct predictions or cross out incorrect predictions. Repeat this cycle until the end of the book. At the end, go back through and look at all the predictions.
Concept Maps
Concepts maps are an organizational tool for students to visually order and determine the structure for narrative or informational text. Students would be given a map to fill out when reading to help support comprehension. Students can refer back to the map when necessary.
Anticipation Guide
Anticipation guides should be used before reading to activate prior knowledge in students. This strategy can also build curiosity about new topics for students. The first step is creating the anticipation guide. Teachers will write four to six statements about key ideas in the text (some true and some false). Include two sets columns, one before and one after the statement. The columns should be labeled, “agree” and “disagree.” Next the teacher would model this process and teach students how to use guide. Have students work together or individually to read the statement and mark whether they agree or disagree. Then, new materials would be taught or reading would begin. Then after, students would come back to the anticipation guide and fill out the column on the right hand side of the statement marking whether they agree or disagree.
Think-Pair-Share
The teacher would begin by asking students questions about the text the students had just read. Students would then think on their own about the questions and interpret it in their own way. After teacher gives students time to think, the students would pair up and discuss how each would answer or their thinking of the question. Lastly, the teacher would call on some of the groups or individual people to share their thinking process and create discussion about the questions being asked.
Comprehension Website and Applications
Readworks.org is excellent website that gives reading passages, paired reading passages, and comprehension questions and answers for every text. This website accommodates for all different types of learning levels and has many different types of passages. I would use in this in my future classroom by using the articles and comprehension questions that it gives. It is a great tool to see how well student’s a really comprehending what they are reading.
Inspiration Maps
Inspirations Maps is an app that allows students to visually organize their ideas when reading. They can create maps, organizers, brainstorm, or create diagrams. This can support students’ comprehension of a story by writing down important elements and seeing them visually.
Reading Comprehension
Prep
Reading Comprehension Prep is an app for upper elementary can use to support their comprehension. This app allows for students to read a passage and then answer questions at the end. Reading Comprehension Prep separates the passage by grade level and also by fiction and non-fiction for students.
Aesop's Quest
This is a wonderful app to challenge students’ comprehension of different stories. Aesop’s Quest has students reading a story in segments. Once the student would get to a segment they would have to remember an element about the story. If they correctly answered the question, they would receive a puzzle piece and then continue on with this process until the story is finished. Once the story is complete the puzzle should be completed and students can move on to the next story.