Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is “intentional thinking during which meaning is constructed through interaction between text and reader” (Harris & Hodges, 1995)

 Vocabulary development is an essential component of text comprehension

Findings of the National Reading Panel (2000):  Comprehension is enhanced when readers relate ideas presented in the text to their own knowledge and experience (NRP, 2000)  Explicit instruction in comprehension strategies can enhance understanding. Evidence was noted in use of instruction using the following methods: o Comprehension Monitoring- readers learn to become aware of their understanding of text o Cooperative Learning – students work together in reading strategies o Graphic and Semantic Organizers – readers make and use graphic representations to enhance their understanding of text o Question Answering - readers are asked and then answer questions related to the text o Question Generation – readers ask themselves questions about the text to check understanding o Story Structure – students are taught the structure of stories and use this structure to help them recall the facts about the stories o Summarization – readers are taught to bring together ideas about the text

To enhance reading comprehension: (Pressley, 2000)  Teach decoding skills  Teach vocabulary  Build word knowledge o Establish some prior knowledge about a the topic of the text prior to reading  Teach active comprehension strategies o The best readers are active. They think about what they read by prediction, analyzing, using imagery, asking questions, and/or summarizing.  Encourage monitoring of comprehension o Teach strategies to help students check their understanding and seek help when they don’t understand

Reciprocal Teaching (Palincsar & Brown, 1984)  Students are put in small groups (usually groups of 4)  Each student assumes a role: summarizer, questioner, clarifier, predictor  Students read a portion of text together and take on their role  Roles shift and students read the next selection http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching/

For more information on reading comprehension instruction:  http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/compre.htm  http://www.readingrockets.org/atoz/reading_comprehension/  http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/index_cnnsf.html o source of free high interest news articles and accompanying activities to enhance reading comprehension

References:

Harris, T., & Hodges, R. (Eds.). (1995). The literacy dictionary (p. 207). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

National Reading Panel (2000). Report of the national reading panel: Teaching students to read: An evidenced-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction: Reports of the subgroups. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (www.nationalreadingpanel.org).

Palincsar, A. S. & Brown, A. L., (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities Cognition and Instruction, 1 (2), 117-175.

Pressley, M. (2000). Comprehension instruction: What makes sense now, what might make sense soon. In M.L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, P.D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.) Handbook of Reading Research: Volume III. New York: Longman. Retrieved 6/18/11 from http://www.readingonline.org/articles/handbook/pressley/index.html.