Reading Comprehension
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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. .