Comprehension: Understanding and Responding: Narrative and Informational Chapters 7 & 8 Mod 5

Reading Chapters 7 and 8 was insightful in the breakdown of comprehension.  While the acts of comprehension are all areas that I am familiar with, the ABC model of anticipation, building and consolidation gave a more direct approach to teaching comprehension.  While I have used many of the strategies listed, I feel that I learned a more effective order of introduction those strategies.  I now understand the process of teaching comprehension so I can better plan my lessons to build upon one another.  I read the AdLit.org article, “Using Think Aloud to Improve Reading Comprehension,” and found a much more effective way to read aloud.  I have used modeling exclusively but had not thought of having the students write down the strategies I use to break down the text for understanding.  The article suggested a process of modeling, coached practice, and reflection to teach the students to apply the strategies instead of just modeling the strategies.  For those of you unfamiliar with the article, let me explain.  First I will model the think aloud process and have students write down strategies that they see me using to gain understanding.  Next they will share their observations and make a master list of strategies for the classroom.  The next phase is coached practice.  During this phase I will again read aloud but will randomly ask students what they are thinking during the reading to have them perform the “thinkaloud” part of the activity.  We will go to the list to see which strategy they employed in their answer/explanation.  Once the students have all completed the practiced think aloud, we will review the master list and find 2-3 strategies that no one has used to target practice.  Using a colored object to represent each of those 2-3 methods, students will be given an object and asked to use that particular strategy during the next read aloud.  Finally students will write a letter to a classmate (or me) explaining what they have learned and which practices they will now use that they had not used in the past.  I feel this is an excellent way to monitor comprehension progress while equipping students with actual methods of gaining comprehension that can be used across the content areas.

I also found the breakdown of informational text informative.  I have given students informational texts such as news articles but failed to teach the formatting of informational texts.  As a high school teacher I assume that students are familiar with newspapers, but often times they are not.  I like the idea of using reciprocal teaching for informational text so that the students can practice summarizing, clarifying, and explaining.  This method can also be used to show the different points of view or slants that accompany informational texts.

I would be interested in other adaptations that teachers are using to make basic comprehension strategies more effective. Please share here so that we may all benefit from your ideas and practices.

Helping Readers Build Fluency and Vocabulary-Chapter 6 Mod 4

As we read Chapter 6 Helping Readers Build Fluency and Vocabulary, I am thinking of ways to apply these ideas and concepts to the struggling readers in the high school setting.  I was pleased to see that my own ideas are supported by research.  Rasinski (2003) stated “teaching reading fluency should include modeling good oral reading, providing oral support for readers, offering plenty of practice, and encouraging fluency through phrasing” (p. 162).  As a reading intervention specialist, I believe that the opportunity to read, with available support, is vital to developing reading fluency and comprehension.  I really loved the strategy of having students create a Four-Way Response Chart for reading similar to the Frayer Vocabulary model found on page 165.  The idea of having students: 1. Recall an important quote (conscious of important theme or lesson)  2. Draw a picture of an important character or scene (interpretation of text)  3. Write or draw what the text made them think of (relate to their own lives) and 4. What they liked about the text (personal opinion) is a way to gauge fluency and comprehension, as well as foster an engagement or connection to the text.  I was also thrilled to watch the videocast resource The Word Wise and Content Rich as it offered confirmation that my “talking through the text” is a valid best practice that is effective to enhancing both fluency and vocabulary for my students.  I have used this to assist students in transferring the skills of pleasure reading to academic reading.  My reading class will begin a literature based reading in the next few weeks and I am pleased to know that this strategy will help build the skills necessary to be successful in their literature classes.  This chapter also reiterated the strategies we learned in the Emergent Reader chapter as ways to support student learning in all content areas.

Since my inquiry project is focused on student motivation in the methodology of teaching reading, these chapters offer valuable research-based methods to apply in my classroom.  I feel that one reason students are reluctant readers is because they are not fluent readers and many of these strategies will benefit both my research and my classes. One of the keys for sustained reading in Chapter 6 is allowing choice rather than assigned reading.  This is one of my strategies in my reading classes for 9^th graders and it will be interesting to see how this strategy works versus the required reading in their literature classes.  Once we integrate academic reading into our class reading/discussion activities I hope to see an improvement in the reading fluency and comprehension that will assist the students in their literature classes.  I will keep you all posted on the progress!