Teaching Comprehension

Video Script
The first thing I want to talk about is the skills and strategies students need for comprehension. Whether a reader successfully understands a text depends upon many factors including personal experiences, vocabulary & conceptual knowledge, interest and motivation.
Comprehension requires the use of metacognitive and cognitive strategies. Cognitive strategies construct or retain meaning while metacognitive strategies eliminate comprehension problems or assess whether reading goals are being met. Strategies good readers use include predicting, questioning, visualizing, inferring, summarizing, and making connections. (Brown & Dewitz, 2014).
Comprehension is a vital skill that students will continue to use throughout their lives and should be taught to all students at all grade levels. Success in school and beyond requires exposure to and comprehension of a wide range of literature and informational texts. So, how do we teach and ensure that students use these strategies?
Successful reading comprehension strategies vary according to the content of the text. We must instruct students to understand the strategy, to know how to perform the strategy, and to know when and why to use the strategy. Instruction must be explicit and brief because extended instruction and practice doesn’t help (Willingham & Lovette, 2014).
The three principles Hirsch cites for increasing comprehension are fluency, vocabulary, and domain knowledge. When students are fluent, their minds can focus on making connections and comprehension. Vocabulary is integral to comprehension and we must help students build word knowledge from the earliest opportunities. Domain knowledge enables readers to make sense of word combinations, determine word meanings, make inferences based on knowledge, and understand literary devices (Hirsch, 2003).
We must focus on vocabulary instruction, content area knowledge, reading across genres/content areas, and building background knowledge. 50-70% of comprehension ability is based on word knowledge (Brown & Dewitz, 2014). In addition to the explicit vocabulary instruction we currently use, we must explain figurative language, how it is used, and provide examples from texts. Another part of vocabulary instruction is teaching students how to link pronouns and indefinite adjectives to nouns. Difficulty in this area is a severe obstacle to understanding.
Building background knowledge is vital to comprehension and has no limitations. The more knowledge students have, the better they can understand a diverse range of texts. Authors expect readers to come prepared to understand their meaning without explicitly stating every detail. Text-to-text connections will increase domain knowledge. Alternatives to single texts include companion texts (from a series or collection), complementary texts (explore similar topic or theme), synoptic texts (explore different versions of a single story), and conflicting texts (alternative perspectives on the same topic or theme) (Lupo, Strong, Lewis, Walpole, & Mckenna, 2017).
A Quad text framework includes a challenging on or above grade level target text and three texts that build students’ knowledge and motivation (Lupo, et. al., 2017). The three supporting texts can be in the form of visual texts or videos, informational texts, or accessible fiction, nonfiction articles or texts from popular culture. The supporting texts should be read between readings of the target text. These text connections increase the time students spend reading and motivate them to understand the target text.
The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model (GRRM) starts with describing and modeling the strategy (Brown & Dewitz, 2014). Then work with the class to use the strategy with an appropriate text. The students can then start to take on more responsibility by working in small groups or in individual guided practice sessions. Lastly, students will attempt to use the strategy on their own.
After using the GRRM, assign the class a challenging text and ask them to pay attention to things they don’t understand. During the whole class discussion, ask students to share the things they had difficulty understanding. Then help students identify strategies they used or could try to use as a group to understand. This process allows students to see that even the best readers use strategies, encourages them to reflect on their reading, and to try new strategies (Brown & Dewitz, 2014).
Classroom discussions are an important part of instruction. When students are involved in discussions, their literal and inferential comprehension grows, and they are more likely to use critical thinking and reasoning skills. Guided reading helps direct students’ thinking and understanding using graphic organizers, collaborative learning groups, moment-to-moment verbal support, and modeling. Student guided discussions develop comprehension just as effectively as (if not better then) teacher led discussions. Students tend to ask more questions, their responses are more elaborate, and they generate more interpretations of the texts during student guided discussions (Brown & Dewitz, 2014).
Guided reading cannot be implemented without planning. The text must contribute to the content goal of the lesson, be at the students’ instructional and comprehension levels, and provide the students with a cognitive challenge. We must read the text closely and decide when and how often to stop for discussions. We must plan for students to summarize, answer questions with evidence from the text, and make inferences to fill in blanks left by text (Brown & Dewitz, 2014).
Student-led discussion groups can improve motivation and comprehension. Provide students with a selection of books to choose from. Those who read the same text (or the same author, or subject) can then discuss the book in literature circles or book clubs. To make these student-led discussion groups successful, we can model the process, coach the students, and help them evaluate their success (Brown & Dewitz, 2014).
Finally, we must remember that motivation is an essential part of comprehension. Students are able to read texts at higher levels and comprehend them better when they are motivated and interested in the material (Brown & Dewitz, 2014). When students can select what they read, they are more likely to read, which builds background knowledge and vocabulary. Students also need to understand that reading has goals beyond just finishing the book. The goals of reading are understanding, enjoyment, and learning. Comprehension is a vital skill that students will continue to use throughout their lives and should be taught to all students at all grade levels.
  
References
 
Brown, R., & Dewitz, P. (2014).Building comprehension in every classroom. instruction with literature, informational texts, and BASAL programs. New York: Guilford Press.
 
Brown, R., & Dewitz, P. (2014).Building comprehension in every classroom. instruction with literature, informational texts, and BASAL programs. New York: Guilford Press.
 
Hirsch, E., Jr. (2003). Reading Comprehension Requires Knowledge - of Words and the World. American Educator,(Spring), 10-29. Retrieved July 1, 2019, from https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Hirsch.pdf
 
Lupo, S. M., Strong, J. Z., Lewis, W., Walpole, S., & Mckenna, M. C. (2017). Building Background Knowledge Through Reading: Rethinking Text Sets. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,61(4), 433-444. doi:10.1002/jaal.701
 
Willingham, D. (2014, April 9). Evaluating readability measures. Retrieved June 16, 2019, from http://www.danielwillingham.com/daniel-willingham-science-and-education-blog/evaluating-readability-measures
 
Willingham, D. T. (2006). The Usefulness of Brief Instruction in Reading Comprehension Strategies. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
 
Willingham, D. T., & Lovette, G. (2014, September 26). Can Reading Comprehension Be Taught? - Daniel Willingham. Retrieved June 18, 2019, from https://slidelegend.com/can-reading-comprehension-be-taught-daniel-willingham_59de48781723dda5617cad5a.html