Embedding Reading Comprehension Strategies

2010

Presentation intentions:

By the end of this presentation you will have a better understanding of

•5 appropriate reading comprehension strategies •why we teach the strategies

•identifying opportunities for teaching the strategies using course material

What are reading comprehension strategies?

What do we aim to achieve?

“Leading our students to become more active, independent and successful readers of content texts by teaching them the strategies that would stimulate

them to think more deeply and more competently about the texts before, during and after reading.”

Thibodeau, G.M. (2008)

5 Research-based Comprehension Strategies

Activating Background Knowledge

So learners can link what they read to what they know already...

Text Structure Awareness

Text Structure: String (sequential)

Text Structure: Web (descriptive)

Unit Standard 62

‘Weave’ Compare and contrast Professional Appearance

Body part Good habits Results of bad habits

Other hints

Body

Mouth

Hands and fingernails

Hair

Feet

Face

Questioning and Answering

“Most readers are constantly posing and answering questions in their heads while they read, as a strategy for understanding the text they are engaged with” (Learning Progressions for Adult Literacy, p. 39).

“What structure has the writer followed to put this paragraph or whole text together?” “What is the topic?” “What are the sub-topics?”

levels of thinking: e.g. Bloom’s taxonomy.

Questioning and Answering

Creating Mental Images

Skilled readers sometimes make pictures in their heads that are consistent with the ideas in a story or article (people, objects, places or events).

Creating mental images is important when reading or listening to a story or article that doesn't include pictures. Visualizing can help increase understanding of the material read.

Summarising

Summarising is the ability to

* delete irrelevant details;* combine similar ideas;* condense main ideas;* connect major themes into concise statements that capture the purpose of a reading for the reader. (Block & Pressley, 2003)

Summarising is embedded into text structure awareness and is part of the CORE model of instruction.

Teaching reading comprehension strategies

1. Teach comprehension strategies one at a time. 2. Initially comprehension strategies should be explicitly taught.

3. Model the comprehension strategy, long-term, through think-alouds.

4. Guided practice: Tutors should work alongside learners as they practise the strategy, using many texts.

5. Aim, over time, is to teach a “small repertoire of strategies”.

The CORE Model of Instruction

(Calfee & Patrick, 1995).

The BDA model

• Summarising: Identifying the main idea• Asking and answering questions• Creating mental images

• Summarising• Connect new knowledge to other contexts• Identifying underlying meanings or messages

• Activating background knowledge• Asking questions: Making predictions• Asking questions: Purpose for reading• Identifying text structure

What did we cover today?

By the end of this presentation you will have a better understanding of

•5 appropriate reading comprehension strategies •why we teach the strategies

•identifying opportunities for teaching the strategies using your course material