Grade 3:Comprehension

The material in this Institute has been modified from the Florida Third Grade Teacher Academy which was based upon the original 2nd grade reading academies developed by the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts.

• Copyright to the original 2nd grade academy materials is held by the Texas Education Agency.• Copyright to those portions developed by the Just Read, Florida! Office and the Florida Reading First

Professional Development Office is held by the Just Read, Florida! Office, State of Florida Department of Education.

• Copyrights of published articles and excerpts contained within the academies are held by the original publishers of the articles, and they are included with permission.

Effective Reading Instruction

Survey of Knowledge

Expository texts

Genres

Comprehension

Narrative texts

Strategies

Think Aloud

Text

Text structure

Metacognition

Strategic readers

Explicit questions

Implicit questions

Handouts 1 & 2

Activity

North Carolina StandardCourse of Study

Competency Goal 2:The learner will develop and apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.2.01 Use metacognitive strategies to comprehend text (e.g., reread, read ahead, ask for help, adjust reading speed, question, paraphrase, retell).

Activity

Effective Comprehension Instruction

Helping students understand narrative and expository textsHelping students to become strategic, metacognitive readers so they will understand what they readTeaching comprehension strategiesIncorporating a variety of activities to improve comprehensionPromoting while reading

Includes:

VIDEO

4:27

Activity

Effective Comprehension Instruction

Helping students understand narrative and expository textsHelping students to become strategic, metacognitive readers so they will understand what they readTeaching comprehension strategiesIncorporating a variety of activities to improve comprehensionPromoting while reading

Includes:

Understanding Different Typesof Texts

tell storiesfollow a familiar story structureinclude short stories, folktales, tall tales, myths, fables, legends, autobiographies, fantasies, historical fiction, mysteries, science fiction, plays

Narrative Textsexplain information or tell about topicsprovide a framework for comprehension of content-area textbooksinclude informational books, content-area textbooks, newspapers, magazines, brochures, catalogues

Expository Texts

Handout 3

Comprehension Strategies

Comprehension strategies are . . .

Plans or procedures that readers use and apply when they hear text read aloud, when they read text with a teacher, or when they read independently.

Teaching Comprehension Strategies

Model and discuss:What a given strategy is and why it’s important

How, when, and where to use a strategy

Which strategies work best in certain instances

How to apply different strategies to different types of texts and reading situations

Provide extensive practice

Teacher Read Alouds

Model comprehension strategies

Even though many third graders are reading independently, they still need daily opportunities to hear good narratives and interesting expository books read aloud to continuously challenge students’ oral language development.

Handouts 4 & 5

Comprehension Framework

Are used before, during, and after reading narrative and expository texts

Before During After

Narrative and Expository Cards

Before

During

After

Reading

Handouts 6 & 7

Activity

Improving Comprehension

Asking questions to develop both basic and higher order thinking skills

Having meaningful discussions

Using graphic organizers

can help students develop and extend meaning and make connections to personal experiences before, during, and after reading

VIDEO

9:14

Activity

Scaffolding Discussions

Scaffold discussions to help students clearly express their ideas and feelings about what they read

Incorporate small-group discussions as often as possible to actively involve students

Continuum of Questions and Responses

Ask questions before, during, and after readingSimple

Explicit

Who? What? When? Where?

Complex

Implicit

How? Why? What if?

Responses ResponsesRecall facts, events, and names

Focus on information in the text

Rephrase text that has just been read

Move away from what can be seen on the page

Analyze and elaborate information

Focus on thinking about what has been read and prior knowledge (making inferences)

Make connections

Answering/Asking DifferentTypes of Questions

Level one questions involve responses that can be found word-for-word in the text.Level two questions can be answered by looking in the text, but the answers are more complex and require a response of one sentence or more.Level three questions cannot be answered by looking in the text; they require students to think about what they have read, think about what they already know, and think about how it all fits together.

Handouts 10 & 11

Activity

Graphic Organizers for Improving Comprehension

Guide students’ thinking and help them remember the important elements and information in texts

Involve both questioning and discussion as students collaborate and share ideas

brave kind

Gabby

K-W-L Charts

What I Know What I Want to Know

What I Learned

What are some ways you use K-W-L charts with your students?

Handouts 12-15

Narrative Story Maps

Asking questions within the framework of a story map helps students visually organize and focus on the key story elements in narrative texts.

Comprehension Charts

Help students think about what they have read, summarize what they have read, and make connections.

Title Author/Illustrator Character with description

Observations Connections

Stop and Think About It

Skim the contents of the final unit in the Teachers’ Edition

Complete the graphic organizer

How does your reading program incorporate graphic organizers to improve comprehension?

Handout 17

Activity

Before Reading

Activate and use background knowledge

Preview text to make predictions about the content

Before Reading:Activate and Use Background Knowledge

Help students make connections between the content of what they read and their real-life experiences

Brainstorming

Webbing Handout 18

Before Reading:Preview Text to Make Predictions

Before reading, set a purpose for reading and make predictions about the content of the text

Then, read, stop, check predictions, and make more predictions

Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA)

Handouts 19 & 20

During Reading

The goal of comprehension-monitoring is to develop students’ awareness of their own understanding of what they are reading

Students:

know if they are understanding what they read

know what they can do to correct comprehension difficulties

During Reading:Self-Monitoring Comprehension Strategies

Think alouds . . .

can help students learn how to monitor or check their own understanding

Handout 21

Using Self-Monitoring Comprehension Strategies

Choose one of the children’s books you brought to the Institute

Fold your Thinking Aloud sign in half

Take turns reading one page at a time

Use the Reading for Understanding strategy card

VIDEO

6:25

Handouts 22 & 23/Activity

After Reading: Determining Main Ideas and Summarizing

Determining main ideas involves recognizing the most important ideas of paragraphs or sections of a text

Summarizing links the main ideas together

Graphic organizers can help students remember and organize important information

After Reading: Get the Gist

Explain what “get the gist” means

Have students read one paragraph or section of a text at a time

Help students determine the main idea:Who or what is the paragraph about?

Tell the most important thing about the who or what

Tell the main idea in 10 words or less

After Reading: Summarizing

Summaries are brief, concise statements of the main ideas and most important informationSummarizing requires readers to:

First, identify the main ideas of individual paragraphs or sections of a text

Then, link the main ideas together into a summary of what was read

VIDEO

9:05

Handout 25

Activity

Consider Diversity:Limited English Proficient Students

Activate prior knowledge

Preview new vocabulary and concepts

Scaffold students’ learning

Summarize frequently

Plan structured oral language activities

Frequently monitor comprehension

Monitoring Comprehension Progress

Administer early reading inventories

Provide opportunities for discussions that include open-ended, complex questions about texts

Ask students to retell stories

Ask students to summarize Handout 28

Activity

Remember . . .

“Comprehension is the reason for reading. . . . Research over 30 years has shown that instruction in comprehension can help students understand what they read, remember what they read, and communicate with others about what they read.”

-National Institute for Literacy, 2001, p. 48