Comprehension
Definition
- Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a text/message. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words that are written and how they trigger knowledge outside the text/message.
- Simply put, reading comprehension is the act of understanding what you are reading. While the definition can be simply stated the act is not simple to teach, learn or practice. Reading comprehension is an intentional, active, interactive process that occurs before, during and after a person reads a particular piece of writing.
- Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning. An individual's ability to comprehend text is influenced by their traits and skills, one of which is the ability to make inferences.
Merriam Webster Dictionary Online
Comprehension is the ability of a reader to read and create meaning about what is being read. D. Durkin states that comprehension is "active and intentional thinking in which meaning is constructed through interactions between the text and the reader." According to the University of Oregon, comprehension is the "essence of reading," and is the complex cognitive process involving the intentional interaction between reader and text to extract meaning." What all this bottles down to is that comprehension is a relationship between the reader and the text that is being read. An internal dialogue (active and intentional thinking) takes place in which the reader attributes meaning to the text. To read more about comprehension, comprehension research, and comprehension strategies visit http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/comp/index.php.
Strategies1. Monitoring Comprehension
Students who are good at monitoring their comprehension know when they understand what they read and when they do not. They have strategies to "fix" problems in their understanding as the problems arise. Research shows that instruction, even in the early grades, can help students become better at monitoring their comprehension. Comprehension monitoring instruction teaches students to:
2. Metacognition Metacognition can be defined as "thinking about thinking." Good readers use metacognitive strategies to think about and have control over their reading. Before reading, they might clarify their purpose for reading and preview the text. During reading, they might monitor their understanding, adjusting their reading speed to fit the difficulty of the text and "fixing" any comprehension problems they have. After reading, they check their understanding of what they read. Students may use several comprehension monitoring strategies:
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Lesson Plans
Below is a lesson plan I created incorporating Comprehension. Check it out! |
Optional Class Activity: Using Context Clues for Unfamiliar Words
During this activity, the teacher reads a few pages of a new book out loud to class and each time a new word is introduced that a student doesn't understand, they will raise their hand so it can be recorded. After a few pages, the teacher places the unknown words on a chart and goes back to where they were found within the story. Students look back over the section in the story, including the pictures, and write down the clues that they believe may help with the definition of the unfamiliar word. Once all the clues have been noted, the class places all of the clues together to come up with a definition as to what they believe the word may be based on prior knowledge linked with the clues in the text. If the students come up with an incorrect definition of the word, the teacher can use this as an example to model the steps he/she took to figure out the meaning of the word. |
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Check out some resources pulled from Whitnee Raines. She offers some great lesson plan ideas and activities.
Resources
http://www.k12reader.com/what-is-reading-comprehension/
http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/ld-education-teachers/reading-comprehension-reading-for-meaning
http://mrnussbaum.com/readingpassageindex/
http://www.time4learning.com/scope-sequence/index.shtml
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/building-reading-comprehension-through-139.html
http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/ld-education-teachers/reading-comprehension-reading-for-meaning
http://mrnussbaum.com/readingpassageindex/
http://www.time4learning.com/scope-sequence/index.shtml
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/building-reading-comprehension-through-139.html
Questions, Comments, or Concerns?
Contact Megan Scantlen via email: [email protected]