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Differentiating Literacy Instruction for Culturally, Linguistically and Ability Diverse Students

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Reading Comprehension

"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours."
John Locke (1632 - 1704)

Reading comprehension is fundamental to academic learning in all content areas. It is integrally related to foundational skills such as listening comprehension, oral language, and phonological awareness. Reading comprehension also requires more advanced skills in word recognition and fluency, and the development of vocabulary.

Reading comprehension consists of several levels of understanding, beginning with an understanding of the literal meaning of text. Skilled readers go beyond this literal meaning, however, to develop an understanding of the context in which the passage was written, its genre, its purpose, and its relationship to other knowledge about the world and the specific situation addressed in the text.

Research indicates that good readers actively construct meaning by interacting with the text (Duke & Pearson, 2001). They read with a purpose, and they use a variety of strategies before, during and after reading.

Active readers:

• read fluently and accurately
• make predictions as they read
• draw on prior knowledge to understand text
• make inferences
• can analyze text structure
• are able to summarize what they have read
• can extract the "big ideas' from text
• monitor their own comprehension
• can read a variety of genres

Knowledge of all kinds is a powerful determinant of reading comprehension. This includes knowledge of words, knowledge about syntax and about story structure, and knowledge about the subject matter addressed in the text. This complex system of knowledge allows readers to make inferences regarding literal meanings such as connecting pronouns to their referents as well as more complex inferences of meaning based on how elements of the text relate to each other and how the passage relates to other knowledge the reader brings with her.

Prior knowledge regarding the topic of reading passages is one of the most important kinds of knowledge children bring to reading comprehension. To a certain extent, readers with prior knowledge may even be able to compensate for undeveloped word recognition skills or unfamiliarity with vocabulary. In most cases, students rely on both prior knowledge and word recognition skills to make sense of text.

Reading lots of genres, seeing many kinds of words, asking predictive and analytic questions before and after readings can also have positive effects on both vocabulary and comprehension (Dickinson and Smith, 1994).

Students who develop a positive attitude toward reading are more likely to read independently and to sustain their interest in reading as they advance in school. While attitudes about reading are not directly related to initial reading achievement, motivation is clearly important to developing children's identity as readers (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).

Early intervention is key to preventing later reading problems, and depends upon monitoring for reading with comprehension early in the reading process. Having students retell stories or recount what they've learned from informational texts is one way to check for problems with reading comprehension.

With support from teachers, low achievers can learn many of the strategies that good readers use when interacting with text (for more information, see our Reading Product and our Study Skills Product).

When teaching strategies:

• start by naming the strategy
• talk about when the strategy would be used
• discuss how the strategy could be integrated with other strategies
• show students that it works by modeling it or doing a "think-aloud"
• practice the strategy together
• use guided practice
• end with independent practice (Duke & Pearson, 2001; National Reading Panel, 2000)

Teaching Strategies for use Before reading:

• teach cognitive strategic reading strategies such as K-W-L activities (assessing prior knowledge of a topic)
• do "picture walks" and make predictions
• review key words or new vocabulary
• choose rich and interesting literature or texts relating to student experiences
• select content-area texts to teach reading

Teaching Strategies for use During reading:

• model for students how to monitor their own comprehension by using think-alouds
• use self-questioning strategies, such as "What do I already know about puppies?" "How is this similar to what we learned last week in our unit on caring for pets?"
• ask and have students look for answers to focusing questions as they read

Teaching Strategies for use After reading:

• work in cooperative learning groups or with a peer to discuss and interpret text.
• answer both literal comprehension questions, for which they can refer directly to the text, as well as more cognitively challenging questions, which require students to make inferences.
• make graphic representations to demonstrate what they have learned.
• summarize the big ideas in the text.
• For fiction, have students use story maps and analyze story structure.
• Also, do oral and written retellings of readings, using pictures when they are learning story parts such as beginning, middle, and end. Teachers can use prompts such as "Tell me what happened in this story in your own words, as if I were a friend who's never heard it," or "What happened next?" to encourage students to elaborate about what they know. Also, prompt for information about the plot, the progression of events, climax, and story resolution if students do not offer this information in their retellings.
• For non-fiction, have students write summaries, opinion pieces, or other responses.
• Connecting writing to reading is an excellent way for students to gain a "feel" for text organization, apply vocabulary and concepts, and understand ways text can enhance or hinder comprehension.
  

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