Dear Teacher,
A student that is reading above grade level fluently, but not comprehending the text does not have the skills and strategies necessary to gain meaning from the text. I would first emphasize the importance of comprehension over fluency and rapidness, reiterating the ability to read for meaning in life in almost all aspects is necessary. There are many strategies I would implement in the classroom to help build reading comprehension. I think first and foremost it is extremely important for children to be read aloud to daily. This not only will help increase their fluency, but also their reading comprehension. Predicting a text before reading using visual cues and skimming short phrases can help build a comprehension. Predicting helps with becoming familiar with a text before diving in to see if the child has any background knowledge of the text. Even if there aren't any pictures or visuals in text, skimming sentences and titles and heading can help the prediction process. Reading in chunks or small sections and then checking for comprehension just as Café and Daily 5 suggest can improve comprehension as well. Reading a page or two in a chapter book and stopping and verbally asking yourself what was just read would make the student think before continuing on. “Thinking out loud” is what I like to call my students stopping and self-monitoring themselves for understanding of the text being read. Students also need to be able read text below and on their grade level and comprehend those texts before reading beyond their level and not comprehending any of the text. Students being able to make personal and real world connections to text helps with comprehending. If students read above grade level material in which they have no prior knowledge of the context, then comprehending the text is going to unlikely. Emerging readers needs to build connections to gain meaning from text or at least have some knowledge of what they are reading. Identifying story elements while reading the text will also force students to stop and think about what they are reading. They need to identify things such as characters, settings, problems, beginning, middle, ending, etc. I would suggest student creating a story map of their text as they read. After reading, I would suggest students summarizes out loud to me or a peer what they just read. I have found this easier for kids to do in the beginning stages of comprehension over writing down a summary.
Mrs. Herndon
A student that is reading above grade level fluently, but not comprehending the text does not have the skills and strategies necessary to gain meaning from the text. I would first emphasize the importance of comprehension over fluency and rapidness, reiterating the ability to read for meaning in life in almost all aspects is necessary. There are many strategies I would implement in the classroom to help build reading comprehension. I think first and foremost it is extremely important for children to be read aloud to daily. This not only will help increase their fluency, but also their reading comprehension. Predicting a text before reading using visual cues and skimming short phrases can help build a comprehension. Predicting helps with becoming familiar with a text before diving in to see if the child has any background knowledge of the text. Even if there aren't any pictures or visuals in text, skimming sentences and titles and heading can help the prediction process. Reading in chunks or small sections and then checking for comprehension just as Café and Daily 5 suggest can improve comprehension as well. Reading a page or two in a chapter book and stopping and verbally asking yourself what was just read would make the student think before continuing on. “Thinking out loud” is what I like to call my students stopping and self-monitoring themselves for understanding of the text being read. Students also need to be able read text below and on their grade level and comprehend those texts before reading beyond their level and not comprehending any of the text. Students being able to make personal and real world connections to text helps with comprehending. If students read above grade level material in which they have no prior knowledge of the context, then comprehending the text is going to unlikely. Emerging readers needs to build connections to gain meaning from text or at least have some knowledge of what they are reading. Identifying story elements while reading the text will also force students to stop and think about what they are reading. They need to identify things such as characters, settings, problems, beginning, middle, ending, etc. I would suggest student creating a story map of their text as they read. After reading, I would suggest students summarizes out loud to me or a peer what they just read. I have found this easier for kids to do in the beginning stages of comprehension over writing down a summary.
Mrs. Herndon
Wow, you gave so many great suggestions and strategies! Some I had not even considered before. But you are right, when we turn the sole focus on reading in the classroom to comprehension our students will experience so much success. Just because they can read above grade level does not mean they are good readers. We also need to be sure to emphasize this importance to them so that they are aware of it as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that comprehension is more valuable than fluency and if this student is recalling the words 100% and not comprehending, there is a huge problem! I love your suggestions- many of which I have used in my 5th grade classroom as well! It is nice to see that others are also telling students to stop at stopping points and ask themselves "what did I just read?" I have also told students to summarize out loud to someone what they have read- I give many these suggestions not only in class, but to parents as well when they ask how they can help their child when they read at home.
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