Robin Wright - Blog Post #3 - Routman Ch. 8 Teach Comprehension

     Routman's Chapter 8, Teach Comprehension, was not only a chapter I was required to read but one I really needed to read.  After performing IRI's and DRA's on my group of focus students, I realized that comprehension was a major problem for some of my students.  However, I was at that point, like I have been so often after assessing, where I could identify the problem but had no idea how to conquer it.  Some of my students "look and sound competent", just as Routman quoted in his book.  However, when I asked one particular student to tell me about the book he was able to read so smoothly to me, there was a blank.  Routman claims that this lack of comprehension is because our focus is on learning to read the words, but not reading for meaning and by the time the focus shifts to comprehension children really do not know what reading is about.  Comprehension skills are taught in isolation leading to the realization that students can quote the strategies, tell you in detail how to use them, but are never able to apply them in their own independent reading.  Routman compares this to being able to spell a word correctly on a weekly spelling test, but then the child spells it incorrectly when applying it in their writing.  So how do I help these students in my focus group who are competent, not missing a word, smooth, not allowing for a miscue analysis readers to improve this much needed skill?  Even teachers' lists of the most important strategies that they used to understand as they read, are not dominated by major research-based strategies.  And I can't say, I'm surprised by that information.  Those lists were dominated by rereading, highlighting important information, writing, surveying, connecting, and monitoring.  Rereading is a strategy that we rarely teach but is the most useful according to Routman.  Sure, we tell our students to go back and reread the information if they can't find an answer or don't understand, but do they really know what that means?  Can they apply that strategy effectively?  Writing is another way to help improve comprehension.  Underlining important information, making notes in the margin, etc. are all ways to improve their understanding. Along with surveying the text and making connections, comprehension can be attained.  I am planning on practicing some of these strategies with my students by using sticky notes for those who are struggling with comprehension to hold their thoughts.  Possibly more modeling on my part will enforce the strategy of rereading or having them practice this with me during our one on one conferences.  Also, I feel that more interaction with their peers about the information they are reading will help them to make meaning of their texts.  Grouping students on similar levels to participate in a book club allowing them time for discussion.  In addition, using text that is easy enough, yet meaningful, will hopefully help to increase this skill.  Hopefully, by applying some of these strategies Routman has suggested, my students' comprehension will improve.