Chapter 8: Teach Comprehension
In this chapter Routman indicates that we need to start teaching comprehension when the child first enters Kindergarten. This makes sense to me if we want the students to learn to read well and actually understand what they are reading. Routman states that some times when we place so much emphasis on comprehension strategies that it can actually make reading harder.
Effective strategy instruction is about developing readers who actively and independently monitor and regulate their own comprehension. The process include, predicting, questioning, creating images, seeking clarification and constructing strategies. In the article, it states that we need to demonstrate how to use a particular strategy by thinking out loud in the front of the class. Students are more likely to improve their reading comprehension when we model a variety of strategies such as questioning, predicting, summarizing and clarifying. When we teach many if the reading strategies they students learn them but don't really apply them when they read. One of the most useful strategies of comprehension is "re-reading" and is very helpful for struggling readers. Re-reading is a strategy that I use often in Kindergarten. It is very important to proved tests that are easy enough to read but at the same time it supports comprehension.
We use rereading as a main strategy in 5th grade. Our students will go through and chose an answer without even reading the question. I always tell them, "they'll be surprised what they figure out if they just read."
ReplyDeleteReading for meaning is so important especially at the kindergarten level. We want them to smile, laugh, and learn through the books that they read. Then they will enjoy it enough to continue to read because it is valuable to them.
ReplyDeleteYes, even our kindergarteners are capable of comprehension--and must be included in this "comprehension club"! Sometimes this involves using 2 types of texts: decodable books (which usually don't have much meat to comprehend) and storybooks (which usually are too complex to decode independently).
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