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Some Ideas for Building Comprehension
· Engage in conversation – build language!
Work at the WORD level
· Sorting words by categories (or could sort picture cards by categories to work on this concept, then move to words)
· For some students, start with comprehension of words, then sentences, then short paragraphs, etc.
EXAMPLE: The boy ran. Who ran? What did the boy do?
The boy ran to the school. Where did the boy run?
The boy ran to the school because he was late. Why did the boy run? Etc.
· Mapping to display word associations visually
· Use books like Best Word Book Ever (Richard Scary) to talk about words and categories of words
· Play What it Is and What it Isn’t
Moving to longer text segments/stories
· Writing short directions; following a recipe; using a list at the store to buy items needed for cooking or some other type of project
· Reading aloud (doing preparation activities (previewing vocab, activating schema, predicting); reading and pausing to check predictions/discuss key story elements; discussion/retelling/summarizing at the conclusion)
o Listening/Thinking Activity
o Talk about title with students, asking them to brainstorm what selection will be about (prediction)
o Read to a turning point
o Model questioning what has happened so far “I wonder why the author said. . .?”
o Model summarizing what has been read so far, relating it to the “I wonder” statements
o From this summary, model another prediction statement “OK, I think . . ..”
o Then have students make predictions
o Read to next turning point
o Have students talk about what they are thinking using the “I wonder” statements
o Ask students to review predictions and decide if they want to keep all of them
o Continue the cycle or reading/discussing until end of the story
o Discuss the story as a whole, reviewing, summarizing, and discussing predictions
· Language Experience Activities – b/c these are created with students’ own language and experiences can be a good way to help students learn the connection between word recognition and reading for meaning
o Use a picture book and have the student dictate/write captions or a story line for each picture. Attach these sentence strips to the pictures and have the student read the story
· Dialogue journals; you write to student and he/she responds and may also write to you and you respond
· Use the format of a predictable book and create your own story with the student; have the student draw a picture/tear a picture out of a magazine/find on web, etc to illustrate her words.
· Provide a simple text and have student draw/find a picture to illustrate the sentences (or words)
· DRA Lesson (Directed Reading Activity)
o Write any new/important vocabulary on chart or board
o Decide how/if selection will be divided into smaller sections
Build vocab and background knowledge
o Write the title-Read it aloud while pointing to the words
o Looking at the title and the cover illustration (if applicable), discuss what selection might be about (predict); point out any key things that might hint at what the selection will be about
o Examine vocab, discussing meaning as you point to words
o Set the purpose for reading (linked to background knowledge and prediction discussion
o Have students read the selection silently, observe to see where they may be having difficulty—use this info for additional teaching during the lesson
o When students have finished silent reading, discuss by starting with the purpose question. Encourage students to reread if needed to clarify issues—reread together. Include strategy instruction for using context to determine word meaning for difficult words.
o Expand and follow-up: more work with vocab words, finding out more about the topic using other media (e.g., library or internet resources), doing creative activities in response to the selection (creating art, music, plays, etc)
· KWLs
· Brainstorming Key Concepts (using herringbone or other graphic organizers)
· Story Maps