In the previous blog I shared the sentiment that the students' results in comprehension usually brings down their marks in language arts on a whole. For some reason children are entering this standard four stage without possessing what I will refer to as the factors which influence reading comprehension (you can read the previous blog to get an idea of them).
The assumption is that these 'comprehension problems are limited to disadvantaged' or children who are described as struggling readers. There are students who we describe as avid readers who are not able to comprehend text especially the passages give at the standard five level which sometimes have vocabulary that we, adults have to seek a dictionary.
When teaching comprehension we should follow principles for teaching comprehension
• Solid fluency allows the mind to concentrate on making sense of what we read.
• Broadening vocabulary increases comprehension and helps further learning, and
• Possessing a wide background in domain knowledge (prior knowledge) increases fluency skills, further expands vocabulary and enables the learner to have a greater understanding. (Hirsch, 2003)
Using these principles as a guide along with the factors that influence reading comprehension we could better structure activities to get the most out of every teaching moment.
References:
Hirsch, E.D., Jr. (2003). Reading comprehension requires knowledge of words and the world. American Educator, 10-29
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