Module #3

Components Of Comprehension Strategy

When teaching comprehension strategies only one or two should be taught at a given time. A new strategy should not be introduced until an old strategy is well founded. (Swanson & DeLa Paz.1998) A systematic approach is used when presenting new vocabulary. For example during the Interactive Read Aloud Video, Ms. Davis reads story Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback & she encourages children to repeat the word worn in the text as they review the meaning of word as a group. Ms Davis also provides types of clothing from story (jacket, vest,etc....) to allow children to act out story & familiarize themselves with the articles of clothing. This strengthens their comprehension of story & creates more meaning of text for them.

Predicting, Summarizing, Retelling, Rereading, and Questioning are all elements of the comprehension strategy.
A very important factor for teachers to remember when focusing on comprehension is using simple text since emphasis is on comprehension not decoding.
Orlando will benefit from these comprehension strategies because they will assist in creating meaning of text to him.  The teacher will also focus on teaching him when to use the strategies which will empower him during his reading lessons.

Components of Graphic Organizers

The main components of graphic organizers are for children to recognize the Who, What, Where, When, & Why? of a story book.   They are used to organize and remember elements from the story. Teaching students to attend to story elements has been shown to enhance reading comprehension skills.(Idol 1987, Mathes, Fuchs, & Fuchs, 1997).

Different types of organizers can be utilized to assist Orlando in his comprehension of story elements. Story mapping focusing on identifying characters, setting, problem, & solution or Sequence of Events breaking down the events into beginning, middle, & end of story.   Venn Diagrams in which Orlando would compare similarities & differences of two books is another option.

In assisting Orlando I choose the story book The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll.

Orlando enjoys drawing & this book is filled with whimsical illustrations which will catch his attention.   The story's main theme is the snowman contest which is taking place in Mouseville. The main characters are two mice by the names of  Clayton & Desmond.  They are determined to build the biggest snowman & win the contest.   When they realize the challenges in working alone to build the biggest snowman they decide to join forces & work together.  
After reading text a story map will be created to assist Orlando in breaking down the elements of the story. Orlando can write his responses or illustrate them to create the story map.

Components of Repeated Reading

Repeated reading has been shown to assist students reading below grade level to make gains in fluency and reading comprehension skills. (Bos & Vaughn, 1998)
When practicing repeated reading with students keep the text short, simple & interesting since the goal is to repeat the reading to increase the child's reading fluency.

Repeated reading can be done in two ways: 1)Partner Reading: Repeated reading can be implemented using a partner such as a buddy system.  The passage should be on the level of the less fluent reader. The higher level reader reads the passage first to act as the model. The less fluent reader then reads with assistance from the partner. (Levy et al 2002).
2)Group Reading: Teacher reads passage first modeling for students. Then students echo each sentence that the teacher read. To conclude the teacher and students read passage together (Taylor et al, 1995).
Using this strategy with Orlando will benefit his reading fluency as well as improve comprehension. This in turn will help boost his self confidence when it comes to reading. Working with one of his peers may also help him feel more comfortable during the process.

Conclusion

In assisting children with reading we use these strategies to give them the tools they will need to become proficient readers. As educators we can take the approach one step further by focusing on the characteristics of text. "Understanding a text is far more than noticing difficult words and coming up with information or a "main idea.  Skilled teachers of guided reading understand how a text requires a reader to think-the demands that every text makes on the reader. We consider an understanding of text characteristics an extremely important area of teacher expertise." (Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. (2012). Guided Reading The Romance & the Reality. The Reading Teacher, 66(4), 277).   Some characteristics of text we should be aware of when selecting books for our students are: genres, content, vocabulary, &  illustrations.  The more skilled we become in recognizing these characteristics and practicing the strategies mentioned, the more powerful & positive our students reading experiences can be.