This week's class helped me to think a lot about the importance of comprehension instruction in the classroom. When I read Tompkins' description of the reading process I was surprised at the details and extensiveness of each stage of reading. Our descriptions of all the comprehension strategies hinted at how difficult it is for students to learn about, understand, and apply all of those "steps" in reading. I've seen this happen frequently in my placement and in when reading myself. If a student (or I) cannot comprehend the text, then nothing has been gained.
Even though it is obvious that making connections and comprehending text is the most important component of reading, I often see it neglected in classrooms. In my 6th grade placement I often see quick, end-of-the-chapter questionnaires that are meant to monitor comprehension. However, when I did my reading discussion it was evident that not all comprehension was monitored through the worksheets. Several students were able to recall surface details but did not know the importance of key events in the story or make inferences. The strategies we talked about in class are more time consuming, require more thoughtful planning, and need lots of practice. However, I think that using the strategies we discussed in class are more effective at monitoring comprehension, building comprehension skills, and reaching a broader group of students who may struggle with traditional paper and pen activities. Overall, I think they are better at targeting deeper level comprehension.
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As I was reading your post about the comprehension you see in your class compared to what I see in my class, it is interesting to see how different our classes are. In your 6th grade class you mention how they are lacking some comprehension skills and you even saw this during your literacy lesson. However in my class, my 2nd grader's comprehension skills are much more developed than I ever remembered mine being at that age. This just goes to show how important it is to implement comprehension skills into daily lessons, regardless of the subject matter.
ReplyDeleteAs important as the strategies are from the article we discussed, I have to say I agree with you about the effectiveness of them. I truly believe they are like you mentioned, great ways to build and monitor comprehension. But at the same time, I do think these strategies are time consuming and would have to involve major planning and implementation in order for them to effectively work in a classroom.
These strategies may feel time consuming at first but when you have a handle on them as a teacher and can teach them effectively to your students great things will happen in your classroom and time will fly. Don't forget as Stefanie mentioned that you need to plan and be prepared. But think of the wonderful things you will be helping your students to read and understand!!
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