Private: Teaching Reading: 3-5 Workshop

Professional Development > Private: Teaching Reading: 3-5 Workshop > 3. Building Comprehension > 3.1 Before You Watch | Building Comprehension

English Language Arts

3-5

Building Comprehension Before You Watch | Building Comprehension

Session Preparation

To prepare for this workshop session, you will review the key terms, identify the strategies that you already use, and then read two articles on effective comprehension instruction.

Key Terms:

Notebook

What Do You Do?

Consider some of the practices that effective teachers use to support comprehension. For example, they teach key vocabulary and build background knowledge. They help students establish a purpose for reading, teach text structure, and provide explicit instruction in strategies that students can use when reading on their own. They also provide many opportunities for students to read and respond to texts.

Now, think about the strategies you use to teach comprehension as you answer the following questions:

What comprehension skills or strategies do you emphasize?
What teaching strategies or practices do you use to teach comprehension? What materials do you use?
What are some specific activities you use to engage students in reading and responding to the text?
What challenges do you face in your instruction?
What challenges do your students face in comprehending texts?
What goals do you have? (Complete this section at the end of this session.)

Use the chart below to document your answers and, if you are taking this workshop for credit, save your chart for your Literacy Practices Portfolio.

Components of Comprehension Instruction Chart (PDF)

Assignment

Examine the Literature

Print out two copies of the Examine the Literature Response Chart (PDF). Then read each article listed below, recording your ideas on the charts during and after reading. When you have finished, save your charts to submit as an assignment.

Effective Practices for Developing Reading Comprehension (PDF)
This article examines how teachers can make a difference by providing good comprehension instruction and ample amounts of time for students to read, write, and discuss what they have read.

Duke, N. K. and P. D. Pearson. “Effective Practices for Developing Reading Comprehension.” In Farstrup, A. E., and S. J. Samuels, eds., What Research Has To Say About Reading Instruction, 205-242. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2002.

What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Comprehension (PDF)
In this article, Laura Pardo explains how teachers can support comprehension by scaffolding the reader, the text, the context, and the transaction that occurs while reading.

Pardo, L. S. “What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Comprehension.” The Reading Teacher 58, no. 3 (Nov. 2004): 272-280.

Series Directory

Private: Teaching Reading: 3-5 Workshop

Credits

Produced by WGBH Educational Foundation. 2006.

Closed Captioning
ISBN: 1-57680-815-7

Related Materials

Sections

3.1 Before You Watch | Building Comprehension

3.2 Analyze the Video | Building Comprehension

Watch the video, "Building Comprehension," taking notes as you watch. After you watch, jot down your answers to the questions below. If you prefer to watch the video in segments, pause the video when you see the next chapter heading.

3.3 Extend Your Knowledge | Building Comprehension

3.4 Put It Into Practice | Building Comprehension

3.5 Reflect on Your Learning | Building Comprehension

Supplementary: Components of Comprehension Instruction Chart

Handout

Supplementary: Examine the Literature Response Chart

Handout

Supplementary: Effective Practices for Developing Reading Comprehension

Handout

Supplementary: What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Comprehension

Handout

Workshops

Workshop 1 Creating Contexts for Learning

This session examines how classroom organization, routines, and grouping practices can enhance literacy skills in the middle grades. Literacy expert Jeanne Paratore discusses teaching strategies that foster reading and writing skills. Classroom examples illustrate the research.

Workshop 2 Fluency and Word Study

This session focuses on how students in the middle grades develop vocabulary and reading fluency. Literacy expert Richard Allington discusses specific teaching strategies that help build fluency and vocabulary, illustrated by classroom examples.

Workshop 3 Building Comprehension

Comprehending text is one of the main goals of reading. In this session, literacy expert Nell Duke discusses what good readers do and strategies teachers can use to help students build comprehension skills. Classroom footage provides examples of comprehension strategies.

Workshop 4 Writing

This workshop examines the relationship between reading and writing in the middle grades. Literacy expert Nadeen Ruiz discusses the connections, conventions, and inventions that provide a framework for teaching writing, illustrated by classroom examples.

Workshop 5 New Literacies of the Internet

This workshop focuses on the evolving use of networked technology in education. Literacy expert Donald Leu discusses strategies that help students effectively read, write, and communicate on the Internet. Classroom examples illustrate strategies for using Internet resources in the classroom.

Workshop 6 Teaching English Language Learners

Changing classroom demographics call for a range or teaching strategies. In this session, literacy expert Robert Jim�nez discusses strategies teachers can use to create a successful learning environment for all students, while supporting English language learners. Classroom examples illustrate the research.

Workshop 7 Teaching Diverse Learners

In this session, literacy expert Dorothy Strickland discusses how teachers can meet the diverse needs of readers and writers in their classrooms. Classroom examples and teaching strategies address different aspects of diversity, including culture, language, background, ability, and learning approaches.

Workshop 8 Assessment and Accountability

This session explores assessment, standards, and outcomes. Literacy expert Kathy Au discusses the strategies teachers can use to assess students' understanding in reading and writing. Classroom examples illustrate how students can participate in their own assessment.