Module 2: Comprehension

     "Successful performance in subject areas depends on strong reading skills. A surprising number of middle- and high school students lack academic literacy skills and would benefit from explicit content-area reading instruction. This is true not only for students with reading difficulties but also for those who are competent readers (i.e., those who score well on reading assessments) but still have difficulty comprehending content material. In spite of this need, students generally do not receive this type of instruction in the content areas" (iris.peabody.vanderbuilt.edu, 2016)

     According to the According to the video, “Secondary Reading Instruction: Teaching Vocabulary and Comprehension in the Content Areas” the teachers from Wilton High School believe that it is not their job to teach comprehension skills within their content areas. They also stated that they are not prepared to teach comprehension. However, it is their responsibility to teach it and to understand why they need to teach it in their content areas. Successful performance in subject areas depends on strong reading skills because students are not reading for their enjoyment. Academic reading requires a deeper level of understanding. They need to provide their students with the skills and strategies that are necessary to help them succeed by integrating literacy instruction into their classes.

Effective Vocabulary Instruction

     Vocabulary instruction is not just simply giving students vocabulary words with a glossary or dictionary to define a list of words. That is an ineffective way to teach. Students must understand content specific words to be able to comprehend the material in a given subject area. On page 2, on the Vanderbilt website, it listed four elements that teachers can provide more effective vocabulary instruction by:

-Selecting essential words

-Explicitly defining and contextualizing those words

-Helping students to actively process the information

-Providing multiple exposures to the words

Effective Comprehension Instruction

It is beneficial for educators to teach their students how to monitor their comprehension by modeling and providing guided practice.

On page 8, it stated that teachers can improve students’ comprehension skills by explicitly teaching strategies to help them:

-Activate prior knowledge about a topic or concept

-Monitor comprehension and correct misunderstandings while reading

-Use graphic organizers to relate information from the text

-Answer different kinds of questions about the text

-Generate questions about the material in the text

Strategies:

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are a great way to help students organize information. These organizers are beneficial to teach both vocabulary instruction and enhance reading comprehension. It is important for teachers to model how to complete the organizer and explain the purpose for it.

I specifically liked the example of the Science graphic organizer from the National Teacher's Association:

Frayer Model

     I found the Frayer Model to be a valuable graphic organizer for students to build vocabulary and conceptual knowledge. It allows teachers to incorporate the four elements for effective vocabulary instruction in one organizer. I think that having the “non-examples” section in this graphic organizer is extremely helpful for students because it debunks any assumptions that students may have about the vocabulary word. It visually shows students the definition of the word, characteristics of the word, examples, and non-examples. Like all graphic organizers, teachers need to model how to use it and explain the importance of it. Over time, students may work in groups to complete the organizer and gain a deeper understanding of the terms by discussing how they came up with examples or non-examples.

I specifically liked this math example:
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/sec-rdng/cresource/q2/p07/sec_rdng_07_link_frayer_types_02/#content

QAR

As a first grade teacher, this is the first time I have learned about QAR. I have heard about it because teachers in my district frequently use this strategy. However, I never understood exactly what the benefits were. After reading the article, “Using Collaboration, Co-Teaching, and Question Answer Relationships to Enhance Content Area Literacy,” I was amazed. “The QAR strategy can enhance comprehension across a variety of content areas and can encourage the use of a common language for strategy use throughout the school day” (Fenty, McDuffie-Landrum & Fisher, 2012). This strategy teaches students that there are two ways to find the answers to comprehension questions. The answers are either “in the book” or “in my head.” The answers to these questions are further broken down into “right there” or “think and search” for “in the book” answers. “In my head” is further broken down into “author and me” or “on my own.”  I love this idea because not all answers will be found directly in the text and this is a great strategy to get students to think about their own answers. Furthermore, this strategy is helpful to all students including students with learning disabilities.

References

Fenty, N., McDuffie-Landrum, K. and Fisher, G. (2012). Using collaboration, co-teaching, and question answer relationships to enhance content area literacy. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44(6), pp.28-37. 

Iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu, (2016). IRIS | Seconday Reading Instruction (Part 1): Teaching Vocabulary and Comprehension in the Content Areas. [online] Available at: http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/sec-rdng/cresource/#content [Accessed 15 Feb. 2016].