Comprehension

In “Catching Readers Before they Fall”, the text discusses a variety of components that are a part of reading comprehension. Part of this recipe for helping children make meaning of their reading, involves teaching strategies, questioning, and visualizing. In order for the student to achieve a proficient level of comprehension they have to know how and when to “self- initiate” these various components.

As teachers we do not want to talk at, or spoon-feed students in how to do things. Our goal is to guide students by modeling and gradually releasing the responsibility to the student. In order to do so, we must constantly model, demonstrate, and guide practice.  The two strategies presented in the text are called spotlighting and heavy-handed. Spotlighting, involves the teacher talking about how the strategy will help the students understand a story, which involves more modeling on how to think through something. As opposed to heavy-handed, where the teacher “treats the strategy as the end goal in and of itself, as well as having the students do the strategy rather than emphasizing meaning making of texts”.  Some students may need more modeling and guided reading than others however students will eventually reach the end goal of being independent.

            

Questioning is another part of comprehension, for example in the text it discusses asking questions before, during and after a reading. I have noticed that in the previous elementary classes I have observed in students need the modeling of where to start asking questions before it becomes natural for them as they read.  Another advantage of questioning as you read is that it can keep the reader thinking on their toes. I know that when I observe teachers asking questions as they read or after they read, a student’s thinking may change or they can make meaningful new connections.

Visualization is one component that aids this comprehension. Illustrations and imagery in text is so important for readers because it allows them to enhance their comprehension. Making the picture in your head or being able to see an illustration after reading a text can help the reader make different connections that words sometimes cannot create. That is why it is so important to teach students to visualize what they are reading and have them interpret the story in their own way.