Comprehension

Gibbons states that comprehension is a thinking process in which students engage with the text. When I was in elementary school, I always had a problem with reading comprehension, especially when it came to recalling information about the text. Also, I especially had a hard time answering reading comprehension questions on standardized tests like the Meaps. Whenever my teachers would give worksheets with questions about the stories we read, I never knew where to begin. I think I had such a difficult time with comprehension because my teachers did not teach how to use effective strategies while reading. They just gave us a book and then worksheets and expected us to answer the questions. It was not until I got a tutor that I learned it was ok to re read a story or pause in the middle to summarize what was happening so far. However, as I got older and became more aware of comprehension strategies, I can say that now I am able to go through a mental process to achieve comprehension. After reading Gibbons Chapter 7, I can say that my comprehension skills now come automatic to me. For example, before I even read a text, I read the questions that I will have to answer so that I know what I am looking for while I read. Additionally, I practice the important reader factors for being engaged within a text that Gibbons states. For example, I activate my prior knowledge, predict, examine the text to determine length, structure and important parts, determine big ideas, make connections to my own experiences, and create mental images while reading. I have learned that the best way to comprehend and understand the meaning of a text is to use multiple comprehension strategies at one time.

In my field placement, I see my students practicing good comprehension strategies. However, there are those few students that are behind in reading and have a hard time practicing these strategies. Just like I discussed in my small group during class on Tuesday, we all had students in our field placement classes that have difficulty comprehending because they are so focused on decoding words. Many students may not be fluent readers or may be ELLs which can have a major affect on their comprehension abilities. However, my CT teacher explicitly teaches comprehension strategies, when and why to use them. For example, before every story that my teacher reads to her class, she asks the students to look at the cover, take a picture walk, and make predictions about the story. Additionally, my teacher really emphasizes that reading and writing is connected by providing daily opportunities for writing. The students have a writing folder and write a short story everyday. Since they are free to write about anything they want, the children really enjoy writing time. They are able to draw pictures to go along with the story and express their emotions visually. Also, the teacher really encourages the students to bring past experiences and background knowledge into the texts. She encourages student based discussions so the students are free to build off of each other and really learn about one another. Also, my teacher allows the students to chose a book in which they want to read during silent reading time. Since students are able to pick their own book, they pick something they are interested in and are more motivated to read. As a result, they can comprehend the story better. The more I am in the classroom, the more I learn about how to be an effective teacher of comprehension.