Common Core State Standards
for English Language Arts
Grades K-3
Module #6
p. 152
Goals for Module 6
Teachers will:
• Deepen their understanding of the Language
Comprehension domain of the Simple View of
Reading.
• Deepen their appreciation for how to teach close
reading of informational text.
The Simple View of Reading
2 domains
Decoding
(Word recognition)
Language
Reading
x
=
Comprehension
Comp
Phonics
Vocabulary
Print concepts / letter
name knowledge
Phonological &
Phonemic
Awareness
Text Comprehension
Fluency
5 components
The Simple View of Reading
on Its Side
• What will go in this space when we turn the
Simple View of Reading onto its side?
• When we dig deeper, what will we find to help
us understand language comprehension?
• What have you learned about decoding? What
are you going to teach to strengthen this skill?
Many Strands Are Woven Into
Skilled Reading
(Used with permission of Hollis Scarborough, 2002)
Language Comprehension
Language comprehension is the underpinning for
reading comprehension.
• What do we need to know about language
comprehension in order to understand the Reading
Standards for Informational Text?
• What do we need to know in order to build language
comprehension?
• What aspects of language help us to comprehend?
First Strand: Background Knowledge
Think of this strand as the repository
of learned concepts, facts, and
experiences a person brings to
reading.
• What is the student’s level of
knowledge about a topic?
• What is his or her experience level
with the topic?
Experiment with Knowledge
• Why did we have the revolution?
• What happened during the revolution?
• Were there any outstanding individuals who contributed
to the revolution?
American Revolution
Velvet Revolution
Experiment with Knowledge (cont)
Velvet Revolution Notes
The Velvet Revolution (or Gentle Revolution) was a nonviolent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from
November 17 to December 29, 1989. On November 17, riot
police suppressed a peaceful student demonstration in Prague.
That event sparked a series of popular demonstrations that
lasted a month. A two-hour general strike involving all citizens of
Czechoslovakia was held on November 27. The Communist Party
of Czechoslovakia announced on November 28 that it would
relinquish power and dismantle the single-party state. The
country subsequently converted to a parliamentary republic.
First, Second, Third Strands: Background
Knowledge, Vocabulary, Verbal Reasoning
• Knowledge is acquired both verbally and nonverbally.
• Words (vocabulary) enable thought and
communication.
• Verbal reasoning includes logic, insight, abstraction,
classification, and association.
Knowledge (Vocabulary) + Verbal Reasoning =
Ability to Infer
Fourth Strand: Language Structures
When we understand how words go together to convey
meaning—syntax—we are better equipped to
comprehend.
Fifth Strand: Knowledge of Text Structure
and Genre (Literacy Knowledge)
Informational and narrative texts are two examples of genre,
each employing a different text structure.
Directions: Turn and Talk to a partner as you answer the
following points and questions.
• Compare the major features of narrative and informational
text.
• Consider how the structures of narratives and informational
text are the same and different. How can knowledge of these
two different text structures assist with reading
comprehension?
Word Recognition
• Phonological awareness
• Decoding and spelling
• Sight recognition
Word recognition develops along a continuum.
We should teach with explicit and systematic tenacity to take our students to
consolidated levels of word recognition. With lots of practice, our students
will become increasingly automatic.
The Reading Rope Summary
• The strands of Language Comprehension
complement and influence one another as fluent
reading is acquired. They complement each other
along the developmental road to becoming a
strategic reader.
• The strands of Word Recognition develop
separately and, with practice, become
increasingly automatic so that attention
can be directed to meaning.
What Is Close Reading?
Close reading means methodical reading to reveal layers
of meaning that lead to deeper comprehension. Close
reading requires us to go below the surface.
The Standards will guide us.
Let’s Read Closely
“Close, analytic reading stresses engaging with a
text of sufficient complexity directly and
examining its meaning thoroughly and methodically,
encouraging students to read and reread deliberately….
It also enables students to reflect on the meanings of
individual words and sentences; the order in which
sentences unfold; and the development of ideas over the
course of the text, which ultimately leads students to
arrive at an understanding of the text as a whole.”
—Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
Close Reading in K and 1?
• Close reading needs to find a home during the
early years.
• Don’t wait to begin engaging students in close
reading and analysis of text.
• Plant the seeds and they will grow.
Comprehension in K-3
How do we teach reading comprehension?
• Explicit instruction of skills and strategies.
• Use of worthwhile, appropriately challenging texts.
• Guided oral reading practice with skillful questioning.
• Incentives for independent reading.
• Through lots of purposeful, directed dialogue while
reading to students.
• Lots of prompting and support when our students
read!
Summary
• Scarborough’s Reading Rope: Both decoding
ability and language comprehension are
necessary for reading comprehension. Many
strands are woven into skilled reading.
• Close reading has a place in the early grades that
plants the seeds for future reading
comprehension.