Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is “intentional thinking during which meaning is
constructed through interaction between text and reader” (Harris & Hodges,
1995)
 Vocabulary development is an essential component of text
comprehension
Findings of the National Reading Panel (2000):
 Comprehension is enhanced when readers relate ideas presented in the text to
their own knowledge and experience (NRP, 2000)
 Explicit instruction in comprehension strategies can enhance understanding.
Evidence was noted in use of instruction using the following methods:
o Comprehension Monitoring- readers learn to become aware of their
understanding of text
o Cooperative Learning – students work together in reading strategies
o Graphic and Semantic Organizers – readers make and use graphic
representations to enhance their understanding of text
o Question Answering - readers are asked and then answer questions
related to the text
o Question Generation – readers ask themselves questions about the text to
check understanding
o Story Structure – students are taught the structure of stories and use this
structure to help them recall the facts about the stories
o Summarization – readers are taught to bring together ideas about the text
To enhance reading comprehension: (Pressley, 2000)
 Teach decoding skills
 Teach vocabulary
 Build word knowledge
o Establish some prior knowledge about a the topic of the text prior to
reading
 Teach active comprehension strategies
o The best readers are active. They think about what they read by prediction,
analyzing, using imagery, asking questions, and/or summarizing.
 Encourage monitoring of comprehension
o Teach strategies to help students check their understanding and seek help
when they don’t understand
Reciprocal Teaching (Palincsar & Brown, 1984)
 Students are put in small groups (usually groups of 4)
 Each student assumes a role: summarizer, questioner, clarifier, predictor
 Students read a portion of text together and take on their role
 Roles shift and students read the next selection
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching/
For more information on reading comprehension instruction:
 http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/compre.htm
 http://www.readingrockets.org/atoz/reading_comprehension/
 http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/index_cnnsf.html
o source of free high interest news articles and accompanying activities to enhance
reading comprehension
References:
Harris, T., & Hodges, R. (Eds.). (1995). The literacy dictionary (p. 207). Newark, DE: International
Reading Association.
National Reading Panel (2000). Report of the national reading panel: Teaching students to read:
An evidenced-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its
implications for reading instruction: Reports of the subgroups. Bethesda, MD: National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health
(www.nationalreadingpanel.org).
Palincsar, A. S. & Brown, A. L., (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and
comprehension-monitoring activities Cognition and Instruction, 1 (2), 117-175.
Pressley, M. (2000). Comprehension instruction: What makes sense now, what might make sense
soon. In M.L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, P.D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.) Handbook of Reading
Research: Volume III. New York: Longman. Retrieved 6/18/11 from
http://www.readingonline.org/articles/handbook/pressley/index.html.