Teaching Nonfiction Comprehension
Effectively
Reem Fakhry
Educator, Literacy Advocate
Reem.fakhry@readorium.com
www.readorium.com
1. Approximately, how many kids drop out of HS each year?
A) 1 million
B) 2 million
C) 3 million
D) 4 million
2. What percent of students taking the ACT exam are found to be
“unprepared for college”?
A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30 %
D) 60 %
3. What percent of students in 4 year colleges must take remedial
courses?
A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 40 %
D) 60 %
4. What percent of students in 2 year community colleges must
take remedial courses?
A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 40 %
D) 60 %
5. What percent of students drop out of college after their first
year?
A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30 %
D) 60 %
“The clearest differentiator in reading between
students who are college ready and students who
are not is the ability to comprehend complex
texts,” the ACT researchers concluded.
Questions:
 What is the differential between fiction and
nonfiction scores on reading assessments?
 What makes nonfiction particularly challenging?
Shifts in Standards
ELA/Literacy
Educators
Shift 1:
Balancing Informational
& Literary Text:
Students read a true
balance of informational
and literary
texts.
50% of all texts students
read in elementary grades
should be nonfiction. This
should increase to 75% by
grade 12
Shifts in Standards
ELA/Literacy
Educators
Shift 2:
Students need to learn
Knowledge in the
the strategies and word
Disciplines:
learning skills that will
Students build
help them construct
knowledge about the meaning from text. They
world (domains/ content need to spend more time
areas) through TEXT
actively reading,
rather than the teacher discussing, and writing
or activities
about texts
Shifts in Standards
ELA/Literacy
Educators
Shift 3:
Staircase of Complexity:
Students read the
central, grade
appropriate text around
which instruction is
centered. Teachers
create more time,
space, and support in
the curriculum for close
reading
We need to ensure that
students at all skill
levels are taught the
same rich concepts.
Teachers need access to
appropriate grade level
texts written at different
readability levels.
Struggling students will
need additional support.
Shifts in Standards
ELA/Literacy
Educators
Shift 4:
Teachers can elicit deep
Text-based Answers:
conversation about text,
Students engage in rich requiring students to cite
and rigorous evidence
evidence, using some of
based conversations
the following methods:
about text.
1. Think, Pair, Share
2. Give One-Get One
3. Informational
Literacy Circles
4. The Jigsaw Method
Shifts in Standards
ELA/Literacy
Educators
Shift 5:
Writing from Sources
Writing emphasizes use
of evidence from
sources to inform or
make an argument
Written assignments
should be structured
around text evidence.
After each question, ask
students:
What is the proof?
Where can you find
Evidence for this claim?
Fishbowl Technique
Shifts in Standards
ELA/Literacy
Schools
Shift 6:
Academic Vocabulary
Students constantly
build the transferable
vocabulary needed to
access grade level
complex texts.
1. Direct instruction in word
meaning with many
exposures to new words
in different contexts
2. Teach strategies that
promote independent
vocabulary acquisition
3. Give students plenty of
practice using these
strategies in context
 Does
comprehension occur naturally for all
children?
 How
has comprehension been historically
addressed in schools
We see this frequently in student work…
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Conceptual misunderstandings
Rote memorization of facts
Rote memorization of procedures
No transfer of learning to “real world” situations
And unfortunately it only gets worse as students
get older.
1. Select quality text
What should you take into consideration when
selecting text.
How do you choose texts?
What texts are used with struggling readers
in your classroom or school?
2. Model what is expected from the
students
Set a purpose for Reading
Step 1. Explain the strategy you want students to
try
Step 2. Demonstrate how to apply the strategy.
Think aloud to show the mental process you use
when reading
Step 3. Show students how you jot down thoughts
while reading.
3. Guided Practice using
the gradual release of
responsibility model.
As
Student Proficiency
Guided Support
4. Independent Practice
5. Sharing and Reflecting
Bring the group together and let the students
share what they have learned and what
strategy or strategies they have used.
Ask them to reflect on how the strategy helped
them understand the book.
 Questioning
text
 Determining importance
 Making Inferences
Word learning skills
 Using nonfiction organizational features
 Using print, text, and graphic features
 Making connections and synthesizing
information
 Visualizing text
 Previewing
Text
 VIPs or Post-It Prioritizing
 Evidence-Based Questioning
 Text Coding (* or MI, P, C, Q, S)
 Split Screen Notes/four square
 Categorizing
Vocabulary
 Word-Splash
 Visualizing/Webbing
 Word
Vocabulary
Theater
 20 Questions
 Word Riddles
 Roots
 Teach signal words: context clues
Signal Words to Figure Out Meaning From Context
Type
Description
Example
Definition
The author provides a direct definition A conga is a
of an unfamiliar word right in the
barrel-shaped
sentence.
drum
Signal words: is, are, means, refers
to
Appositive
Definition
The author provided an appositive
word or phrase that explains an
unfamiliar word that comes before it.
Signal word: or
Signal Punctuation: set off by
commas
At night you
can see
constellations,
or groups of
stars, in the
sky.
Synonym
The author uses a word or phrase that
is similar in meaning or can be
compared to an unfamiliar word.
Signal words: also, as, identical,
My dog Buck
travels
everywhere
with me. My
More Signal Words to Figure Out Meaning From Context
Type
Description
Example
Antonym
The author uses another word or phrase
that means the opposite or is in contrasts
with the unfamiliar word.
Signal words: but, however, in
contrast, instead of, on the other
hand, though, unlike
I thought the
movie would be
weird but it was
totally
mundane.
Example
The author provides several words or
ideas that are examples of the unfamiliar
word.
Signal word: for example, for instance,
including, such as, like
In science we
are studying
amphibians
such as frogs,
toads, and
newts.
General
The author provides some nonspecific
clues to the meaning of an unfamiliar
word spread over several sentences.
Einstein found
math problems
easy to solve.
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Clustering – looking for similarities among ideas,
information or things, and grouping them according to
characteristics.
Comparing and Contrasting- describing similarities and
differences between concepts
Generalizing – describing the overall picture based on the
ideas and information presented.
Outlining – organizing main ideas, information, and
supporting details based on their relationship to each
other.
Relating – showing how events, situations, ideas and
information are connected.
Sorting – arranging or separating into types, kinds, sizes,
etc.
Trend-spotting – identifying things that generally look or
behave the same.