Comprehension Instruction
within the Literacy Block
Skill
Building
Guided
Reading
Shared &
Modeled
Reading
Writing
Teacher
Read Aloud
Comprehension instruction takes place
primarily during the Modeled and Shared
Reading block. During Guided Reading,
students are supported as they use the
strategies while reading texts at their
instructional level. It is during independent
reading that students have the opportunity to
practice these strategies on their own while
reading texts at their independent level.
Resources for Parents
http://www.readingrockets.org/books
(Find books that will capture your
child’s imagination! Note the themed
book lists and award winners.)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/3479
(More information for you about
comprehension strategies)
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.ms
px?View=11
(Tips for Reading Aloud)
Comprehension Strategies that Support
Understanding:







Activating Prior Knowledge/
Making Connections
Visualizing
Asking Questions
Making Predictions/
Making Inferences
Determining Importance
Synthesizing Information
Monitoring Comprehension
References:
http://forpd.ucf.edu/strategies/stratText.html
(Florida Online Reading Professional
Development)
http://reading.ecb.org (Into the Book,
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board)
Miller, D. (2002). Reading with Meaning.
Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Reading
Comprehension
Instruction
at Oakwood School
Grades K-2
Focus Strategies for
September & October:
Activating Prior
Knowledge and
Making Connections
What is Activating Prior
Knowledge?
Readers activate what they know or
don’t know about a topic and use this
knowledge before, during, and after
reading to understand and clarify
misunderstandings about the text.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I use what I already know to
help me understand what I am
reading.
What is Making Connections?
Readers relate what they read to
personal experience (text to self), to
information from other texts (text to
text), or to information about the
world (text to world) in order to
enhance understanding of themselves
and the text.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I think about experiences I’ve
had, other texts I’ve read, and
the world around me to help
me understand what I am
reading.
Activities that Support these
Strategies
 Look at the title of the book and the
picture on the cover. Ask your child
what he/she knows about the
subject. While reading, continue to
talk about prior knowledge and
connections. Discuss any new
learning after reading the text.
 Support your child with sentence
starters. You may need to model for
your child first:
This part reminds me of....
I felt like...(character) when I....
If that happened to me I would....
This book reminds me of...(another text)
because....
I can relate to...(part of text) because one
time....
Something similar happened to me when....
When I think about …(the topic) I think
about…(list known facts or ideas)
 Draw pictures before reading to
show prior knowledge and
connections. After reading add to
the picture or make a new picture to
demonstrate new learning or
thinking.
Books that Encourage
Activating Prior Knowledge
and Making Predictions
Non-fiction picture books are perfect
choices as you encourage your child
to activate prior knowledge. Select
books about topics that are of interest
to your child or books that you’re
sure will peak his or her interest!
Choose books that contain lots of
colorful illustrations to support your
child’s learning.
Realistic Fiction provides many
opportunities for students to make
text to self, text to text, and even text
to world connections. Think about
those books that make you feel
happy, sad, angry, or nostalgic. Think
about books that describe common
childhood experiences to which your
child could relate.
Note: As students are learning to use
comprehension strategies, reading
aloud or sharing the reading is more
appropriate than having your child
read the entire text aloud
or independently.
Comprehension Instruction
within the Literacy Block
Skill
Building
Guided
Reading
Shared &
Modeled
Reading
Writing
Teacher
Read Aloud
Comprehension instruction takes place
primarily during the Modeled and Shared
Reading block. During Guided Reading,
students are supported as they use the
strategies while reading texts at their
instructional level. It is during independent
reading that students have the opportunity to
practice these strategies on their own while
reading texts at their independent level.
Resources for Parents
http://www.readingrockets.org/books
(Find books that will capture your
child’s imagination! Note the themed
book lists and award winners.)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/3479
(More information for you about
comprehension strategies)
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.ms
px?View=11
(Tips for Reading Aloud)
Comprehension Strategies that Support
Understanding:







Activating Prior Knowledge/
Making Connections
Visualizing
Asking Questions
Making Predictions/
Making Inferences
Determining Importance
Synthesizing Information
Monitoring Comprehension
References:
http://forpd.ucf.edu/strategies/stratText.html
(Florida Online Reading Professional
Development)
http://reading.ecb.org (Into the Book,
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board)
Miller, D. (2002). Reading with Meaning.
Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Reading
Comprehension
Instruction
at Oakwood School
Grades K-2
Focus Strategy for
November &
December:
Visualizing
What is Visualizing?
Readers continually create and revise
images in their minds that reflect or
represent the ideas in the text. These
images come from the five senses, as
well as the emotions, and are linked to
prior knowledge and experience.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I make a movie in my mind
while I’m reading to help me
understand what I read.
Activities that Support this
Strategy
 Have your child act out a portion of
the text you have just read.
 Read a very short piece of text (such
as a descriptive sentence, paragraph,
or poem) and ask your student to
describe what they visualize. Ask
questions about the details of that
image. Encourage your child to ask
questions to clarify details.
 Have your child draw pictures as you
read and/or after you read.
Encourage your child to make
changes to the picture or create new
pictures to reflect the changing
images in his or her mind.
 Support your child with sentence
starters. You may need to model for
your child first:
When I read this part, I see…(describe
images) in my mind…
After reading more, my mind movie has
changed. Now I picture…
I visualized…(describe images) in my mind
because the text says…
Books that Encourage
Visualizing
Look for books that have detailed
description or strong emotion. These
can be picture books or portions of
easy chapter books that contain lots
of vivid images.
Children’s poetry anthologies are full
of short texts that are perfect for
visualizing.
Wordless picture books may be a less
obvious choice, since the story is told
in all pictures. But these books are
great for challenging your child to
think of images that are missing from
the story. (What happened between
page 2 and page 3? What happened
after the book ended? How would a
different character in the story
describe what happened? How would
you describe this picture in words?)
Remember: Keep reading aloud to
your developing reader! This allows
your child to focus on thinking about
the text and using comprehension
strategies.
Comprehension Instruction
within the Literacy Block
Skill
Building
Guided
Reading
Shared &
Modeled
Reading
Writing
Teacher
Read Aloud
Comprehension instruction takes place
primarily during the Modeled and Shared
Reading block. During Guided Reading,
students are supported as they use the
strategies while reading texts at their
instructional level. It is during independent
reading that students have the opportunity to
practice these strategies on their own while
reading texts at their independent level.
Resources for Parents
http://www.readingrockets.org/books
(Find books that will capture your
child’s imagination! Note the themed
book lists and award winners.)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/3479
(More information for you about
comprehension strategies)
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.ms
px?View=11
(Tips for Reading Aloud)
Comprehension Strategies that Support
Understanding:







Activating Prior Knowledge/
Making Connections
Visualizing
Asking Questions
Making Predictions/
Making Inferences
Determining Importance
Synthesizing Information
Monitoring Comprehension
References:
http://forpd.ucf.edu/strategies/stratText.html
(Florida Online Reading Professional
Development)
http://reading.ecb.org (Into the Book,
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board)
Miller, D. (2002). Reading with Meaning.
Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Reading
Comprehension
Instruction
at Oakwood School
Grades K-2
Focus Strategy for
January:
Asking Questions
What is “Asking Questions”?
Readers ask questions about the text
and the author’s purpose and look for
information to clarify and extend their
thinking before, during, and after
reading.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I ask questions to look for new
information and to understand
what I am reading.
Activities that Support this
Strategy
 Encourage your child to ask
questions about the world around
them, even questions that you can’t
answer! (Why is the sky blue? Do
fish sleep?) Share your questions.
 Look at the title of the book and the
picture on the cover. Talk about or
list questions that you have about
the text (fiction or non-fiction) and
encourage your child to do the
same. As you read, try to find the
answers to those questions.
 Support your child with sentence
starters. Model what it means to be
curious and question the text:
I wonder....
Hmmm…I don’t get that. What
does…mean?
I want to know
who/what/where/when/why/how…
Why did the author…?
 Make a web of questions. Write the
topic in a circle and draw lines off of
the circle. At the end of each line
write a question about that topic.
Books that Encourage
Asking Questions
Both fiction and non-fiction texts can
be used to encourage questioning.
You can even read familiar favorites
and ask questions that lead to new
ideas, more questions, and discovery!
The pictures and the text in nonfiction books can be the basis for
great “I wonders.” (I wonder what
sharks eat? I wonder how far away the
moon is?)
Fiction books offer opportunities to
ask questions about characters,
setting, events, and author’s purpose.
(Why did that character do that? I
wonder what…(character) will do
next? I wonder what it is like to live
there? Why did the author write this
book?)
Remember: Keep reading aloud to
your developing reader! This allows
your child to focus on thinking about
the text and using comprehension
strategies.
Comprehension Instruction
within the Literacy Block
Skill
Building
Guided
Reading
Shared &
Modeled
Reading
Writing
Teacher
Read Aloud
Comprehension instruction takes place
primarily during the Modeled and Shared
Reading block. During Guided Reading,
students are supported as they use the
strategies while reading texts at their
instructional level. It is during independent
reading that students have the opportunity to
practice these strategies on their own while
reading texts at their independent level.
Resources for Parents
http://www.readingrockets.org/books
(Find books that will capture your
child’s imagination! Note the themed
book lists and award winners.)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/3479
(More information for you about
comprehension strategies)
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.ms
px?View=11
(Tips for Reading Aloud)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/343
(Tips for building comprehension)
Comprehension Strategies that Support
Understanding:







Activating Prior Knowledge/
Making Connections
Visualizing
Asking Questions
Making Predictions/
Making Inferences
Determining Importance
Synthesizing Information
Monitoring Comprehension
References:
http://reading.ecb.org (Into the Book,
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board)
Miller, D. (2002). Reading with Meaning.
Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Reading
Comprehension
Instruction
at Oakwood School
Grades K-2
Focus Strategies for
February:
Making Predictions
Making Inferences
What is “Making Predictions”?
Readers use clues in the text and their
own prior knowledge to think about
what the text will be about or what will
happen next. Predictions are
confirmed or disproved during and
after reading.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I use what I know and clues in
the text to think about what it
will be about. Then I think
about what I will learn or
what will happen in the story.
What is “Making Inferences”?
Readers use their prior knowledge and
clues from the text to draw conclusions
and form interpretations about the
text. These conclusions may not be
confirmed during or after reading.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I use what I know and clues
from the text to think about
what it really means.
Activities that Support this
Strategy
 Tell jokes and riddles that require
your child to use prior knowledge to
find the answer.
 Read aloud a non-fiction book. Ask
your child “how” and “why”
questions that challenge him or her
to make inferences.
 Support your child with sentence
starters and questions. Model what
it means to make predictions and
inferences:
I predict that…
I infer that….because…
I wonder....
Why did that happen?
What is really going on?
What clues did the author give us?
How do you think the character feels?
 Help your child make connections
between the text and the
illustrations. The author often
leaves clues in the pictures!
 Use everyday events or books to talk
about cause and effect. Ask
questions like “What caused this to
happen?” and “What if…?”
Books that Encourage
Making Predictions &
Making Inferences
Both fiction and non-fiction texts can
be used to encourage making
predictions and making inferences.
Encourage your child to use the
cover, illustrations, and table of
contents to predict what a nonfiction book will be about. Confirm
predictions during and after reading.
Choosing books about familiar topics
will give your child the opportunity to
make inferences using text clues and
their own knowledge.
Fiction books offer opportunities to
make predictions that can be
confirmed upon further reading and
to make inferences that deepen
understanding. Books with a strong
beginning/ middle/end structure are
great for practicing these strategies.
Look for books with picture clues!
Keep reading aloud to your
developing reader! This allows your
child to focus on thinking
about the text.
Comprehension Instruction
within the Literacy Block
Skill
Building
Guided
Reading
Shared &
Modeled
Reading
Writing
Teacher
Read Aloud
Comprehension instruction takes place
primarily during the Modeled and Shared
Reading block. During Guided Reading,
students are supported as they use the
strategies while reading texts at their
instructional level. It is during independent
reading that students have the opportunity to
practice these strategies on their own while
reading texts at their independent level.
Resources for Parents
http://www.readingrockets.org/books
(Find books that will capture your
child’s imagination! Note the themed
book lists and award winners.)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/3479
(More information for you about
comprehension strategies)
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.ms
px?View=11
(Tips for Reading Aloud)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/343
(Tips for building comprehension)
Comprehension Strategies that Support
Understanding:







Activating Prior Knowledge/
Making Connections
Visualizing
Asking Questions
Making Predictions/
Making Inferences
Determining Importance
Synthesizing Information
Monitoring Comprehension
References:
http://reading.ecb.org (Into the Book,
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board)
Miller, D. (2002). Reading with Meaning.
Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Reading
Comprehension
Instruction
at Oakwood School
Grades K-2
Focus Strategy for
March:
Determining
Importance
What is “Determining
Importance”?
Readers identify key elements,
information, or events in the text.
Readers distinguish important
information from unimportant
information to identify key ideas or
themes.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I think about what is most
important in the text.
Main Ideas & Details
Important Ideas
Interesting Details
Activities that Support this
Strategy
Books that Encourage
Determining Importance
 Encourage your child to look at the Both fiction and non-fiction texts can
illustrations to foster understanding
of the text.
 When reading non-fiction, be sure
to point out conventions such as
graphics, charts, and bold, italicized,
or underlined words. These are
often clues to the main ideas.
 Support your child with sentence
starters and questions. Model what
it means to determine importance
while reading FICTION texts:
What is the author’s message?
What is the problem in the story? How
would you solve the problem?
The big idea is…
 Support your child with sentence
starters and questions. Model what
it means to determine importance
while reading NON-FICTION texts:
What is important to remember?
What is the author’s message? What is
important to the author?
So far I’ve learned…
 Have your child draw a picture to
show the main idea (or one of
several main ideas or events) of a
non-fiction or fiction text.
be used to practice determining
importance.
When choosing fiction books to
practice this strategy, choose books with
a clear sequence of events or key themes
and ideas that are easily identified. For
example, “Arthur” books often have a
clear beginning, middle, and end and
often have a “lesson.”
When choosing non-fiction books, use
books with clear structures. Point out
how books are organized: sequentially,
alphabetically, question/answer format,
etc. Non-fiction books that have many
conventions such as table of contents,
bold print and headings support readers
in finding important facts.
Remember: Keep reading aloud to
your developing reader! This allows
your child to focus on thinking about
the text and using comprehension
strategies.
Comprehension Instruction
within the Literacy Block
Skill
Building
Guided
Reading
Shared &
Modeled
Reading
Writing
Teacher
Read Aloud
Comprehension instruction takes place
primarily during the Modeled and Shared
Reading block. During Guided Reading,
students are supported as they use the
strategies while reading texts at their
instructional level. It is during independent
reading that students have the opportunity to
practice these strategies on their own while
reading texts at their independent level.
Resources for Parents
http://www.readingrockets.org/books
(Find books that will capture your
child’s imagination! Note the themed
book lists and award winners.)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/3479
(More information for you about
comprehension strategies)
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.ms
px?View=11
(Tips for Reading Aloud)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/343
(Tips for building comprehension)
Comprehension Strategies that Support
Understanding:







Activating Prior Knowledge/
Making Connections
Visualizing
Asking Questions
Making Predictions/
Making Inferences
Determining Importance
Synthesizing Information
Monitoring Comprehension
References:
http://reading.ecb.org (Into the Book,
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board)
Miller, D. (2002). Reading with Meaning.
Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Reading
Comprehension
Instruction
at Oakwood School
Grades K-2
Focus Strategy for
April:
Synthesizing
What is “Synthesizing”?
Readers monitor overall meaning,
important concepts, and themes as
they read and create original insights,
interpretations, and perspectives.
Understanding changes as the reader
gains more information from the text
and applies background knowledge.
Debbie Miller compares synthesizing to
ripples in a pond. You throw a rock
into a pond and first there is a splash.
Then the water ripples out, making
little waves that get bigger and bigger.
Our thinking gets bigger and bigger as
we read.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I put the pieces together to
understand what I read in a new
way.
Activities that Support this
Strategy
 Have your child act out a portion of
the text. Ask him or her to consider
how characters would act, what
props could be used, and the setting
of the story. Challenge your child
to explain his or her unique
interpretation of the text.
 As you read with your child,
encourage him or her to think
about words, pictures, and ideas in
the text and combine them with
background knowledge.
 When reading non-fiction, help
your child identify the 5-10 most
important words in the book, or in a
section. Talk about why you chose
those words.
 Support your child with sentence
starters and model synthesizing:
After reading more, now I am thinking…
I began to think of…
I noticed…
I was wrong to think…
I learned…
 Have your child draw a picture
before reading the book and one
after to show the changes in his/her
thinking.
Books that Encourage
Synthesizing
Books that are good for inferring are
often good for synthesizing as well.
Synthesizing is like “super-sized”
inferring. Fiction books that have a
strong theme or message are great for
synthesizing. Think about picture books
that have really “wowed” you with their
message or caused a strong emotional
reaction. Fables and fairy tales are good
choices because they often have a clear
lesson that is uncovered during reading.
Non-fiction texts can also be used,
especially books having to do with social
or environmental issues. Authors often
have a message that they want to deliver
to readers through the information they
provide.
Remember: Keep reading aloud to
your developing reader! This allows
your child to focus on thinking about
the text and using comprehension
strategies.
Comprehension Instruction
within the Literacy Block
Skill
Building
Guided
Reading
Shared &
Modeled
Reading
Writing
Teacher
Read Aloud
Comprehension instruction takes place
primarily during the Modeled and Shared
Reading block. During Guided Reading,
students are supported as they use the
strategies while reading texts at their
instructional level. It is during independent
reading that students have the opportunity to
practice these strategies on their own while
reading texts at their independent level.
Comprehension Strategies that Support
Understanding:







Activating Prior Knowledge/
Making Connections
Visualizing
Asking Questions
Making Predictions/
Making Inferences
Determining Importance
Synthesizing Information
Monitoring Comprehension
Resources for Parents
http://www.readingrockets.org/books
(Find books that will capture your
child’s imagination! Note the themed
book lists and award winners.)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/3479
(More information for you about
comprehension strategies)
http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.ms
px?View=11
(Tips for Reading Aloud)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article
/343
(Tips for building comprehension)
References:
http://reading.ecb.org (Into the Book,
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board)
Miller, D. (2002). Reading with Meaning.
Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Elish-Piper, L. (2009). What Can I Do to Help
My Child with Reading at Home? Simple,
Effective Ideas to Share with Parents. Illinois
Reading Council Journal. 37 (4). 50-54.
Reading
Comprehension
Instruction
at Oakwood School
Grades K-2
Focus Strategy for
May:
Monitoring
Comprehension
What is “Monitoring
Comprehension”?
Readers combine strategies as needed
to develop a more complete
understanding of the text. Strategies
interact with each other, overlap, and
are used multiple times during reading.
Readers stop to check their
understanding as they read and reread
difficult parts.
STUDENT DEFINITION:
I use strategies together to
understand what I read.
Activities that Support this
Strategy
Books that Encourage
Monitoring Comprehension
 “Think aloud” as you read, pointing
out how you are using a
combination of reading strategies to
understand the text. Demonstrate
how the strategies interact and
overlap with each other.
 Support your child with sentence
starters and questions.
When I read this part, I was thinking…
Hmmm…did that make sense?
Oh, now I get it! (after talking, rereading,
or reading on)
 Read a text in short sections and
stop to discuss information or
events. When you partner read,
have one person read a page and the
other person retell and then switch
roles. Another idea is to have your
child only read as much as he/she
can cover with his/her hand and
then stop to retell, connect, and/or
reflect in some way.
 The 3-2-1 strategy is a great way to
get your child thinking about and
remembering what he/she reads.
Ask your child to tell you 3 things
discovered, 2 interesting things, and
1 question.
Any text can be used! We always want
to encourage students to monitor their
comprehension, whether they are
reading a chapter book, a kid’s
magazine, or even a wordless picture
book. The level of comprehension
necessary to understand the text may
differ, but readers are always thinking!
Your child has learned many reading
strategies this year and is on his or her
way to becoming a fluent, “thinking”
reader. Read to and with your child
often. Set up reading routines in your
house and model a love for reading
and talking about books. Encourage
your child’s interests in
books, magazines, and
kid’s internet sites.
Your child is in for
more wonderful
adventures in the world
of books!