Reading comprehension is an extremely important factor for the early reader. Not only does the child need to eventually be able to read the words, but know what they are conveying as well. Reading comprehension comes first in the assembly line of reading, so it is important that we as teachers stress that while reading to our class.
It is important while reading a book to ask students questions as they read along with you. You can factor in questions that include the pictures so students, who may not be able to understand the words, can use the pictures for reference. First, factor in background knowledge and try to relate the book to something that is real in their lives. Also, make sure the students are understanding the book, you can read it twice if needed. The first time you read the story, ask them to enjoy it and pick out their favorite part. The second time you read it, incorporate more challenging comprehension questions. To keep the thought process going, have the students complete an activity after you have read them the book. This can include drawing a picture about their favorite part and then writing a sentence about it. Students can also journal their thoughts and feelings about the book or have group discussions with their peers.
It is also important to categorize or differentiate the types of books you are reading to your students. Books that can be non fiction and books that are fiction. For example, if you are reading "A Bad Case of Stripes" to your classroom, clarify to your kindergarteners that if they do get sick they will not get stripes. This is so they understand that some books can be real, while other books cannot. We must inform them of the overall messages of the books for better understanding. This can also be used in the positive aspect of creating a community among the classroom. Books can be used to help with controversial issues and most importantly the acceptance of all. For example, you could read your students the book "One" that shows how important it is to be a good friend to everyone, the children can take that and relate it to their own lives.
In all, the importance of comprehension is necessary. We should not just be teaching children how to read, we should be teaching them to understand what they are reading. Not only does this apply to later grades, but also to their personal life as well. Books are an amazing tool to help children understand the different situations that they will face when they are younger, good and bad. Incorporating literacy multiple times a day can help intrigue the children to get them excited about what is to come next as well as help them better understand the things going on around them.
I agree with your blog post. I think that comprehension is necessary and important. As future educators we should be teaching children how to read, but at the same time teach them to understand what they are reading. When teaching students to understand what they are reading, allows students to build what they already know on the new information they are learning. The students are able to make connections to previous information already learned to help understand new information. This technique used will be used throughout the students academic and personal life. I also agree that incorporating literacy throughout the day is also important. By using literacy throughout the say encourages students to want to read more and look forward to what comes next. When using literacy in the classroom gives students a better understanding of what is going on around them, allowing them to make connections to their surroundings while being engaged in the activities.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you and the importance of reading comprehension. This reminds me of our in class discussion on Friday and dealing with the importance of reading comprehension. When you were talking about asking more thought provoking questions each time it reminds me of the different levels of blooms taxonomy. It is important to ask the students questions from different levels and not asking all knowledge questions, but also evaluation, comprehension, ext. questions. A point that was made in our class discussion that I had not considered previously about reading comprehension was if students aren't comprehending the text, they cannot participate in class discussion. This would be leaving the student left out and unable to participate. When the student becomes left out they will only fall farther behind in the classroom. This is why it is so important to use literacy comprehension strategies regularly in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have developed the philosophy of learn to read, then read to learn. As a student, we first learn how to read. We learn how to sound out letters and put words together to make sentences. After we know how to read words, the rest of our academic career is based on reading. We read textbooks for different subjects. Reading is always in school. So while you say that we not only need to learn how to read but we also need to understand what we are reading, I think that's the same thing. I can read an entire paper and not understand what it says. Have I truly "read" it? The answer is no. After learning how to read words, I think learning how to comprehend what you've read is the most important thing you'll learn in your entire life.
ReplyDeleteI was confused at first when you said that reading comprehension comes first in the assembly line of reading. I had always pictured learning the letters first and then making the connection between a combination of letter to make a word and then what that word actually conveyed. I can see where you are coming from though. No doubt students should comprehend and know what the word ‘dog’ is conveying when they say it. I enjoyed your idea of increasing the difficult of questions the more times you read the same book to a student. The course text said that children love repetition. In my mind more repetition creates more comprehension. Each time the child asks additional questions, furthering their comprehension of the book and the topic the book is conveying.
ReplyDelete