Module 5 Comprehension

Chapter 9 one concept I learned was that computers are changing the way people think about literacy. “A healthy resurgence of print media has resulted in the proliferation of fiction and nonfiction books for adolescents about ever topic imaginable” (p. 186). In every classroom that I have been in this year there are at least 3 or 4 computers that students use to read, take test, and play learning games on. From this chapter I gained that computers will be a tool that we can use in our classroom to construct reading skills.

Chapter 10 talked about, instruction is not enough for students to gain comprehension skills. Students need to read and use strategies through reading. Students need to experience reading real text for real reasons and experience reading the range of text geners that we wish students to comprehend” (p. 207). Students can use journal writing about text geners to gain understanding of the text. I also learned “during decoding instruction they recommended carful level and demand of text used in different phase of instruction especially during the early phases” (p. 211).

The second concept that I learned from the readings came from chapter 10 it gives six effective comprehension strategies that help students gain knowledge about the materials that they are reading. Prediction is the first strategy, it helps students use their background knowledge to “facilitate their understanding of new ideas encountered in the text” (p. 212). Another strategy they suggested using was think-alouds. They believe that comprehension is obtained because students “impulsiveness about jumping ahead of the text without fully understanding is diminished” (p.215). Think-alouds are used to make students ask themselves questions like does this sentence make since? and what is the text trying to tell me. I have used these strategies and will continue to use these strategies in my classroom and with my little girl because the book and I have seen that they work.

The third most important concept I gained from reading chapter 11 is that the way I teach comprehension is called the Transactional Strategy Instruction (TSI) approach. The book says, “TSI teachers do provide their students with explicit explanations of strategic mental processes used in reading, the emphasis is on the interactive exchange between learners in the classroom, hence the use of the term transactional” (p. 249). With this in mind, I understand that I am giving instruction to the students and letting them generate their own meaning from the materials that are being read.
Also in chapter 11 I found that it consider a metacognitive sophisticated reader to have predicting, questioning, imaging, clarifying, and summering skills” (p. 305). With these skills a reader will construct understanding of the text that is being taught. In the past, students in my class have used predicting, questioning, and summarizing skills to learn from the text. I will continue using these strategies to help my students to become better readers.

Chapter 13 stated that a “typical high school senior can only hold approximately seven pieces of information in mind at one time” (p. 292). If a student is continuously sounding words out he/she will not facilitate enough information to understand the text. Teaching students vocabulary words in early grades and throughout their high school years helps them understand the terms in their text that they are reading. Students can build their vocabulary by writing their own dictionary, anticipation guides, or possible sentences strategies. I also learned that a good reader does not simply read the chapter he/she skims it first while asking questions about important information he/she feels the chapter should cover. Skilled readers generally reread information that is important or is difficult to understand. Students also use background knowledge to gain meaning of the text.

My goal as a teacher is to help the students build vocabulary through strategies like the anticipation guides and have them write their own dictionary. I will read the important facts that are in the chapters before they read them and ask them questions, while I am reading. While questioning, I will think about students’ background knowledge and also ask questions relating to prior knowledge so that they can obtain understanding of what is being taught.

The article, Building Academic Vocabulary it states “ to build imagery form a student needs to create a graphic picture or pictographic form of new words that are being taught” (p.7). It also tells why it is important for students to keep an academic vocabulary notebook, “Over time students will develop an understanding of a set of terms and phrases that are important to the academic content in mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies” (p.7). Whether it is called it a dictionary or a vocabulary notebook with terms it is basically the same thing. I have used and will continue to use this concept in my classroom to help students learn new vocabulary terms to build comprehension while students read.

Strategies used during this module were read-alouds, creating anticipation guides, creating students own dictionary, journal writing to improve comprehension skills. I used journal writing in my class when I was taking lunch count and attendance. I had students write journal entries about what they did the night before they came to class. This activity helps them with hand writing and also gives them time to get settled down before we start the day’s lessons.

Another way I used journal writing is to have students pull out their own dictionary and use words from it. I have used both created dictionary and journal writing strategies in the past and will continue using them. The effects that journal writing has on students when they use their own created dictionary are that comprehension and vocabulary skills are obtained.