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�� 10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Reading Comprehension

Timothy Shanahan

University of Illinois at Chicago

shanahan@uic.edu

www.shanahanonliteracy.com

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1. Reading comprehension tests don’t tell much about reading comprehension

Do low “reading comprehension scores” mean students struggle with “reading comprehension”?

Because reading is a collection of linguistic and cognitive skills that are embedded and hierarchical, low comprehension scores do not necessarily mean there is a need for more comprehension instruction

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Is it a reading comprehension problem?

Or is it a decoding problem?

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Is it a reading comprehension problem?

Or is it a word meaning problem?

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Is it a reading comprehension problem?

Or is it a fluency problem?

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Is it a reading comprehension problem?

Or is it a comprehension problem?

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Don’t fall for the “comprehension skills fallacy”
You can’t simply teach students how to answer particular question types such as main idea, vocabulary, inferencing, supporting details, drawing conclusions, etc.

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2. Basic skills teaching improves reading comprehension

“Enabling skills” can seem like ends in themselves
But the purpose of teaching “enabling skills” is that they can improve reading comprehension
Need to pay attention to student performance and developmental level

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NRP reviewed 51 studies of phonemic awareness instruction
And 38 studies of phonics instruction

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NRP reviewed 45 studies on vocabulary instruction
And NELP and NLP looks at vocabulary are revealing, too

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NRP reviewed 16 (or 52) studies on oral reading fluency instruction

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Don’t fail to teach these basic skills
But teach them with a clear purpose
Skills instruction should eventually end up with “reading for meaning” as the pay off

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3. Reading comprehension itself can be taught explicitly

There is more to comprehension teaching than just building enabling skills
It is possible to provide instruction that helps students to think more effectively while they read (to understand and remember more)

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NRP reviewed 205 studies that showed that reading comprehension could be taught directly throughout the elementary and secondary grades.
These studies emphasized teaching students how to think effectively during reading

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4. Reading comprehension instruction is not listening comprehension

Reading comprehension and listening comprehension are both about thinking with language
Students low in reading comprehension are often low in listening comprehension too
Early listening comprehension is correlated with later reading comprehension and for English learners these relations are stronger within English than across
languages

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One reason the correlations aren’t higher is because the demands of decoding: Reading requires students to think about text WHILE decoding
Studies do not yet show that improving listening comprehension is an effective intervention for improving reading comprehension

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Kindergarten teachers are correct to focus on listening comprehension
Unfortunately, teachers of older kids often replace reading with listening lessons because of the difficulty of the books
This gets you through the books, but doesn’t teach reading
Students need to read materials that are challenging, but not TOO hard to read

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5. Reading comprehension instruction requires more than practice

Early in 20^th Century, reading instruction focused mainly on oral reading practice
Silent reading and reading comprehension instruction were ignored

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Thorndike study: Kids who were questioned about what they read comprehended better than those who just read
Helped transform teaching of reading
More recent studies have challenged this standard of practice (strategies)

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Just reading and answering questions is better than just reading
But reading comprehension instruction is more than an assignment
We can teach kids how to think effectively when reading (strategies)

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6. Comprehension strategy instruction is different than comprehension skills instruction

Historically, reading instruction has emphasized comprehension skills
Skills are meant to be carried out quickly, easily and without conscious attention
Strategies are intentional and complex

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Reading Comprehension Skills

Cause and effect
Classify and categorize
Compare and contrast
Draw conclusions
Fact and opinion
Main idea
Important details
Inferences
Sequence
Bias and propaganda

Problem and solution
Identify theme
Literal recall
Tone
Mood
Etc., etc., etc.

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Reading Comprehension Strategies

Summarizing (18)
Questioning (27)
Story mapping (17)
Monitoring (22)
Question answering (17)
Graphic organizers (11)
Mental imagery (7)
Prior knowledge (14)

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Strategies vs. Skills

Strategies:

Intentional

Metacognitive

Reflective

Complex/multi-step

Probability of success

Approximation

Skills:

Automatic

Over-learning

Immediate

Simple/single step

Certainty of success

Accuracy

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7. Combinations of strategies are best

NRP found that instruction in combined sets of strategies (such as reciprocal teaching) were generally more effective than teaching single strategies

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8. Clear explanations matter

Studies show that how well teachers can explain mental processes makes a difference in student progress
Core programs and professional development can give teachers guidance in teaching strategies clearly

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Students need to learn the

what,

when,

how,

why

of strategies.

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9. Gradual release of control approaches are effective

Modeling and explanation
Guided practice and explanation
Independent practice

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Gradual release of control:

I do it.

We do it.

You do it.

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Gradual release of control:

I do it.

We do it.

You do it together.

You do it.

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10. We don’t have all the strategies.

Strategies are about taking intentional mental actions to understand a text
Story maps versus character change charts

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Story Map

Setting:
Main Character:
Problem:
Internal response:
Attempt:
Outcome:
Reaction:
Theme:

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Character Perspective Chart

Setting:
Main Character:
Problem:
Internal response:
Attempt:
Outcome:
Reaction:
Theme:

Setting:
Main character:
Problem:
Internal response:
Attempt:
Outcome:
Reaction:
Theme:

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Character Change Chart

What is main character like at the beginning of the story?	What is the main character like at the end of the story? How has he or she changed?

Crisis

Given this character change, what do you think the author wanted you to learn? ________

________________________________________________________________________

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Chemistry Note-taking�

Substances	Properties	Processes	Interactions	Atomic Expression

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History Events Chart

TEXT	WHO?	WHAT?	WHERE?	WHEN?	WHY?
1
Relation:
2
Relation:
3
Relation
4
Main point:

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We can improve the �reading lives of children

By creating a classroom culture that emphasizes meaning.
By ensuring that children have the enabling skills that allow comprehension
By teaching students the most effective, research-proven ways to think effectively about the ideas in text and guiding their practice with these strategies across a wide range of text

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��Thank you very much!!!

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10 Things Every Teacher Should Know about Reading Comprehension

Timothy Shanahan

University of Illinois at Chicago

shanahan@uic.edu

www.shanahanonliteracy.com