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Components of Comprehension

Word Recognition- when students can recognize words automatically and effortlessly, it frees up their cognitive resources to focus on comprehending the overall meaning of the text.

Vocabulary- understanding the meaning of the words and phrases you read

Background Knowledge- your understanding of a concept or topic

Comprehension Strategies- the steps you use to make sense of a text

Self Monitoring-noticing when you are confused or have lost track of the meaning, and then taking steps to regain understanding

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How does this look in our updated curriculum?

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Comprehension Strategies

Before we teach comprehension strategies we first need to:

Assess the text's complexity and features:

  • Analyze the text structure, vocabulary, and concepts to identify areas that may be challenging for students.
  • Consider the text's genre, purpose, and organization to select appropriate strategies.

Evaluate students' prior knowledge and skills:

  • Determine what comprehension strategies students have already learned and can apply independently
  • Identify any gaps in students' background knowledge related to the text content

Match strategies to the learning objectives:

  • Align the comprehension strategies with the specific skills you want students to develop, such as identifying main ideas, making inferences, or visualizing

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Self Monitoring

Teaching Self Monitoring Through Modeling -model how to monitor understanding during reading through think-alouds, highlighting when you realize you've lost focus or encountered a confusing part.

  • Rereading
  • Paraphrasing
  • Self Questioning-before, during, and after reading a text
  • Using Text Features

Student Practice Self Monitoring:

  • Explicilty outline rereading using an anchor chart
  • Give sentence starters or questions to prompt them to stop and check their understanding, such as "I'm confused about..." or "I wonder why..."
  • Use graphic organizers, provide organizers like KWL charts or "I Wonder" lists that guide students to record their thoughts, questions, and areas of confusion as they read