Helping Students Become Successful Readers

Teaching Reading-Reading Teaching Strategies

Practitioners and parents have the incredible responsibility of preparing their students to participate in a literate society. If the ultimate goal of reading is the comprehension of written text, whether encountered in academic, work or life settings, then we must ensure that our students possess those skills and abilities that are fundamental to making meaning of written language.

While comprehension can be complicated for many of us, it is estimated that up to 20% of our students experience significant problems in this area. Hence, the need to focus attention on the knowledge that is critical for creating instructional and home environments that develop and nurture comprehension capabilities.

The Nature of Comprehension

Simply stated, comprehension is an active process during which the reader constructs meaning from text whether reading Where the Wild Things Are or The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research. It has also been defined as the product of decoding and listening comprehension.

This formula represents what researchers and practitioners recognize as the "simple view" of reading comprehension (Gough & Tunmer, 1986). However, when we scratch the surface of either definition, one quickly realizes that the active processing of text, during which varied skills and abilities work together, is extremely complex.

For example, if we unpack decoding, we immediately recognize the relationships and importance of phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle and phonics for accomplished decoding. Similarly, listening comprehension directly reflects the role of oral language development, vocabulary acquisition and fund of world and domain knowledge in this process.

One can not discuss comprehension without also attending to fluency. This ability to read words accurately and automatically, to read at an appropriate rate and/or with expression allows students to attend to and appreciate meaning.

Given the complex nature of comprehension, it is not surprising that students who have difficulty in this area demonstrate different patterns of abilities and difficulties. For some, it is the reading of word that presents the greatest challenge; for others, language including vocabulary and background knowledge is problematic and then there are students who have difficulty with both.

Reading comprehension assessment should include both informal and formal measures that focus on the two major components of the reading comprehension formula and the skills and abilities they represent. Such an assessment should yield information about the presence or absence of a problem, contributing factors, additional information needed as well as potential instructional solutions.

Nurturing and Developing Comprehension

The current view of comprehension instruction differs significantly from prior practice and has focused our attention on the role of direct instruction, increased instructional time and effective teacher and learner strategies. At the same time, we are more cognizant of how the reader, text and context are important dimensions to consider for instructional planning.

It has become increasingly apparent that practitioners need to be aware of the demands of the text itself. An examination of narrative or expository passages surfaces several instructional considerations such as overall organization, sentence construction, and use of figurative language. An understanding of academic language (language of text) should be reflected in instructional planning and evidenced by direct instruction of those features that present as challenges for students.

Additionally, a consideration of what proficient readers do before, during and after reading can inform our understanding. They are, in fact, purposeful and strategic, think about what they know about the topic, whether or not they understand what they are reading, what to do if they do not, and how they might apply or use information.

Poor readers, on the other hand, are often actively inefficient in their approach to this as well other academic tasks. Practitioners can directly teach, model, provide practice and opportunities for application of effective strategies before, during and after reading.

The National Reading Panel (2003) has recommended the following set of strategies for instructional planning: comprehension monitoring, cooperative learning, graphic organizers, story structure, questioning and summarization.

It is also important that students understand why strategies are useful, how they can be used flexibly and in what situations. Practitioners and parents can support student understanding by surfacing thinking as they read to students, encouraging the inner dialogue that proficient readers engage in continually and providing opportunities for students to express their thinking.

Final Thoughts

There is a reciprocal relationship between and among those skills that are necessary for reading comprehension. Students must engage in reading text to continually build accurate and automatic word reading, fluency, vocabulary and background knowledge. Effective instructional planning directly addresses all of the components of reading and at the same time, recognizes individual needs and the role of remediation and accommodation. Reading is a multi-faceted cognitive task that calls for an understanding of all the processes involved to achieve the goal namely, meaning.

References

Birsh, J. R. (Ed.) (2005) Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills (2nd ed.), Baltimore MD: Paul Brookes Publishing.

Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G. Hamilton, R. I. & Kucan, L. (Eds.) (1997) Questioning the Author: An Approach for Enhancing Student Engagement with Text. Newark DE: International Reading Association.

Beck, I.L., (2002) Bringing Words to Life. NY: Guilford.

Carlisle, J.F. & Rice, M.S. (2002) Improving Reading Comprehension. Timonium, MD.: York Press.

Curtis, M.E. (Ed.) Improving Comprehension and Comprehension Instruction, Perspectives, 27 (2), 1-51.

Deschler, D.D., Ellis, E.S., & Lenz, B.K (1996). Teaching Adolescents with Learning Disabilities: Strategies and Methods (2nd ed.). Denver, CO: Love Publishing.

Gough P.B. & Tunmer, W.E. (1986) Decoding, Reading and Reading Disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6-10.

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: Teaching Comprehension To Enhance Understanding. York, Maine: Stenhouse Publications.

Maria, K. (1990). Reading Comprehension Instruction: Issues and Strategies. Timonium, MD: York Press.

Marzano. R. (2004). Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement. Alexandria, VA:ASCD.

McCardle, P. & Chhabra, V. (Eds.) (2004) The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research. Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing.

Moats, L.C. (2005) Digging for Meaning: Teaching Text Comprehension. Longmont. CO: Sopris West.

National Reading Panel (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching Children To Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and its Implications for Reading Instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child and Health Development.

RAND Reading Study Group (2002). Reading for Understanding: Toward an R & D Program in Reading Comprehension.

Vaughn, S. & Klingner, J.K. (1999). Teaching Reading Comprehension Through Collaborative Strategic Reading. Intervention in School & Clinic, 34, 284-292.

Instructional Resources

Carreker, S. (2004) Developing Metacognitive Skills: Vocabulary and Comprehension. Houston, TX: Neuhaus.

Greene, J.F. (2005). LANGUAGE! (3rd ed.) Longmont, CO: Sopris West.

Greene, V., & Enfield, M.L. (1999). Project Read: Story Form Comprehension Guide, Bloomington, MN: Language Circle Enterprises.

Klingner, J.K., Vaughn, S., Dimino, J., Schumm, J.S., & Bryant, D. (2001). From Clunk To Click: Collaborative Strategic Reading. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.

Websites

Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed. is an experienced general and special education teacher, administrator, and consultant. She is immediate past president of the International Dyslexia Association, serves on the National Joint Committee for Learning Disabilities, and is a member of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic's National Advisory Council.