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Reading 101

Text Comprehension

Click below to watch a short video clip that shows a Seattle school using a technique called Reciprocal Teaching to help students improve their reading comprehension.

Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand what they are reading, they are not really reading.

As they read, good readers are both purposeful and active. They may read to figure out how to use a food processor, for example, or a magazine for entertainment.

Good readers also think actively as they read. They use their experiences and knowledge of the world, vocabulary, language structure, and reading strategies to make sense of the text and know how to get the most out of it. They know when they have problems with understanding and how to resolve these problems as they occur.

What Is Reading? Decoding and the Jabberwocky's Song

By: Sebastian Wren (2005)

This article illustrates the difference between being able to decode words on a page and being able to derive meaning from the words and the concepts they are trying to convey.

Using Think-Alouds to Improve Reading Comprehension

By: Roger Farr and Jenny Conner (2004)

Students need to think while they are reading. By using modeling, coached practice, and reflection, you can teach your students strategies to help them think while they read and build their comprehension.

Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension

By: C.R. Adler (2004)

Comprehension strategies are conscious plans — sets of steps that good readers use to make sense of text. Comprehension strategy instruction helps students become purposeful, active readers who are in control of their own reading comprehension.

Don't Let Basics Obstruct Comprehension Strategies

By: Kathleen Kennedy Manzo (2002)

A new federal report, "Reading for Understanding: Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension," produced by the RAND Corporation, sets out an ambitious agenda for research that could be readily applied in the classroom and that addresses three specific areas: the reader's ability, knowledge, and experience; features of the text; and the purposes, processes, and consequences of a particular reading activity.

Comprehension Instruction: What Works

By: Michael Pressley (2000)

Without a strong background in basic skills like decoding and vocabulary-building, reading comprehension is impossible. This article offers research-based strategies for building on these and other skills to increase student understanding of what is read.

Text Comprehension

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